Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Nations and Generations Gathering

Sharing and Dreaming

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Editor’s Note: Nations & Generations Gatherings are a component of our annual Assembly gathering. These gatherings, are held for the leaders of the Global Majority (the leaders of color) in Mosaic Conference. Three gatherings, November 15 (English), November 18 (Indonesian), and November 20 (Spanish), were held via zoom this year.

I was grateful to lead the Nations and Generations group in Spanish on November 20. It felt like a gathering of family. In the same way that not enough people know the history of Black Mennonites, not enough people know the history of Latino Mennonites connected to our Conference.  

One of the things I love about these types of gatherings is that it’s a chance to share our stories and see how we are connected by faith and faithful people. We are a people shaped by story, the biblical faith story, but also the story of our culture and people. I was fascinated to learn about new connections and people.  

We spent time most of our time reflecting on the scripture and theme from Assembly, Romans 12:1-8 and mutual transformation. We noted ways that we all need each other and are all being transformed into the image of Christ.  

We concluded our time with sharing our hopes and dreams for Mosaic Conference. There were some great practical things that we as Mosaic can be working on, but two dreams stood out to me.  

First was the desire to have more Latinas on Mosaic staff. There is a large group of Latinas in South Philly and the growing mission in Tijuana, Mexico. They desire support, resources, and representation in leadership. The situation was compared to the story in Acts 6 and the words, “Pay attention to the unattended” were declared.  

The second dream was that these gatherings would one day no longer be needed. We dream of the day that Mosaic Conference would be so united as the body of Christ that we would only see “we” and “us.”  

We dream of the day that Mosaic Conference would be so united as the body of Christ that we would only see “we” and “us.”

As all of Mosaic Conference works to be mutually transformed, may it be so. 

Gathering at the Table

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Editor’s Note: Nations & Generations Gatherings are a component of our annual Assembly gathering. These gatherings, are held for the leaders of the Global Majority (the leaders of color) in Mosaic Conference. Three gatherings, November 15 (English), November 18 (Indonesian), and November 20 (Spanish), were held via zoom this year.

I am a firm believer in God’s intentionality. On November 15, I had the pleasure of gathering with a small, diverse group of people from our Mosaic Conference for a gathering entitled, Nations and Generations. Not clear with our purpose at first, I quickly realized this was transformational work in progress.

It is my belief, that by divine appointment, those who were there for this session are those that were meant to be there. There was some pain at the table and a clear need for healing. Healing from seeing and experiencing racial injustice in sacred spaces. There was sorrow and regret at the table. Sorrow and regret that was birthed out of guilt by association. Bitterness had a seat at the table. Bitterness that had grown out of years of past hurt.

There were those who wanted to forget and those who wanted to remember. Those who felt like insiders and those who felt like outsiders. There were those who had a deep desire for transparency, trust, and truth.

But most importantly, Hope was at the table. Hope … that one day we would sit at a unified table where power, resources, and decision-making are evenly distributed. Where there is no them and us. Just one nation under God for generations to come.

The Generations that make up Mosaic Conference, with all its broken pieces, need to be at the table. For the ones who want to forget, let the elders help them remember. Remember the good for its value and the bad so it is not repeated.

Needs that were identified by this Nations & Generations Gathering:

  • Shoulder tapping to gather the nations and Generations together.
  • A realization of a different language, but a unified heart.
  • Sharing of power, resources, decision-making.
  • Realization that there is a History of Black Mennonites.
  • Recognition of all the history being built within the Conference.
  • Be the change that we are talking about.
  • We must engage in honest conversations that lead to forgiveness, not sweeping it under the rug.
  • We want to learn to live the example of Jesus who invites all to the table. Meeting them where they are in their language. Jesus knew he could not reconcile with people if He looked down on them, was condescending, or patronizing. Instead, Jesus desired to know them in their context.
  • We must look at our Conference in its entirety. Those who have been around a long time, both white people and people of color, have thoughts of a truly mosaic conference. Those who have paved the way in the Mennonite faith, we need you at the table. You have valuable wisdom and knowledge to share. You bring history. All of the nuances bring life.

Creating Spaces

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Mutual transformation happens when we acknowledge, own, and celebrate our cultural differences, allowing ourselves to be changed by our relationships with God and others.  The theme for the 2021 Mosaic Annual Assembly is “Mutual Transformation,” based on  Romans 12:2-10.   

“Christians are strangers and aliens within all cultures. Yet the church itself is God’s nation, encompassing people who have come from every tribe and nation. Indeed, its mission is to reconcile differing groups, creating one new humanity and providing a preview of that day when all the nations shall stream to the mountain of the Lord and be at peace.” 

from Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective, Article 10 

To be mutually transformed, we need to recognize our status as aliens and strangers in this world.  We “do not think of ourselves more highly than we ought, but rather think of ourselves with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of us” (Romans 12:3, NIV). We learn to identify and locate ourselves in cultures, worldviews, families, and systems. Then we decenter ourselves, in order to re-center ourselves in Christ so that we can be reconciled to God and to others. 

Mutual transformation within the framework of Mosaic Conference means that power and equity will shift around the table.  Part of intercultural work is letting go of power and part of the work is empowering others.  

Loosely calculated, in Mosaic Conference, 40% of our staff, 30% of our credentialed leaders, and 20% of our congregations are persons of the Global Majority (a.k.a. people of color) and that number is growing.  (People of the Global Majority (PGM) is an emerging term surrounding race that is arguably the most universally inclusive. Unlike the terms “minority” or “marginalized,” the term People of the Global Majority offers Black, Brown, and Indigenous people – who are numerically in the majority all over the world – an empowering term that encompasses a global solidarity against racial injustice.) 

“the term People of the Global Majority offers Black, Brown, and Indigenous people – who are numerically in the majority all over the world – an empowering term that encompasses a global solidarity against racial injustice.”

One of lesser-known components of fall Assembly is a gathering called, “Nations and Generations,” held for the leaders of the Global Majority (the leaders of color) in our Conference.  Imagine an intercultural space where language, nationality, and cultural differences are recognized and honored.  An “us” emerges from growing relationships and connections as similarities, shared experiences, and unity in Christ result in mutual transformation.  Meeting together is one way for leaders to encourage one another, worship, build vision, and celebrate God’s work.   

This year’s “Nations and Generations” gathering will be held virtually at three different events, in three languages (Spanish, Indonesian, and English).  If you are a person of color/global majority within Mosaic Conference, we invite you to join with other leaders from our Conference, in the language of your choice, to share stories of mutual transformation and empowerment. 

En Español | Dalam Bahasa Indonesia

May God bless us all as we meet together in our Annual Assembly! 

May God continue the intercultural, formational, and missional work of mutual transformation in and among us!