The month of February brought staffing changes in Executive Leadership.
Ervin Stutzman announced a move to a slightly different arrangement for executive staff which will replace the Associate Director role with two positions:
Director of Churchwide Operations and
Director of Denominational Support Services
Stutzman has appointed Marty Lehman to serve as director of churchwide operations. In her new position, Lehman will have responsibility for communication, development, convention planning, and church relations. She will also continue to give leadership to Historical Committee, finance/administration and The Corinthian Plan. In the long term, finance and administration will move to the new support services position. Lehman will continue to have her office in Elkhart and Kathryn Rodgers will serve as executive assistant.
On February 1, Leanne Farmwald began quarter-time with Executive Leadership as director of the Executive Leadership communication team along with her role as director of marketing and communication for Mennonite Mission Network. Following the denominational ministry model, we are excited about this new opportunity to collaborate and share leadership. This is an interim arrangement and will be reviewed in the coming months.
On February 22 we welcomed Deidre (Summerton) Bias to the Executive Leadership staff. She joins the convention planning team in the role of convention communication coordinator.
Bias is responsible for writing all external print pieces related to convention promotion and marketing. She will also be working with the children and junior youth gatherings and taking on other logistical planning responsibilities as needed.
Bias is a Goshen/Elkhart native, a Goshen College graduate and attends College Mennonite Church. Most recently she worked for First Steps as the family outreach and public awareness coordinator. Her responsibilities included promoting the state-wide program which works with children, birth to three, who have special needs and their families. She loves to read and travel, and is always in the midst of planning the next adventure for her and her family. We are grateful for the energy and expertise that Bias brings to the convention planning team.
Pastor Lesly Bertrand, pastor of Assemblée de la Grace Mennonite Church (Grace Assembly Network) in Haiti, speaks about the strong faith of his congregation and many Haitians. Yet their practical needs are many. MCC and Mennonites from the Dominican Republic are helping to meet their needs.
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) U.S. is seeking a transitional executive director to provide vision and oversight for all MCC programs in the United States during a time of significant organizational change.
The assignment is expected to begin on July 1 and continue for two to three years. The full-time, salaried position involves extensive travel, mostly in Canada and the United States. The director will lead MCC U.S. forward in a time of organizational restructuring while a long-term executive director is found. The transitional executive director will not be considered as a candidate for the executive director position.
The transitional executive director is responsible for general oversight of program planning, development and coordination; budget management and staff supervision. The director will focus on implementing organizational change in cooperation with executive directors of MCC and MCC Canada and other provincial and regional MCC leaders. New Wine/New Wineskins, MCC’s new shared vision and restructuring process, will guide the organizational change. More information is available at newwineskins.mcc.org.
Qualified candidates will uphold MCC U.S. values of faith in Christ, peace, justice, service, anti-racism, anti-sexism and anti-oppression; will be a member in good standing of a church that is a part of MCC’s supporting constituency; will exhibit a commitment to personal Christian faith; and will be committed to the teaching of nonviolent biblical peacemaking. Women, minorities and other underrepresented individuals are encouraged to apply.
Interested candidates should send a resume and letter of interest no later than April 1 to MCC U.S. Board Executive Search Committee, 234 South Main Street, Suite 1, Goshen, IN 46526. E-mail submissions can be sent to MCCUSEDSearch@mhsonline.org. The full job description is posted at mcc.org/work/positions/transitional-executive-director-mcc-us. Individuals wanting to recommend a candidate may also contact the search committee.
MCC, a worldwide ministry of Anabaptist churches, shares God’s love and compassion for all in the name of Christ by responding to basic human needs and working for peace and justice. MCC envisions communities worldwide in right relationship with God, one another and creation.
A newly formed network of urban Anabaptist leaders, facilitated by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), is developing organically. Person by person, they are gradually connecting with each other because they share the commonality of engaging the city as Anabaptists.
The formation of the network is based on one founding principle – Anabaptist leaders who are committed to caring for the cities they live in can benefit from relating to urban Anabaptists from all parts of the world. Once connected, they will better understand how they can support each other in their efforts.
