Mosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

Steve McCloskey

The Gifts of Serving in a Small Town Church

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A Book Review of Brad Roth’s Flyover Church

by Steve McCloskey, Pastor, Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship

© 2024 Menno Media

I grew up in the Washington DC Metropolitan area and as an adult served in urban and suburban churches in places that included: Philadelphia, PA, Columbus, OH, and somewhere in New Jersey that was so busy and hectic that I didn’t have time to learn the name. I now find myself to be a pastor serving at a slower pace, in a small church, in a small town, in the second-least populated state of the country, Vermont. 

Reading author and pastor Brad Roth’s book Flyover Church: How Jesus’ Ministry in Rural Places Is Good News Everywhere has helped illuminate the experience of rural ministry. The book’s title calls attention to the miles of land in North America (between the airports of major cities) that has been called “flyover country”.  

The phrase suggests that these places (and the people who inhabit them) are looked over, looked down upon, and in between the airports and important places—the cities and population hubs. 

The beautiful hills of Vermont are not the same landscape as the plains of Kansas, but I related to the rhythms of small-town pastoring that Roth describes in Chapter 2, particularly his description of being in the wilderness. It is in the wilderness that Jesus is shaped, formed, and prepared for ministry. It is in the wilderness that solitude is found. The wilderness can also be a place of loneliness and temptation, due to the remoteness of these regions (Roth calls it “the abyss”).  

Roth notes that many pastors (rural, urban, and suburban) hold the mindset that “real ministry” takes place in large churches, in populated areas connected to power and influence. Indeed, real ministry does take place in those places, but not only in those places. We in rural congregations need the reminder that real ministry is taking place in our small towns too–and that we offer gifts to the Body of Christ that may not be possible in the large cities.  

We may not see immediate impact in large numbers of souls; but numbers aren’t what ministry is all about; the Good Shepherd leaves behind the 99 sheep to find the one out in the wilderness. And in interacting with that one sheep, in that remote place, the shepherd is in a place of influence. Every person matters to Jesus—and small towns and small churches might be able to see that more clearly in a community where everyone knows each other’s name. 

It is in rural places that farms are possible, and large quantities of crops and livestock feed most of the world. Jesus modeled finding spiritual sustenance in rural places, too. In small, slow, quiet congregations in farm and mountain communities, deep relationships are possible in ways to which fast-paced metropolitan life doesn’t easily lend itself. Rural places can feed us—body, soul, and spirit. 

It is in rural places that the early Christian monastics (the desert fathers and mothers) chose to pursue the contemplative life. It is in “flyover country” that humility can be cultivated and matured; we receive less of the often-distracting social reinforcement found in cities, and instead, we encounter ourselves and the Spirit of God in solitude. 

As I read Roth’s phrase “Where Am I?” in Chapter 1, I found myself called to the gift of being fully here, present to where I am, in the moment. As I read on, I began circling almost every use of the word “here” in the book, noticing how much being “here” is implicit in the call to ministry, wherever we are. 

The quietness of rural life presents an opportunity to attune to the present moment and place where we find ourselves. There is less traffic, noise, and distraction. We are rooted somewhere that can be a refuge and sanctuary from the hurried pace of noise-polluted places. We, in the rural places, in “flyover churches,” can offer retreat to those in the urban areas when their souls need respite. 

Roth draws on personal experiences that include the Pike Place market in Seattle to reading J.D. Vance’s best-selling Hillbilly Elegy to make sense of himself as a pastor in his Kansas context. But he draws even more from the Gospel according to Mark, highlighting Jesus’ ministry in the Galilean agrarian hillsides and wilderness as one resonates with rural life.  

Flyover Church offers a relatable, thoughtful read for anyone interested in the flourishing of churches—urban, suburban, or rural. Even in “flyover country”, we are called into the Good News of the kingdom of God, and the recognition that, wherever we are, God is here.  

Steve McCloskey

Steve McCloskey (M. Div, MPA) serves as the Pastor of Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship in Vermont. Steve is a volunteer firefighter, recurring columnist for the Vermont Standard, a recovering sinner and disciple of Jesus, and father of Jacob and Silas. Steve enjoys hiking, praying, and exploring the hills of New England and occasionally playing Nintendo Switch with his kids and their friends.

