Notes to Pastors

Save the date!
Eastern District and Franconia Conference leaders are planning for this year’s Pastors, Chaplains, and Spouses Appreciation Breakfast, which will be held on Tuesday, December 6, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Swamp Mennonite Church in Quakertown (less than 3 miles from the Quakertown Exit of the turnpike). We hope that most of our credentialed leaders will be able to be present! Mark and Kathy Weaver Wenger will be our speakers, and Duane Hershberger will provide and engage us in music. Your formal invitation with more information should arrive in the mail in early November; but for now, please hold the date on your calendars and plan to join us for a good time of encouragement and inspiration!

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Conference Assembly Scattered: Ertell Whigham was copied on the following note from one pastor who attended the first Conference Assembly Scattered meeting on Tuesday, October 4. He gave me permission to share what he said with all of our credentialed leaders. Here is what he told the rest of his team:

I attended last night’s meeting at Swamp Mennonite for conference delegates…and came away from it impressed and enthusiastic about how the conference staff is using this meeting to prepare and empower delegates for the annual meeting.
If they haven’t been, all our lay delegates should be strongly encouraged to attend. This meeting will help them know clearly what their delegate role is, how they are empowered, and how to best prepare/pray/participate in the upcoming meeting. These delegates MUST also get their email addresses to conference in order to properly receive pre-assembly info.
Whomever is overseeing/organizing our lay delegates, please make sure they are in the info loop from conference and have been asked to attend one of the 3 remaining meetings. Thanks.

Thanks for that unsolicited endorsement! The remaining meetings will be held:
~ *Sunday, October 9 at Perkiomenville Mennonite Church, 7-9 p.m. (look for their sign that says, “Christian Life Center” in large lettering and Perkiomenville Mennonite Church in smaller)
~ Tuesday, October 11 at Perkasie Mennonite Church, 7-9 p.m.
~ *Wednesday, October 19 at Philadelphia Praise Center, 7-9 p.m.

* To join livestream from these locations via your computer: www.ustream.tv/channel/franconia-mennonite-conference

Does Your Congregation Need a Piano?
Valley Forge Christian College is hosting a piano sale on Saturday, Oct. 8 from 10 am til 4 pm in the Flower Chapel on campus. The selection includes baby grands, uprights, consoles, Yamaha Clavinovas (digital pianos) and Yamaha Disklaviers (interactive player pianos). The pianos are less than one year old, have been meticulously maintained and come with full manufacturer warranties. Special arrangements have been made for financing, delivery and warranty services. For more information, please call 1-866-742-6673.

 

MEDA Convention
Mennonite Economic Development Associates invites pastors and business people to attend the “Business as a Calling” convention that will be held in Lancaster November 3 – 6. The event will feature four days of inspiration, information and networking with four keynote speakers, 44 seminars and 14 tours.

The Delaware Valley MEDA chapter is offering registration and most hotel expenses to Franconia Mennonite Conference Pastors who attend the MEDA convention. MEDA Pastor Registration and hotel expenses can be remitted to Delaware Valley MEDA, Attn: Bryce Bergey. We continue to believe that it is important for pastors to be a part of convention and MEDA. For more information about the Delaware Valley MEDA chapter offer please call Bryce Bergey at 215-721-2446. For MEDA registration or more information about the convention, visit www.businessasacalling.org or call 1 800-665-7026. Information on MEDA can be found at www.meda.org. The registration deadline has been extended to October 8 for pastors taking advantage of this generous opportunity, so don’t delay, register today!

Prayer for Norristown New Life
All are invited to set aside a day in October, Wednesday, October 12, to pray and fast and seek the Lord on behalf of our brothers and sisters of Norristown New Life in “Enlarging their Place in God’s World”, as well as the work God wants to do in our communities in bringing forth the kingdom. A prayer gathering will be held on Wednesday, October 12, 9:00 a.m. -10:00 a.m. at the Franconia Mennonite Conference Center to join your prayers with others. In addition, a group will gather in Norristown at the meetinghouse that day from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. to pray and walk through and around the property.

Your participation at many levels is welcomed as we partner together in the work of the kingdom. A brief prayer guide will be shared in the coming weeks.

Conference Assembly Scattered meetings
In preparation for Conference Assembly on November 11 and 12, Franconia Conference will be holding Conference Assembly Scattered meetings. These important meetings are designed to help you and your delegates prepare for more meaningful interaction at our November gathering–reviewing your calling and role as a delegate and some important conversation about proposed changes to the Franconia Conference bylaws. Please bring your Bible. If you are unable to attend in person, we request that you please join one of the meetings by live video streaming or view the video afterwards at www.ustream.tv/channel/franconia-mennonite-conference. Meetings will be held as follows:
Tuesday, October 4, 7-9: Swamp Mennonite Church
Sunday, October 9, 7-9: Perkiomenville Mennonite Church (live video streaming available)
Tuesday, October 11, 7-9: Perkasie Mennonite Church
Wednesday, October 19, 7-9: Philadelphia Praise Center (live video streaming available)
Please make sure that your congregation’s delegates are aware of these important meetings! Just a reminder … all actively credentialed leaders are AUTOMATICALLY delegates to conference assembly!