“We have Korean Anabaptists longing to be in relationship with other urban Anabaptists,” said Joe Manickam, Asia director for MCC. “We have urban Anabaptists in London who are longing to be in relationship with other urban Anabaptists. The same can be said for Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Vancouver and the list goes on.
“So this initiative is here to give credence to this voice coming out of the city,” said Manickam, who together with the Rev. Leonard Dow, pastor of Oxford Circle Mennonite Church in Philadelphia, birthed the idea. MCC’s role is simply to connect the urban voices. Dow is vice chair of the MCC U.S. board of directors.
“We want it to remain very organic,” said Manickam. “We want it to evolve as the people want it to evolve without outside pressures telling it what it should be.”
The first steps of the network took place in August when a group of urban leaders, most from Philadelphia, flew to Seoul, South Korea, where they were hosted by the Korea Anabaptist Center (KAC). Starting with these two groups was logical because KAC already participates in MCC’s exchange programs and was interested in more interaction, and Philadelphia is home to the largest group of MCC urban constituents on the East Coast.
For participant Ron Tinsley, communications director at Philadelphia Mennonite High School, the most valuable experiences of the trip were the personal discussions and times for reflection that were amply built into the schedule. Tinsley is a member of Oxford Circle Mennonite Church.
“Sometimes we get so busy looking at programs that we don’t get a chance to understand where (the other leaders’) hearts are at and listen to their dreams and fears,” Tinsley said, adding that a prophetic sense can emerge from these kinds of conversations.
Some of the discussions, including those about stereotypes and racism, were difficult, Tinsley said. Instruction by Jeff Wright, an urban missiologist from Southern California, revolved around “theology of place” or building of intentional community in the city.
The Philadelphia guests also visited two Anabaptist churches and learned about several peacemaking organizations. KAC teaches peace-building skills to North Korean defectors and South Korean young people. The organization also works with other peace groups to create understanding of past hurts among people from South Korea, Japan and China.
When KAC Administrator Kim Kyong-Jung paid a return visit to Philadelphia and then to Los Angeles in November, he was glad to witness urban churches at work within a multicultural society. South Korea, which once was predominantly homogeneous, is becoming increasingly diverse.
“This means that many different types of conflict issues exist, which makes churches’ jobs harder,” he wrote in an e-mail after his visit. “The churches’ missional approaches are being challenged as they look to this kind of social phenomenon.”
Encouraging young people to serve in cities around the world through MCC’s Global Service Learning program is important to this emerging network. For example, Korean Jung Joo Park, who is a participant with MCC’s International Volunteer Exchange Program (IVEP), is working with Oxford Circle Mennonite Church and its community partners.
“Here in the U.S., I am valued as Asian, adding to the cultural diversity of Philadelphia, and it does not seem to matter that I am a foreigner,” Park said. “Once I go home, I hope to introduce a deeper understanding of and respect for diversity in South Korea.”
Making these kinds of “flesh and blood connections” between Anabaptists from different cities is exactly what Ruth Keidel Clemens, executive director of MCC East Coast, hopes will happen as the network develops. “Urban Anabaptist churches are a priority for MCC East Coast, and bringing its leaders together with those from other countries strengthens all involved, as we seek to engage the cities together as Anabaptists,” she said.
Clemens and Manickam are discussing possibilities for holding a conference of urban Anabaptist practitioners as another way to bring people together to learn from each other. Until then, the conversation will continue, person by person.
Colombia’s Mennonite churches are again calling on congregations in the United States to join the cry for justice, peace and healing in Colombia during the Days of Prayer and Action for Peace on April 18 and 19.
In response to the call, the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) U.S. Washington Office has prepared activities on the theme, Face the Displaced, for congregations and other groups to use. The activities include calls to prayer and opportunities to witness to the violence and injustices in Colombia.
With nearly 5 million internally displaced persons, according to CODHES, a Colombian human rights organization, Colombia is home to a severe, yet hidden, humanitarian crisis. Many people have fled their homes in the face of the armed conflict between government forces, newly re-formed paramilitary groups, and guerrillas, all vying for power and territory.