Two Conference Authors Launch Cookbook

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Book cover. Photo provided by Jaynie McCloskey.

October has been called “National Eat Better, Eat Together Month.” For many of us, the pandemic has changed our relationship with food, how we prepare it, and how we eat with one another. Now that most of us are spending more time at home, many new opportunities and incentives for acquiring our food from homegrown gardens have arisen. 

Sustainable Kitchen offers specific guidance on plant-based cooking (including recipes that can be derived from home gardens). This is a helpful resource not only because of the pandemic, but because it provides a holistic way of thinking about our food choices. Both of the authors, Heather Wolfe and Jaynie McCloskey, attend Taftsville (VT) Chapel Mennonite Fellowship.

Sustainable Kitchen is beautiful — the pages feature pictures of meals and scenes of food preparation. It can serve as a guide for many, well-beyond our Vermont community and Mennonite churches across North America. 

Cookbook authors, Heather Wolfe (left) and Jaynie McCloskey (right), of Taftsville (VT) Chapel Mennonite Fellowship. Photo provided by Jaynie McCloskey.

The book has been out less than a month, but it has been enthusiastically received.  Several shipments of the book are selling out before arriving at local bookstores. It is sparking conversations with friends and neighbors who might not normally think about the connections between our environment, spirituality, and daily food consumption choices. The content  is relevant to anyone. 

“We all must eat, and what we eat matters. Our daily food choices can either harm or help us, others, and our planet. In the world around us, so much ill health–physical, spiritual, and environmental–is related to a poor diet… Food is essential to healing our bodies, our spirits, and our environment…” (from the introduction of Sustainable Kitchen).

The authors of the book have made it their mission to make healthier eating more achievable for readers.  “In writing Sustainable Kitchen, our goal has been to inspire and empower you to plan and cook meals of plant-based, planet-conscious foods daily,” wrote Wolfe and McCloskey.  “We wanted to create a full-kitchen resource, giving you the tools to support a healthy lifestyle for your families, communities, and our planet.”

An example of a recipe from Sustainable Kitchen. Photo provided by Jaynie McCloskey.

Co-author Heather Wolfe said, “The pillars of the book are built on it being a very holistic approach to food that is life-giving and healing.” The book contains over 140 recipes and provides practical ideas for moving to a diet that is more connected to the earth and to one another. 

“It was a passion project over two years in the making,” described Wolfe on how the book came to be. “Jaynie [McCloskey]  was part of a women’s discernment group that was meeting on a regular basis and they were talking about their dreams. One of Jaynie’s dreams was to write a cookbook, and she decided it was time to do it.”

McCloskey pitched the idea to Wolfe, who serves as a dietitian at nearby Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and the two began collaborating. McCloskey met over lunch with Steve Kriss, Mosaic Conference Executive Minister, who helped get the two authors connected to Herald Press. 

The authors hope that Sustainable Kitchen will empower, encourage, and inspire others to join them in the kitchen for a journey into a healthier future through food.

Saving the Best Years for Last

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by Steve McCloskey, Pastor of Taftsville (VT) Chapel Mennonite Fellowship

My friend, Aoum, was an international student from Thailand. One night I asked him, “What is the one thing that shocked you the most about American culture?”  He said, “The way that you treat your elderly.”

Photo used with permission from Living Branches.

I can’t remember precisely what he said after this, but Aoum did not feel that we show the same dignity, honor, and respect to those who are aging as they do in other parts of the world. 

In Vermont we have a significant elderly population. In 2018 it was reported that the median age of Vermont is five years above that of the United States. Many people come to the town of Woodstock to enjoy their retirement years. In my own church, most of my congregation is older than me. 

As a millennial living in community with many people who are decades older than me, I recognize that I have at least two opportunities: 

1) to learn from older generations about how to make the most of our final years on Earth, and 

2) to honor those who have gone before me in ways that defy the norm that my friend Aoum found in US culture.

If we look to the Bible for inspiration, I am impressed with the biblical figures Abraham and Sarah. Their story pushes back against low-expectations of the elderly. The message from God to Abraham and Sarah is, effectively: “your later years will be your greater years.”

