Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Nueva Vida Norristown New Life

Luke Beidler: Missionary, Conference Leader, Pastor, Friend

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by Sharon K. Williams

A large extended family gathered at Nueva Vida Norristown (PA) New Life (NVNNL) on Saturday, April 26, 2025, to thank God for the life and legacy of Luke Beidler, who found his release from Parkinson’s disease in the eternal presence of Jesus on April 10, 2025. 

The “siblings,” “children,” and “cousins” represented Luke and his wife Dorothy’s biological families, missionary colleagues from years of ministry in Viet Nam and Indonesia, Franconia/Mosaic Conference leaders, Greater Norristown Area Ministerium leaders, and brothers and sisters from NVNNL and several local Mennonite congregations. An additional 180 viewers joined the memorial service by livestream. 

Daughter and son-in-law Marta and Julio Castillo led the congregation in a bilingual reading from Philippians 4 and Romans 12. The congregation joined in one voice to sing hymns and songs in Spanish and English. Grandsons read scripture, poetry, and Beidler’s obituary. Sandy Drescher-Lehman, pastor of Methacton (PA) Mennonite, shared a meditation on Psalm 63, one of Luke’s favorites. Son Ken Beidler led the sharing time. 

Daughter and son-in-law Marta and Julio Castillo lead the congregation in a bilingual reading from Philippians 4 and Romans 12. Photo by Caitlyn Weber.

“Pastor Luke was open to visionary ideas for what could and should be,” reflected Mosaic Conference Leadership Minister Ertell Whigham when asked about Beidler’s legacy. “He welcomed new ministry and had cultural enthusiasm, which enabled Franconia Conference to grow beyond traditional norms.” 

Whigham first got to know Beidler in 1989 when Whigham shared his vision for a merger of three Norristown congregations (First Mennonite, Bethel Mennonite, and Fuente de Salvación) that became NVNNL. At that time, Whigham was pastor of Bethel Mennonite, and Beidler was Mission Secretary of Franconia Conference (a position he held from 1985 to 1995). They later served together on NVNNL’s pastoral team (1994–2007). 

Many people reflected on Luke and Dorothy’s spiritual gifts of hospitality, generosity, and the ability to cross ethnic and economic boundaries with the love of God. 

Sandy Drescher-Lehman, pastor of Methacton Mennonite, shares a meditation on Psalm 63, one of Luke’s favorites. Photo by Caitlyn Weber.

“Luke is who I want to be when I grow up,” reflected Emily Ralph Servant, Mosaic Conference Leadership Minister for Strategic Priorities, when asked about the influence Beidler has had on her life.  

“He had a rich history of service, often to those that others ignore or forget. He had a soft heart that was open to the movement of God’s Spirit, desiring to be a faithful follower of Jesus right up to the end. We will miss his gentle presence in Mosaic Conference and give thanks for the legacy he leaves behind at NVNNL and in his family, especially his daughter Marta (Mosaic Conference’s associate executive minister).” 

Beidler’s obituary is available here. The Celebration of Life, including a photo slideshow, is available to view here.  

Sharon K. Williams

Sharon K. Williams serves as the minister of worship with the Nueva Vida Norristown (PA) New Life Mennonite congregation. 

Mosaic values two-way communication and encourages our constituents to respond with feedback, questions, or encouragement. To share your thoughts or send a message to the author(s), contact us at communication@mosaicmennonites.org. 

A Love Letter for 50 Years 

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by Sharon Williams

Nueva Vida Norristown (PA) New Life (NVNNL) recently celebrated Pastor Ertell Whigham for his 50 years of ministry with a gala and dinner. Friends, family, and ministry associates from the Norristown community, Mosaic Conference, and beyond joined the congregation with tributes and stories to share. A highlight of the evening was a jazz concert led by Pastor Ertell, given as a “musical love letter” for all of us. The offering was designated by Pastor Ertell for the congregation’s capital campaign, Enlarging Our Place in God’s World. 

