Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Nathan Good

Carried by God, in Love

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by Nathan Good

The following is an adaptation of reflections shared by Dana and Nathan Good at the funeral of their son, Amos Rhett Good. To hear their full reflections, please click here. 

We didn’t have long with Amos, but he left a lifelong impression. Our journey with Amos began unexpectedly. Having taken surgical means to not have children, Dana and I were surprised by her pregnancy in late 2023.  

Then the next twist in the journey came. We discovered over halfway through the pregnancy that he had Trisomy 18, a severe genetic disorder. 

Amos was born on May 28, 2024 and lived for five hours. Many from our family were able to come to be with him and us. Those hours were filled with unconditional love.  

God was never far away. Even though most of his life on earth was spent in the womb, God was holding him close even then. The evidence of God and his people are all over the story of our son, Amos, and as his parents, we couldn’t want for a better legacy for him. 

The name Amos means “carried by God.” The prophet Amos was a simple shepherd called by God to deliver a powerful message: “Worship without justice is idolatry.” I feel a kindred spirit with the prophet. 

Nathan and Dana Good with their newborn son, Amos Rhett. 

I didn’t set out to be a pastor. I told God I would go anywhere and do anything for Him. I imagined a place of poverty, caring for people burdened by post-colonial globalism. Instead, God sent me to my own community with a simple message: “Worship without justice is idolatry.” 

Dana chose the name Amos for our son. Together we decided this was a way of naming him after me.  

As followers of Jesus, we claim to worship the one true God, the God of love and justice. 

The Apostle John reminds us: 

“This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 

“Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” 

I wonder what the world looked like from Amos’s perspective. For the entire time he was alive, Amos had his eyes open. I have never seen a newborn taking in their world the way Amos did. And I believe what he saw was love. 

Imagine if we discovered an animal species that developed an additional sense, knowing if one of their young would die prematurely. Rather than distancing themselves, they poured extra care upon the mother and the child. 

Imagine they created tools to provide oxygen to the baby, allowing the family to gather to hug, hold, and kiss the child before they passed away. If we found this in nature, we would hold it up as one of the greatest expressions of love. 

That was Amos’s life. 

I can’t help but think of those around us, walking through tragedy without a support system like this. I hope that the love we have experienced inspires all of us to feel the same love towards others. 

Love towards the 70 to 90 children in Quakertown School District without a house to call their own.  

Love towards the mother wrestling with a surprise pregnancy without family or anything that feels like a reasonable option other than terminating the baby 

Love towards the hundreds of thousands of babies who are aborted every year. 

Love towards refugees and immigrants who have traveled thousands of miles out of sheer desperation to provide for their children.  

Children without parents, parents without spouses, immigrants miles from home: orphans, widows, and foreigners. This is who God has called us to love throughout history and it seems just as difficult today as it was three thousand years ago. 

14 Seek good, not evil, 
    that you may live. 
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, 
    just as you say he is. 
15 Hate evil, love good; 
    maintain justice in the courts. 
Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy 
    on the remnant of [his people]. 

Amos 5:14-15

Nathan Good

Nathan Good is the Pastor of Swamp (Quakertown, PA) congregation.

The Work of Reconciliation in Quakertown

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by Sue Conrad Howes, West Swamp congregation

Over time, the Holy Spirit works, making the things that divide us seem so much less important than the things that unite us.

In 1847, a church split occurred over the style of coat worn by the pastor, keeping minutes at church meetings, and whether Sunday School was acceptable. We may laugh and even scoff at the topics that caused the split some 173 years ago, but the lines drawn during that split have been felt until just recently; in November 2019, Franconia Conference and Eastern District Conference voted to become one new conference, a reconciliation that went into effect in February 2020.

In the history books, the conference split was rooted in the history of two congregations: West Swamp Mennonite Church (which helped begin Eastern District) and Swamp Mennonite Church (which broke away from West Swamp and stayed with Franconia Conference). In the 19th century, West Swamp’s pastor John Oberholtzer was a leader in the 1847 division.  The two congregations are now located just over a mile apart in Quakertown, PA.  

Pastor Nathan Good (left) of Swamp Mennonite and Pastor Michael Howes (right) of West Swamp Mennonite serve communion to members of both congregations on March 1, 2020. Photo by Sue Conrad Howes

As a celebration of the reconciled conference, West Swamp and Swamp congregations worshiped together for two Sundays in March 2020. On March 1, both congregations gathered at West Swamp, enjoyed breakfast together, and worshiped with Pastor Nathan Good of Swamp preaching. The next Sunday, the two congregations worshiped together at Swamp, with Pastor Michael Howes preaching, and a fellowship meal following the service. Members of both churches participated in Scripture reading, worship leading, and music at each service. Perhaps most importantly, communion was celebrated both Sundays, together.

