Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Ripple Community Inc

Conference Related Ministries (CRM) Profile: Ripple Community Inc.

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Ripple Community Inc. (RCI) was established in 2015 and emerged from the on-going work of Ripple Church, a Mosaic Conference congregation, which worships and serves with people living on the margins of society in Allentown, PA. RCI is a source of friendship, support, and community for people experiencing homelessness or housing instability, people who are socially isolated, people living with significant histories of trauma and mental illness, and the working poor. 

A circle discussion on race and racism, facilitated by Yvonne Platts. (photo credit: Danilo Sanchez)

RCI serves over 150 Allentown residents each year through our two main programs: the Community Building Center and the RCI Village housing program.

Our Community Building Center (CBC) is a safe, welcoming, daytime space for our most vulnerable neighbors. The CBC also houses our Service Hub, which is a collaborative space where our partner organizations provide specialized services, including physical and mental health care, addiction and recovery services, and yoga. These partner programs are offered free of charge to all those in need and support the well-being of all our program participants.  

The RCI Village is the first permanent, community-supported affordable housing program in Allentown. Based in 13 apartments located at Linden and 14th Streets in Allentown, this program supports individuals and families to transition out of homelessness and into safe, long-term housing, often for the first time in their lives. The goal for our residents in long-term housing stability, which is one of the basic building blocks of a good life.

Perhaps more important than what we do is how we do what we do. The most common words that our community members use to describe RCI are “safe,” “welcoming,” and “family.” This is, we believe, largely due to our emphasis on building relationships and our use of restorative practices. 

An RCI Village resident moving into her new apartment after three years of homelessness. (photo credit: Sherri Brokopp Binder)

Social support is a biological necessity, and so we take the time to build genuine relationships and trust with our program participants and residents. These relationships change us for the better and allow us to facilitate true and lasting change in the lives of our community members. We are inspired by the life and work of Father Gregory Boyle, who reminds us, “We do not rescue anyone at the margins. But go figure, if we stand at the margins, we are all rescued.” 

Through the use of restorative practices, we are able to build trust and empathy within our community, and to mend relationships with harm is done. So many of our friends are living with a serious mental illness, the on-going impacts of traumatic experiences, and other isolating conditions. RCI has become a place where they can be deeply cared for, honored for their dignity and gifts, and not worry about being judged.  We always appreciate donations. Please visit our website to see what current items we need. We welcome church groups or youth groups to serve with us and who want to learn what it means to work at the margins. Pray that our unsheltered community continues to stay safe during COVID, that more affordable housing will become available in Allentown, and people will experience freedom and healing from trauma and addiction.

A poem written by an RCI community member and Ripple Church member. (photo credit: Danilo Sanchez)

Young Adults Take Lead in Times of Trouble

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by Cindy Angela, Digital Communication Associate

Over the summer months, four young adults worked as summer service workers in four Mosaic Conference congregations.  Graciella Odelia (Nations Worship Center, Philadelphia PA), Christopher Jong (Philadelphia Praise Center, Philadelphia PA), Ser Luther (Whitehall congregation, Allentown, PA), and Alex Padilla (International Worship Church, San Gabriel, CA) participated in a ten-week program through Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) that helps young adults of color in the U.S. cultivate their leadership skills within their community.

Graciella Odelia distributed groceries in South Philadelphia with the help of Mosaic Shalom Fund.
Photo provided by Graciella Odelia

As the needs in the community shifted due to the pandemic, the summer workers and their supervisor had to quickly adapt their plans to better serve their community.  “My job for this summer was supposed to be coordinating a vacation Bible school for the children in my church. But because of COVID-19, that didn’t work out,” Graciella Odelia explained.

Instead, Odelia produced videos for Nations Worship Center virtual church service, organized Zoom meetings, and helped pack groceries and deliver them to families in need.  “God called me to serve the church and to help my community during this difficult time,” Odelia reflected.

Christopher Jong distributed free clothes in South Philadelphia this summer.
Photo provided by Christopher Jong

Christopher Jong echoed the same sentiment. Jong was born in Philadelphia but was raised in Indonesia. He moved back to the US when he was 17 years old. Being a summer worker helped him reconnect to his South Philadelphia roots. “PPC [Philadelphia Praise Center] was the first church I was introduced to when I reached the US and I felt connected to the people ever since,” Jong recounted.

