Who I Am As A Leader
If you feel alone in trying to shift your church culture . . . from maintenance to mission . . . from committees to ministry teams . . . from spectators to active ministers . . . from an inward focus to an outward focus . . . from tradition-based to Spirit-based . . . from an organization to an organism . . . Then join ministry leaders from various Indian Valley area churches on Thursday, September 3, 12 - 1:30 p.m. at Hopewell Christian Fellowship, 601 Hunsicker Rd., Telford, for a conversation on Who I Am As A Leader. All members of church leadership teams are welcome to attend this fun and informative training that will help to develop life-changing ministry. No RSVP is needed.
Health care access conference calls
You are invited to join a one-hour conference call with Mennonite experts giving a Christian viewpoint of the United States health care access debate. The health care access conference calls will be held on Thursday, September 3 at 10 p.m. and Tuesday, September 8 at 8 p.m. There is space for 1000 attendees. All attendees will be on mute. The attendee dial-in number is 712-432-1001 and the access code is 477952371#. Attendees are responsible for any applicable long distance charges. The conference call costs nothing extra.
Participating speakers will be: Tammy Alexander, Legislative Associate for Domestic Affairs, MCC Washington Office; David E. Cockley, Associate Professor of Health Services Administration (James Madison University) and Adjunct Professor (Eastern Mennonite University); Keith Harder, who leads Mennonite Church USA efforts for a health care plan for congregational workers; Susan Mark Landis, Mennonite Church USA peace advocate and Tim Stoltzfus Jost, professor at the Washington and Lee University School of Law and primary author of the national health care resolution passed at the 2009 Mennonite Church USA Delegate Assembly.
Questions before September 1 and comments after the conference call may be directed to SusanML@MennoniteUSA.org. More details will be available September 1 by visiting www.MennoniteUSA.org/nationalhealthcare
Franconia Mennonite Conference leaders recently met with young leaders who crafted and signed the Open Letter to Franconia Conference, which calls for a more inclusive Franconia Conference.
Before making the letter available on the Internet, a group of these young leaders requested a meeting with Noel Santiago, Franconia Conference executive minister. The letter is now posted online and continues to garner signatures from those who support the inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons in the life and leadership of Mennonite congregations.
Franconia Conference staff Ertell Whigham, Jessica Walter and Randy Heacock, assistant conference moderator and pastor at Doylestown (Pa.) Mennonite Church joined Santiago in the conversation with young leaders–Amanda Yoder of the Blooming Glen congregation, Christian Allebach from Souderton church and Maddie Ruth, Emma Ruth and Justin Yoder all from the Salford congregation.
According to Santiago, “The conversation together between these young persons and conference leaders was cordial, healthy and informative. I believe we were able to hear and understand what these young persons wanted to communicate and commend them for the approach and grace in which they communicated it. While it is evidently clear that we’re at very different places of understanding and practice, nonetheless, this gathering was one expression of the resolution on following Christ and growing together even as communities in conflict.”
The resolution was one of three passed at the Mennonite Church USA denominational assembly in Columbus, OH, in July. Across the church, youth and young adults have been mobilized toward action and engagement out of the conversations in Ohio, particularly around issues of human sexuality.
Franconia Conference continues in dialogue with Alpha (NJ) Mennonite Church toward discernment of future relationship and postures together after the congregation’s move toward openness to members and leaders regardless of sexual orientation. Details on that process will be released in the near future.
by June Krehbiel, Interim Identity Director for Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership
Mennonite Church USA Executive Board named Ervin R. Stutzman of Harrisonburg, Va., the denomination’s next executive director at a special meeting held Aug. 25.
“Ervin is the right person for this time in our denominational history,” says Mennonite Church USA moderator and Executive Board member Ed Diller, Fort Thomas, Ky. “His experiences in the church and his commitment to the healing and hope vision of Mennonite Church USA will serve him well in this role.”
Stutzman is vice president and seminary dean as well as professor of church ministries at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) in Harrisonburg. He served on the Executive Board for Mennonite Church USA from 1999 to 2005 and as denominational moderator from 2001 to 2003.
He expects to begin as executive director in early 2010.
A search committee of 10 members from across the denomination unanimously recommended Stutzman during meetings held earlier this month.
“Ervin is an energetic, strong pastoral leader with exceptional organizational and administrative gifts. He is a good listener and focused collaborator,” says search committee chair David L. Sutter, South Bend, Ind. “I believe Ervin will lead with Christ at the center as together we consider and live into new directions in line with the dreams God has for Mennonite Church USA.”
Born in Iowa, Stutzman grew up in Kansas. He served on pastoral teams at Mennonite Christian Assembly in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Mount Joy Mennonite Church in Lancaster, Pa. He worked as associate director of home ministries at Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities. An ordained minister and bishop, he was moderator of Lancaster Mennonite Conference before beginning at EMU in 1998.