The theme for the two services was reconciliation. On March 1, Pastor Nathan invited the congregations to evaluate our conflicts, acknowledging that we all have them. He encouraged each person to engage our conflicts, for God’s sake, and to commit to genuine love. “God is bigger than our disagreements and God’s love frees us to love people despite our disagreements,” Pastor Nathan said.

Members of Swamp and West Swamp congregations gather around tables and take communion. Photo by Lynne Rush

“God is impartial,” he said. “In a divisive time, we need to be reminded that God is the God of all people. God is not ours; instead, we are God’s.”

The next Sunday, Pastor Michael invited the congregants to reach out to those in our lives with whom we need reconciliation. Referring to the Old Testament story of Jacob and Esau, Pastor Michael shared that it is not enough to hang back and let the other person make the first step. “Today the Holy Spirit is prompting you to initiate that reconciliation,” he encouraged. Pastor Michael focused on the ministry of reconciliation that all of God’s people are called to: “God says to us, ‘I want to make you an agent of reconciliation.’”

He acknowledged that the ministry of reconciliation is hard work. “Sometimes we need to say, ‘I forgive you,’ and other times we need to say, ‘I’m sorry, please forgive me.’”

Children from West Swamp and Swamp gather for children’s time on the topic of forgiveness and reconciliation during a joint worship service at Swamp Mennonite on March 8, 2020. Photo by Sue Conrad Howes

From the joyful hugs and delightful connections made in the foyers to the active conversations that happened across tables at the meals, you would not have known that these two congregations ever battled with each other to the point of locking each other out of their church building.

Sometimes it takes a long time to partake in the ministry of reconciliation. While these two congregations will return to their regular places of worship next Sunday, both groups welcomed the opportunity to celebrate the work of reconciliation and to commit to being agents of God’s reconciliation into the future.

Congregational Profile: Swamp Mennonite Church

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by Nathan Good, pastor

Swamp Mennonite Church (Quakertown, PA) is a community of people growing together in Christ as we celebrate God’s grace, encourage growth, and proclaim Christ’s victory over sin and death through the power of the Holy Spirit.  

We recognize our need for grace, with a recent focus being, “As we grow in our understanding of God’s love and grace, we will increase in our ability and willingness to share more of ourselves, deepening our relationships with each other and the community around us.”  We have a member on each of our Church Board and Ministry Team who are open about their journeys as recovering alcoholics.

This desire for honesty and openness in our life together led to last year’s focus of Seeking God Together by Praying Listening Following. Being a part of Swamp means committing to following Jesus daily and to the faith community where we are united to Jesus.  

Our focus for 2020 is Connecting for a Purpose. As the body of Christ, the contribution of each member is important, so we may be the salt of the world, praying and living in such a way that God’s will might be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Swamp has a long history of service and outreach in the local community. Many local families share stories of being impacted by Vacation Bible School and Mission Outreach programs over the years. We continually invest time and money in caring for those around us, from helping neighbors clean up after a fire to opening our homes to the homeless. Our ministry extends around the world through individuals in our congregation with active roles in Mennonite Disaster Service, Mennonite Central Committee, and more.

As the community around us transitions from a historic farming community to a mish-mash of rural and suburban, we continue to evaluate what it means to follow Jesus faithfully in this time and place. We support the work of Free Fall Action Sports that uses the local skate park to build relationships with at-risk teens, developing their skills and abilities, and offering the opportunity to believe in the hope of Jesus. We also support the work of Code Blue which offers emergency housing in Quakertown and RIPPLE in Allentown.

Our blended worship style is a perfect expression of the community life of the Swamp congregation. Swamp embraces each person as they are while encouraging everyone to grow further into the image of God through Jesus. This is supported by our vibrant Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and Clubs Program. This love for learning and concern for the next generation is seen in the outpouring of love and support for our youth as we work to integrate them into the church. This past summer we had an intergenerational Sunday School class where everyone, from ages 10-100, sat around tables and discussed Scripture, prayed together, and asked honest questions about Christianity.

We are far from perfect. But through the power of the Spirit we are perfecting, as we covenant to growing together in Christ as God’s community of faith in the drained swamp surrounding Milford Township, PA.

