Notes to Pastors

Damascus Road Training
Registration is open for the 11th Annual Damascus Road Anti-Racism Analysis Training for the greater Philadelphia region, February 26 – 28 at Partners for Families, Norristown. The training, derived from the Damascus Road Anti-Racism Process of Mennonite Central Committee US, is designed to equip participants with a biblical basis and an analytic framework for dismantling systemic racism in the church and church related organizations and ministries.

The School for Leadership Formation is a co-sponsor of the event, which is recommended for all conference, congregational, Conference Related Ministry & Partner In Mission leaders; it is open to everyone interested in this work. Dismantling systemic racism is an integral part of Franconia Conference’s vision to be missional, intercultural, and transformational in every aspect of ministry.

The Damascus Road Process of Mennonite Central Committee US provides antiracism educating, organizing, and consulting through congregational and institutional antiracism teams throughout the United States. Additional training and spiritual retreats are available for new and current teams.

For additional information or for comments or questions please contact the event coordinator, Sharon Williams at 610-277-1729 or sharonw@cavtel.net.

Worldwide Evangelistic Ministries invites you to attend their Fundraising Banquet at Franconia Heritage on Friday, November 6 at 6:30 p.m. The featured guest speaker for the evening is Evangelist Joey Perez with special music by Donna Godshall. There is no charge for the banquet. A free will offering will be taken. To make your reservations contact Lisa Shields at worldwidemin@comcast.net or call 215-223-1022. For more information visit www.worldevangmin.com/.

Gateway Course
Anabaptist Mission and Peace is the next Gateway course being offered by Eastern Mennonite Seminary in collaboration with Mennonite Conferences in southeastern Pennsylvania. David W. Shenk, writer, mission leader and educator, will lead the course, exploring redemption and reconciliation as the heart of Anabaptist Mennonite mission. This course will be offered for two semester hours of graduate credit. Dates for the course are October 30 – 31, and December 11 – 12 at Conestoga Mennonite Church in Morgantown, PA. For more information and registration, visit www.emu.edu/lancaster/seminary/gateway.

The Role of Leadership in Equipping
Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional Equipping Network invites all to attend The Role of Leadership in Equipping session on Thursday, November 5 from 7 – 9 p.m. at Franconia Mennonite Church. This session will explore the role we play in leading the value of equipping. Equipping must be championed from a leadership level if it’s to have an impact on the culture. While leadership may not be our primary gift, we can lead others through the power of influence. Many say leadership is influence, so we’ll look at the concept of “3-D” leading. We will spend some time just getting to know one another during the first half hour since this is a vital part of what we hope to accomplish in our meetings together. This network is not just about information but about relationships and how both of these can work together to build up the Kingdom in area of educating the Christians in our area on their vital role in doing the work of the ministry.

Deal With It – Leading with Integrity
Youth Leadership Retreat at Spruce Lake Retreat Center, November 20 – 22. Leadership requires us to deal with difficult people, situations and questions – whether we want to or not. Leonard Dow of Oxford Circle Mennonite Church will help retreat participants address these issues. Plan now to attend this weekend of fun, worship and learning. Cost per person is $125. Questions may be directed to Marlene Frankenfield at mfrankenfield@mosaicmennonites.org or call 215-362-7069.

10/8/09

Eucharist and Peacemaking: A dialogue between Anabaptism and Eastern Orthodoxy

How does the Eucharist center the Church to live as a people of Christ’s peace in the world? This dialogue continues a conversation about the Eucharist as a centering, shaping and a sending meal for the Church engaged with God’s mission in the world. Schedule for the day includes presentations from John Rempel (Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary) and Alex Patico (Orthodox Peace Fellowship). Andrew Klager (recently appointed Visiting Scholar at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College beginning mid-January next year) will offer a response. There will be opportunities for Q & A with audience participation. Lunch will be provided (free will offering). The afternoon will focus on a practical application discussion of eucharistically-anchored peace-seeking (panelists and audience). This informative event will be held on Saturday, November 14, 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., at Sunnyside Mennonite Church, 337 Circle Ave., Lancaster, PA. There is no registration fee, but if you are planning to attend please contact Brian Miller at 717-283-7466 or justanapprentice@gmail.com. This dialogue is being sponsored by Anabaptism and Orthodoxy in Conversation and Interchurch Relations of Mennonite Church USA

Answering Darwin

The BuxMont Coalition for Evangelism invites you to attend their fall conference titled Answering Darwin. Exactly 150 years ago, Charles Darwin set forth his theory of evolution which set the future course of biological science. Much has happened since then and many of Evolution’s greatest expectations have fallen short of their predictions. Dr. John Morris and Dr. Gary Parker from the Institute for Creation Research will be the featured speakers at the fall conference to be held at Penn View Christian School. Dates for the conference are Thursday, November 5 through Sunday, November 8. For more information visit www.answeringdarwin.com.