(L-R) Pastor Ertell Whigham & Leadership Minister Noel Santiago  Photo credit: Jeff Harvey.

In December, Pastor Ertell completed 33 years of ministry as one of the three founding Associate Pastors at NVNNL.  

After coming to faith in Jesus Christ in 1970, Ertell began ministering as a lay leader in visitation and youth outreach. When he and his family moved to Reading, PA, a neighbor introduced them to Buttonwood Mennonite Church and Lancaster Mennonite Conference. The congregation called him into ministry by lot and credentialed him as a bi-vocational pastor.  

A job transfer relocated the Whigham family to Pastor Ertell’s home neighborhood in North Philadelphia in 1980, where he was called to join the ministry team at Diamond Street Mennonite Church.  

One Sunday in 1985, Pastor Ertell was invited to preach at Bethel Mennonite Church in Norristown, PA. After the service, the Church Council Chair handed him a key to the front door of the church and urged him to become Bethel’s pastor. He accepted the call, and his wife Pat developed the children’s ministry. By God’s grace, they were able to provide stability and vision for the congregation. 

In 1988, God was raising a vision for a different kind of Anabaptist witness in Norristown. Pastor Ertell was instrumental in discerning and leading the vision with Pastor Paul Leichty (First Mennonite) and Pastor Henry Ortiz (Fuente de Salvación). The three Mennonite congregations came together to form Nueva Vida Norristown New Life (NVNNL) Mennonite Church in 1990.  

NVNNL elders Adamino Ortiz, Marta Castillo, and Emmanuel Mwaipopo present gifts to Pastor Ertell and Sister Pat Whigham. Photo credit: Jeff Harvey.

NVNNL became one of the nation’s first intercultural, bilingual Anabaptist congregations. The three ministers formed an intercultural pastoral team and became Associate Pastors—a model that NVNNL continues to embrace. Sister Pat Whigham’s emphasis on children grew into Precious Life Ministries, a Christian childcare center based in the NVNNL meetinghouse.  

Whigham served as a Conference Minister and Executive Minister/CEO of Franconia Mennonite Conference from 2000–2016. He also served as the Board Director of Mennonite Health Services from 2012–2016. In 2007, Pastor Ertell received Mennonite Mission Network’s Urban Leader Award. 

Currently, Whigham is an interim Leadership Minister with Mosaic Conference, a senior consultant with Manna Visions LLC, and a post leader/peace advocate with Pointman International Ministries, a healing ministry for military veterans. 

Pastor Ertell and Sister Pat are blessed to have three adult children, six grandchildren, and Ertell’s energetic, independent, 102-year-old mother, who lives nearby. They also provide a “forever home” for rescued Rottweilers. Whigham spends his leisure time leading a gospel jazz band in which he plays alto saxophone.  

Sharon Williams

Sharon K. Williams is the Minister of Worship at Nueva Vida Norristown New Life in Norristown, PA.

Celebrating Ministry & Service with the Tamayos 

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By Sharon K. Williams

Nueva Vida Norristown (PA) New Life celebrated Pastor Angel Tamayo’s 15 years of pastoral ministry with our congregation on August 28, 2022. Sister Lisa Caban Tamayo was also celebrated for serving as the congregation’s administrative assistant for 11 years.

Pastor Angel’s passion for ministry took him to some places where other angels might fear to tread. He loved to walk the streets of Norristown to share the good news of the gospel with anyone who would listen. His genuine care for people, friendly teasing, and quick smile are welcoming to new friends. He preached his first English sermon on a Palm Sunday, challenging us to be ready to offer our “donkey” when the Lord has need of it. Pastor Angel also participated in several mission trips to Cuba, and he went most recently to Honduras to train and support pastors and congregations.  

Pastor Angel and Sister Lisa Tamayo. Photo by Christine Raines.

 

Pastor Angel and Sister Lisa, both worship leaders with our Spanish and bilingual teams, anchored our worship ministry during the pandemic. They began with recorded bilingual services until we could transition to livestreamed and then hybrid services. 