Prayer requests:

  •  Pray that we would be faithful in the little things of daily life.
  •  Pray for elastic edges as we reach out to our neighbors.
  •  Pray for creative collaboration with The Church(es) of Quakertown as we work together for God’s kingdom.

Grace to Fail at Faith and Life

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by Sandy Drescher-Lehman, Methacton congregation

As I abandoned my warm cozy couch by the fire on Thursday evening, February 7, to head into the cold and rainy night toward Swamp Mennonite Church, I couldn’t remember anything about why I was doing this except that I had registered for another Faith and Life gathering. The thought of being with other credentialed leaders, whoever would show up, was meaning enough for my heart and soul (think: ENFP, Enneagram 7).

Being the first to arrive, I watched Swamp’s pastor, Nathan Good, putting the final touches on a welcoming table of fruit, cookies, and chocolate bark and then enjoyed the arrival of other pastors.   These were “my people”.

As we settled down around tables and J.R. Briggs, author of the book Fail: Finding Hope and Grace in the Midst of Ministry Failure, began his talk, I finally remembered what the topic was.  I also remembered that when I had registered, I wasn’t sure why I’d need to hear about this, since everything’s been going so well for me and the community at Methacton Mennonite Church.

But that wasn’t the point really.  I had voted a few years ago at conference assembly to affirm a group of pastors to provide quarterly gatherings for study, enrichment, and fellowship around how we practice our faith in life. They have delivered and I’ve never been disappointed.

J.R. Briggs, author of “Fail: Finding Hope and Grace in the Midst of Ministry Failure”.

What I soon realized was that the points the speaker was making were good to be reminded of, because even on my best days, I do make a lot of mistakes.  We all do, of course! What we do with those failures, and the accompanying feelings of rejection—and ultimately shame—was the topic for discussion.  How do we attend to the failures that we should expect and that Jesus does not keep us from, so that we can continue to find joy in our ministries?

After reading 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 & 16-18 several times together, we  shared our definitions of failure and success and vulnerability.  What do we do when we get BLASTed (Bored, Lonely, Anxious/Afraid, Stressed, or Tired)?  We were invited to think about the lies we’re tempted to believe about ourselves when we make mistakes, and the masks we put on to cover them. Instead of defining our success by the 3 Bs (Building, Bodies and Budget), we were encouraged to find freedom in the 4 Fs (Faithfulness, Fruitfulness, Fulfillment and Fellowship).

And those are the words I left the evening with: the good news that God uses people who fail, the good news that is only available to those who have failed, and the good news that freedom is found in nothing to hide, lose, or prove. J.R. and those around my table that night, in honest and vulnerable sharing, renewed my joy of being a pastor, alongside so many other wonderful people, who all fail at times and can then talk and pray about it together.

Thank you to the Faith and Life Commission members, for another good time of study, reflection, and renewal.

Faith & Life gatherings for credentialed leaders are held quarterly.  This year’s topics revolve around issues of leadership.  Our next gathering will be held in several locations around eastern PA and via Zoom on May 8 & 9, focusing on women in leadership with Carolyn Custis James.

Does Church Membership Matter?

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by Mark R. Wenger – Pastoral Team Leader and Pastor of Administration, Franconia Mennonite Church

How does church membership work in Franconia Conference?  How do you become a church member?  What are the requirements and benefits?  What happens to membership when someone stops attending?  What theological understandings underpin church membership? These questions, and more, formed the center of a Faith and Life Gathering of about 30 Franconia Conference credentialed leaders at Salford Mennonite Church on the morning of May 9, 2018.

Framed by Romans 12:4-5, a panel of three pastors led the way into the maze of membership. Nathan Good from Swamp Mennonite Church described their annual membership Sunday where new members are received after a 10-week preparation class, current members re-affirm a membership covenant, and the congregation shares Communion together. This keeps membership and attendance numbers aligned.

Ken Burkholder from Deep Run East Mennonite Church highlighted the importance of a public commitment for becoming a member.  His congregation has a Membership Covenant in the By-laws but stated it isn’t referenced much.  Ken observed a “definite trend” of people who are active in the congregation, but don’t become members.  Others remain members on the books but haven’t been active for years.

Danillo Sanchez spoke about commitment patterns at Ripple in Allentown and Whitehall Mennonite Church.  Typical church membership that grants certain privileges doesn’t fit their context.  Yet in each congregation, participants sign a covenant that highlights three Anabaptist church distinctives.  This annual signing intends to keep commitment current and to remind people what it means to be part of the faith community.

