I define myself as a disciple of Jesus who is part of the Mennonite family and uses the Anabaptist theological glasses by which I read the Scriptures in a particular way: using the historical Jesus as the paradigm for personal and social ethics for Christian living; participating with God and my community of faith in the formation and transformation of individuals and societies; discerning in community our mission or reason for existence here and now in our particular context; making disciples in order to keep expanding the kingdom of God.
I believe the communal Christian life is like a boat that continuously moves back and forth from the river to the pond. When the boat is on the river of the Spirit, it brings life, newness, challenges, and hope for the future. In the river, we take the risk of being led by the flow of the Spirit and many times we end up in wonderful places and situations where we never expected to be. On the other hand, when we are on the still waters of the pond of tradition, we are like a lighthouse that guides those who are traveling in this world with no direction and purpose in life.
New Hope Fellowship Baltimore
Christmas light, shining into the new year
by Emily Ralph, eralphservant@mosaicmennonites.org Ubaldo Rodriguez, pastor of New Hope, Baltimore, stood in the Walmart parking lot on Christmas afternoon, at a loss. Even in the midday light, there was […]
God’s call from the Andes Mountains
Ubaldo Rodriguez, New Hope Fellowship Baltimore, ubalrod@hotmail.com I am glad that the Lord called me when I was a teenager. I believe nowadays that listening to God’s call is hard because […]