Sister Lisa held a key role in managing Nueva Vida’s church office. During her time of service, Nueva Vida’s ministries expanded, as did the responsibilities for managing our church campus along Marshall Street. 


Pastor Angel Tamayo preaches at an outdoor worship service. Photo by Tim Moyer.

Pastor Angel regularly encouraged our congregation to love the Word of God, to read and study it, and to live by its teachings. His parting sermon encouraged us to be faithful, humble servants of the Lord, serving each other and our community. The word retirement is notably not found in the Bible. Even though Pastor Angel and Sister Lisa Tamayo are concluding their ministries with Nueva Vida, they are open to the next season of service to which God will call them. With gratitude, we pray for God’s blessing to fill their lives. 

Sharon K. Williams

Sharon K. Williams is Nueva Vida Norristown (PA) New Life’s minister of worship.

Backpacks for the Border

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by Javier Marquez, intercultural communication associate, with Emily Ralph Servant

On the night of October 18, 2019, a group of adults and children worked for several hours at the Material Resource Center, a part of Mennonite Central Committee’s ministry in Harleysville, PA. The objective of the project was to put together kits of basic supplies that will be delivered to migrants who crossed the border from Mexico. Members of Franconia Conference contributed the helping hands and gave resources to make the project a reality: 370 kits were packed that night, and the rest of the $20,000 donated by the conference (via churches, individuals and a matching grant) will be sent to MCC Central States to purchase additional supplies.

The kits consisted of a set of useful products such as towels, notebooks, pens, water, and other basic necessities for people who have recently been released from migrant detention camps.  Although simple, these kits represent a direct and tangible way to contribute to the needs of immigrants who enter the United States looking for a new home.

The work on the 19th was an example of solidarity and mutual help.  Thanks to 20 volunteers from three southeast Pennsylvania churches (Indonesian Light Church, and Philadelphia Praise Center, Plains Mennonite Church), the kits were efficiently packed in a large collection of green backpacks and were ready in time to be sent from Harleysville to be distributed through MCC Central States.

Each of these churches, in addition to belonging to Franconia Conference, is a community that includes many first- and second-generation immigrants. Although these immigrants come from different places on the map, such as Indonesia and Mexico, they each have left behind what is familiar to embark on a trip, marked by difficulties and uncertainty.  In understanding and solidarity, they gathered to fill backpacks as people who are aware of the pain and joy of migration.

The children were encouraged to share which countries they were from and they diligently helped for the almost-two-hours that the work took. After the backpacks were filled, the workers gathered together to join in a prayer led by Pastor Hendy Stevan Matahelemual of Indonesian Light Center.  They prayed specifically for those who would receive the kit and in general for each person who undertakes the trip and who seeks a place that guarantees their rights and, even, saves their lives.

Congregational Profile: Nueva Vida Norristown New Life

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(leer en español)

by Andrés Castillo

A car pulled up to a fellow worship team member and me while we were talking on the steps of Nueva Vida Norristown New Life (NVNNL).

“Excuse me, sir—are you still giving computer lessons at the internet café?” the woman shouted.

As our internet café is not often frequented these days, I was shocked that it was still something anyone cared about. I then realized this represented what NVNNL means to the people of Norristown, PA: a place of unity, peace, warmth, familiarity, and sanctuary not valued for how many people it helps, but how it helps those in need.

Nueva Vida Norristown New Life was formed by three churches—one Latino, one African-American, and one African-American and Anglo—combining in 1990. Ever since, the congregation has tried to minister to the community it represents. Interculturalism and integration have become part of NVNNL’s way of life, including bilingual services and a team of pastors that represent different ethnic groups. Surprisingly, this is still considered innovative or even extraordinary by many.

