Mosaic Mennonites

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National News

That illusive something: Historic Peace Church gathering includes a public witness for peace

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J. Fred Kauffman, MCC East Coast

“God is trying to show us something, and we’re just not getting it! Something is right here…” Rev. Elisha B. Morris leaned ahead and gestured, “…right in front of us, and we can’t see it.”

That illusive “something” began to emerge on a June day in Fr. Isaac Miller’s small office within the cavernous 1897 Church of the Advocate in North Philadelphia. Priest at this Episcopalian church, Fr. Miller was hosting a small group to begin shaping the public witness of a national conference called “Heeding God’s Call: a Gathering on Peace” planned for January 2009 at the Arch Street Friends Meetinghouse.

We were meeting to seek God’s leading and power to confront the deadly gun violence that threatens so many urban youth. Some in the group like Rev. Morris, from Jones Memorial Church of God in Christ, sees the ugly side of life every day as he counsels survivors of gun violence. Fr. Miller, veteran of the civil rights movement, searched for words. “I have no idea how the youth in my church cope with this constant threat. I never had to live with that.” So, what was that illusive “something” that Rev. Morris glimpsed?

Fast forward to October. A diverse animated task group of 10 is meeting around a table and a plan is emerging. We explore civil disobedience as a way to express the seriousness of the issue. Suddenly Rev. Morris gets up, walks around, comes back to sit down and beaming says, “This is the ‘something’ that God had for us back in June! This is it! I can see it now!”

As his message sank in we sensed hope and energy rising as we are finding ways for Christians and other citizens to confront this plague of violence.

The public witness on gun violence, called “We’ve Got Work to Do!” will be held on Saturday, January 17. In preparation for the Saturday action we will focus on a gun shop known to be a source of handguns for street corner dealers and ask the owner to sign a “Code of Conduct.” Developed by Mayors Against Illegal Guns and signed by Wal-Mart, the 10-point code aims to limit the flow of guns to the illegal market. If the owner signs the Code, on January 17th we will rally to celebrate; if not, we will rally to pressure him. We hope to create models for communities to take direct and immediate action to confront the scourge of illegal handguns in addition to our important long-term task of pressing for legislative reform to reduce gun violence.

Heeding God’s Call is a “working gathering” for 700 participants planned for January 13 – 19 and sponsored by the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, Church of the Brethren and Mennonite Church USA. The vision of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. is at the heart of the conference. One of his co-workers, Dr. Vincent Harding, will serve as Elder for the Gathering. Each sponsoring denomination will send 100 participants, and an additional 300 have been invited from a wide range of other denominations.

The public witness, which will be held on the final day of the conference, will include many other participants as well. Ten congregations in Philadelphia will each partner with two congregations from rural and suburban areas. Anabaptist congregations that plan to participate include: Blooming Glen Mennonite, Circle of Hope (Brethren in Christ), Frazer Mennonite, Oxford Circle Mennonite, Philadelphia Praise Center and West Philadelphia Mennonite. Others plan to join in the Saturday action but not as one of the “triplet” congregational groups. National Gathering participants will join these congregations and hundreds of others from around the city, for morning worship and education about handgun violence. After lunch, all will meet for combined worship and a closing sermon by Dr. Harding. From there we will march to the gun shop for the public witness against illegal handguns.

The Saturday action is an opportunity for active public witness for peace which brings together people of faith from many denominations and faiths, national and local church leaders, the predominantly European American “historic peace churches” and African American congregations working for peace on the streets, as well as urban, suburban and rural churches.

If you and/or your congregation are interested in more information, please contact Fred Kauffman at jfk@mcc.org.

Salford student featured on NPR’s “This I believe”

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Along with two other Goshen College students, Sheldon Good, a member of the Salford congregation, wrote an essay for NPR’s “This I believe” project that was selected to be aired on the public radio station in Elkhart, Ind., WVPE-88.1 FM.

“This I Believe” is a national media project engaging millions of people in writing, sharing and discussing the core values and beliefs that guide their daily lives. National Public Radio (NPR) has aired these short essays since April 2005. “This I Believe” is based on a 1950s radio program of the same name, hosted by acclaimed journalist Edward R. Murrow.