Initially, Jong was to organize a summer camp that got cancelled. So Jong and his supervisor, Pastor Aldo Siahaan of Philadelphia Praise, had to adapt and make new projects for Jong to work on. “We created projects such as grocery shopping service, free care package distribution, translation services and many more,” Jong explained.

Screen capture of a video interview with Ser Luther

Summer worker, Ser Luther, worked with the Whitehall congregation in Allentown, PA. During the week, Luther helped out at Ripple Community Inc’s (RCI) Community Building Center. On the weekends, he helped the Whitehall congregation with various tasks for their Sunday service. He prepared PowerPoint presentations, managed Zoom meetings, and even led worship services.

Luther’s supervisor, Danilo Sanchez (of RCI) observed, “Halfway through the summer I noticed a change in him. He became much more comfortable talking with new people at the center and public speaking.”

Alex Padilla led children’s Zoom Sunday School for International Worship Church in California.
Photo provided by Alex Padilla

Meanwhile in California, Alex Padilla balanced online classes at the University of Colorado while also being a summer worker for International Worship Church (San Gabriel, CA). Padilla has been attending International Worship Church for a few years, where Pastor Buddy Hananto saw his potential and asked him to be a summer worker.

One of Padilla’s favorite tasks this summer was creating a virtual Sunday school class. “It was an incredibly valuable experience to be a teacher of faith to the next generation,” he shared.

This summer, these young adults may have taken on different roles and responsibilities, but all of them learned to lead, to adapt, and to keep trusting God in times of trouble.

The Wounds of Racism

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by Danilo Sanchez, Conference Youth Formation Pastor

The reality of systemic racism has become evident with recent stories of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd. The week after protests and riots demanding justice erupted across the country, we noticed increased anxiety among our community members at Ripple Community Inc (RCI). Some did not understand why African Americans were so upset. Others happily shared about attending protests and what they witnessed. Some began to share stories of family members who were killed by the police or their fears of law enforcement. Ripple Church (Allentown, PA) and RCI began to respond to the collective anxiety bubbling to the surface. Immediately, we offered a safe place for people to process their emotions.  

Yvonne Platts (far right) leads a Community Listening Circle on the topic of racism at Ripple Community Center. Photo provided by Danilo Sanchez.

A recent conversation with Trent stood out for me. Trent came into the Community Center proudly wearing a shirt with nine historical Black figures. He was quizzing staff to see who knew the most. I knew seven of the nine. Trent was pleasantly surprised. 

Then I decided to ask Trent a vulnerable question, “Hey man, how are you doing?” 

There was a bit of silence and then a sigh from Trent, “You know what? Not great. I keep thinking to myself, that could have been me.” 

That hit me hard. I knew he was right. I did not have any comforting words for Trent. I just sat there gazing into his eyes. I let the truth of his words seep into my bones. 

I’ve had experiences with racism, but I’ve never been worried that the color of my skin could get me killed while out running or that police would enter my house without a warrant and start shooting. I do not want that to be Trent’s, or anyone’s, story. 

Ripple Church and RCI took more action toward racial justice by hosting two events at RCI’s Community Building Center. The first event was with police officers as a way to build trust and ask them how they were addressing racial bias, police accountability, and excessive use of force. 

The second event was a Listening Circle with Yvonne Platts from Norristown, PA. It allowed the community to listen to one another and for people of color to speak about their experiences with racism. 

I was glad Trent was there for the Listening Circle. It would give him an opportunity to share and use his voice.  As ground rules were explained, Trent fidgeted in his seat. He leaned over to Platts and said, “You know what, this isn’t for me. I can’t do this.” He got up and exited the circle. 

I followed Trent to see what was going on. He confessed this was just too much for him. The pain of racism is real, and he was not ready to share his story. In my desire to empower Black voices, I overlooked Trent’s safety and emotional readiness to share, perhaps doing more harm than good. The rest of the Listening Circle was sacred, honest, and challenging. We plan to host another circle to educate the white members in our community about systemic racism.