The city of Norristown is racially and economically diverse and can be a zone of conflict and unrest. Our congregation operates as a place of peace and a leader in unity for the town in these times of separation.  Recently, we were named a Zone of Peace by Interfaith Philadelphia’s Zones of Peace initiative, where Franconia Conference executive minister Steve Kriss and leadership minister of intercultural formation Marta Castillo serve on the religious leaders council. Zones of Peace are organizations that “seek unique ways to address the challenges most palpable in their neighborhoods.” NVNNL has actively faced these challenges—hatred, fear, discrimination, poverty—since its birth.

Along with a photo-ID clinic, NVNNL has founded and maintained the Hospitality Center, housing ministry for assisted living, an internet café, and the Precious Life Learning Center (day care and preschool). Members of the congregation are known to help each other and other members of the community with matters such as translation and transportation as well.

Things such as state IDs, internet access, and computers are taken for granted by many; the desperation the woman in the car showed reminds me that they are a luxury to some. Lacking necessities makes fear and suffering the norm for many. NVNNL’s congregation understands this, and our ministries focus on this fact of life. In addition to that, racial reconciliation efforts are present within our church to spread peace to those who seek it.

The representation at NVNNL is great, but we believe that the inclusion we practice is not “special;” it is simply a demonstration of the teachings of Jesus. Minister of Worship Sharon Williams states that this unity should be practiced “especially in the church, because valuing people more than personal beliefs comes from the gospel. When you allow yourself to do that, it makes life much more rich.” Associate pastor Ertell Whigham adds: “This is just our way of life. The true ‘award’ is the obedience that honors God.”

Although some congregations look to NVNNL for guidance when it comes to bringing different cultures together, we still have a long way to go. Nonetheless, we try our best to offer some peace to those in our community. We do what little we can, and trust that our ministries will grow as we continue in them. We pray that more and more people from all backgrounds join our congregation and that we can touch new lives each day.

The church asks for your prayers that they would increase the number of strong relationships in their community and more people in need would find them, for members of their congregation with health issues, and for further fellowship and unity within their congregation.

Summer Interns to Serve and Learn

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by Jennifer Svetlik, Salford congregation

Listening for God’s calling. Serving their home communities. Learning from new communities. Cultivating pastoral skills. These are some of the hopes that six interns bring to their time of service and formation with Franconia Conference this summer. They come as part of the MCC Summer Service Program, the Ministry Inquiry Program, as well as the Conference’s own summer placements.

As part of the MCC Summer Service Worker Program, Jessica Nikomang will work at Philadelphia Praise Center. This summer she will direct a Vacation Bible School (VBS) for kids ages 5-12 as well as work with the Indonesian community around the church and her neighborhood, providing translation support and other help. After the summer, she will begin studies at the Community College of Philadelphia as a first-generation college student in pursuit of her dream to be a school counselor.

This will be Rebecca Yugga’s second summer serving at the Crossroads Community Center in partnership with her home congregation, West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship. Rebecca studies Nursing and Spanish Language/Hispanic Studies at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU). She will be planning activities for children and build on leadership skills and strategies she cultivated in the program last year.

Graciella Odelia

Graciella Odelia will serve at Nations Worship Center, which has been her home church since 2013 and where she is an active member of the worship team. Graciella studies Biology and Chemistry at Eastern Mennonite University. She will be organizing the summer VBS program in July and August at Nations Worship Center.

“Seeing kids excited to worship God makes me look forward to what God has in store for the next generation. By participating in the MCC Summer Service program, I hope to discover how God can use me in His church,” Graciella shares.

Andrés Castillo

As the Conference’s summer placement, Andrés Castillo, a member of Nueva Vida Norristown New Life, will serve as a communication intern for the conference. Andrés studies English at West Chester University. More of his writing, photography, and videos will be shared on our website throughout the summer. Andrés is excited to make connections in his communication work between Christ’s teachings and the social issues about which he’s passionate.

Justin Burkholder, who attends Deep Run East, will be working with the conference’s south Philadelphia Indonesian congregations. He will be serving with the peace camp at Indonesian Light Church as well as summer VBS programs at other congregations. Justin is in Intercultural Studies at Palm Beach Atlantic University.

