Notes to Pastors

Opportunity at Liberty Ministries
Volunteers are still needed to assist with the Montgomery County Correctional Facility Christmas Stocking Distribution on Saturday, December 13. All volunteers should plan to arrive between 12:00 and 12:30 p.m. and will be escorted into the facility promptly at 1:00 p.m. About 60 volunteers are still needed, so please encourage people in your congregation to join in this effort. To volunteer or for more information, call Deb at 610-287-5481 or deborahg@libertyministries.us. Liberty Ministries will need volunteers’ names, addresses, and phone numbers or email addresses. Names and addresses will be placed on a list and given to the Chaplain of Montgomery County Correctional Facility. You will also need to bring a photo ID with you.

Damascus Road Training
The 10th annual Damascus Road Anti-racism Analysis Training for the greater Philadelphia region will be held at Vietnamese Mennonite Church, February 27- March 1, 2009. 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 training is open to anyone interested in this work and is recommended for all conference, congregational, Conference Related Ministry & Partner In Mission leaders. Dismantling systemic racism is an integral part of Franconia Conference’s vision to be missional, intercultural, and transformational in every aspect of ministry. For more information, including registration, directions, schedule and lodging; visit damascusroad.mosaicmennonites.org. With additional questions please contact the event coordinator, Sharon Williams at 610-277-1729 or SharonW@DesignForMinistry.com.

Conference Center Closing
The Mennonite Conference Center will be closed for Christmas from noon on Wednesday, December 24 through Friday, January 2. The office will reopen on Monday, January 5.

Prayer Request
Jim Schrag, Executive Director of Mennonite Church USA, will be having double bypass surgery, most likely on Friday, November 21. Please remember Jim and his family in your prayers.

Conference Center Closing
The Mennonite Conference Center will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28.

Reminder!
If you have not already done so, please check your congregational information listed on Franconia Conference’s website. Please verify that your congregation’s address, phone number, email address, website, and pastors are correctly listed. You can do this by clicking HERE or by visiting www.mosaicmennonites.org and clicking on “community”, then “congregations.” Reply to office@mosaicmennonites.org by Monday, November 24 with corrections or confirmation that the information is correct.

Pastor/Chaplain Appreciation Breakfast RSVP
This is a reminder to RSVP for the Annual Pastor/Chaplain and Spouse Appreciation Breakfast by Tuesday, November 25 by emailing office@mosaicmennonites.org or calling 215-723-5513 ext. 123. The breakfast is planned for Tuesday, December 2 from 8 – 10 a.m. at Zion Mennonite Church in Souderton, PA.

Twenty-Five Hour Retreat
Join the new Learning Community on “Deepening Our Spiritual Lives” for an overnight retreat on December 10 – 11. The retreat will run from 9 a.m. on Wednesday, December 10 through 10 a.m. on Thursday, December 11 at St. Raphaela Retreat Center, 616 Coopertown Road, Haverford, PA (acjusa.org/retreats). “Tending the Center”, a retreat design written by Marlene Kropf, will be led by Dawn Ruth Nelson and assisted by Barbara Shisler. Pastors are encouraged to bring along their congregational leaders for this time of input, exercises, prayer time, and silence. The cost for 3 meals and overnight lodging is $65. Contact Dawn Nelson at dp.ruthnelson@verizon.net to register soon!

Check Website Information!
Pastors, please check your congregational information listed on Franconia Conference’s website. Please verify that your congregation’s address, phone number, email address, website, and pastors are correctly listed. Reply to office@mosaicmennonites.org by Monday, November 17 with corrections or confirmation that the information is correct.

Pastors and Leaders Breakfast
This month’s Pastors and Leaders Breakfast, entitled Ministering Through Financial Turbulence: Stories and Resources For Leading in a Fearful Climate, will be held from 8 – 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 20 at the Mennonite Conference Center. The event will be led by Randy Nyce, MMA Church Relations Manager. A $5 donation is appreciated for this hot breakfast. Please register by Monday, November 17 to Jessica Walter.

