(posted October 17) Hymn Sing – You are invited to join Plains Mennonite Church for an afternoon of joyful singing and fellowship together on Sunday, November 9 at 3 p.m. We will be singing from Voices Together, Sing the Journey, and Sing the Story. For more information, email: office@plainsmennonitechurch.org.
Plains Mennonite Church
Creating a Playground for All at Plains
by Bev Miller
“Many weeks I sat in awe at the ways in which resourcing was happening just by providing a safe place for parents to share together,” reflected former Associate Pastor Dawn Ranck Hower. “My role was simply to provide the space, open with prayer, and then I sat back and learned.”
It all started when some families at Plains Mennonite (Hatfield, PA) had children who received autism spectrum diagnoses. They reached out to the pastors for support. The pastors saw the need for an autism support group and invited other parents and caregivers from the local community. Catherine Schadler Heller, M.Ed., shared her knowledge and expertise around topics chosen by the group.
That was helpful, but the pastors soon realized that the greatest resource for parents was meeting with other parents to talk and share ideas. For example, one parent would say, “My son hates zippers on his pants, and I found pants with an elastic waist that he likes at…”
Another parent would say, “My son is exactly the same,” and would write down the name of the store. That was 12 years ago, and today our Autism Support Group has reached over 70 households who stay connected through monthly meetings, email, and a private social media site.
The congregation became more aware of appropriate language, individual behaviors, and the need for acceptance of persons with disabilities. Local professionals provided insight to the congregation during the adult Sunday school hour on autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), sensory differences, and other disabilities.
As a congregation, “we realized that we could do more within our building, park, and property to include those who had been unintentionally placed on the margins,” said Heather Gingrich, current facilitator of the Autism Support group.
In 2020, Plains was fortunate to receive an estate gift from congregational members specified for “children and youth of Plains Mennonite Church.” A church committee was formed to brainstorm how to use this gift and decided to plan an inclusive playground and increase the accessibility of Plains’ eleven-acre park. “We decided to include a crucial step in planning and designing the playground ‘with’ rather than ‘for’ the families in our community. So, we interviewed families in the Autism Support group to learn what they felt was most important to include in a playground,” said Gingrich.
The responses included shade, a rubberized surface, equipment inclusive for a wide age range, equipment that offers a choice for social interaction or sensory breaks, and a fence to prevent eloping.
The first Barrier Free Grant from Anabaptist Disability Network (ADN) helped pave an accessibility path through the park and form an entrance for the yet-to-be-built inclusive playground.
A second Barrier Free Grant of $500 plus donations and grants from local businesses, community members, and congregants made the dream of a “playground for all” possible. The inclusive playground allows children of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to come and play on equipment, encouraging fun and entertainment for all. Gingrich adds, “We look forward to welcoming our neighbors and community!”
This article was originally published in 2023 in Anabaptist Disabilities Network’s blog, Opening Doors.
Bev Miller
Beverly Benner Miller is an Associate Pastor at Plains Mennonite Church and taking Clinical Pastoral Education courses from Eastern Mennonite Seminary. She has a Doctorate in Higher Education from Temple University.
Stay Home, Eat Well
by Sue Conrad Howes, Mosaic Communication Associate
Jim King of Plains congregation (Lansdale, PA) wondered what he could do to pass the time during COVID-19. He began looking in his pantry. Suddenly, he had an idea that he wanted to share with his congregation. Each week, he would take an ingredient from his pantry or freezer that had been in there too long. King would make something with it and send pictures of it via email. “I am going to ask you to respond with what occasions, memories, or emotions come to mind when you think of eating this food,” explained King, in his first email.
King’s first dish was mince pie, made from meat in his freezer marked, “Deer, 2017.”
In his email, King shared not only pie photos, but also memories. “It was my Grandmother Longacre who made the mince pies. I only remember having them at Christmas when about 40 of us showed up at the farm.”
He closed the email, asking, “What does mince pie take you back to BC [Before Coronavirus]? Stay Home, Eat well.”
Soon other church members began to share their memories of mince pies and other family recipes, bringing laughter and reflective thought to somewhat lonely days during the pandemic.
The next week, King’s recipe was pickled tongue.
“Gratitude and thankfulness seem to be in short supply these days,” wrote King in his email. “Meanwhile, we just might be spending more time communicating back and forth on the phone, across the yard, or on Zoom.”