“I grew up traveling into Philadelphia just for ball games or cheesesteaks and I was disconnected from the lives of people living in the city,” Justin shared. “I am looking forward to building relationships and learning what it looks like to serve the church and community in South Philly.”

As part of the Ministry Inquiry Program, Luke Hertzler, who studies Bible, Religion and Theology at EMU, will be working with Whitehall and Ripple Allentown congregations. Luke will help at Ripple’s Community Building Center and garden and test out gifts on Sundays at both Ripple and Whitehall.

“We hope Luke will bring new ideas and energy. Right now we are forming gift groups at Ripple and I hope Luke can give some direction to this new model,” Danilo Sanchez, co-pastor for Ripple Allentown shared. “Internships are important to Ripple because we care about raising up leaders. Ripple is a different kind of Mennonite church and we like to show young adults that pastoring and church can take a variety of forms.”

Summer interns are an important part of Franconia Conference’s commitment to leadership cultivation. “Each year it is a gift to interact with this next generation of leaders. We learn alongside them and contribute to their formation in the way of Christ’s peace,” Franconia’s executive minister Steve Kriss shared.

We are grateful for and look forward to sharing more about the work that these six young people will offer Franconia Conference this summer!

The Beauty of an Intercultural Childhood

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(Scroll for Spanish translation / Desplazarse para la traducción al español)

by Andres Castillo, Nueva Vida Norristown New Life

Out of all of the things that I take for granted, my intercultural childhood has to be the most beautiful.

I grew up in Norristown, Pennsylvania as a Hispanic and white child, never really fitting into either demographic, but undoubtedly benefiting from the ability to sit back and watch all ethnic groups interact. This “observation” lifestyle is one commonly picked up by biracial children, and I can confirm this through my own experiences.

Not being able to fit into any single group is a blessing. I grew up mingling with, among others, both white and Latino children, frequently wondering why they were often so completely separate from each other. The close-mindedness of each cluster was puzzling, and even more so was the fact that neither fully accepted me. I realize now after many years of fussing over my place in the world that I have no need to identify with either group—there are plenty of people like me.

This realization enables me to have a better perception of the world and each person, not focusing on anyone’s ethnic background but on what is underneath. I am able to see people for who they are, because I know how it feels to not know who I am or where I belong.

Unfortunately, not every biracial child will come to the same conclusions that I did. To help remedy this, I write this with the dual purpose of sharing my worldview as well as providing some self-security to biracial persons who struggle with their identity.

Making Colombian tamales—a family tradition!  Photo by Marta Castillo

Growing up in Norristown definitely put me in an advantageous situation. Daily exposure to different races and cultures—African American, Caribbean, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Chinese—is healthy for a growing human. I know that I benefited greatly (an understatement) from living my whole life and attending high school in Norristown. I am, no doubt, more knowledgeable of what the world really contains—homeless people walking the streets, gang-related violence, robberies (my house was even robbed once), and overall, a struggle for financial stability.

Of course there are a lot of bad things that exist in the world, but Norristown did reveal many positive things too. Attending Norristown Area High School showed me that Latinos and African Americans, not whites, were the majority in the area where I live.  Contrary to what some people think, the Norristown area school system not only provided me with an adequate education, but also effectively exposed me to more of the world. I attend an absolute melting-pot of a church called Nueva Vida Norristown New Life (NVNNL) and can happily say that our family benefits from the multitude of races within the church and the bilingual capabilities we possess.

 Andres is baptized by Pastors Angel Tamayo and Marta Castillo (his mom) and joins as a member of Nueva Vida Norristown New Life  Photo by Ertell Whigham at Macedonia Baptist Church, Norristown.

Along with these two outlets, my grandparents, who live in the center of Norristown, have been enthusiastic guides to other cultures throughout my lifetime. They not only house people of different races in their small-but-friendly apartment complex but raised their children (my mom and uncle) in Vietnam and Indonesia, where they served for many years as mission workers. As a result, they are completely open-minded people who have taught their children and grandchildren their ways.