Prayer for Norristown New Life
All are invited to set aside a day in October, Wednesday, October 12, to pray and fast and seek the Lord on behalf of our brothers and sisters of Norristown New Life in “Enlarging their Place in God’s World”, as well as the work God wants to do in our communities in bringing forth the kingdom. A prayer gathering will be held on Wednesday, October 12, 9:00 a.m. -10:00 a.m. at the Franconia Mennonite Conference Center to join your prayers with others. In addition, a group will gather in Norristown at the meetinghouse that day from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. to pray and walk through and around the property.

Your participation at many levels is welcomed as we partner together in the work of the kingdom. A brief prayer guide will be shared in the coming weeks.

Conference Assembly Scattered meetings
In preparation for Conference Assembly on November 11 and 12, Franconia Conference will be holding Conference Assembly Scattered meetings. These important meetings are designed to help you and your delegates prepare for more meaningful interaction at our November gathering–reviewing your calling and role as a delegate and some important conversation about proposed changes to the Franconia Conference bylaws. If you are unable to attend in person, we request that you please join one of the meetings by live video streaming or view the video afterwards at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/franconia-mennonite-conference. Meetings will be held as follows:

Tuesday, October 4, 7-9: Swamp Mennonite Church
Sunday, October 9, 7-9: Perkiomenville Mennonite Church (live video streaming available)
Tuesday, October 11, 7-9: Perkasie Mennonite Church
Wednesday, October 19, 7-9: Philadelphia Praise Center (live video streaming available)

Please make sure that your congregation’s delegates are aware of these important meetings! Just a reminder … all actively credentialed leaders are AUTOMATICALLY delegates to conference assembly!

Prayer Opportunity
You are especially invited to attend at least one of the Wednesday a.m. prayer gatherings being held at the Franconia Mennonite Conference Center this fall. Your attendance will help us to pray for you and your congregation and whatever needs you may have in the mission God has for you. We will begin meeting on Wednesday, September 7, 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m., and we will meet every Wednesday morning through November 9. These prayer gatherings are open to pastors and intercessors as well as those interested in praying for the regional church.

Pastors’ and Leaders’ Breakfast – Last chance to sign up!
Conflict is part of the human condition. Some conflicts can be resolved, but all conflicts can be managed. Rev. Dr. Barbara Moses, principal of Philadelphia Mennonite High School, will present “Managing Conflicts from a Christian Perspective” at the next Pastors’ and Leaders’ breakfast.
*****Parking: Please park in front of the Mennonite Conference Center and on down toward the Mennonite Heritage Center. Please do NOT park in front of chiropractor’s office, as they need parking spaces for their staff and patients. Thanks!*****

Particulars
RSVP by: Friday, September 9
Location: Mennonite Conference Center, 569 Yoder Road, Harleysville, PA
Date & Time: Thursday, September 15, 8-10 a.m.
Cost: $6 donation is requested to cover the cost of breakfast
To join livestream on your computer: ww.ustream.tv/channel/franconia-mennonite-conference

Conference Assembly Scattered meetings: In preparation for Conference Assembly on November 11 and 12, Franconia Conference will be holding Conference Assembly Scattered meetings. These important meetings are designed to help you and your delegates prepare for more meaningful interaction at our November gathering–reviewing your calling and role as a delegate and some important conversation about proposed changes to the Franconia Conference bylaws. If you are unable to attend in person, we request that you please join one of the meetings by live video streaming or view the video afterwards at www.ustream.tv/channel/franconia-mennonite-conference. Meetings will be held as follows:

Tuesday, October 4, 7-9: Swamp Mennonite Church
Sunday, October 9, 7-9: Perkiomenville Mennonite Church (live video streaming available)
Tuesday, October 11, 7-9: Perkasie Mennonite Church
Wednesday, October 19, 7-9: Philadelphia Praise Center (live video streaming available)

Please make sure that your congregation’s delegates are aware of these important meetings! Just a reminder … all actively credentialed leaders are AUTOMATICALLY delegates to conference assembly!

Scripture Focus
Franconia Mennonite Conference along with Eastern District Conference will meet on November 11 & 12 at Penn View Christian School for a historic joint assembly. We anticipate a time of blessing as the Lord works among us and together we worship Him. This year’s theme is “Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ” based on Ephesians 4:16. As a means of preparation for you and your congregation’s delegates, please consider using this passage as a scripture focus for sermons, Sunday School classes, corporate or private worship in the months ahead.