“This week’s cooking project might be a good reminder to evaluate the quality of our conversation,” explained King. “Proverbs 12:18 reminds us, ‘Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.’”
King’s storytelling is as flavorful as his dishes, as his back stories always whet our appetite for more.
The beef tongue was obtained from his brother’s cattle farm. “When I show up there, I am invited to take the beef parts that don’t sell easily, such as the tongue, heart and tail,” shared King.
Although King’s love for pickled tongue may not be shared by everyone, he offered special delivery to anyone wanting a taste. “For the rest of you who have an aversion to pickled tongue or have memories of how you ate it BC [Before Coronavirus],” encouraged King, “please let me know.”
While King is glad to have some extra room now in his freezer, his purpose is less about food and more to do with community. Numerous email responses share memories, stories, and new recipes.
Rachel Mateti shared a recipe for baked oatmeal, attempting to use pantry staples to prolong grocery trips. As her family ate baked oatmeal together one morning, Mateti reflected on the change of pace with a pandemic. “An added bonus was sitting down at the table with the family as they woke up and sharing the morning and thanking God for these good moments,” she wrote.
The community is not just for adults. Anju, a 9-year old, joined in the conversation. “I really like cooking and baking because some of the stuff that I make, I wouldn’t try if I hadn’t cooked or baked it myself,” she shared. Enjoying the conversations, she added, “I like to bake strawberry shortcake and raspberry lemonade bars. What did you like to cook when you were 8 or 9?”
King knows not everyone likes interacting via email. Since the real purpose of the weekly COVID-19 cooking email is to build community, King says, “If the computer annoys you, just give me a call.”
Congregational Profile: Plains Mennonite Church
by Helen Lapp, Plains congregation
Plains Mennonite Church is located on the corner of Orvilla Road and Route 63 (Main Street), in Hatfield Township, where a group of God’s children have gathered together for Sunday morning worship and fellowship events for more than 250 years. The original meetinghouse was built in 1765.
All who come to worship with us receive a welcome at our doors, an invitation to join small groups discussing Bible passages and issues of faith and practice, along with an extension of ongoing love and fellowship. Children and youth are offered love and quality time during a Sunday morning educational hour as well as during the worship hour. A typical worship service at Plains features confession, hearty singing, encouragement to live as followers of Jesus in a changing world, an open sharing time, and caring prayers.
Excellent food is shared with joyful conversation during our monthly potlucks in the Lower Fellowship Area. We expect those who worship with us to give generously to support church-related ministries like Mennonite Central Committee, Mennonite Disaster Service, and others, as well as meeting local needs through community-run programs like Manna on Main Street in nearby Lansdale.
When entering Plains’ parking area, you will see a recently developed park utilizing the land adjoining the church and cemetery. A welcoming sign reads “Plains Park: A Place of Peace in the Community.” Many from the surrounding community regularly stop by for relaxed times within this Peace Park. Some new warm friendships are developing as church members also enjoy the park. At times, neighbors choose to join our worship services.
For the past several years, an ad hoc task force has been meeting to study the issues surrounding immigration. One of the tangible outcomes planned by this group has been an annual, “You are Welcome” Event on July 4. This community gathering has included free food, music and games. One of the partner congregations for this event has been the Evangelical Center for Revival, a predominately Congolese congregation in Elkins Park. One of our members, Jim King, had a prior friendship with several of their members, including Pastor Maurice Baruti. The Plains task force and other church members visited the congregation one Sunday morning, and then Plains hosted a joint service this year on May 19. After lively and high decibel music and an inspiring meditation by Pastor Baruti, a carry-in meal was shared with meaningful intercultural fellowship.
This summer, the congregation commissioned Crystal and Charles Conklin and their two girls to serve with the Mennonite Central Committee as country representatives to Cambodia. A support team was established to walk with the Conklins during this process and to serve as a bridge with them and the congregation during their five-year term.
We appreciate your prayers as the congregation continues to:
- Search for additional pastoral leadership to work alongside Pastor Mike Derstine and Children’s Minister, Heather Gingrich.
- Grow in our intercultural awareness and welcome.
- Be guided by our vision, “Called to journey together with Jesus, we listen to God and to each other, join in the creative work of the Holy Spirit, and joyfully share God’s saving love, justice, and peace with our neighbors and world.”