Good’s essay entitled “Sharing a Way of Life” explains his particular belief in the value of sharing food. His essay was aired on Tuesday, November 18 and is now available to read online at thisibelive.org.

Essays by Goshen students Annalisa Harder and Julia Baker were also featured on the Tuesday before and after Good’s air date.

The three students wrote their essays for Goshen College communication courses taught by Professor of Communication Duane Stoltzfus, who encouraged students to submit their work for publication or broadcasting.

When Coordination “Just Happens”: Introducing the Worm Project’s Worm Warriors

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Elizabeth Swartley Stover, Dock Woods Community
with Claude Good. Worm Project Coordinator

On the evening of October 8th Franconia Heritage Family restaurant served a meal of rice and beans, coleslaw and jello served so good that even a famous local chef wanted the recipe for the beans!

That evening 135 caring people met at the restaurant to hear how God brought together a “special forces” team to do battle against one of humanity’s most loathsome enemies: food-depriving intestinal worms in poverty-stricken areas of the world. The weapon of choice in this battle is a small pill costing less than two cents. For that small amount at least five to ten lbs. of “groceries” can be “bought” for a child over a six-month period (the amount the worms would eat if still there).

God knew that this battle needed passionate, well-trained “warriors” to fight against these hidden enemies. He brought them together in his own way in answer to prayer. Each one has expertise in essential areas.

Worm Warrior Sid Gholson is retired, having worked for Georgia Pacific as a procurement person. His work took him all over the world giving him much experience and knowledge about how the world moves. Sid, and his Warrior wife Crystal, decided to use part of their retirement funds to de-worm children in orphanages around the world. Now they have expanded their ministry beyond orphanages and they have reached 26 countries. They call their ministry, “WOW NOW” or “WIPE OUT WORMS NOW” a name suggested by their ten-year-old granddaughter.

Another Warrior is Aaron Jackson. The 27 year old is the “John the Baptist” of the team, wearing a T-shirt, cotton slacks, a knitted skullcap and red shoes! He gave up his apartment in order to use the rent money he saved to help get Haitian children into orphanages. For a while he slept on the floor of a homeless shelter. Now he travels the world starting orphanages and getting de-worming medication to children. He was asked to appear on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 and Larry King Live. As a result, the funds he has raised are sending millions of pills to countries such as Haiti, The Dominican Republic, Sudan, Kenya and Cameroon.

Known as the “Sparkplug”, Warrior Andrew Crawford works for Food for the Hungry in Phoenix, Az. Previously Andrew worked for a pharmaceutical company in their children’s department but he felt a yearning to do something for the poverty-stricken children of the world. The efficiency of de-worming, bringing added food to malnourished children, attracted Andrew to this kind of ministry. Now he and his organization take care of all the many details connected with shipping the pills to the different countries including the cost. He and his organization have now been distributing millions of pills on their own. Their latest goal is to treat 1.5 million families in the country of Burundi – a total of 7.8 million pills for each six-month distribution!

The fourth Warrior is Scott Hendrix. Scott owned a business in Chicago. He sold it because God called him “to work for him.” Within a week Campus Crusade for Christ International contacted him. Now he is in charge of GAiN (Global Aid Network) the humanitarian aid arm of Campus Crusade. Scott and his staff take care of the very difficult custom’s and warehousing issues. But because of their vast experience around the world they know the best routes through the ports.

Thanks to people like Andrew and Scott, 100% of donated funds go to purchasing the pills. There are a lot of “just happens” (God initiatives) in this ministry. One of them was when Andrew and Scott both were delayed overnight in New Orleans due to a canceled flight. They “just happened” to be on the same flight. In the hotel room that night they found common interests and the Worm Project has not been the same since!

Besides other warriors out in the field distributing, there were other warriors present that evening like Beth Beson who flew in from Michigan. She was inspired by Aaron to do something for the country of Cameroon. She is purchasing 1 million pills for that country. Another was Dr. Priscilla Benner and the MAMA Project team. She and the Worm Project are collaborating by sending 2 million pills to Honduras. One other warrior, Howard Schiffer of Vitamin Angels was not able to be present. Their group sends out high-potency Vitamin A capsules (to prevent blindness) also distributed every six months. Now they are piggy-backing the worm pills with their very large distributions.