I fight against white supremacy and racial injustice because God’s love demands it and they have caused deep wounds that need healing. Those wounds will not heal for the oppressed or the oppressor if we deny the reality of systemic racism in this country. There is much work to be done towards racial justice: repentance, prayer, listening, truth-telling, relinquishing power, learning, teaching. Find your part and join in the Spirit’s work.

Why We Are Still Here

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by Danilo Sanchez and Sherri Brokopp Binder

(A version of this article originally appeared in The Mennonite.)

When the COVID-19 crisis hit, many organizations and social service agencies in our area of Allentown, PA made the decision to close their doors. That was understandable. 

But closing was not an option for Ripple Community, Inc., a conference-related ministry. We needed to maintain contact with families in our community-supported housing program, since many of their supportive services were closed and their lives could quickly spiral out of control. We also needed a stable presence at our day center, which primarily serves people experiencing homelessness. Stay-at-home orders are meaningless for people who don’t have homes. 

We are still here, doing what we have always done, but things look different. Everyone who enters our day center has their temperature taken, is asked some medical questions, and gets doused with hand sanitizer. We do our best to maintain safe physical distancing. Our staff members wear gloves and masks. Being open during the pandemic is how we make sure our friends know they are not forgotten or abandoned.

Even under normal circumstances, our unsheltered friends and neighbors live precarious lives. COVID-19 has shone a bright, public light on cracks in the system through which we have watched our friends fall for years.

One day, Rafael came into our community center as he does most days. He appeared more tired than usual, but his temperature was normal, and he didn’t have any obvious respiratory symptoms. 

Rafael found a chair at an empty table and enjoyed his meal. He usually moves between his table and the coffee station, but today he rested. Later, we noticed he had fallen asleep in his chair. Occasionally, his body jolted from a deep cough. We took his temperature again, and it read 99.5.

Following our COVID-19 protocols, we moved Rafael into a separate room and called the hospital hotline. The nurse on the phone asked Rafael a series of questions. She counseled him to come to the hospital and get tested. We arranged for a medical taxi to transport Rafael. Then we sat with him and waited for the taxi. He didn’t appear to be afraid, but he had a lonely look on his face.

Who was caring about Rafael? We didn’t want him to feel alone. If nothing else, at least he has us. Before Rafael got into the taxi, we made sure his cell phone was fully charged. 

We called him two hours later. Rafael answered, but his voice was strained. He sounded stressed but resigned. He had been tested and told it would be two to three days before he received the results. The hospital staff instructed him to go home and self-isolate until they got the results.

“That’s a little hard to do when you’re homeless, you know?” Rafael said. We asked him to come by the community center the next day. He spent the next three days wandering the streets with a cough and a fever.

Rafael’s story is tragic, infuriating, and quite common these days. We know we can’t fix every problem or meet every need in our community. But we are determined to continue to be a stable, consistent presence. This has always mattered in our community, but it seems particularly important now. Our staff of five has been working harder than ever, with less help than normal, and we are exhausted. Yet we wouldn’t have survived without the support from our local community and churches and conference. Communities will take time to build, but if we all work together, we will be resilient.  

Together Once More

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by Sue Conrad Howes, Eastern District Conference (West Swamp congregation), with Emily Ralph Servant, Franconia Conference (Director of Communication)

It was a potentially historic day for two Mennonite conferences that split over 170 years ago. 

Photo by Cindy Angela

On November 2, 2019, delegates from Franconia Mennonite Conference and Eastern District Conference met together at Souderton (PA) Mennonite Church to determine if reconciliation, which seemed unattainable in 1847, would now be possible.

It was hard to imagine that these two groups had been divided at all, as animated conversations and joyful reunions happened throughout the crowded fellowship hall as the delegates arrived. There was even an audible groan when it was announced that the Eastern District Conference delegates needed to move to another gathering room for their morning delegate session.  And so, for the morning, the two groups met separately, with the possibility of reconciliation on the afternoon horizon.