Gateway Course
Eastern Mennonite Seminary presents “Anabaptist Mission & Peace” taught by David W. Shenk, PhD. This course explores redemption and reconciliation as the heart of the church’s response to God’s call to mission. Students will study the Biblical foundations of mission as God’s shalom in Jesus Christ and the church through the power of the Holy Spirit. The course will be held at Conestoga Mennonite Church, 2779 Main Street, Morgantown, PA, September 30 – October 1 and December 9 – 10. Online registration and information available online at www.emu.edu/Lancaster/seminary/gateway or call 717-397-5190.

Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary offers the following online and face-to-face resources:
Webinars –
Advent Planning: Awesome deeds we do not expect
Presenters: Marlene Kropf and Rosanna McFadden
Tuesday, October 18, 7:30-8:45 p.m. EDT
Get details and register by October 14
Engaging the Bible in the Congregation
Presenter: Robert J. Suderman
Tuesday, November 8, 1:45-3:00 p.m. EST
Get details and register by November 4
Identity crisis in the pulpit: What is the preacher’s purpose and authority?
Presenter: Ryan Ahlgrim
Wednesday, November 16, 2:00–3:30 p.m. EST
Get details and register by November 12
Workshops –
Advent Planner: Awesome deeds we do not expect
Presenters: Marlene Kropf and Rosanna McFadden
Friday, October 7
Get details and register by September 23
Difficult Issues–Congregational Discernment–Faithful Living
Presenter: Robert J. (Jack) Suderman
Thursday, October 13
Get details and register by September 29
Pastors and Business Leaders: Partners in leadership and ministry?
Presenter: David B. Miller
Thursday, November 3
Offered in Lancaster, Pa., in conjunction with Mennonite Economic Development Associates convention
Get details and register by October 1

Pastors
You are especially invited to attend at least one of the Wednesday a.m. prayer gatherings being held at the Franconia Mennonite Conference Center this fall. Your attendance will help us to pray for you and your congregation and whatever needs you may have in the mission God has for you. We will begin meeting on Wednesday, September 7, 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m., and we will meet every Wednesday morning through November 9. These prayer gatherings are open to pastors and intercessors as well as those interested in praying for the regional church. For more information, please contact Sandy Landes, prayer ministry coordinator.

Vermont flooding
Please keep our pastors and congregations in Vermont in your prayers. We have been in touch with each of our credentialed leaders (Randy Good-Taftsville, Gwen Groff-Bethany, Dan and Chris Chapman-formerly leaders at Andover) as well as Brandon Bergey (Executive Director of Bethany Birches Camp, a Conference Related Ministry). They and all of their congregational members are safe but are reeling from the devastation experienced in their areas. They specifically ask that we NOT try to come up to help them right now ”things are simply impassable”. There will be a time when they will be ready for help, but for now, just please hold them in your prayers. Thank you!

Scripture Focus
Franconia Mennonite Conference along with Eastern District Conference will meet on November 11 & 12 at Penn View Christian School for a historic joint assembly. We anticipate a time of blessing as the Lord works among us and together we worship Him. This year’s theme is “Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ” based on Ephesians 4:16. As a means of preparation for you and your congregation’s delegates, please consider using this passage as a scripture focus for sermons, Sunday School classes, corporate or private worship in the months ahead.

Pastors’ & Leaders’ Breakfast
Conflict is part of the human condition. Some conflicts can be resolved, but all conflicts can be managed. Rev. Dr. Barbara Moses, principal of Philadelphia Mennonite High School, will present “Managing Conflicts from a Christian Perspective” at the next Pastors’ and Leaders’ breakfast.
Particulars –
Location: Mennonite Conference Center, 569 Yoder Road, Harleysville, PA
Date & Time: Thursday, September 15, 8-10 a.m.
Cost: $6 donation is requested to cover the cost of breakfast
To join livestream on your computer: www.ustream.tv/channel/franconia-mennonite-conference

Note: You can also view “The Age of Convergence: Practical Tools for Effective Intergenerational Leadership” at the above ustream link.

8/25/11

Prayer Request
Please pray for the ongoing search process for Franconia Conference and Eastern District as interviews are conducted and callings are discerned over the next several weeks for the youth ministry positions. Ask God to give clarity and discernment as to what He wants for the youth and their leaders in this region. Pray for all involved in the search process, including Conrad Swartzendruber, principal at CD, Ertell Whigham(FMC) and Warren Tyson(EDC), conference ministers as well as those being called to serve.