October Prayer Gathering
Pastors, prayer team members and those interested in prayer are invited to the October Prayer Gathering, Saturday, October 3, 10 a.m. -12 noon, at Deep Run Mennonite Church East. Ertell Whigham, pastor and Lead Minister with Franconia conference will bring encouragement from The Word. We will worship, fellowship and pray together. Come and be blessed!

Child Safety 101
Franconia Conference School for Leadership Formation presents: Child Safety 101, Thursdays, October 1, 15 & 29 and November 12, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Mennonite Conference Center. Churches everywhere are learning, sometimes the hard way, that child safety planning is an important part of providing high-quality ministry to children and young people. It is often a challenge, however, to know where to start when creating a child safety plan. Child Safety 101 is intended to help congregations create a comprehensive child safety plan in just a few weeks. With the support of instructor, Julie Prey-Harbaugh, and their classmates, participants will thoroughly understand the issues at stake and come away ready to implement a solid child safety plan in their congregations. Registration Fee: $200 per team* *Please note: Due to the practical nature of this event we ask that congregations send their entire Child Safety team/committee; no church should register less than two people. Julie Prey-Harbaugh (One Childhood Consulting) is a licensed minister of Franconia Mennonite Conference and their recommended trainer in child protection and child abuse recovery. She is a member of West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship and serves as an on-call chaplain at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. In 2004, Julie received her MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary, where she focused on theological and pastoral responses to survivors of abuse. Julie has extensive experience working with children and survivors of abuse in the Philadelphia area—as a social worker, support group facilitator, youth sponsor and activist. Recently, she led trainings in child protection at Eastern University, Princeton Theological Seminary, the Youth Specialties National Youth Workers Convention and the Mennonite USA Churchwide Convention.

A Day of Renewal
A Day of Renewal is being planned for pastors and prayer leaders at Brooklyn Tabernacle, New York, NY, on Tuesday, October 27. This will be an opportunity to experience what God can do when His people come together and pray. The day’s schedule includes teaching by Daniel Henderson of Strategic Renewal, teaching by Pastor Jim Cymbala of Brooklyn Tabernacle, sharing lunch with other pastors, and joining the evening prayer meeting. The cost, including lunch, is $75. For more information visit www.strategicrenewal.com.

Mennonite Hymnals
Swamp Mennonite Church is looking for additional copies of the Mennonite Hymnal. These hymnals were published in 1969 and have red covers. Please contact Emily Ralph at Swamp Mennonite if your congregation has any extra editions they would be willing to share.

9/17/09

Peace Sunday
Sunday, September 20 has been set aside as Peace Sunday. James 3:13 – 4:8a is the primary text suggested by Mennonite Mission Network. Worship resources, sermon seeds, a sample worship service outline, children’s stories, and ideas for engaging the whole congregation are available at www.mennonitemission.net/resources/peacesunday/.

Subscription Special for College Students
The Mennonite is a great way for your congregation’s college students to connect with the Mennonite Church and nurture their spiritual lives – wherever they attend school. A $22.00 subscription will begin with the October 2009 issue and run through the April 15, 2010 issue. If you would like your students to receive The Mennonite, just submit their name and address information with the handy form found at www.TheMennonite.org. Deadline is October 1.

Becoming a Generous Congregation
Mennonite Mutual Aid is hosting the webinar Becoming a Generous Congregation produced by the Alban Institute on Thursday, September 24 from 1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. at the Mennonite Conference Center. This pastor’s resourcing event will explore the relationship between spiritual formation and money. We’ll have a talk-back time following the webinar sharing our own experiences and providing practical tools to use in your congregation. If there are others on your leadership team who would benefit from this gathering, feel free to invite them as well. Panelists for the webinar are John Clark and Jonathan Buuck from the James Company. RSVPs are helpful but not necessary. For more information contact Randy Nyce at 267-384-5350 or randy.nyce@mmapartners.org.

Fall Workshop on Congregational Peace Building
Pastors are invited to the Peace and Justice Fall Gathering “Seeking Peace:
A Conversation to Encourage Congregational Justice and Peace Education and Action” on Saturday, October 10 from 8:30 a.m. – noon at Franconia Mennonite Church. The program will include reports about peace and justice work in local congregations and introduce new peace resources for preaching and teaching. For more information or to RSVP, email seekpeace@ppjr.org or visit efpjc.ppjr.org. Questions can also be directed to James C. Longacre at 610-845-7686 or Robert Walden at 610-861-0653. Click here to view the promotional poster.