During Eastern District’s morning delegate session, leaders facilitated a discussion over the future and publicly recognized that the vote toward reconciliation was just the beginning of a new journey.  They thanked everyone who had helped to bring them to this point and then led in a time of sharing stories about where delegates were seeing God working in their congregations and ministries. 

Photo by Cindy Angela

Franconia’s morning delegate session included affirming Rose Bender Cook (Whitehall congregation) for a third term and KrisAnne Swartley (Doylestown congregation) for a second term on the Credentials Committee. Chris Nickels (Spring Mount congregation) was affirmed for a third term and Janet Panning (Plains congregation) for a first term on the Ministerial Committee.  Swartley and Panning will serve as committee chairs.  John Goshow (Blooming Glen congregation) and Beny Krisbianto (Nations Worship Center) were thanked for their nine years of service on the Conference Board.

Franconia also welcomed four new Conference Related Ministries: Peace Proclamation Ministries International (out of Plains congregation), Healthy Niños Honduras (birthed out of MAMA Project), Ripple Community Inc (out of Ripple congregation), and Taproot Gap Year (out of Philadelphia Praise Center).  The delegates welcomed a new congregation, Iglesia Menonita Ebenezer (Souderton, PA) and released West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship to transfer to Allegheny Conference.

Photo by Cindy Angela

After a meaningful joint worship in the morning, when credentialed leaders of both conferences who had passed away during the past year were remembered and newly credentialed leaders were introduced, anointed, and then commissioned to anoint others, the two conferences joined together for the afternoon session. Joy Sutter, moderator of Mennonite Church USA (Salford congregation), expressed gratitude to the delegates for demonstrating the path of reconciliation. “You are modeling a new and inspiring path for the future. As you move forward…, may you be blessed,” said Sutter.

The three-year process toward reconciliation, led almost exclusively by conference volunteers, was introduced by the Structure and Identity Task Force.  Sherri Brokopp Binder (Ripple congregation) & Rina Rampogu (Plains congregation) explained the process, the changes proposed, and the next steps, if the delegates voted affirmatively for reconciliation.

The task force had done its work, as few delegates posed questions or expressed any sense of hesitation with the proposal. The two conferences divided, for the last time, to discern and vote.

Photo by Cindy Angela

With the delegates reunited after the vote, John Goshow, Franconia Conference moderator, and Jim Musselman, Eastern District moderator (Zion congregation), shared the results of the historic vote: together, the conferences had voted unanimously for reconciliation.

Spontaneous applause and cheers of affirmation from the delegates erupted while leaders from both conferences shared hugs and broad smiles.  Together, the enthusiastic group sang, “Hosanna, Let Jesus be Lifted Up” and “Praise God from Whom” with gusto and gratitude.

Scott Roth (L) and Steve Kriss (R) lead the Conferences into a time of communion. Photo by Cindy Angela

Following the singing, Steve Kriss, Franconia Conference executive minister, and Scott Roth, Eastern District conference minister, spoke.  “I am rarely speechless,” Kriss admitted. “But we are about to do something that could not happen 150 years ago. We are about to sit together and take communion. For some of you, this split divided families, for some of you this split divided congregations. Today we celebrate the ministry of reconciliation that has been and will continue to be our life’s work.”

Roth reminisced about being charged with the ministry of reconciliation as a youth by adult leaders who knew that the reality of such a merger would be through the work of future generations. Roth shared his joy that the dream he had heard about as a youth was now being realized. “Remember,” Roth said; “although the paperwork is not completed, we are one in the Spirit and we are one in Jesus’ blood.”

Jessica Miller (Perkasie congregation). Photo by Cindy Angela

In the front of the fellowship hall, a pile of rocks had sat all morning, without mention. This column was reminiscent of the Old Testament practice of raising an Ebenezer, commemorating God’s help or celebrating memorable events. This rock structure was not to remain, however.  Instead, each church was instructed to take a rock home, paint it, and return with it to next year’s first assembly as a new conference. The rocks will then be formed into a fountain, representing the new conference, flowing with life.