Just the other day, I had a job interviewer ask me if I have “had experience in which I have been exposed to many cultures.” Needless to say, that question could probably be nominated for “easiest question of the year.”

I am happy to not be ignorant of the cultures around me, and to have my race be a minimal factor of how I live. I was able to decide for myself that I love people of all races, and, as a result, I can say, with joy, that I am able to fully enjoy this life.

Andres Castillo is a freshman at West Chester University.  He enjoys writing, reading, and playing with the Nueva Vida Norristown New Life Church worship team.

 

La Belleza de una Niñez Intercultural

por Andres Castillo, Nueva Vida Norristown New Life

De todas las cosas que doy por sentadas, mi niñez intercultural tiene que ser la más hermosa.

Crecí en Norristown, Pensilvania como un niño hispano y americano blanco, nunca encajando con ninguno de los dos grupos demográficos, pero sin duda me beneficiaba de poder sentarme y ver a todos los grupos étnicos relacionarse. Este estilo de vida de “observación” es comúnmente adoptado por los niños birraciales, y puedo confirmarlo por mis propias experiencias.

No poder encajar en un solo grupo es una bendición. Crecí mezclándome, entre otros, con niños blancos y latinos, preguntándome con frecuencia por qué a menudo estaban tan separados unos de otros. La mentalidad cerrada de cada grupo fue desconcertante, y más aún, el hecho de que ninguno de los dos grupos me aceptó por completo. Ahora me doy cuenta de que después de muchos años de preocuparme por mi lugar en el mundo, no tengo necesidad de identificarme con ninguno de los grupos, hay muchas personas como yo.

Esta realización me permite tener una mejor percepción del mundo y de cada persona, sin centrarme en el origen étnico de nadie, sino en lo que está dentro. Soy capaz de ver a las personas por lo que son, porque sé cómo se siente no saber quién soy ni a dónde pertenezco.

Desafortunadamente, no todos los niños birraciales llegarán a las mismas conclusiones que yo. Para ayudar a remediar esto, escribo esto con el doble propósito de compartir mi visión del mundo, así como de proporcionar cierta seguridad personal a las personas birraciales que luchan con su identidad.

¡Haciendo tamales colombianos, una tradición familiar! Foto por Marta Castillo.

Crecer en Norristown definitivamente me puso en una situación ventajosa. La exposición diaria a diferentes razas y culturas (afro americana, caribeña, mexicana, puertorriqueña, china) es saludable para un humano en crecimiento. Sé que me beneficié enormemente (una subestimación) de vivir toda mi vida y asistir a la escuela secundaria en Norristown. Sin duda, tengo más conocimiento de lo que realmente contiene el mundo: personas sin hogar que caminan por las calles, violencia relacionada con pandillas, robos (mi casa incluso fue robada una vez) y, en general, una lucha por la estabilidad financiera.

Por supuesto, hay muchas cosas malas que existen en el mundo, pero Norristown también reveló muchas cosas positivas. Asistir a la escuela secundaria del área de Norristown me mostró que los latinos y los afroamericanos, no los blancos, eran la mayoría en el área donde vivo. Contrariamente a lo que algunas personas piensan, el sistema escolar del área de Norristown no solo me brindó una educación adecuada, sino que también me expuso a más partes del mundo. Asisto a una iglesia que es un crisol absoluto llamada Nueva Vida Norristown New Life (NVNNL) y puedo decir felizmente que nuestra familia se beneficia de la multitud de razas dentro de la iglesia y las capacidades bilingües que poseemos.

Andrés es bautizado por los pastores Angel Tamayo y Marta Castillo (su madre) y se une como miembro de Nueva Vida Norristown. Foto de New Life por Ertell Whigham en la Iglesia Bautista de Macedonia, Norristown.