The book of Genesis introduces us to this couple when Abram is 75 years old.  God calls Abram to leave his homeland and gives him a promise:

“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:2-3, NIV)

Specific promises are made to Abram and Sarai about their descendants yet they experience decades of infertility. 

Photo used with permission from Living Branches.

Over two decades pass and they still have not birthed a child together, but when Abraham is 99 years-old, God reiterates the promise, “I will surely return in due season and Sarah will have a son” (Genesis 18:10).

Sarah eavesdrops on God’s conversation with Abraham from within a tent, and laughs to herself, “After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?” 

Sarah laughs at this notion–because, even without American cultural bias–this pushes against the grain of human expectations. Biologically, a body can have children during a certain window of time and after that, it’s inconceivable (a retro-actively intended pun).

Abraham and Sarah lived in a time and place in which your offspring and your ability to reproduce was the only viable way to preserve your legacy. It was through children that you would be remembered.

In the story of Abraham and Sarah, I see an invitation: whatever age you are, whatever stage of life you are in, you are invited to open yourself up to the possibility that God still has plans for you. Whether you are single, married, divorced, or wherever you are in life, I see in this story an invitation to renewal. Yes, even in your later years, like Sarah, you can find pleasure! 

You are not infertile to God’s purposes. In the words of C.S. Lewis: “You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream.”

Jesus Never Said You Should Use LED Light Bulbs

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by Jennifer H. Schrock, Mennonite Creation Care Network

Members of Taftsville (VT) Chapel Mennonite Fellowship participated in a spring clean-up of their native plantings around their church building last month. Photo credit: Jennifer Schrock

Mennonite Creation Care Network (MCCN) has selected an Eastern District & Franconia Conference congregation, Taftsville (VT) Chapel Mennonite Fellowship, to receive its first annual Art and Jocele Meyer Award.

The award recognizes exemplary creation care at the congregational level and the creation care liaison’s role in communicating with the broader network. It includes a $500 donation to the congregation’s creation care efforts.

Taftsville’s liaison is Heather Wolfe, a dietician and wellness coach who has also authored the forthcoming Herald Press book, “Sustainable Kitchen: Recipes and Inspiration for Plant-based, Planet-Conscious Meals.”

Wolfe has been in the role since 2016 and spearheaded a number of initiatives. These range from installing solar panels to landscaping with native plantings to holding an intergenerational conversation on climate change. Wolfe has created a webinar outlining the steps that their congregation took to create a culture of creation care as a guide to help other churches do similar work.

Many of the church’s actions stem from completing MCCN’s Greener Congregation Score Sheet. The scoresheet encourages congregations to look at creation care from multiple angles, from identifying green leaders to landscaping decisions to worship. The results can provide a road map for years to come.

An intergenerational discussion on climate change at Taftsville (VT) Chapel Mennonite Fellowship allows those under 40 and over 40 to take turns listening to each other. Heather Wolfe, the congregation’s creation care liaison, is in the center facing forward. Photo credit: Jennifer Schrock

Taftsville Pastor Steve McCloskey said one of the first things he knew about the church before his initial interview in 2017 was that the members had chosen to install solar panels.  “I saw life in the church,” he said. “I saw that this church is not just thinking about themselves as a congregation but asking, ‘How can we be part of a solution to a broader problem?’ ”

To McCloskey, it showed a seriousness about loving one’s neighbors, even if the neighbors were on the other side of the world or still unborn. He said his role is often to help clarify the connection between the Bible and an emphasis on caring for the Earth.

“Jesus never says you should put LED light bulbs in your home or ride bicycles,” McCloskey said. “Why does our faith imply that we should make decisions that are healing to the Earth? I like wrestling with those questions, and Heather does a good job of keeping those questions on our minds.”

Wolfe said she’s always giving credit to the Holy Spirit. “We are just vessels of this Spirit at work in our congregation,” she said.

She is grateful creation care has made the church visible to the local community and attractive to new attendees. “People associate our faith tradition with care for creation,” Wolfe said.

 

A version of this article originally appeared in Mennonite World Review and is used with permission.