Discussion around tables followed the panel presentation.  A recurring theme: Understandings and practices of church membership are changing.  Earlier, more standard patterns have morphed into contextualized and individualized approaches. Questions that were raised included: can someone who lacks an understanding of core Christian beliefs and practices become a member?  How about someone who is engaged in behaviors considered inconsistent with the Bible or the Confession of Faith? Churches with cemeteries face unique challenges.  Can someone listed as a member still claim a burial benefit ten years after ceasing to attend?  What does church membership mean?  Is it a shell without any filling?  Or an antique no longer relevant? Lots of questions.  Not many answers.

As a point of comparison, I recently joined the Souderton-Telford Rotary Club.  I needed a current member to serve as my sponsor.  Membership dues are payable every month.  I must attend at least two Rotary functions each month to remain a member.

I came away from the Faith and Life Gathering discussion on membership feeling muddled, even conflicted. I agreed with the pastor who said: “We are holding to what we believe, but we’ve become more flexible in our practices.”  But, when does changing practice reveal an implicit shift of core theology?

In my view, church membership and a covenant community remain a worthy investment for congregations.  Jesus and leaders of the early church raised expectations of godly living, while also setting people free from bondage.  A liberating gospel on one side, and covenanted discipleship on the other, are not contradictory.

Congregations that expect a lot of their members tend to be more cohesive than free-for-all associations.  When high-demand churches also offer transformation to participants and engage them in a clear mission, congregations flourish.

Church membership today doesn’t look like it did fifty years ago.  Our congregations are less homogenous; we move around more; accountability feels different.  But the human need for healing and hope, for encountering God, for belonging to a group, and for sharing in bigger mission remains the same.  In my opinion, the vision of church where “each member belongs to all the others” (Rom. 12:5) remains worthy of our best creativity and commitment.

A Sacred Trust Maintained By Healthy Boundaries

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By Josh Meyer, Pastor of Discipling and Preaching at Franconia Mennonite Church

 To serve in the role of spiritual leader is a sacred trust.  Sometimes, without intending to, we exploit and hurt those we want to teach and nurture by inappropriately crossing boundaries.

This was, in a nutshell, my major takeaway from the recent Healthy Boundaries 101 training provided by Franconia Mennonite Conference.  The training consisted of resourcing from trained facilitators, DVD instruction, small group discussion, large-group sharing, and personal assessments.  I’ll admit: I wasn’t particularly looking forward to a full-day of training when I had so much other work to do.  It seemed excessive and came during a particularly busy time in my schedule.  However, the experience proved not only worthwhile, but stimulating and enjoyable as well.

As spiritual leaders, we hold power – it is given to us whether we want it or not.  Therefore, it is important to understand and establish proper relational boundaries.  Such boundaries help us maintain clear professional relationships and signal to others that it is safe to trust us.  They aren’t intended to shackle us but to free us in our work as pastors and leaders.  Healthy boundaries protect both us and our congregations: us from other people’s problems becoming overwhelming, and congregants’ from our unintentional misuse of power.

While the concepts of power and boundaries may seem abstract, the training itself was quite practical.  I walked away with a number of concrete tools for guarding against violating boundaries inappropriately:

Awareness.  Be aware of my own needs and find healthy ways of having them met other than by people I am supposed to be serving.

Motivation.  Ask myself these questions when engaging in care for people: “What is my role here?”  “Who is this for – is this in the best interest of the other person or does it only satisfy my needs?” “Would I be comfortable if all my acquaintances knew I was doing this?”

Accountability.  Establish a system of accountability.  One practical way of doing this would be to arrange to meet regularly with a spiritual director or colleague with whom to share honestly.

Something from vs something for.  The teacher should never want something from the student, other than for them to be their full self.  When I start wanting something from a person I am leading, I need to reassess.

 Prevention.  It is my responsibility to ensure prevention.  The obligation is always on the pastor/leader – not the congregant – to set proper, healthy boundaries.

Intervention.  When prevention fails, intervention is necessary.  Having established policies and procedures can be very useful in these situations.

Discernment.  Boundaries are not always easy to discern and there are often no clear guidelines for the best action to take when confronted with an issue.  Therefore, we need spiritual wisdom, divine prudence, and godly insight to help us faithfully navigate such encounters.

