Ivan Stiles performs a unique blend of traditional and contemporary folk music, including intricate fiddle tunes, old-time favorites, jigs and reels of the British Isles, traditional ballads and original songs on the autoharp, mountain dulcimer, bowed psaltery and musical saw. He is also an instructor, author and the co-founder of Autoharp Quarterly magazine. He has taken first place at the International Autoharp Championship, the World Autoharp Championship and the Great Lakes Championship. In 2000, he was inducted into the Autoharp Hall of Fame. Ivan has a great sense of humor; watch him perform “Cwazy”click here

The Perkasie Patchwork Coffeehouse is located in the Perkasie Mennonite Church hall at 4th and Chestnut Street in Perkasie, Pa. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the performance will begin at 7:30. Tickets are $9 for adults, $7 for ages 65 and older, $4 for students ages 13 and older, and children under 12 will be admitted for free. Refreshments will be sold. For directions or more information, go to www.perkmenno.org or call 215-723-2010.

photo taken from Tea Room Company Official Site

All are invited to the Mennonite College Fair at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School on Monday, May 12. At 7 p.m. Dr. James Brenneman, President of Goshen College, will speak on the topic of “Quality with Soul: On Choosing a Mennonite College or University.” At 8 p.m. Michele Hensley, Director of Financial Assistance at Eastern Mennonite University, will lead a seminar on college financial aid. Admissions counselors and professors from Bethel College, Bluffton University, Eastern Mennonite University, and Goshen College will be available to address questions related to the admissions process. Kim Dryer, representing Mennonite Central Committee, will also be on hand to answer questions about mission opportunities with MCC. Visit www.dockhs.org for more information or call 215-362-2675.

Looking for an inexpensive, fun activity for the family? Methacton Mennonite Church is hosting a FREE movie night on Friday, May 16. They will be showing “The Adventures of Milo and Otis.” The show begins at 6:30 p.m. with free popcorn and beverages. For more information, visit www.methactonmennonite.org.

Nueva Vida Norristown New Life is “Enlarging Our Place in God’s World!” All are invited to Dedication Sunday, May 18, 10:45 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to celebrate what God is doing for, with, and through us. Both services will be held outdoors on East Marshall Street with a fellowship meal, children’s activities, and vision tours between the services. The second service includes the dedication of the ACTS 2 Ministry and New Life Plaza Nueva Vida. For more information, call 610-279-5433.

Zion Mennonite Church will be hosting the annual Couch Derby on Sunday, May 18 at 2 p.m. This is a fun-filled event where students decorate and modify couches and race them against other youth groups. This year’s contestants will include youth from 12 different congregations. All are welcome to come and cheer on the youth!

Vincent Mennonite Church in Spring City will be hosting a “Young Adult Conglomerate” Softball/Homerun Derby to be held in the church pavilion on Saturday, May 24 at 5 p.m. The Derby will begin at 5 p.m. followed by hotdogs and burgers at 6 p.m. There will be a worship service with music and a message at 7 p.m. The purpose of this event is to create a space where young people in our area can worship the Lord and fellowship as one. Bring your gloves and invite your friends. If you plan to attend, please bring a snack to share. Come for some of the time, or all the time! All are welcome! Call Rich Lindberg at 484-941-4923 for directions or for more information.

The Joyful Hearts chorus from Myerstown, PA will present a program at Providence Mennonite Church on Sunday, May 25 at 7 p.m. For more information or directions, call the church office at 610-489-8179. Everyone is welcome.

Volunteer and Job Opportunities

Mennonite Disaster Service has several urgent volunteer needs for the summer. A project director is needed for a youth project in July. The summer youth projects (June 8 – August 16) also urgently needs construction managers, cooks, office managers, and experienced crew leaders. Use your leadership and construction skills to encourage our youth to serve others. For more information, call 800-241-8111 or visit www.mds.mennonite.net.

Grace Mennonite Church in Lansdale, PA is looking to fill two paid staff positions. The first is a part-time maintenance position with hours Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The second position is Coordinator of Congregational Services. This is a part-time position (approximately 20 hours/week). If you are interested in learning more about either of these positions, contact Al Richter at 215-723-3900, ext. 108 or call the church office at 215-855-7718.