Christian Formation Sunday
Across Mennonite Church USA Christian Formation Sunday is scheduled for September 11. Each congregation is encouraged to consider how children, youth and adults are shaped spiritually by the home, school, and congregation. If you haven’t scheduled a special Christian Formation Sunday yet, check out the speaker’s bureau list of school administrators, faculty and staff at Christopher Dock, Penn View, and Quakertown Christian who are willing to participate in your congregation. A list of available persons and ways they are willing to participate is available here: Christian Formation Sunday speakers list Sept 11 2011 (2). Feel free to contact each school or individual directly to schedule a speaker or participant for your congregation.

Resources for Pastors
Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary offers online and face-to-face events for Pastors and church Leaders. You are invited to participate in the following:

Advent Planning: Awesome deeds we do not expect
Webinar, Tuesday, October 18, 7:30-8:45 p.m. Register by October 14
Advent Planner: Awesome deeds we do not expect
Face-to-face workshop, Friday, October 7, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Register by September 23.
Hispanic Pastoral Continuing Education
Face-to-face, two-day leadership development program, Friday-Sunday, September 30-October 2
Business Leaders and Pastors: Partners in leadership and ministry?
Face-to-face workshop in Lancaster, Pa., Thursday, November 3. Register by October 1
Offered in conjunction with the annual convention of Mennonite Economic Development Associates
Promise and Peril: Understanding and managing change and conflict in congregations
Webinar, Wednesday, September 7, 2:00-3:30 p.m. Register by September 3.
Coming in January – Pastors Week 2012: Understanding Revelation for Today
Presenter: Loren L. Johns, with a special session by J. Nelson Kraybill
Monday, January 23, 7 p.m.-Thursday, January 26, 3:30 p.m.

For complete information and registration call 574-296-6269.

On Thursday, September 15, 8-10 a.m., Rev. Dr. Barbara Moses will be the featured presenter for the next Pastors’ and Leaders’ breakfast meeting. Out of her training and 30 years’ experience of working in the Philadelphia School system as a teacher and administrator, and more recently as the founding principal of Philadelphia Mennonite High School, Dr. Moses will share, “Managing Conflicts from a Christian Perspective.” he has learned that “not all conflicts can be resolved but they can all be managed.” Dr. Moses is a high energy, God-loving woman who is both wise and practical. She has a wonderful way of sharing the many miracles God has and is doing through the ministry of PMHS.

Reserve your place by Friday, September 9 for this breakfast meeting, to be held at the Mennonite Conference Center, 569 Yoder Road, Harleysville, PA. A $6 donation is requested to cover the cost of breakfast.

If you are unable to attend in person, the presentation will be live streamed. Watch for details of how to join the conversation via the convenience of your computer in next weeks’ Notes to Pastors.

Interested in learning the art and practice of spiritual companioning/spiritual direction? Kairos School for Spiritual Formation is offering Spiritual Guidance classes in Telford once a month, from September 2011 through May 2012. Classes are designed for clergy, pastors and congregational leaders—anyone called to guide the soul of persons and congregations whom they serve. Telford classes will be on Thursdays, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and led by John and Sandy Drescher-Lehman.

The next Pastors & Leaders breakfast will be held on Thursday, September 15, 8-10 a.m.  Rev. Dr. Barbara Moses will present and lead in conversation around “Managing Conflicts from a Christian Perspective.” As she says, “Not all conflicts can be resolved but they can all be managed.”  This conviction is demonstrated well by the fact that only four physical altercations have taken place in the school’s history, with 2003 being the last year of an occurrence and one-hundred percent of Philadelphia Mennonite High School graduates have been accepted by colleges.

Dr. Moses has received numerous awards and honors, including the Stand for Peace Award for Transformative Education and the Exemplary School Program Award from the Center for Peace and the Metropolitan Christian Council of Philadelphia.  Dr. Moses has served as the Principal of Philadelphia Mennonite High School since it began in 1998.  Philadelphia Mennonite High School to be fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Secondary Schools and Mennonite Education Agency.

Reserve your place by Friday, September 9.  A $6 donation is requested to cover the cost of breakfast.

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You missed today’s (Thursday, August 11) Pastors’ & Leaders’ breakfast?  Sheldon Good and Steve Kriss made an excellent presentation and led a panel conversation about what it means to work together across generational boundaries.  Portions of this presentation will be available on a podcast soon.

Also coming soon … live streaming of Pastors’ & Leaders’ breakfasts!  We’re working out the kinks but hope to offer this as a way folks can join us in September!

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Kairos School for Spiritual Formation is offering Spiritual Guidance classes in Telford once a month, from September 2011 through May 2012. These classes are designed for clergy, pastors and congregational leaders–people who are called to guide the soul of persons and congregations whom they serve. This introduction to the art and practice of spiritual companioning (spiritual direction) provides essential understandings and skills for this ministry of guidance. Telford classes will be held on Thursdays, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and will be led by John and Sandy Drescher-Lehman.