Conference moderators, John Goshow (Franconia) and Jim Musselman (Eastern District) prepare to celebrate the reconciliation! Photo by Cindy Angela

The day’s events closed with a traditional action, which has been spoken by Franconia delegates to conclude their assemblies for more than a hundred years. On this day, however, delegates of both Franconia and Eastern District made the commitment together, as one gathered body:

“We affirm our desire to continue in and witness to the nonresistant and simple faith in Christ, looking for the blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.”

“Kami menegaskani keinginan untuk terus ikut dan menjadi saksi kesederhanaan iman dalam Kristus dan menjadi pembawa damai, terus mencari kepada berkat pengharapan serta memperlihatkan kemuliaan dari kebesaran Tuhan dan juru selamat kami, Yesus Kristus.”

“Afirmamos nuestro deseo de seguir testificando con la fe de no resistencia y sencilla en Cristo, mirando a la esperanza bendita y la venida gloriosa de nuestro gran Dios y nuestro Salvador Jesucristo.”

“Chúng tôi xin xác nhận nguyện-vọng của chúng tôi là tiếp tục và làm chứng cho giải pháp ôn-hòa và đức-tin chân thật trong Ðấng Christ, tiềm kiếm sự hy-vọng hạnh phước, và sự vinh quang của Ðức Chúa Trời đại quyền hiện ra và Ðấng Cứu Chuộc của chúng tôi là Ðức Chúa Giê-xu Christ.”

”我們重申我們的意願是繼續以和平及純正信仰去見證基督的生命，懷著美好的盼望，等候我們偉大的神及救主耶穌基督的榮耀顯現。”

Welcoming New Conference Related Ministries

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by Sharon K. Williams, Nueva Vida Norristown New Life

What does Indonesia, India, Honduras, and Allentown have in common? See if you can figure it out!

At our upcoming Conference Assembly (November 1–2), Franconia Conference will welcome four exciting and unique organizations as Conference Related Ministries (CRMs).

Taproot Gap Year is a ministry with post high school young adults who are seeking a different way of living and exploring the world. Students can take a semester or a full year to live in Indonesia with homestay families, learn a new language, go to class, serve in internships, explore new places, and learn tools that help develop one’s faith and identity.

Taproot focuses on guiding students on their journey to understand who they want to be in this world, so what they do is fully professional, hands-on, and rooted in love and their calling. Taproot is a ministry of Philadelphia Praise Center, led by Pastor Aldo Siahaan, Lindy Backues, and staff of young adults who are passionate about supporting the witness of Christian young people in the world.

Peace Proclamation Ministries International (PPMI) is an evangelistic and church planting ministry with those living in India and in the USA. PPMI’s vision is to minister to and serve the unreached with God’s Word, which can lead into a personal encounter and relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. PPMI focuses on training pastors, pastors’ wives, and youth through annual conferences, retreats, and gospel meetings. PPMI also supports the ministry of congregations through eye clinics and borewells, and practical ministry tools such as megaphones, bicycles, and sewing machines.

PPMI is led by Paulus and Sumatha Thalathoti (Plains congregation) and a very enthusiastic board of directors.

Healthy Niños Honduras focuses on helping children and their families beat the ravishes of malnutrition and poverty. The child survival programs include a residential nutrition center, deworming, water filtration systems, medical and construction brigades, and preventive health education. Currently, Healthy Niños works in the San Francisco de Yojoa, Cortes, area of Honduras. 

Healthy Niños is one of the outgrowth ministries of the MAMA Project. Herman Sagastume serves as the executive director, with board members representing several Franconia Conference congregations.

Ripple Community Inc (RCI)  is guided by its vision of Allentown as a community where everyone has a role to play, a diverse network of social support, and a connection to the place they call home. Its programs serve over 150 Allentown residents. RCI’s Community Building Center is the only day center in Allentown that is open to the public. RCI Village is the first permanent, community-supported, affordable housing program in Allentown. RCI uses restorative practices to foster a safe, healthy, and supportive community among its participants.

RCI emerged from the work of Ripple Church, which ministers with people who are on the margins of society in Allentown to restore critical relationships, build community, and address material and relational needs. RCI was founded in 2015 to take the work of Ripple Church into the broader community. Sherri Brokopp Binder serves as executive director, along with staff and board members from Ripple Church and the Allentown community.