These warriors work against poverty around the world. If they can keep up to 25% of the children’s food from the parasites, even the food supply of a nation is increased. This team prays for God’s guidance; they see him as the “Great Coordinator,” who wants His children, the least of these, fed.

Longacre publishes "Like Those Who Dream"

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“Like Those Who Dream”: Conference pastor publishes book of sermons

Cascadia Publishing House of Telford, Pa, announces the pre-release on November 23, 2008 of Like Those Who Dream, a 200-page book of sermons preached at the Salford Mennonite Church of Harleysville over a fifteen-year span.

The author, James C. Longacre of Barto, Pa, who served in various leadership roles in the Franconia Menninte Conference for four decades, was pastor at the Salford congregation from 1992-2006. His book, subtitled, Sermons for Salford Mennonite Church and Beyond, selects thirty from the more than five hundred sermons he preached during his time at Salford.

Mennonite Seminary President Nelson Kraybill notes the sermons’ “global perspective, dry wit and keen theological insight” that make them “wonderully relevant” to a contemporary audience. Nationally recognized scriptural scholar Walter Brueggeman writes, “Not often do oral sermons ring true in written form … but these do!”

Longacre, who is retired from ministry, will be presented with the first copy of Like Those Who Dream at Salford’s regular Sunday morning service on November 23. The following Friday evening, November 28, 7:00 to 9:00 pm, the public is invited to a book-signing event at the Mennonite Heritage Center, 565 Yoder Road near Harleysville, Pa.

At the signing, Longacre, Michael King of Cascadia Publishing House, and John L. Ruth, a former co-minister of the author, will comment on the uniqueness of this book in the history of the eastern Pennsylvania Mennonite community.

Copies will be available for purchase at the autographing session. Publication and order information is available at Cascadia Publishing House.

For more information on the book-signing event call 215 256 3020.

Gathering around tables, sharing Christ’s body

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Lora Steiner, for Franconia Mennonite Conference

For more than 50 years, the churches of Franconia Mennonite Conference have sent missionaries and money to Mexico to plant new churches. This year, a church in Mexico City sent missionaries back.

Husband and wife Linker Sanchez and Luz Maria Vargas, of the Tierra Prometida congregation, were commissioned on Friday night, November at this year’s conference assembly to work with the Spanish-speaking community in Gaithersburg, Md, near Washington, DC.

“The United States has sent missionaries for many years all over the world,” Sanchez told those gathered. “But as you know, God is now sending all the nations of the world to the United States—and we have come here to reach our countrymen in their language and culture.”

“We are from many different nations but we are all children of the same God,” said Vargas.

More than 200 people, including 130 delegates from conference congregations and related-ministries gathered around tables at the Penn View Christian School cafeteria in Souderton, Pa. to worship together, discuss a variety of issues in the conference and celebrate newly credentialed leaders. The theme for the assembly was “Come to the Table: Embracing God in Us.”

Blaine Detwiler, conference moderator and pastor of Lakeview Mennonite Church, wrapped himself in a quilt to welcome participants on Friday night. Detwiler told of the quilt he and his wife had received as a wedding present, and how it had been used over the years.

“The beauty of a quilt is in its use,” he said, and suggested that this is also true of Christians.

Unlike previous years, there was no traditional worship time or sermon on Friday evening. Instead, Detwiler invited everyone to sit at tables and “see and hear the movement of Jesus in the faces around us.”

“There is no sermon, not in the traditional sense, because the sermon is going to be in the Anabaptist sense of community—how we are together with each other,” said executive conference minister Noel Santiago. “And doing that in front of a watching world is how the Anabaptists understood the message. In a way, the message is us… It comes out of all of us, together.”

While those gathered did less business than in the past and spent more time learning from each other, some things did remain the same: several rooms were designated as prayer space, and “prayer ushers” were available to pray at any time during the assembly. Ongoing worship was held in the teacher’s lounge, and an indoor prayer labyrinth with a guided liturgy was set up for anyone wanting to meditate. And while worship was held in English, some songs included verses in Spanish or Bahasa Indonesia, the two most common languages other than English spoken by conference churches.