Junto con estos dos canales, mis abuelos, que viven en el centro de Norristown, han sido guías entusiastas de otras culturas a lo largo de mi vida. No solo albergan a personas de diferentes razas en su pequeño pero amigable complejo de apartamentos, sino que también criaron a sus hijos (mi madre y mi tío) en Vietnam e Indonesia, donde sirvieron durante muchos años como trabajadores misioneros. Como resultado, son personas de mentalidad abierta que les han enseñado sus costumbres a sus hijos y nietos.

Justo el otro día, un entrevistador del trabajo me preguntó si tenía “experiencia en la que he estado expuesto a muchas culturas”. No hace falta decir que esa pregunta probablemente podría ser nominada a la “pregunta más fácil del año”.

Estoy feliz de no ignorar las culturas que me rodean y de que mi raza sea un factor mínimo de cómo vivo. Pude decidir por mí mismo que amo a las personas de todas las razas y, como resultado, puedo decir con alegría que puedo disfrutar plenamente de esta vida.

Andrés Castillo es un estudiante de primer año en la Universidad de West Chester. Le gusta escribir, leer y tocar música con el equipo de adoración de Nueva Vida Norristown New Life Church.

 

Norristown Congregation to Receive Sacred Places Grant

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by Sharon Williams, Nueva Vida Norristown New Life, with Carrie Hagen

One hundred years ago, the Franconia Mennonite Conference planted its first mission in Norristown, Pennsylvania. The Norristown Mission began with an awareness that the gospel of Jesus Christ is for all people. Today, Nueva Vida Norristown New Life Mennonite Church draws from twelve different countries. Earlier this fall, Norristown New Life was honored as the first Mennonite congregation accepted into The National Fund for Sacred Places, a national historic preservation grant-making program launched by the Lilly Endowment.  Norristown New Life was one of 13 congregations selected from a field of 178 for the 2018–19 cohort.

Norristown New Life’s capital campaign, “Enlarging Our Place in God’s World,” includes the restoration of its 1907 Gothic Revival building, located in Norristown’s historic district, one block from the county courthouse. Built from Valley Forge marble, the sanctuary features two large stained glass windows and seventeen smaller ones. In addition to restoring the windows, the building needs stone pointing, new flooring, a new roof, interior and exterior painting, and HVAC work. Norristown New Life also seeks to make the meetinghouse more accessible to those with physical disabilities by installing new restrooms and an elevator.

The congregation purchased the historic Bethany United Methodist Church building for its meetinghouse in 1990, when three independent Mennonite congregations—First Mennonite, Bethel Mennonite, and Fuente de Salvación—came together to form Nueva Vida Norristown New Life Mennonite Church.

Since 1990, three associate pastors representing the three major ethnic groups represented in the church body—Hispanic, African American, and Caucasian— share all pastoral duties.  This leadership system of power-sharing is Anabaptist, a key commitment for the congregation’s leadership model. Bilingual worship services are shared in English and in Spanish.

The National Fund for Sacred Places team, says Director Chad Martin, was struck not only by the congregation’s history of interracial and intercultural membership and leadership but also by its community ministries.

Norristown New Life has developed partnerships with Precious Life Childcare Center, the Montgomery County Association for the Blind, Narcotics Anonymous, and the county’s addiction counseling services. It operates a discipleship housing ministry for single women and trains adults and youth in restorative justice practices utilized by the school district.  At the photo ID clinic held in the congregation’s youth center, trained volunteers assist people with the paperwork and money orders they need to acquire state-issued IDs, birth certificates, and Social Security cards in order to obtain jobs, medical services, bank accounts, and apartment rentals.

Prior to its admittance into the National Fund, the congregation had raised over $500,000 of their capital campaign’s $2 million target. Its goal now is to leverage the highest matching grant offered by The National Fund—$250,000—as part of the effort to raise the remaining $1.5 million. The grant requires 2:1 matching funds of $500,000.

Acceptance in the National Fund program, says Pastor Ertell Whigham, is a gift for Norristown New Life’s mission to serve its community.

“As ambassadors of reconciliation, the gift of this grant enables our congregation to offer our place of worship as a continued presence for community partnerships, service, commitment, and hope.”