Fred Rogers: A Model of Confident Humility

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By Steve McCloskey, Pastor of Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship

Steve McCloskey

In a recent sermon, I spoke to my congregation about the relationship between confidence and humility. I expressed that an individual can have a sober view of themselves with confidence in what they are called to do, and act on it faithfully in humility. In other words: you can be simultaneously confident and humble. I was reminded of a great example of this recently when I saw a trailer for a movie that comes out this fall about a former resident of the Upper Valley (the area where our church is located). 

It’s based on the life of Fred Rogers–star of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood”. He began college at Dartmouth and eventually went on to attend seminary and became an ordained Presbyterian minister. Tom Hanks will be playing the role of Mr. Rogers in this movie based on his life that comes out this November (“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”) .

As a young child I regularly watched Mr. Rogers. His message was simple: every person is endowed with dignity and worthy of love and respect. He seemed to be immovable on this. From everything I’ve seen and read about him–this was not just a TV act–this was who he was, he believed it! He was motivated to communicate the intrinsic value of every person; presenting this message to children at a young age through public television. He knew what his message was and he stuck to it for decades. 

I read a story of a girl who was blind, she knew Mr Rogers had a pet goldfish but wanted to make sure the fish was being fed, she wrote a letter expressing her concern for the fish. In response, Mr. Rogers would always narrate when he was feeding the fish because of this one girl’s concern. He had a famous song called “It’s You I Like” but there’s a clip– you can look up on YouTube– of him singing a special version of this song to a boy in a wheelchair where he says:

It’s you I like,
It’s not the things you wear,
It’s not your fancy chair–
But it’s you I like.
The way you are right now,
The way down deep inside you–
Not the things that hide you,
Not your toys–
They’re just beside you.
But it’s you I like–
Every part of you,
Your skin, your eyes, your feelings
Whether old or new.
I hope that you’ll remember
Even when you’re feeling blue
That it’s you I like,
It’s you yourself,
It’s you, it’s you I like.

There’s an interview with Fred Rogers and Charlie Rose:  Rose asked him about his daily routine: Mr Rogers said he begins each morning waking up before 5 AM and spends several hours in quiet time. He said, in the interview, that “in silence comes revelation”. And Charlie Rose asked, “And then you begin the business of your day?” 

“No”, said Mr. Rogers, “Then, after that, I go swimming”. Rogers said that it was in the silence that he could reflect on what was most important. Perhaps it is through this time, in silence, each day, through his own self-care, reflecting on what is most essential, that Mr. Rogers had built-up this deep reservoir to appreciate people for who they were–just the way they are. In doing this, Fred Rogers exuded a confident humility.

Similarly,  Jesus would often withdrawal from the crowds, find solitude and pray.

It is not selfish of you to make time to care for yourself, in fact it can build the reservoir of love for others. How do you make time for yourself? What practices do you have to care for yourself; both body and soul? 

 

Formation Through Mentorship

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by Wayne Nitzsche, Interim LEADership Minister

Erik Erikson, psychologist, developed an eight stage theory of psychosocial development. You may remember it from a psych class in high school or college. The seventh of eight stages in his helpful construct is “generativity vs stagnation.”  He associates this stage with the middle years (40-65.) To engage this stage one begins to think about contributing to future generations through parenting, grandparenting, and mentoring future generations. If we do not engage this stage we stagnant and life loses a sense of purpose.

This past year I became a grandfather to William. He has brought so much joy to my life. Even though he lives with our daughter and son-in-law in Long Beach, California, Mary and I have been able to bond and stay connected thanks to modern travel, and the technological wonder of FaceTime. Our lives take on new meaning as we engage our small part in mentoring this precious child.

A central task of the church has to do with faith formation. There are, of course, many beautiful examples in the Scripture of this happening through mentor/mentees such as that of Paul and Timothy, Naomi and Ruth and others. In the 1980’s I had a hand in developing the “life-planning” process in the Mennonite Church. In part, it was a plan for matching an adult with a youth, and helping them develop a generative relationship. The program has long since died, but the need remains for adults to consider how they pass on the faith.