Early on Saturday morning, participants again gathered at their tables—this time to tell stories of how they had seen God acting and how they were embracing the mission in their own churches.

A number of congregations in the conference have connections to Mexican churches and regularly send financial support and work teams or visit each other.

Urban Byler, who attends Whitehall Mennonite Church near Allentown, Pa., noted that his congregation is sponsoring a Karen Burmese refugee family. It has also supported Ripple Effects, a gathering led by Tom and Carolyn Albright for those who don’t have a church and often don’t want to be involved in a traditional church.

Churches have also been learning that to go out into the neighborhood and make disciples—and that crossing of language barriers, cultural assumptions and socioeconomic lines—can sometimes be uncomfortable or require flexibility.

John Ehst, pastor of Franconia Mennonite Church in Telford, Pa., shared that some of the recent converts in their Spanish-speaking gathering wanted a baptism by immersion, so the church held the service in the afternoon at a neighboring Grace Brethren church.

Several pastors said that while they often preach about following Jesus, sharing that love and joining the work of the Holy Spirit, it can be difficult to be missional and reach out as a congregation—especially for “cradle” or “legacy” Mennonites.

“The challenge we face is just talking about our faith,” said one pastor. “We’re good at doing things but not as much at verbalizing our faith.”

“One of the biggest challenges is that in this community,” said another pastor, “Mennonites hang out with Mennonites. They work for Mennonite businesses and go to Mennonite schools… it’s hard to get outside of that.”

In keeping with the theme of mission, part of Saturday was spent talking about an important inward focus of churches: the faith formation of children.

Mary Benner, pastor of youth and children at Souderton Mennonite Church, said the goal is to help churches and church schools think about “how we help children and youth become radical followers of Jesus Christ—the Jesus of the Sermon on the Mount, the Jesus of perfect love.”

Benner, along with Marlene Frankenfield, conference youth minister, and Sharon Fransen, shared a framework for how families, churches and schools can work together to pass along the faith. The framework was developed in conjunction with regional Mennonite schools, but is intended to help any child whether or not he or she attends a Mennonite school.

“Passing on the faith to the next generation is one of the most important roles of the entire body of Christ,” said Benner. “We want [our children] to develop a costly compassion, and have empathy for a hurting world… We want them to know Jesus so they will keep their hearts soft.”

But Benner also said that Jesus can make us uncomfortable.

“There’s a risk to teaching our children to be followers of Christ, because they will then go and do what we’ve taught them to do,” says Benner, who has two children doing voluntary service. “The reality is, if our kids live the spirit of Jesus, it’s costly. They’re going to be more vulnerable to pain and loneliness, and probably be drawn to the margins of society.”

Benner said that the most important thing churches can do for their children is to pray, be present and pay attention, because even churches appear similar on the surface, they’re all so different that what works in one congregation often can’t be translated into another.

“We feel like when we see another congregation doing something, we think, ‘That’s the answer for us.’ But the most effective thing is just that love relationship—knowing your context, your culture.”

The Saturday morning session covered approval of the 2007 assembly minutes, an update on the Vision and Financial Plan, and nominations for the gifts discernment process. Delegates voted unanimously to approve Randy Heacock, pastor of Doylestown Mennonite Church, as assistant conference moderator and conference board vice chair.

It also included time to welcome everyone who had been credentialed in Franconia Conference in the past year. Those licensed for ministry included Arnold Derstine, of the Franconia congregation; Eva Kratz, for prison ministry; Gay Brunt Miller, conference director of collaborative ministries; Jenifer Erickson Morales, conference minister of transitional ministries; Timothy Moyer, Vincent Mennonite Church; Yunus Perkasa, Nations Worship Center; and Aldo Siahaan, Philadelphia Praise Center. John Brodnicki of Mennonite Bible Fellowship was the only newly ordained person, while transfers of credentials were recognized for Dennis Edwards, Peace Fellowship (Washington, D.C.); Chris Nickels, Spring Mount; Mary Nitzsche, Blooming Glen; Wayne Nitzsche, Perkasie; Jim Ostlund, Blooming Glen; and Wayne Speigle, Bally Mennonite Church.