Meeting Neighbors Near and Far
by Kiron Mateti, Franconia Board Member (Plains congregation)
As a relatively new board member with below average Spanish skills, I was surprised, but honored, when Franconia’s Executive Minister Steve Kriss asked me to join him and a Pennsylvania contingent to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Anabaptist churches in Mexico City.
I boarded the plane with the stress of work still looming over me, and the mixed feelings that come with leaving a pregnant wife and two girls at home in PA while going on an exciting trip to Mexico. With strong encouragement from my lovely and thoughtful wife, however, we agreed that this trip would be an opportunity to meet the real people of Mexico, to put faces to the impersonal news stories I often hear, and to allow God to recalibrate my ideas of who His people are in the world.
Our gracious host Oscar drove Steve, Danilo & Mary Sanchez (Ripple congregation), and me around Mexico City in Carlos Martinez Garcia’s Toyota Avanza. I had previously met Carlos, moderator of the Conferencia de Iglesias Evangélicas Anabautistas Menonitas de México (CIEAMM) at the “Renewing Nations & Generations” gathering before 2018 Fall Assembly. I enjoyed getting to know Carlos more and meeting Oscar for the first time, and greatly appreciated their hospitality.
Oscar’s heart reminded me of my Uncle Ravi in India. One day, as we were driving to someone’s house for lunch, I mentioned how fresh the fruit in the road-side stand looked. After we arrived and greeted everyone, we didn’t notice Oscar slip out. Then, suddenly, Oscar had come back with fresh papaya, and proceeded to cut it and personally serve me a bowl with Tajin and fresh squeezed lime. Que bien!
My mom’s native tongue is an Indian language called Telugu. It is one of my life’s regrets that I can’t speak Telugu. In my defense, some of my hesitation to even try stems from instances of uncontrollable laughter when attempting to speak Telugu with my mom. I guess I have an American accent.
But with Spanish I determined it would be different. Spanish was not new to me—I had taken four years in high school. But that was almost two decades ago! I decided that I would speak what little Spanish I knew, and I would welcome the laughter.
But the laughter never came.
Instead my new amigos y hermanos appreciated my feeble Spanish, and I was amazed and thankful for how many people were willing to teach me along the way. And also, thank God for Google Translate!
The celebration services at El Buen Pastor, Luz y Verdad, and Cristiana de Paz congregations were a wonderful glimpse into a thriving Anabaptist church presence in Mexico City. I was thankful to worship with my fellow believers, my neighbors from afar, and thankful to build relationships with the churches there.
Back home, at our 2nd annual “You are Welcome” Fourth of July picnic, Plains Mennonite Church and the Evangelical Center for Revival joined with Iglesia Menonita Ebenezer to enjoy music, food, and games in the sun at Plains Park. Following my trip to Mexico, I found newfound courage that day to interact with fellow believers across the language and cultural divide. God used this trip to teach me that I don’t need to travel far to meet my neighbors—I can build relationships with my neighbors right here at home.
Plains and Curious
by Jim King, Plains congregation (Lansdale, PA)
Four-year-old Jaya Mateti was immediately aware that the music in the May 19th worship service was different. It had a beat and it was LOUD! As soon as she saw everyone standing for the music, she asked to be lifted up so she could see. With her feet firmly planted on the back of the bench in front of her, she looked around at our guests from Evangelical Center for Revival and exclaimed, “There’s a lot of ‘Indians’ here today and they look like me!”
At the beginning of our worship service, our worship leader Rina Rampogu reminded us that our worship time could possibly have less structure and more spontaneity. About halfway through the service, smells of Congolese food being heated in the kitchen downstairs wafted up.
How did we get to having a combined worship service with a Congolese congregation? And what is the point of this interaction?
During the summer of 2017, when U.S. politics seemed to focus on borders, boundaries, and walls, a small group of people met during the Sunday School hour to discuss immigration issues. We had heard from recent immigrants that Lansdale was an immigrant-friendly community, but we wanted to do more in making people feel welcome in our church. We noticed that our playground had already become a welcoming place for children of various cultures to come and play together.
This immigration task force, led by Rachel and Kiron Mateti (conference board member), helped us focus on ways we could be more welcoming and culturally aware of our neighbors. We decided that a July 4 celebration in our church park could help us develop friendships with those who have come to the U.S. more recently. To ensure that this would truly be a cross-cultural event, we asked Evangelical Center for Revival to co-sponsor this event with us.