“I love Mennonite Church USA,” says Stutzman. “It’s an affirmation and a privilege to be asked to serve in this role. It’s also a sober responsibility. The Spirit-led search process gives me confidence that God is calling me to this role. By God’s grace, we as a Mennonite church can face the future with hope. We have a significant place in God’s mission in the world. As we collectively walk in the Spirit, we will experience God’s amazing power happening at all levels.”
Appointed in January, the search committee talked with and listened to the church, contacted and interviewed leaders and listened for the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
“We were very fortunate to have many gifted leaders to choose from,” says search committee member Patricia Shelly, Newton, Kan. “Ervin’s proven record of serving people and the church in a variety of capacities and his experience in key denominational roles set him apart. He is respected by many people.”
The search committee also sees the new executive director as an excellent communicator and trusted leader, according to member Juanita Nuñez, Ocoee, Fla. “Ervin will articulate the vision, mission and priorities of Mennonite Church USA well. He is committed to God and the church.”
Stutzman received his bachelor’s degree in Bible and Christian ministries at Cincinnati Christian University. He graduated with a master’s degree in communication arts from the University of Cincinnati, a master’s of arts in religion degree from Eastern Mennonite Seminary and a doctorate in rhetoric and communication from Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa.
Stutzman has authored several books. Among his recent Herald Press publications are “Emma: A Widow Among the Amish,” “Tobias of the Amish” and “Being God’s People: Embracing Christian Faith from a Mennonite Perspective.” His historical study on Mennonite peace rhetoric is expected to be published next year.
Stutzman will continue his work at EMU through December.
“Ervin has provided wise and innovative leadership to the seminary, enhancing the quality of its program and extending its reach,” Fred Kniss, Eastern Mennonite University provost, says. “While we at EMU certainly regret losing him as a colleague and administrator, we know that Mennonite Church USA will benefit from his skills and experience. We view his departure as a gift we make to the mission of the larger church.”
Stutzman and his wife, Bonita Lee Stutzman, attend Park View Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg. They have three adult children—Emma, Daniel and Benjamin.
Stutzman replaces Jim Schrag, who announced his retirement last October. Schrag concluded his executive director position July 31 after 36 years of ministry, including 13 years of denominational leadership. Acting executive director Ron Byler has been appointed to lead the church body until Stutzman begins.
A new documentary, From Harm to Hope: Standing with Cluster Bomb Survivors, and an accompanying study guide are the latest tools in the advocacy work of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) U.S. in banning the production and use of cluster bombs.
The large-scale use of cluster bombs began in 1964, and their impact continues long after wars end because the weapons often fail to explode on impact as designed. These small bombs, or “bombies” as they are sometimes called, continue to detonate around the world in fields and other places, shattering the lives of people who accidentally trigger them. MCC’s work with villagers in Laos in the 1970s helped bring this tragedy to the world’s attention.
The documentary tells the story of the movement to ban cluster bombs through the experiences of survivors such as Raed Mokaled of Lebanon and Phounsy Phasavaeng of Laos, as well as through the voices of activists and MCC partners and staff members who help cluster bomb survivors.
The study guide includes Bible studies and exercises to look at the spiritual and ethical issues related to cluster bomb use. Although there is a lesson for adults, several lessons were designed specifically for youth groups.
Emily Wise, 15, of Denver, Pa., who went to the Mennonite Church USA youth convention in July, attended a workshop about cluster bombs. She said, “I was surprised by how many bombs, millions even, were dropped and not detonated.”
Wise said she was deeply affected by the DVD, and has been thinking about what it could mean to work in peace-building and development. She will tell others to see it because, “so many innocent civilians are being hurt even 35 years later. The long-term effects of war are not very fair.”
This DVD and study guide, available in English and Spanish, are part of the MCC U.S. advocacy campaign that includes learning, writing and donating. MCC U.S. distributes copies of the DVD, From Harm to Hope, as well as another DVD called Bombies, photo exhibits and bulletin inserts to help people learn about the issue.
Donations will fund services to cluster bomb survivors in Laos and Lebanon and support advocacy efforts in the U.S. Donate online at mcc.org or mail your contribution to MCC, designated “cluster bomb advocacy.”
In addition, MCC U.S. has a cluster bomb postcard campaign and sample letters for writing to government officials, encouraging them to support U.S. legislation (S 416/HR 981) restricting cluster bomb use, and the international ban on cluster bomb production and use which has now been signed by 98 countries. The U.S. is not one of the signers.
For information on how to purchase, borrow or preview these items, visit mcc.org/clusterbombs.