These four organizations are manifestations of the growth of God’s kingdom in our midst! Each ministry, in its own way, is sharing the gospel of Christ in an appointed area, as well as building relational bridges with our conference community. Join us at our Conference Assembly (worship on Friday, November 1, 7 p.m., and business sessions on Saturday, November 2, 9 a.m., Souderton Mennonite Church) to celebrate this movement of God among us!

When the Community Shows Up at Your Door

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(reprinted from Ripple-Allentown.com with permission)

by Danilo Sanchez, pastor of Ripple congregation (Allentown)

In recent years there seems to be an increase in the number of churches that have changed their name to include the word “community.” Everyone loves being a “community church” until the community wants to come through their doors. Because it’s one thing to go into the community—you can enter the messiness and leave it behind whenever you want—but it’s entirely different when the community wants to be part of your congregation.

If you claim you want to serve the community, particularly those living on the margins, you have to be ready for when the community shows up at your door and wants to share life with you. Too often the church says, “Okay homeless people, here is your section of the building: don’t touch anything, don’t make a mess, and don’t smoke in the front of the building.  If you break any of our rules, you’re gone. I hope you feel the love of Jesus!”

Putting up barriers and devaluing people can’t be the way Jesus wants the church to behave.

Jesus told the parable of man who held a great banquet and sent out a servant to invite many distinguished guests.  But each guest declined the invitation with more important matters to attend to.  The owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the disabled, and the outcast.”

“Sir,” the servant said, “what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.”

Then the owner told his servant, “Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.”

God’s kingdom is limitless, abundant, and grace-filled. There is always room for more people to join in the banquet, to experience God’s love and generosity, and to be transformed. In the parable, the invitation to be part of God’s banquet extends beyond the city limits to the roads and country lanes, which were unsafe (talk about a reversal to our thinking that says the city is unsafe!). Jesus is declaring: “My kingdom is so full of goodness that I don’t want anyone to miss out. Everyone is welcome, even the bandits.”

We are not God. We are not the owners of the banquet. We are the servants. We don’t get to decide who is invited. Our role is to invite and welcome everyone into the kingdom of God.

I imagine one of the guests asking Jesus a follow up question: “But Jesus, aren’t you afraid ‘those’ people will ruin your house?! They’re going to eat all your food, steal your toilet paper and dinner plates, and dirty up the house.” Jesus appears not to be threatened by this possibility. He knows the risk and does not qualify his open invitation to enter his father’s house. For when people get a taste of the joy, hope, and grace of God’s kingdom they can’t help but be transformed.

As the church, we must trust in the transforming work and power of Jesus. Will the lying, stealing, and messiness still happen? Yes. Will our boundaries and patience be tested? Yes. But if we stay in relationship with those people, continue to practice generosity, and trust in God, will we see transformation? Absolutely.

At our church and Ripple Community, Inc., time and time again we have found this to be true. We have witnessed lives transformed. We will not let fear stop us from inviting those on the corners, alleys, and tents from being part of our community, sharing our space, and being part of our lives.

Read Danilo’s full blog here and find out more about the ministry of Ripple Allentown and Ripple Community, Inc.

It’s Not About Me

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By Eszter Bentch

I thought I knew that serving, ministry, and most of what I do is not about me. I also thought I knew how to serve others. It turns out, the only person I really think of is myself and I didn’t know nearly as much as I thought I did about doing ministry.

This summer I was given the opportunity to intern for both Whitehall Mennonite Church and Ripple, as well as Ripple’s non-profit, Ripple Community Inc. in Allentown, Pennsylvania. I wanted to gain experience working in a church setting to explore my potential desire and calling to work as a pastor or in some other form of ministry. These churches, located in and outside of Allentown are not your typical Mennonite Churches. Whitehall is a community of relatively few members, about half of which are Karen people from Myanmar, many of them refugees, and many other people who experience poverty or intellectual differences. Ripple, in inner-city Allentown, is also a small community but with a very big impact. Ripple, as a church and non-profit, worships and works with people experiencing homelessness or in extreme poverty.

