Notes to Pastors

Franconia Conference announces Leadership Assemblies

Tuesday, April 21, 7 – 9 p.m. at Perkasie Mennonite Church
Monday, April 27, 7 – 9 p.m. at Nueva Vida Norristown New Life
Thursday, April 30, 7 – 9 p.m. at Spring Mount Mennonite Church
Saturday, May 2, 10 a.m. – noon (location in Lehigh Valley to be announced)
Date and location in Vermont to be announced

The upcoming spring gatherings will roll out details for LEAD (Leading, Equipping and Discipling), a new direction and platform for missional oversight. The gatherings are intended for pastors, congregational leadership chairs, leadership teams and stewardship facilitators or treasurers in all congregations. LEAD follows the Equipping posture for congregational leadership and aims to cultivate healthy and growing Anabaptist congregations. Come to learn, ask questions and explore the possibilities as we together share God’s healing and hope for all of the world.

March Pastors’ and Leaders’ Breakfast

Stuart Murray Williams, chair of Franconia Conference Partner in Mission The Anabaptist Network, will be presenting at the March Pastors’ and Leaders’ Breakfast on Thursday, March 19, from 8 – 10 a.m. at the Mennonite Conference Center in Souderton. Stuart has a PhD in Anabaptist hermeneutics and has written several books on church planting, urban mission, emerging church, the challenge of post-Christendom and the contribution of the Anabaptist tradition to contemporary missiology. A $5 donation will be requested to cover the cost of the meal.

March Pastors’ and Leaders’ Breakfast
The March Pastors’ and Leaders’ Breakfast will feature Stuart Murray Williams, chair of Franconia Conference Partner in Mission The Anabaptist Network. Stuart has a PhD in Anabaptist hermeneutics and has written several books on church planting, urban mission, emerging church, the challenge of post-Christendom and the contribution of the Anabaptist tradition to contemporary missiology. The event is scheduled for Thursday, March 19 from 8 – 10 a.m. at the Mennonite Conference Center in Souderton, PA. The morning will include a hot breakfast and presentation by Stuart Murray Williams.  A $5 donation will be requested to cover the cost of the meal.

Jr. High Lock-In Reminder!
Remember to register your jr. high youth for the annual Franconia and Eastern District Conference Lock-In by Friday, February 27; space is limited! The Lock-in is scheduled for March 13 – 14 from 9 p.m. – 7 a.m. at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School. Students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades are invited to come for a full night of fun and fellowship! Rodger Schmell, pastor at Deep Run West, will speak on this year’s theme Deeply Rooted and Nate Stucky will lead worship. For more information or to register your group, visit www.mosaicmennonites.org or click HERE. Please contact Marlene Frankenfield at mfrankenfield@mosaicmennonites.org or Melissa Landis at mlandis@mosaicmennonites.org with any questions.

A Call to Prayer
Congregations, Partners in Mission, and Conference Related Ministries: We are part of a body and want to support each other in prayer. What would be your prayer request of one or two sentences for the upcoming year of 2009 to share with your brothers and sisters throughout the conference? Each week the prayer requests of one or two congregations, PIMs or CRMs will be shared with congregations through bulletin announcements and on www.mosaicmennonites.org. Please forward your requests to Sandy Landes, Franconia Conference prayer ministry coordinator. We look forward to how God will use our prayers to empower us to embrace God’s mission.

Hammond Organ available
Is your church or organization interested in receiving the donation of a free Hammond Organ? The Hammond Model A-100 electric organ includes drawbars, 2 manuals, full pedals (mahogany) and a Leslie Tone Cabinet Model 251. Also included are the original papers from the purchase and information manuals. The organ should be picked up by the first week in March. Please contact Harold and Ferne Alderfer if you are interested at 215-256-9287 or haroldferne@hotmail.com.

Leadership Forum offered
Pastors, lay leaders, board members, and executive leaders are invited to a leadership forum on Thursday, February 12 presented by Eastern District, Franconia Conference’s School for Leadership Formation, and Frederick Mennonite Community. Finding Our Way Together: Leadership in Challenging Times will be led by Rick Stiffney, President and CEO of Mennonite Health Services Alliance. It will focus on the nature of the call to serve as lay and professional leaders and to explore how staff leaders can create effective partnerships with lay boards to carry forward long-range planning in their particular setting. Participants will take away strengthened relationships and teamwork within your leadership team/board/structure, along with an analysis of how to add value to your leadership team. For more information and to register, click here. Registration deadline is February 1. Contact Jessica Walter at 215-723-5513, ext 127 with questions.

Upcoming Distance Courses from EMS
Eastern Mennonite Seminary is pleased to announce the titles of three distance learning courses for the 2009 Spring and Summer semester:

Spring Distance Course
Mennonite Faith and Polity (begins February 2)
Summer Distance Courses
Prayer in the Christian Tradition
The Christian Movement in the Mediterranean

Check the distance learning web page at www.emu.edu/seminary/distancelearning/index.html for course descriptions, faculty information, and fees. A part-time application must be submitted before you can register for a course. An on-line form is at www.emu.edu/seminary/part-time_app.html. Deadline for Spring registration is January 29; Summer term deadline is May 1.

Save the Date!
All pastors and youth pastors are invited to attend Pastors’ Day at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School on Wednesday, March 11, beginning at 8 a.m. More information will follow.