In October 2009, The Christian Center for Justice, Peace and Nonviolent Action (Justapaz), an MCC partner, and other organizations participated in a delegation to observe the humanitarian and human rights situation in the southern district of Córdoba. The findings from this mission represent an alarming precedent. They illustrate the growing humanitarian crisis, a deterioration of respect for human rights in the area and increased violence as a result of burgeoning paramilitary actions.
Colombia suffers an inequitable distribution of wealth with two-thirds of the population living in poverty, according to the Colombian National Institute of Administration and Statistics, while a small portion is wealthy. Across the country, municipal and departmental governments are compromised through paramilitary links. Analysts and church communities report that powerful economic interests in the drug trade and other big business, such as palm oil and mining, are behind the violence and forced displacement.
These economic injustices exacerbate the four-decades-long conflict, producing grave violations of humanitarian law, displacement and a high murder rate – some 2,500 to 3,000 a year, according to government, international news and human rights sources. Between January and October 2009, paramilitary groups, which were allegedly rearmed, assassinated six church leaders and caused the displacement of five communities, a total of 1,230 people.
On Sunday, April 18, Colombian Mennonite churches ask congregations, faith-based groups and organizations to worship, reflect and pray for the victims, perpetrators and peacemakers.
On Monday, April 19, churches are asked to make a public witness by sharing stories, speaking with government officials, holding public vigils and doing other advocacy activities. As a part of the Face the Displaced campaign, organizers are asking groups to prepare by assembling portraits of the faces of displaced Colombians for public display. After April, the “faces” will be sent to Washington, D.C. for display and presentation to policymakers.
Instructions for hosting portrait-making gatherings are included in the MCC U.S. Washington Office’s packet of worship resources and advocacy materials. The packet also includes prayers, a bulletin insert and a sample letter to lawmakers. Sign up to participate and/or to learn more at washington.mcc.org/days, or contact Theo Sitther at the MCC U.S. Washington Office, 202-544-6564, tsitther@mcc.org.
MCC reports recent shipments to Haiti totaling: 6, 910 relief kits; 11,729 comforters; 2,635 sheets; 1, 898 tarps; and 153,000 pounds of canned meat. The Material Resource Center of Harleysville continues to be a collection point for relief efforts. The Harleysville Center thanks God for the new space which helps us to be much more productive and efficient. Thanks to all for your help and support. New volunteers and your kind donations are always welcome!
On Saturday, March 20, Red Hen, a quartet which blends old time, country and bluegrass with a little Celtic, and David G. Bailey will perform at the Perkasie Patchwork Coffeehouse in the Perkasie Mennonite Church hall. Doors open at 7 p.m. with performances at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are: Adults $9, Adults over 65 $7, Students 13 and up $4, 12 & under Free. Tasty refreshments will be sold. Check out www.perkmenno.org for directions and more information, or call 215-723-2010 or 215-257-3117. A portion of the proceeds will go to MCC for Haiti Earthquake Relief.
The Outreach Committee of Zion Mennonite Church is hosting a Haiti Fundraising Dinner on Saturday, March 20, at 6 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Karen Thomas will be sharing her experiences working with Sam Rice in Dariol last summer through the ministry of Gospel Growers. Your generous donations will be used to build much-needed houses in Dariol at a cost of $3,000 each. Reservations are needed–call the church office at 215-723-3592. Reservation deadline: March 12.
Come and visit the meetinghouse where the oldest permanent Mennonite congregation in America met for 216 years! On Saturday, March 20, the historic Germantown Mennonite Meetinghouse will be open for tours and stories from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. For further information call 267-297-6124.
The Mennonite Heritage Center invites the public to an illustrated program on Fraktur presented by Lisa Minardi on Sunday, March 21 at 2 p.m. Ms. Minardi, assistant curator of furniture at Winterthur Museum, will trace the connection between European and American fraktur and also talk about her work with the fraktur collection at the Free Library of Philadelphia. Admission is by donation. For information call 215-256-3020 or visit www.mhep.org.