Throughout the gathering, there was a recognition that churches are working to minister in shifting contexts, and that the conference itself is becoming more diverse each year. Among conference churches, services are held not only in Spanish and Bahasa Indonesia, but also in Vietnamese and with some congregations having growing numbers of persons form varied Asian and African contexts. And while Mennonite conferences have historically been organized by geography, the web of relationships is taking the conference outside of those boundaries, and conference staff are working with churches in Delaware, New Jersey, Arkansas, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.

Amidst shifts and changes in the church, said Noel Santiago, “We want to be proactive, not reactive.”

At the end of the final delegate session, participants who had come from all over the world paused to partake in the re-membering of the body of Christ, and shared communion.

Oxford Circle ordination marks a first for Lancaster Mennonite Conference

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Peter M. Sensenig
Interim Associate Pastor
Oxford Circle Mennonite Church

The August 3, 2008, ordination of Lynn Parks at Oxford Circle Mennonite Church, a Franconia Conference Partner in Mission, in Philadelphia is the first official Lancaster Mennonite Conference ordination of a woman. Parks, along with her family, congregation, and the wider church, celebrate a renewed sense of God’s affirmation and calling with this important milestone.

Parks recognized that one of the hardest parts of ministry was taking on the identity of pastor. “For a long time, I would not tell people that I was a pastor but would simply say that I worked at our church,” she said. “Being ordained, for me, is an important part of embracing that identity.”

After a long discernment period the Bishop Board, which oversees all conference credentialing activities, decided in May 2008 to allow diversity within the conference on the ordination of women. Prior to Parks’ ordination bishop Linford King had performed two ordinations in the Lancaster District, Elizabeth Nissley of James Street Mennonite in June 2007 and Janet Breneman of Laurel Street Mennonite in January 2008.

Now Parks joins these women and a growing number of other women being ordained or transferring their ordination credentials from other conferences. They represent the reality of a fresh vision of conference pastoral leadership that includes both women and men.

Philadelphia bishop Freeman Miller officiated over the ordination. “As I have watched her preach, teach, counsel, guide and equip many at Oxford Circle for effective life and witness, my appreciation for her skilled leadership has grown steadily every year. So it seemed only fitting and right, at the request of the congregation, publicly and fully to affirm her gifts in an ordination service,” said Miller.

In his sermon conference moderator Keith Weaver reminded the congregation of their own responsibility to follow God’s leading. Oxford Circle senior pastor Leonard Dow led the service, which included statements of affirmation from fellow ministers and members of the congregation. Church council chair Tim Leaman and Mark Lyndaker-Studer, pastor at Neshaminy-Warwick Presbyterian Church where Parks works part time in pastoral visitation, both affirmed her giftedness. Parks’ husband Vandy, daughter Bethannie, and mother Ann Sawyer also participated in the service.

Dow described Parks as “radical in her patience. In a world today that demands ‘our rights’ now, Pastor Lynn’s love for the church and appreciation for discernment is indeed radical. My prayer is that all within the church can affirm this gift she has given to the church as much as we have at Oxford Circle.”

Parks first felt a call in 1999 as she became increasingly involved in teaching adults during Dow’s first year as pastor. She was praying for God to bring an associate to the church. Her husband Vandy had been the interim pastor the previous year, and she recognized the pressure that Dow was under as the only pastor. “God used all that to increase my interest in becoming more involved in ministry,” said Parks. “And then one day I clearly heard God speak to me that God wanted me to be associate pastor. I ignored that thought for a few weeks but it wouldn’t go away, so I talked to my husband Vandy and he affirmed it immediately. Within a week pastor Leonard Dow also affirmed it and we began the process of discernment with bishop Freeman Miller, our extended family, church council and finally the congregation.”

In eight years of ministry at Oxford Circle, Parks has seen the multi-racial congregation double in size and become increasingly involved in community outreach. The Oxford Circle Christian Community Development Association (OCCCDA), the nonprofit affiliated with the church, is currently in the midst of a major fundraising campaign along with the church to purchase a building that will house a rapidly growing community center doing holistic ministry, as well as a larger meeting space for worship. “Pastor Lynn enthusiastically shares our congregation’s strong passion to combine evangelism and social ministry to transform broken lives,” said Ron Sider, board member of OCCCDA and member of Oxford Circle.