Reflecting back on my early years in pastoral ministry, I was blessed to have mentors who noticed gifts for ministry and encouraged me to consider seminary. While in seminary I learned so much from an experienced and wise pastor, Clare. He was gracious when I made stupid mistakes, he affirmed and challenged me, and was always ready to give new opportunities. He modeled a love for Christ and the church, and was vulnerable with his struggles. He was never stagnant but growing and generative.

Wayne Nitzsche (right) prays for Jessica Miller at her installation service, November 2016

Now I’m older than Clare was when he mentored me. I’ve had the great privilege of mentoring Jessica Miller, who began at Perkasie Mennonite (PMC) in November, 2016 as our pastoral intern, but has since become our Associate Pastor. Jessica and I have long conversations about ministry, life, theology. I see her not only as a mentee, but also as a colleague from whom I can learn. I value her youthful wisdom and welcome the integration of her ministry with her theological studies at Drew Theological School. She has been a great gift to PMC. I trust that I might model some of the same things for Jessica that Clare did for me.

When we sit down together, sometimes we are intentional in reflecting on a specific aspect of ministry, personal or professional development. Other weeks it’s more informal and might be related to preaching, worship planning or pastoral care.

Steve McCloskey and family

I’m still finding my way in another mentoring relationship with Steve McCloskey, who pastors Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship in Vermont. With the distance, we’ll perhaps need to rely more on technology to make connections. So be patient with me, Steve, as we find our way in this new relationship!

I’ve had to deal with self-doubt, wondering what, if anything, I had to offer. However as we offer ourselves and trust the Spirit, both our gifts and places where we are still being formed can be formative.

Might you, if you are like me and nearing the end of your active pastoral ministry, consider how you might mentor someone younger? Perhaps if you feel “stagnant” it might be the prompting of the Spirit to consider such a relationship. You’ll discover a joy and sense of purpose that is a gift from the Great Mentor, the God and Parent of us all. If you’d like to talk more about it, I’d be glad to share more over a cup of coffee. But bear with me, you’ll also have to indulge me as I share a picture or two of grandson William!

Staff Meeting Heads to the Margins of Vermont

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By John Stoltzfus, Conference Youth Minister

As part of our ongoing practice of going to the “margins,” a contingent of Franconia Conference staff traveled to Vermont last week for a 48 hour working retreat. Of course, going to the margins can be a relative statement depending on where one places the center. Perhaps, going to the margins can actually help re-center us in the saving work of God in this world. By locating ourselves physically in other people’s spaces we are re-placed and invited to see how the Spirit is present and active in communities and people beyond our own.

Our short time in Vermont included many opportunities for centering ourselves in God’s good work in the beautiful hills and valleys of Vermont. For our first meal, we received generous hospitality and delicious food around the table at the home of Gwen Groff, a Franconia Conference Board Member, who is pastor at Bethany Mennonite Church in Bridgewater, Vermont.

The following morning, our first in Vermont, Steve McCloskey who is the new pastor at Taftsville Chapel Mennonite Fellowship led our group in devotions. We were invited to consider our calling in ministry and how we are sustained in that calling. Later we visited Taftsville Chapel, getting a glimpse of the solar panels installed last year on the church roof.

We also heard from Joe Paparone who is an organizer with the Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State, and the advocacy coordinator with the FOCUS Churches of Albany (NY). Over the past several years he has connected with Bethany Mennonite Church through his work in Albany, including leading a book study for the congregation over video conference. He led the Franconia Staff in a helpful training on Community Organizing Principles for pastoral ministry and the church.

Hearing the stories of call for Joe, Steve and Gwen and learning more about the mission and ministries of their respective communities was an encouraging and hopeful witness of God’s renewing and creative work in our church and world. These communities have many gifts to offer to the broader conference and church.

Of course Vermont has other “gifts” to offer such as cheese, maple syrup and beautiful scenery. Our retreat included a visit to the Sugarbush Cheese and Maple Farm for a delightful cheese and maple syrup tasting and we enjoyed an invigorating walk down the Quechee Gorge.

Jesus’ life and witness consistently re-centered the focus on God’s activity in the world. Henri Nouwen made the observation that “those who are marginal in the world are central in the Church.” How can we as a conference continue to receive the gifts and witness of the Spirit’s presence and activity by those at the “margins”?