After this experience, some Plains members indicated that they were curious about how the Congolese congregation worships, so about twelve of us attended their worship service in Elkins Park. As Pastor Maurice Baruti and I sat together at the fellowship meal, we observed how different groups from Plains ate with members from the Center congregation and we talked about the possibility of doing a joint worship service together at Plains. At first he wasn’t so sure it would work; their worship service starts at 11:30, ours starts at 10:15. We ended up with a compromise of 11:00.
Prior to the service, Pastor Baruti asked how long he should speak. When he was told that we expected about 20-25 minutes, he smiled and said he was comfortable with speaking for an hour. During the worship he spoke in French and was translated to English by his wife Berthe. Rampogu said that as she looked out over the audience, “there seemed to be an expression of anticipation and curiosity on the faces of the congregation.” Several guests from the Center congregation shared that they had just come off working a night shift but that this was a service they didn’t want to miss.
As we at Plains look to fill an Associate Pastor position, this worship service reminded us that we could me be more flexible in how we do worship. With friendship, food, and fellowship, we will work it out. Our pastor, Mike Derstine says, “Anytime we worship with another congregation we are stretched by new patterns and ways of doing things, new songs and differences in worship style, and fresh testimonies during sharing time from people in different work and life situations. Then there was the stretching experience of different foods and table fellowship after the worship service, all of which serves to remind us that our concept and understanding of God is always beyond us.”
We realize we need to continue to change to be more culturally welcoming. The last verse of our 250th Anniversary song, written by Justin Yoder, says it well: “Teach us new songs, while we hold dear the strains of long ago. When we sing, the Spirit is here: may it be ever so!”
Beyond Our Comfort Zones
by Andrés Castillo, communication intern
Every year, Franconia Conference gives Missional Operational Grants to congregations to help them think and dream about mission. Noel Santiago, Franconia’s leadership minister for missional transformation, described his initial vision for the 2018 MOGs as providing “resources to help congregations reach out and get out of their comfort zone.”
Both executive minister Steve Kriss and Santiago have emphasized that the grants are for starting new initiatives, not sustaining them forever. By overcoming the obstacle of money, churches can begin to experiment; leaders and congregations are encouraged to be more creative. The ultimate hope is that, after the grant period ends, the new conversations and ideas started by it will continue to live on and evolve.
Last year’s MOG recipients have done a good job at what Kriss calls “honoring the legacy of Franconia’s mission to spread Christ’s peace throughout the world.” Here’s a look into what some of them did in 2018:
Indonesian Light Church (ILC) in South Philadelphia has hosted a monthly “food bazaar” to reach out to their community. “We learned that every seed planted needs nurturing and time to grow until it can grow strong roots and bear fruit,” ILC’s report reads. “Without time, love, and commitment to sowing and nurturing, there will be no significant result.” ILC plans to continue experimenting with ways to connect with the Indonesian community in south Philadelphia.
Nations Worship Center (Philadelphia) conducted a Vacation Bible School (VBS) with students from Dock Mennonite Academy (9-12) that received positive feedback and results, including new families faithfully attending church after the VBS was over. They also received help from the city of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Praise Center, and ACME. Nations Worship acknowledges that many of the children who attended their VBS come from struggling families and, “If we lose them, we lose our future.”
Philadelphia Praise Center (PPC) further developed the Taproot Gap Year program, an initiative for college students that involves sending them to live in Philadelphia and Indonesia. PPC maintains an office and staff in Indonesia for this purpose, which PPC pastor Aldo Siahaan says is not easy. “Thank God we have support from the conference,” he says. “Creating a program like this is not new to the conference, but it is for us.”
Whitehall (PA) congregation used their MOG for increasing leadership development among its Karen (Burmese) members. Pastors Rose Bender and Danilo Sanchez have been creatively finding new ways to integrate the various ethnicities within the church. “It isn’t as much about ‘let’s help these poor people’ as it used to be,” Bender says. As this long process unfolds, the congregation “understands more and more how much everyone needs each other.”
Vietnamese Gospel (Allentown, PA) invited people in its surrounding community to have a large fellowship gathering, with speakers giving testimonies. The event was meant to empower their members and share the word of God with people outside of their church. Vietnamese Gospel hopes to make this an annual event to build relationships with its community.