Parks values the role that education plays in equipping for ministry, having recently completed the Master of Divinity degree from Regent University. “Finding time to complete an M.Div. while pastoring was a constant challenge,” said Parks. “I was greatly helped by support from my husband, my extended family, and the congregation. The studying and ministry practice went hand in hand, and I saw my time at seminary as a benefit to the congregation. It is a constant balancing act in trying to prioritize family time, ministry responsibilities and study.”

Parks is much appreciated at Oxford Circle for her leadership training through a program called the Discovery Class and its follow-up two year mentoring program. Practicing what she preaches, Parks continues in a co-mentoring relationship with two women in the church who also gave words of blessing at her ordination. Anita Lyndaker-Studer, executive director of OCCCDA, said of Parks, “Her skills in leadership development and discipleship stand out as a blessing to our congregation. The Discovery Series that Pastor Lynn led has been instrumental for me personally in terms of finding and following God’s call on my life.” Arbutus Sider said of the ordination, “We are grateful that we are celebrating Pastor’s Lynn’s ordination, not on the basis of her gender, but because of her giftedness, calling and affirmation.”

“God has called and equipped me to be a pastor,” Parks said. “Now that is fully affirmed by the church that I serve and that helps me to embrace my pastoral identity and to minister more effectively.” The congregation, the conference and the church continue to rejoice that God is faithful in calling and equipping leaders like Lynn Parks for effective service in God’s mission in the world.

To extend healing and hope in the Oxford Circle community believing that God’s purpose of reconciling all people to Jesus leads us to minister on spiritual, physical, social & economic levels.

Voting with our faith in mind: A guide from Mennonite Church USA

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by Susan Mark Landis, Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership

On what criteria do Christians base their voting decisions? Life experiences? Sunday school or small group discussions? Common sense? The Bible?

Christians who vote based on their understanding of the whole Bible might evaluate a candidate through the lenses of the Christian principles below, outlined in October 2004 by Leo Hartshorn, Minister of Peace and Justice for Mennonite Mission Network:

1. The earth is God’s good creation (Genesis 1). We are stewards of creation.
2. God has created humanity in the divine image (Genesis 1:27). We are to foster the dignity and rights of all peoples and the sanctity of life.
3. The state was created to serve human welfare (Romans 13:4). We are to call upon the state to serve its more noble purposes.
4. In Jesus Christ, God has revealed a way of peace, nonviolence, justice and reconciliation (Matthew 5). We are to live in the way of peace and justice.
5. All human reality has “fallen” from God’s purpose (Romans 8:22-23). We are to live in that creative tension of being “in” the world, but not “of” the world.
6. The church, as a signpost of God’s reign, is the primary arena for Christian “politics” (1 Peter 2:9). We are to be the church, an alternative community or polis.
7. God’s mission is for and within the world (John 3:16). We are to engage the world reflecting God’s compassion.
8. God has compassion for the most vulnerable in the world (Proverbs 31:8-9). We are to welcome the stranger and seek economic justice for the poor and the marginalized in society.
9. Security is in God (Psalm 146:1-6). We are to place our ultimate trust in God.
10. God’s reign transcends peoples and nations (Revelation 7:9). We are first and foremost citizens of God’s rule.

Studying and prayerfully evaluating candidates and their views on a wide variety of topics is time consuming. However, it doesn’t take long to realize that no candidate will bring about God’s kingdom on earth. That’s not the job of government – that’s God’s job. The church is here to proclaim that some government laws and policies – and the candidates and politicians who pass them – bring more justice and peace and some bring much less. That’s the goal of voting in a democratic society.

Here are resources to help you gather biblical voting information:

  • Mennonite Central Committee: Congressional Voting Record
  • Sojourners: Voting All Your Values
  • “Guiding principles for Christian political engagement” by Leo Hartshorn (PeaceSigns, Oct 2004)
  • National Council of Churches
  • National Association of Evangelicals

Convention 2009 gives Holy Spirit center stage

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by Laurie Oswald Robinson, Mennonite Church USA

The Mennonite Church USA Convention 2009 is far removed from when Jesus breathed his Spirit on the first disciples. But the planning committees for Mennonite Church USA’s convention next July are risking the theme on the belief he’ll do it again with huge crowds of Mennonites.