Why Knot! Week at West Swamp Mennonite Church, March 22 – 26. The church will be open each day, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. for marathon comforter knotting. Please join us for an hour, a day or everyday. Lunch, supper and snacks provided. Questions? Call the church office 215-536-7468.
All are invited to an EASTER EGG HUNT, Saturday, March 27, 11:00 a.m. at Methacton Mennonite Church. Egg Hunt - Pedal Trains Rides – Prizes! For ages preschool through grade 6. Rain Date, Saturday, April 3. Visit www.methactonmennonite.org for more information.
The Mennonite Heritage Center invites you to a Hymn Sing on Sunday, March 28, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at Salford Mennonite Church. Hiram Hershey, John Ruth and others will lead the congregation in singing selections of favorite hymns. Come and join in good community singing. An offering will be taken to support the work of the Mennonite Heritage Center. For information call 215-256-3020 or visit www.mhep.org.
All parents and youth leaders are invited to “Healthy Balance – Hope, Dreams & Wings” on Wednesday, April 7, 7 - 8:30 p.m. at Blooming Glen Mennonite Church. This free seminar will feature a keynote address by Marlene Frankenfield, Campus Pastor at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School & Conference Youth Minister, and Mary Benner, Pastor of Children & Youth at Souderton Mennonite Church. This will be followed by Breakout Seminars led by local youth pastors on current issues facing parents of and youth leaders working with jr/sr high students. For more information and details on the breakout seminars, contact Blooming Glen Mennonite Church at 215-257-3431 or visit www.bgmc.net. or www.franconiaconference.org. The conference is sponsored by Blooming Glen Mennonite Church, Deep Run East Mennonite Church, Franconia Mennonite Church, Rockhill Mennonite Church, Salford Mennonite Church, Souderton Mennonite Church, Zion Mennonite Church & Franconia Mennonite Conference.
A Mom’s Market will be held on Saturday, April 10, 9 a.m. - noon at Franconia Mennonite Church. Admission is free to this indoor market with multiple sellers of infants and children’s clothes, toys, books, etc. Cost per table to participate is just $5.00 and will used towards advertising the market to the community. For more information contact the church office at 215-723-3220.
Women: Come to CELEBRATE to relax, refresh, rejoice and renew at a day planned just for you. “Celebrate, Women Joining Together” will be held at Franconia Mennonite Church, Saturday, April 17, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. The day will include 2 sessions of worship through music, prayer and sharing from the Word by Bonnie Stevenson, missionary in Mexico City. There will be fellowship and optional pampering stations including hand, neck and shoulder massage and light stretching. The event is free and lunch will be provided. Please register by April 5 at www.franconiaconference.org or call 267-932-6050.
We regret that the MCC Meat Canner will not be operating in the Hatfield area during 2010 due to availability in scheduling. We thank everyone for their continued support of MCC and the meat canning project. Donated funds will be used for the 2011 meat canning project. Please plan on participating next year at the new Material Resource Center. Any questions may be directed to Abe Landes at 215-896-8184.
Job Opportunities
Ambler Mennonite Church seeks a creative and energetic person committed to Anabaptist values to work beside our pastor on a quarter-time basis, with an emphasis on community outreach and church growth. Ambler is a diverse congregation in an equally diverse Philadelphia suburb, looking to enlarge its membership and impact, both locally and beyond. Bachelor’s degree expected. Students and minority candidates are encouraged to apply. MLIs are welcome but not necessary. Send a letter of interest and a resume with three current references to amblermennonite@verizon.net or Outreach Enthusiast Search Committee, 90 E. Mt. Pleasant Avenue, Ambler, PA 19002. Applications will be accepted through March 15.