To serve in the role of spiritual leader is a sacred trust.  As a result of this training, I have a greater appreciation for the power I hold as a leader and a greater awareness of how I can appropriately use this power to serve, bless, and protect those God has entrusted to my care.

Healthy Boundary 101 Trainings are being offered by Franconia Conference to anyone who would like to attend. All those in a leadership role within their congregations are encouraged to attend. Credentialed leaders in Franconia Conference are required to complete the training for their 2018 credential renewal cycle.  For more information and to register for a training click here (link closed).

Nathan Good, Pastor at Swamp Mennonite Church had this to say about the training held on March 15: “I was not at all excited about attending the mandatory boundary training event held two weeks before Easter in the midst of my busy schedule.  I have already been trained on boundaries multiple times and have even taught others about healthy boundaries.  But, it was the only training session that fit into my schedule and it was required for maintaining my ordination credentials, so I went.  At the end of the day, despite the sacrifices I needed to make to be there, I was glad that I had attended.  Barbie and John did an excellent job presenting the material and creating a safe space for open storytelling.  It was encouraging and helpful to hear how other leaders wrestle with boundary questions within their role and to realize that I am not alone.  Even though most of the material was not new, it was presented and facilitated in a way that was refreshing, brought healthy reminders, and served as a sounding board for real life scenarios I found myself in at that time.  Despite my reservations about attending an 8 hour training event on boundaries, it was time well spent and I am glad I attended.”

Together Despite Differences: Youth Worship Event Report

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By Madison Smith, Deep Run East

In order to bring teens “together despite differences”, Eastern District and Franconia Mennonite Conference held their annual Youth Worship Gathering on June 4, 2016. The theme of the event was “Built together in Christ”, and was led by Chantelle Todman Moore, Philadelphia Program Coordinator for Mennonite Central Committee.

Youth gathering 3According to Christian Zeo, Doylestown Mennonite Church, the theme helped to “bring us all together under Jesus.”

The message that Todman Moore delivered also resulted in a positive responses.  “It put flesh and blood on the idea of Christ,” said Doylestown Youth Leader Brandon Landis.

As well as a message, the gathering also had many times of worship throughout the event, which were led by Nathan Good, Associate Pastor at Swamp Mennonite Church, and Danilo Sanchez, Leigh Valley Youth Pastor for Ripple, Whitehall and Vietnamese Gospel.

According to Zeo, the songs get people to express what they normally can’t. “Besides the messages, the songs had an upbeat feel,” said Zeo. “Most songs are too solemn.”

Youth gathering 4This event is held biannually, the first weekend of June following the Mennonite Historians Whack and Roll event. Usually the youth enjoy time outdoors under a big tent on the Mennonite Historians’ land in Harleysville. Due to the rain, the event was moved indoors to Christopher Dock Mennonite High School. Yet, the rain did not keep the people away; over 12 youth groups participated, including those from Doylestown, Ripple, Whitehall, Blooming Glen, Deep Run East and Deep Run West and many more.

Ministerial Committee Update

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by Stephen Kriss

The Ministerial committee of Franconia Mennonite Conference board met on May 6th at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School.   The committee approved and recognized the following changes in credentialed minister status.

Penny Naugle from Plains Mennonite Church was licensed toward ordination for her work as a chaplain at Rockhill Mennonite Community.  Nathan Good, associate pastor at Swamp Mennonite Church, was licensed toward ordination.

Ministerial Committee Update 5-21-15 web
Angela Moyer was ordained on May 17, 2015.

In addition, the Ministerial committee approved Kris Wint, pastor at Finland congregation, for ordination which will take place at Finland Mennonite Church on June 28th.  Josh Meyer, teaching/preaching pastor at Franconia congregation was also approved for ordination and his ordination ceremony will be on June 28th as well.  The Committee is pleased to announce that the ordination of Angela Moyer took place this past Sunday, May 17th at Ripple in Allentown.

Other changes to credentialed minister status include, Doris Diener, Franconia congregation, who was received by transfer from Southeast Mennonite Conference has been moved to retired.  James Longacre, Bally congregation, was shifted to a retired credential as well.

Gerry Clemmer, former lead pastor at Souderton congregation, John Bender, former interim associate pastor at Franconia congregation, and Mark Derstine, who completed his work as Chaplain at Living Branches, were moved to active without charge.

Steve Kriss is Director of Leadership Cultivation & Congregational Resourcing , as well as a LEADership Minister, in Franconia Mennonite Conference.