by Emily Ralph Servant, Interim Director of Communication
The house sits on Emily Street, a three-story, red-brick townhouse whose stoop rests directly on the sidewalk along a narrow city street.
The third floor windows look out over the surrounding blocks, where brand new rowhomes, nestled between century-old houses, bear witness to the creeping gentrification of this densely populated and diverse neighborhood. Dotted between the rows of houses are lots that won’t long be empty, neighborhood parks, and the occasional sidewalk garden planted in clusters of multicolored pots.
Its name is Bethany House, and soon this house will become a home.
For a number of years, members of the conference community have been concerned about the rising cost of housing in South Philadelphia. As the city has experienced an influx of immigrants and a renewal of its urban core, the neighborhoods surrounding Franconia’s South Philly congregations have seen a quick and dramatic increase in housing costs.
This gentrification makes living and ministering locally more and more difficult, especially for credentialed leaders who don’t have the resources to purchase a home. In response to growing support among the conference constituency, the board decided that now was the time to act, while the purchase could still be considered an investment in the rapidly growing housing market.
In December, upon the review and recommendation of the Properties and Finances Committees, Franconia Conference purchased the house on Emily Street to be used as a conference-owned parsonage. This home will be available for conference congregations in South Philadelphia to use when, and for as long as, needed.
Bethany House’s first residents will be Leticia Cortes and Fernando Loyola. The pastoral couple of Centro de Alabanza de Filadelfia, Cortes and Loyola have been struggling to find a safe and stable living arrangement for their family for eleven years. Because Bethany House is close to their congregation’s building, Cortes and Loyola anticipate that living there will open up new possibilities for outreach in their community as they get to know their neighbors better.
This dream is shared by the South Philly congregations. “My hope is that this house can be a blessing for the neighborhood,” said Melky Tirtasaputra, associate pastor at Nations Worship Center, who also served as an advisor during the search. “We pray that the people of this house will bring change and peace to the people in that area.”
The purchase of this property not only shows conference support of Philadelphia churches, explained conference moderator John Goshow, but also provides an opportunity for the rest of the conference to partner with our South Philly congregations in building God’s kingdom, as “the entire Franconia Conference community works together to point people to Christ.”
The move will also put Cortes and Loyola closer to their church community—this was one of the appeals of the house, Tirtasaputra explained. Members of Centro de Alabanza are excited about the move and have already been busily at work on the house, making repairs and painting.
Ten percent of Franconia Conference members live and worship in South Philadelphia, which makes it important to start investing in the neighborhood, suggested executive minister Steve Kriss. While Centro de Alabanza is currently using the parsonage, Tirtasaputra reflected, it’s a gift to all of the South Philly congregations since, in the future, pastors from other congregations may also find themselves in need of a home.
“The Bethany House continues Franconia Conference’s tradition of mutual care for our pastors,” described Kriss. “It will ensure healthy leadership for what has been a rapidly growing part of our conference community.” The house was named after the village where Jesus went for rest, care, and friendship (John 12:1-8), Kriss said, “a place of gracious hospitality.”
The Conference’s decision to purchase a Philadelphia parsonage is more than just a financial gift, according to Cortes and Loyola; it also says something about the relationship that the wider conference has with its South Philadelphia brothers and sisters: “We feel like this investment is an affirmation of Franconia Conference’s confidence in our church ministry and in us.”
The pastoral couple’s hope is to move in by the end of the year and, it’s quite possible, they may even be home for Christmas.
Bethany House has been partially funded by estate gifts and individual contributions, but we still have funds to raise! You or your congregation are invited to participate in this ministry by making a designated contribution to Franconia Conference online (link closed) or by sending a check with “Bethany House” in the memo line to Franconia Mennonite Conference, 1000 Forty Foot Rd., Lansdale, PA 19446.