The Care & Share Thrift Shoppes in Souderton Pa. will be expanding in the near future! Check our website often for updated listings on paid positions! Volunteers are always welcomed! www.careandshareshoppes.org
Thinking about what’s ahead this fall? Are you a young adult interested in discovering more about God, yourself and others? Would you like to be part of a team that invests a year serving and learning together in a cross-cultural setting? Are you someone who enjoys a challenge and takes initiative to build relationships? Radical Journey may be just what you’re looking for! To learn more about Radical Journey, view location descriptions, or apply now for the 2010-2011 year, visit www.Service.MennoniteMission.net or e-mail KayS@MennoniteMission.net
As part of the ongoing communication with the conference constituency, the Franconia Conference Board announces the following meetings:
Meeting for Conference Related Ministry Leaders
Tuesday, March 16
9 – 11 a.m. at the Mennonite Conference Center
Meeting for Franconia Conference Delegates
Tuesday, March 16
7 – 9 p.m. at Franconia Mennonite Church fellowship hall
Open Meeting – for anyone interested or anyone who wasn’t able to attend the earlier meetings
Tuesday, March 23
7 – 9 p.m. at Nueva Vida Norristown New Life auditorium
To read the initial board communication from March 4, 2010, please click here. We invite your ongoing prayers as we gather and continue conversations.
To the Franconia Conference Community
March 5, 2010
We wish to continue communicating regarding the planned process that is underway and the additional face-to-face meetings that are forthcoming.
After the March 8 and March 9 meeting for all Credentialed leaders of Franconia Conference, additional meetings will be planned for all Franconia Conference Delegates, Conference Related Ministry leaders, and open meetings for interested persons as discerned. We will be in dialogue with leaders and ministries who are at much greater geographical distance from the Conference Center in Harleysville regarding face-to-face meetings.
We again extend heart felt thanks to everyone who has and continues to express deep care, concern and to be in prayer for all involved. Peace.
Franconia Conference Board
March 3, 2010
The Conference Board is deeply saddened with the confusion that has been created in parts of the Franconia Conference Community and beyond. We take responsibility for not communicating quickly enough and with clarity.
• The news has gone out that Franconia Conference Board has made a decision to dismiss all the staff.
• The reality is that the staff has been informed that in the coming year the direction the Board is calling for requires a mid-course correction, to come into a greater alignment of fulfilling our mission to Equip Leaders to Empower Others to Embrace God’s Mission.
• A smaller Conference staff to include LEADership Ministers, will continue, but will be narrowly focused on equipping congregations to becoming missional.
• We lament the deep pain and suffering that this decision has caused staff and others by not including the staff directly in the decision-making process.
• We will work towards a healthy ending process and seek to build upon the hard work and creativity by which the staff has carried out their work to date.
The Conference Board will be facilitating public meetings to engage in further dialogue regarding all that has transpired. The following times and dates have been set as follows:
• Monday, March 8, 2010 from 7-9 pm at Towamencin Mennonite Church for all Credentialed Leaders of Franconia Mennonite Conference;
• A second meeting will happen on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 from 9-11 am at the Mennonite Conference Center.
Summer Classes
Eastern Mennonite Seminary aims to provide resources to pastors and leaders. Several classes being offered this summer that might be useful or of interest to you. Those classes are as follows:
Distance Learning Course - Money, Ministry and Me
Professor Beryl Jantzi
May 3 – June 26
This course involves an exploration of stewardship education resources alongside an exploration of financial tools and services needed in today’s world. It is designed to serve the needs of pastors and other church leaders in the congregation.
Summer Institute for Spiritual Formation
June 14 – 25
This two-week institute offers courses in spiritual formation, and spiritual disciplines and their application in individual and congregational life.
Cross-Cultual to the United Kingdom
Struggle and Hope in Post-Christendom
Instructors: Steve Kriss and Stuart Murray Williams
May 1 Orientation, May 16 - 24 Travel, June 25 – 26 Debriefing
This course is designed to offer a reflective and engaging pace in the post- Christendom context in the UK while attempting to investigate the difference and similarity of North American context.
For more information visit www.emu.edu/seminary/courses/summer_institute/
On February 22 we welcomed Deidre (Summerton) Bias to the Executive Leadership staff. She joins the convention planning team in the role of convention communication coordinator.
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