Call to Prayer: Following Jesus in a world that is not
At San Jose 2007, Mennonite Church USA delegates passed a resolution on national identity and encouraged the church to think about the promise and peril of living faithfully as Christians in the United States. The Mennonite Church USA Executive Board wants to remind you that resources to help your congregation respond to this call will be available in the February 3 issue of The Mennonite. Included are Sunday worship resources centering on the theme, Following Jesus in a world that is not, created by Marlene Kropf and Susan Mark Landis. You may want to consider reserving a Sunday in February for this worship service focus before Lent begins or perhaps later in the spring after Easter. Additional study resources will also be available on the web page (in fact, you’ll find some good resources there already). You may want to distribute this handout now or later when your congregation focuses on this theme. If you have questions, please send them to Kathryn Rodgers at KathrynR@MennoniteUSA.org.

Eastern Mennonite Seminary class at Biblical Seminary designed for healthy missional leaders
The Good News, Culture and Anabaptism class led by Steve Kriss begins on Monday, January 26 at Biblical Seminary in Hatfield, Pa. This Eastern Mennonite Seminary course is set to explore the possibilities of the Good News from an Anabaptist perspective in a tumultuous and interconnected world. Come to engage texts, field studies and other learners from diverse Franconia Conference contexts. To register go to www.emu.edu/lancaster/seminary or call (866) 368-5262. Costs are $195 for non credit students, $1032 for three credits. Scholarships may be available through the Conference.

Leadership Forum opportunity
Pastors, lay leaders, board members, and executive leaders are invited to a leadership forum on Thursday, February 12 presented by Eastern District, Franconia Conference’s School for Leadership Formation, and Frederick Mennonite Community. Finding Our Way Together: Leadership in Challenging Times will be led by Rick Stiffney, President and CEO of Mennonite Health Services Alliance. It will focus on the nature of the call to serve as lay and professional leaders and to explore how staff leaders can create effective partnerships with lay boards to carry forward long-range planning in their particular setting. Participants will take away strengthened relationships and teamwork within your leadership team/board/structure, along with an analysis of how to add value to your leadership team. For more information and to register, click on HERE. Registration deadline is February 1. Contact Jessica Walter at 215-723-5513, ext 127 with questions.

Learning Community gathering
The learning community on Deepening the Spiritual Lives of Congregations and Leaders is meeting on Wednesday, January 14 from 8:30 -10:30 a.m. at Methacton Mennonite Church, 3081 Mill Road, Norristown, PA. The session will include practicing the prayer of lectio divina and talking about the corporate practice of discernment – how to recognize where God is and where God is not in the midst of human experience. All those interested in deepening their spiritual lives are invited.

Understanding the Middle East
Eastern Mennonite University in Lancaster will be offering a field trip to Washington, D.C. entitled Understanding the Middle East on Saturday, February 21. The trip includes a visit to the US Holocaust Museum, a conversation on the Middle East at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University, and observation of late afternoon prayers at the Islamic Center. The bus leaves the Lancaster area at 7 a.m. and will return by 10 p.m. A packed lunch and Lebanese family style dinner will also be provided. The cost is $120 per person; $200 per two family members. To join the trip, contact Gloria Kniss at gloria.kniss@emu.edu or call 717-397-5190. For more information contact David Miron at mirond@verizon.net or call 717-569-1305.

Gateway Course offered in Spring 2009
Bible Survey and Anabaptist Hermeneutics is the next Gateway course being offered by Eastern Mennonite University in collaboration with Mennonite Conferences in southeastern Pennsylvania. Marion Bontrager, instructor of Bible and theology at Hesston College, will lead the course, bringing the scriptures to life by teaching the Bible as one big story of God’s salvation. Dates for the course are March 13 – 14, May 15 – 16, and June 12 – 13 at Frazer Mennonite Church in Frazer, PA. For more information and registration, visit www.emu.edu/lancaster/seminary/gateway.

Understanding the Middle East
Eastern Mennonite University in Lancaster will be offering a field trip to Washington, D.C. entitled “Understanding the Middle East” on Saturday, February 21, 2009. The trip includes a visit to the US Holocaust Museum, a conversation on the Middle East at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University, and observation of late afternoon prayers at the Islamic Center. The bus leaves the Lancaster area at 7 a.m. and will return by 10 p.m. A packed lunch and Lebanese family style dinner will also be provided. The cost is $120 per person; $200 per two family members. To join the trip, contact Gloria Kniss at gloria.kniss@emu.edu or call 717-397-5190. For more information contact David Miron at mirond@verizon.net or call 717-569-1305.

Chartering a bus for Columbus 09?
Local charter bus agencies are ready for your business! Make your reservations soon with the company of your choice as the high number of persons traveling from southeastern Pennsylvania in particular may make buses hard to find closer to the summer gathering dates. Don’t have enough persons to fill a bus? If you are interested in connecting with other churches who might be traveling, Franconia Conference is willing to broker those relationships and connections. If you’d like to travel by bus, but can’t fill your own, contact Melissa Landis at Franconia Conference at mlandis@mosaicmennonites.org. Registrations for Columbus have begun in full force with numbers expected to exceed last year’s gathering at San Jose by the hundreds (maybe thousands). Register and make your travel plans soon!