Cathryn Clinton is a writer for Mennonite Central Committee
In response to calls in the U.S. Congress for healthcare reform, Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership staff took several steps in late July to follow up on the National Healthcare Policy: Next Step resolution passed by the Delegate Assembly, July 4.
A bulletin insert was sent to Mennonite Church USA congregations by peace advocate Susan Mark Landis asking members to contact their congressional representatives.
Landis said the churchwide resolution supports legislation that will extend access to healthcare to all Americans, particularly the poor and disadvantaged. The bulletin insert was accompanied by two congregational prayers that can be used by congregations who want to focus on the healthcare resolution.
Outgoing executive director Jim Schrag and his staff faxed letters to 20 senators and 100 representatives in states or districts with heavy concentrations of Mennonite Church USA members.
The letter included the healthcare resolution and cited the history of Mennonites involved in healthcare reform. It said that the basis for concern for healthcare access is rooted in scripture, the Mennonite Church USA Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective and the denominational vision for healing and hope.
Dr. Timothy Stoltzfus Jost, Robert L. Willett Family Professor of Law and Ethan Allen Faculty Fellow at the Washington and Lee University, and a member of Community Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg, Va., was the primary architect of the Delegate Assembly resolution.
The resolution builds on healthcare policy principles adopted by Mennonite Church USA delegates in 2005 and 2007.
Additional resources are available here on the Mennonite Church USA Web site for congregational study and advocacy work on healthcare access issues.
All are welcome to Evening Song and Prayer in the Taizé tradition at Perkasie Mennonite Church on Sunday, September 13, from 7 - 8 p.m. The candle-lit service will feature music from the Taizé community in France, as well as hymns of the church, scripture, silence, and prayers for our world, our communities and our loved ones. Perkasie Mennonite Church will hold Evening Song and Prayer services on the second Sunday evening of each month from September - May.
On Thursday, September 17 at 7:30 p.m., Perkasie Mennonite Church will show Pray the Devil Back to Hell. The film is a new documentary that chronicles the remarkable story of courageous Liberian women who came together in 2003 to end a bloody civil war and bring peace to their shattered country. The film’s protagonist, Leymah Gbowee, is a graduate of Eastern Mennonite University. The film spreads a powerful message about how Leymah’s work helped Liberian women stage an interfaith mass action for peace! A free will offering will be taken to help cover costs. For more information, visit www.perkmenno.org or call 215-257-3117.
A reception will be held to welcome Christopher Dock Mennonite High School’s new principal, Dr. Conrad Swartzentruber, on Sunday, September 20, from 3 – 5 p.m. The event will be held at Christopher Dock on the Detweiler House lawn. Refreshments will be served. All are welcome to attend.
Job Opportunities
Living Branches is seeking its first Chief Marketing and Public Relations Officer. This person will be responsible for the strategic development and execution of marketing and public relations programs for three campuses: Dock Meadows, Dock Woods, and Souderton Mennonite Homes. Qualifications for this position include: a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, Public Relations, or Communications or related field, a minimum of three years of supervisory experience and knowledge of the local community surrounding Living Branches. Complete information may be found by contacting Sarah Reilley at careers@livingbranches.org or fax 215-565-2413.
Penn View Christian School is seeking an energetic fundraising event coordinator to work in the Advancement Office. A degree and/or experience in Business or Marketing/Communications is helpful. This position is an hourly, school year position. Strong organizational, leadership, and computer skills are necessary. Please send resume and completed application from website at www.pennview.org to Kathy Gordon, Director of Advancement, 420 Godshall Rd., Souderton, PA 18964 or email kgordon@pennview.org.
A volunteer with carpentry skills is needed at the Mennonite Conference Center. The task: to take apart book shelves that are permanently fixed, either onto walls, floors, or to other shelves. These shelves need to be moveable/portable. When: before September 25th. If you have an interest in serving in this way, please call 215-723-5513 ext. 110 or email office@franconiaconference.org. Thank you!
Franconia Mennonite Conference plans to relocate its offices from Souderton to Harleysville to further follow through on the Conference’s Vision and Financial Plan.
“We are confident,” executive minister Noel Santiago said, “that this move will help us make the most of the properties we own in such a way to continue to release more dollars for ministry not only here locally, but regionally and globally.”
The conference will relocate to office space on Yoder Road in nearby Harleysville, adjacent to the Mennonite Historians of Eastern Pennsylvania. The new office — most recently occupied by T.H. Properties — measures 3,200 square feet in usable space, a reduction of 5,800 square feet from the current location in the Souderton Center. The conference plans to sublet the second floor of the Yoder Road property.
Henry Rosenberger from the Plains congregation has been a key resource person serving alongside the conference property committee during the planned relocation. Rosenberger said it makes sense for the conference to relocate near MHEP and that having the two offices together provides “a wealth of resources,” which depict “the story of our local faith community.”