Through my time among these communities I learned a lot and gained helpful experiences. I put together many orders of worship, taught Sunday school, led children’s time, led worship services, got to know people, read many books, worked in a garden and even got to preach my first sermon! Through all this, I was trying to figure out what future God was calling me to. I was also trying to navigate balancing work, family, and friends. This meant that I was primarily thinking about myself. Due to the nature of what ministry is, I found that it’s really easy to be pretty self-centered and not realize it. I’m helping and interacting with people experiencing homelessness and other hard situations … all I’m doing is thinking of others! Yet, amidst my supposedly selfless work the thoughts in my brain were ‘what am I learning?’, ‘am I making someone uncomfortable?’, ‘will I still get home in time?’, ‘is this what I want to do in the future?’, and often ‘what does this person think of me?’ Now, I don’t think these questions are wrong to ask and wonder about. It is often important to be aware of how you’re coming across to another person and to be reflective, especially in ministry with people very different from you. However, these thoughts were using up the mental energy I could have used to care well for those I was encountering. God gave me gifts of empathy and being relational, but I wasn’t able to use them for His glory when I was only thinking of how using them would benefit me!

Another thought I often had was ‘How am I serving this person?’ Though that in itself is not necessarily a bad question, I was caught in a serving ‘for’ mentality instead of a serving ‘with’ way of viewing ministry. Though this was something I had heard about, I did not fully understand it until this summer. When we serve ‘for’ other people we might accidentally do it with a ‘better than thou’ attitude. We might not consciously think of ourselves as better than the person we are serving, but it can come across that way to those we help and can even build a savior complex. When I was interacting with people around me with the attitude of ‘how can I help you?’ it put a divide between me and the person: me as the helper, them as the person needing help. It limited the genuine and equal relationship I could have with them. Additionally, nobody wants to be helped by someone who comes charging in without learning about their situation first, without learning how best they could be helped.

Thankfully, God did confront me about the way I was going about ministry. At some point I caught myself thinking ‘will this person’s problem make me have to work late?’ and I was horrified. I wanted to stop thinking about myself and truly serve ‘with’ people. However, I had trouble getting myself out of that habit using only my own strength. It wasn’t until I read one of the most popular Bible stories in the Old Testament during a discernment group that I truly understood the selfless heart of ministry.

Whitehall had set up a discernment group to pray through and talk about the future of the church. At our second meeting we read through the story of Moses and the Burning Bush in Exodus 3. Though I’ve known this story since I was a little kid, though primarily through the animated classic The Prince of Egypt, I realized something brand new. When Moses responds to God’s call to him in verse 11 with “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”, God’s response of “I will be with you” completely ignores Moses’ question. Though God’s response is comforting, He does not acknowledge Moses’ excuse or reassure him by telling him of his gifts or qualifications to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Instead, God talks about Himself. Moses says “Who am I” and God essentially says that who Moses is, whatever qualifications he does or does not have, is completely irrelevant. God could have called somebody else to save His people! What matters is who God is. This helped me realize that not only should I not be thinking of myself as much, but that it’s just not about me. I wasn’t able to shift my focus onto other people well by myself, but God helped me do so once I finally turned towards Him.

Ripple’s annual retreat day at Spruce Lake.

Though being involved in ministry is about other people, it is still mainly about bringing glory to God. God is at the heart of ministry. When we keep our gaze on our Father we will be able to better see and love the people He puts in front of us. Learning this allowed me to love and serve my new friends at Whitehall and Ripple better. I was able to learn how to serve ‘with’ people, not ‘for’ people, when we focused on God together. Then we could come together to work at their and others’ restoration from a place of mutual understanding and friendship. We could truly serve God together. I hope God never lets me forget that ministry is not about me.

Eszter Bentch is a senior at Wheaton College (Illinois) where she is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Biblical and Theological Studies. In addition to her studies she is an Assistant Resident Director of a dorm and works as a supervisor in Wheaton’s fundraising department, Phonathon. While at college she attends College Church near Wheaton. Her home congregation is Souderton Mennonite Church. Her internship this summer was made possible through a partnership of Franconia Conference, Souderton Mennonite Church, Whitehall Mennonite Church and Ripple.