Pastor Bruce Eglinton-Woods of Salem congregation has been working closely with the Quakertown (PA) Community Center (The Drop), an after-school and weekend program for at-risk children and teens created in response to the opioid crisis. The ministry helps attendees figure out the next steps of their lives in a judgment-free zone. Eglinton-Woods has learned how hard it is hard to gain the trust of teenagers and children and hopes to eventually grow the program to five days a week.
Ripple congregation (Allentown, PA) was able to provide training for two of their pastors, Charlene Smalls and Marilyn Bender, at the International Institute for Restorative Practices. The Ripple pastors have been using restorative practices to better meet their congregation and community’s needs.
Other congregations who received MOGs were Plains congregation (Hatfield, PA) for an unconventional July 4th picnic, Souderton (PA) and Doylestown (PA) congregations for the Vocation as Mission Summer Internship Program, International Worship Center (San Gabriel, CA) for technological equipment, Finland congregation (Pennsburg, PA) for their CrossGen conference, and Perkiomenville congregation for its GraceNow conference.
Every congregation has a unique, beautiful story that honors God’s mission to unite the world as one under Him. What is God doing in your congregation and community? Share your stories by emailing communication@mosaicmennonites.org or check in with your congregation’s leadership minister about ways that your congregation might use an MOG to develop your missional imagination and neighborhood connections.
A Clear and Gentle Voice
by Gwen Groff, conference board member
Jim King recently finished his third three-year term as a Franconia Conference board member.
King brought skills from his background in business and from service on other boards. John Goshow, Franconia Conference’s moderator and board chair, describes King’s voice as clear and valuable in stressful times. “Jim did not hesitate to express his opinion,” Goshow said. “He was gentle in the way he expressed his perspective. In challenging times, he has a very steady demeanor. He is optimistic. He brought wisdom, experience and maturity to our board work. When the tension between the board and constituency exploded in 2010, Jim played a large role in finding ways for the board and constituency to move together in more healthy ways.”
According to Goshow, King’s impact on the board has been lasting. “Jim’s footprint is really big. When he joined, the meetings were scheduled to begin at 1 pm; they didn’t really get rolling until 2, and they often lasted until 6. Jim found them to be fairly unstructured, without clear agenda, but lasting half a day. Jim was instrumental in making board meetings more organized.”
King first agreed to serve on the board in order to better understand the conference-congregation relationship. “I had come to Plains congregation from Germantown,” he said. “I knew there were issues between Germantown and Franconia Conference. I had felt critical of the conference because of the breakdown of the relationship between the congregation and the conference, and I believed it was unfair of me to be critical if I didn’t know how the conference functioned in that situation. So I agreed to be on the board.”
King believes that cultivating face-to-face relationships is very important. During his time on the board, he visited a variety of different congregations, worshiping with them, talking with their leaders, and being present in person. “Relationships are an asset,” King said. “It’s important to be available for conversations.”
One of his ongoing concerns is how the conference can stay connected with congregations that are new to the conference and that must relate across great geographical distances. “We struggle to ‘maintain right fellowship’ with those who are just a hundred miles apart. How can we stay connected to people across the country? Distance is hard. How do we build those connections going forward?”
Another issue that King continues to care about is nurturing relationships with the youth. He would like to see more attention to connecting the youth of different congregations. “Some congregations don’t have the resources to hire a youth pastor,” King said. “I’d love to see the conference help organize service projects for youth from various congregations to work together on peace and justice issues. It’s a good way for youth to form connections in the church and build networks that can be useful in future careers. I know I would never be working in a business in recycled plastics if I had not spent two years in voluntary service in New York City.”
King believes that the relationship between the conference and congregations is in a good place. “We have engaged and committed staff and effective Lead ministers,” he said. “I feel this is the best relationship I’ve seen in the past nine years.” He anticipates an adjustment as he steps back from a central role, knowing that he’ll hear about what’s happening through delegate reports and publications, but won’t know the background and context of the issues. “I trust the process,” he said. “But I will miss having a role in shaping the process.”
Now that he has “termed out” of the FMC board, King plans to order a couple more hives to increase his bee colony. He also hopes to do more volunteer work trips with Mennonite Disaster Service and Mennonite Central Committee’s Sharing With Appalachian People. “This is the stuff I enjoy,” he said.