The move stems from a recommendation from the conference Vision and Financial Plan team to downsize office space. According to the “Real Estate Recommendations” from the plan team, the “office should relocate and downsize its square footage…”
Meanwhile conference-related ministry Care and Share Shoppes, which currently operates from the other end of the Souderton Center, has been growing by “leaps and bounds and is in need of more space,” Santiago said. Care and Share will occupy the vacated space, along with an additional section of retail area no longer needed by Berean Christian Stores (formerly Provident Bookstores).
Ultimately, the Franconia Conference Vision and Financial Plan team recommended the move “to solidify the financial base of the conference and focus the leadership of the conference on the leadership of ministry, rather than the management of property.”
“It’s a very good decision financially,” Rosenberger said, “and the new facility is properly sized for the conference.”
Santiago also believes the move from Souderton to Harleysville lines up with the plan team’s goal. “The spirit of [their] recommendation is retained in our move outside the center,” Santiago said.
Pastors invited to take FREE resources
The Resource Library at the Mennonite Conference Center has been closed due to general usage decline over the past several years. During the process of closing the library many resources were moved to Nueva Vida Norristown New Life, and you are welcome to call 484-322-0442 to inquire about borrowing items from their library. The small collection of resources that remain are available free to pastors and congregations. You are invited to use these books, videos, or choral music in your church libraries! Come to the Mennonite Conference Center on Monday, August 24 through Wednesday, August 26 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to pick up any resources you’d like. Please call 215-723-5513, ext. 110 with any questions. Thank you!
Reminder – RSVP to attend “A Day Apart” for Pastors
Pastors and credentialed leaders of Franconia Conference are reminded to RSVP for “A Day Apart” by Wednesday, September 2. “A Day Apart” will be held on Wednesday, September 9 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., at Camp Men-O-Lan as a way for pastors to come away and spend time with God in a beautiful, relaxed setting to be refreshed and restored. There will be opportunities for guided prayer, worship, being alone and being in a small group, as well as personal prayer ministry with a prayer team. Lunch will be provided. Send RSVPs to Sandy Landes at slandes@franconiaconference.org.
A Haitian partner organization of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), the National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH), presented a human rights report on June 17 to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
MCC workers have supported the work of RNDDH since 1998 by helping staff members gather and analyze information on human rights in Haiti’s prisons, police stations and judicial system. Pierre Espérance, director of RNDDH, used this data and analysis when he presented his report.
RNDDH was founded in 1982 while Jean-Claude Duvalier was dictator in Haiti and has a long history of monitoring human rights.
Haiti’s political freedoms have improved in recent years. After President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was deposed in a coup and U.N. peacekeepers arrived in late 2004, the current president, Rene Preval, was democratically elected in 2006.
Relative stability has led to increased civil and political freedom, enabling national and international human rights organizations to expose corruption with impunity and to demand that the government honor the international human rights conventions to which it has agreed.
Even with these improvements, RNDDH states that “the general human rights situation remains a source of constant preoccupation,” as evidenced in Haiti’s senatorial elections in April 2009. They were marred by violence, and a number of the candidates were rumored to have been involved in drug trafficking and money laundering. Many Haitians had difficulty obtaining the identification cards necessary to register to vote.
In addition, the RNDDH presentation in Geneva addressed the weakness of state institutions, primarily Haiti’s prison and judicial systems. RNDDH found that 78 percent of Haitian prisoners have not been sentenced and are waiting in inhumane and degrading prison conditions. There are no rehabilitation centers in place for minors.
Haiti also is behind in guaranteeing many of the other rights stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. According to RNDDH, “hospitals and health centers function in systematic disorder… [and] the right to education is also not protected.”
Michel Forst, the U.N.’s independent expert on human rights in Haiti, also touched on these issues in a report to the council, stating the need to “guarantee to every citizen the full exercise of economic, social and cultural rights… [including] access to education for all, a health-care system, drinking water and sanitation services, adequate and decent housing, [and] employment income and training.”
RNDDH is optimistic that human rights can be fully respected in Haiti. The organization’s website states, “We also live in a world filled with seeds of hope and the unyielding belief in the sacredness of humanity.”
MCC’s Haiti representative, Kurt Hildebrand of Medford, Ore., who had worked with RNDDH, said, “MCC firmly believes that without justice there can be no peace. We’re honored to be able to partner with a Haitian organization that is working to defend the rights of all Haitians, regardless of their political or socioeconomic background.”
Alexis Erkert Depp is a Mennonite Central Committee worker in Haiti.
Email This Post
Franconia Mennonite Conference leaders recently met with young leaders who crafted and signed the 
by 
Click here to download the latest issue.