In a bold move that is bringing a deeper focus on the Holy Spirit than in past conventions, the adult and youth planning committees chose the theme, “Breathe and be filled,” based on John 20:21-22. It’s when Jesus reminds his disciples that as his father sent him, so he was sending them. To empower them to go, he breathed his spirit upon them, and they were filled.

Planners envision this theme will give center stage to the Spirit to renew the church’s missional drama by refreshing vision for next steps of call. They hope the theme integrates the stillness of waiting upon, listening to and receiving from the Spirit and the “sent-ness” into a broken world that is a response to this infilling and strengthening.

“We worried some constituents may feel this theme will encourage us to have a big feel-good party in God, and foster a me-and-Jesus mentality that forgets we are a called and sent community,” said Regina Shands Stoltzfus, adult planner and a longtime Mennonite leader who will co-lead adult convention worship with Joel Miller, pastor of Cincinnati Mennonite Church.

“But we believe the theme encourages us to receive the breath of Christ that releases us to go and do the works God calls us to do. We are called by Christ to go out in his name through the empowerment of his fire and breath and energy — not on our own brain power and strength.”

Miller agrees now — though he wasn’t sure at first. He came to planning sessions hoping the theme would focus on identity-building for the church as Christ followers in North America. At San José 2007, delegates agreed Mennonite Church USA in the next few years would focus on identity building. Some months down the road, he believes this theme is more integrative than he initially thought.

“This theme allows us to integrate the two components of our faith — the Spirit who sends us and who we are as the sent ones in this world,” Miller said. “Our spirituality is all of who we are — the peace Christ gives us within and the peace we advocate in the world.

“The Holy Spirit is named an ‘advocate’ in the Scriptures, and that is what Christ’s infilling is preparing us to be — advocates in the world for those who are most in need.”

Even as this theme is integrative and communal, it also invites participants to connect intimately with God by renewing their sense of personal call, said Anna Gomez, youth planner who will be co-leader of youth worship with Peter Eberly, youth planner and youth pastor at Harrisonburg (Va.) Mennonite Church.

“As their worship leader, I want to impart to them a sense that the Holy Spirit isn’t something they have to strive to get,” said Gomez. “If they are believers in Christ, then they already have his Spirit within them. I also want to reassure them adults will walk alongside them on their journey, but that we can’t do it for them.”

Gideon Dunster, a senior at Central Christian School in Kidron, Ohio, and a youth planner, helped shape the theme. He is very excited that the Holy Spirit is getting some top billing.

“I think Mennonites focus a lot on Jesus in the New Testament, and that’s good, because he is our savior and our example,” Dunster said. “But I think we could focus a little more on the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t get a whole lot of recognition, and after all, the Spirit is the one guiding our actions when are striving to be more like Jesus.”

Like Dunster, some staff of Mennonite Church USA’s Executive Leadership — charged with guiding the convention — feel it’s time to give the Holy Spirit freedom to move in fresh ways.

“It really impacted me to sense how the Spirit was moving amongst us, and how people were opening themselves up to that movement,” said Marathana Prothro, communication director for Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership. “We worked and prayed hard, but in the end, the theme evolved in a pure and natural way. It was refreshing to be a part of something so genuine.”

The theme is genuine — but that doesn’t erase the risk planners felt in following the Spirit’s lead to finalize it, said Rachel Swartzendruber Miller, associate director of Convention Planning. It’s a risk they were willing to take to allow Christ to breathe new life into the church in a new time.

“We felt God calling us to invite Mennonites — usually so active — to take some time to breathe in and breathe out and to stop and listen to the Lord,” she said. “In striving to be a faithful church in the 21st century, we are experiencing anxiety and new questions are cropping up about our identity and who we are supposed to be now as a church.

“Some people may feel that it’s selfish to stop and listen, because it means spending too much time focusing on ourselves. But perhaps it will give us the stillness we need to ask the most important identity question of all — who is God in all this and where is God taking us next?”