Pastor/Chaplain Appreciation Breakfast
The Annual Pastor/Chaplain and Spouse Appreciation Breakfast is planned for Tuesday, December 2 from 8 – 10 a.m. at Zion Mennonite Church in Souderton, PA. Invitations with more information are being sent in the mail this week. Please call the Mennonite Conference Center at 215-723-5513 with any questions.

Twenty-Five Hour Retreat
Join the new Learning Community on “Deepening Our Spiritual Lives” for an overnight retreat on December 10 – 11. The retreat will run from 9 a.m. on Wednesday, December 10 through 10 a.m. on Thursday, December 11 at St. Raphaela Retreat Center, 616 Coopertown Road, Haverford, PA. “Tending the Center”, a retreat design written by Marlene Kropf, will be led by Dawn Ruth Nelson and assisted by Barbara Shisler. Pastors are encouraged to bring along their congregational leaders for this time of input, exercises, prayer time, and silence. The cost for 3 meals and overnight lodging is $65. Contact Dawn Nelson at dp.ruthnelson@verizon.net to register soon!

Franconia Conference School for Leadership Formation presents

November Pastors and Leaders Breakfast

Ministering Through Financial Turbulence
Stories and Resources for Leading in a Fearful Climate

Thursday, November 20, 2008
8:00 am to 10:00 am
Franconia Mennonite Conference Center
771 Route 113
Souderton, PA 18964 (map)

This month’s breakfast will be hosted by MMA and led by Randy Nyce, MMA church Relations Manager.

A $5 donation is appreciated for this hot breakfast.

Assembly ‘08 Invitation and Reporting
Have you taken time to view the Assembly 08 Invitation yet? (Do so by clicking HERE.) Please remember to use it somehow in your congregational life this week if you have multimedia capabilities–and to invite persons to remember to pray for the event as we gather next week at Penn View Christian School for worship, celebration and discernment together.

There will be no follow-up DVD video this year. However, there will be a multimedia presentation available, similar to the invitation. We’d encourage you to use it as part of your congregational reporting and discerning post-Assembly. The follow-up multimedia presentation will be released by Friday, November 14.

Conference Assembly ‘08 Preview Video
A Conference Assembly Invitation and Preview video is now available at mosaicmennonites.org. (Click here to view!) The video is designed for use in worship. Download it directly from the website or contact the conference office at 215-723-5513 ext.123 to receive a copy on CD. We encourage pastors to view the video and share it with your congregations in worship.

2009 Missional Leaders Meeting
Mark your calendar now to attend the 2009 Missional Leaders meeting, May 2 – 4 in Denver, Colorado. Leading by Example is the theme of the 2009 meeting. Components of the time together will include dwelling in the Word, practical applications, case studies and worship in local congregations on Sunday morning. The meeting is open to area conference leaders, congregational leaders and others with a heart for Missional Church. Contact Becky Tyson at BeckyT@MennoniteMission.net or call 574-523-3076 (toll-free 1-866-866-2872). Registration is available online in 2009 at www.MennoniteMission.net.

Urgent Request
A young family needs a home for the winter. Mom is 32; children are 13 and 10. Please contact Pastor Luke Beidler (610-270-0636) or Pastor Bill Kull (215-699-5663) if you know of an apartment for rent or a house that needs house-sitting.

Penn Foundation Presents Workshop on “Embracing Diversity” in the Workplace
On Tuesday, October 28, Penn Foundation will present a workshop entitled Embracing Diversity: The Key to Meeting Your Company’s Complex Needs as a part of it’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Led by Penn Foundation’s EAP Counselor Gigi Farrow, the workshop will address the daunting yet rewarding task of embracing diversity in the business field. As the workshop outlines the key components needed to become a leader in today’s multicultural market, participants will explore such topics as inclusivity, fairness, recruiting and training and analyzing a company’s strengths and areas for growth. The workshop will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Penn Foundation’s Grundy Auditorium in Sellersville, PA. The registration fee, which includes a continental breakfast at 8 a.m. and lunch at noon, is $35 for non-members and $25 for Penn Foundation EAP Members. For more information or to register, call 215-257-6556, email eap@pennfoundation.org or visit www.pennfoundation.org. Registration deadline is October 21.