Penn View Christian School’s 47th Annual Country Fair and Auction with Chicken Barbecue will be held on Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17. The event promises good food, fun for the entire family, and lots of community fellowship. An exciting time with the “Donut Man” LIVE in concert begins on Friday evening at 7 p.m. There is free shuttle bus parking from Franconia Mennonite Church. Bring your whole family and share in all of the fun! For additional details and to preview the beautiful quilts, visit www.pennview.org.

Karen’s Place, the coffee shop ministry of Doylestown Mennonite Church, will be open on Saturday, May 17 from 7:00 – 10:30 p.m. featuring the acoustic rock Dan Harney Band. There is no admission charge. For information, call the church office at 215-345-6377 or visit www.karensplace.org.

The Perkasie Patchwork Coffeehouse will feature Woods Tea Company, an acoustic group that performs Celtic, bluegrass, sea shanties, and American folk songs on a variety of instruments on Saturday, May 17. The opening act will be champion autoharpist Ivan Stiles. Join us in the Perkasie Mennonite Church hall. Doors open at 7 p.m. with performances beginning at 7:30 p.m. Adults $9, Adults over 65 $7, Students 13 and up $4, 12 & under free. Refreshments will be available to purchase. For more information, visit www.perkmenno.org or call 215-723-2010.

Liberty Ministries will host an Open House and concert on Sunday, May 18 from 3 – 6 p.m. There will be prizes, fun for the children, good food, tours of the facility, information booths, opportunities to volunteer, a live D.J., and much more! The Christian Blues Band, Obadiah, will perform at 6 p.m. on the grounds of Liberty Ministries. If it rains, the concert will be held at New Eden Fellowship. Everything is free of charge. For more information or directions, visit www.libertyministries.us.

Souderton Mennonite Church is looking for someone to interpret the 11:15 a.m. Sunday worship service once or twice a month for those who are hearing-impaired. If interested, please contact Sandy Drescher-Lehman at 215-723-3088, ext. 17.

Stephen Kriss skriss@franconiaconference.org

The current issue of The Mennonite is chalked full of Franconia Conference writers on the theme of evangelism. It’s unusual that a single issue of the Mennonite Church USA’s official magazine would feature this many writers from within a single constituency. According to Gordon Houser, associate editor for The Mennonite, the articles were submitted at different times and collected toward the issue’s theme.

The issue includes “Can we embrace evangelism and peace?” which was previously published as a Franconia Conference staff blog by Gay Brunt Miller, Director of Collaborative Ministries. Greg Albright from Whitehall (Pa.) Mennonite Church, who is a student at Swarthmore College in Philadelphia’s Main Line suburbs, tells of his experiment with “Confessional Evangelism” on campus. The third article is from Vic Sensenig, who is currently serving with Mennonite Central Committee in Indonesia and is a member of Souderton (Pa.) Mennonite Church. Sensenig explores the perspectives of new atheism and possible Christian response.

Conference Executive Minister Noel Santiago suggests, “Perhaps the Holy Spirit is re-enlivening part of our historic practice of discipleship with the same radical evangelistic witness that had significant impact in the world of the 16th century Anabaptists.” Santiago also highlights that these three articles come from persons in congregations with active initiatives to cultivate relationships with neighbors, friends and persons not currently professing Christian faith or involved in the life of the church. He asks, “What might this suggest about our missional future?”

To learn more about the experience of Gay Brunt Miller’s congregation, Spring Mount, see “The End of Ethnic Mennonite Life” in this month’s issue of Intersections.

To learn more about Whitehall Mennonite Church’s Ripple Effects, see the lead article in April Intersections or check out www.ripplelehighvalley.org

To learn more about Souderton Mennonite Church’s Alpha initiatives check out www.alphacafe.org

Miriam, who was born in Lancaster County, Pa., came to Salford in 2000 as an associate pastor. Mim was ordained in 1992 at Belmont Mennonite Church, Elkhart, Ind., and serves on the boards for Goshen (Ind.) College and Dock Woods Community in Lansdale, Pa. She is a graduate of Eastern University and received her pastoral training at London Bible College and Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Ind. She worked overseas for eleven years with Eastern Mennonite Missions.

Jim is a graduate of Eastern Mennonite College, Harrisonburg, Va., and AMBS. He received his D.Min from Drew University in Madison, N.J. He was ordained in 1963 and served most recently for eleven years as conference pastor for Franconia Mennonite Conference. He will serve part-time, focusing primarily on preaching.

This will not be the first time Mim and Jim have worked together; both served many years as executive staff for the Mennonite Church General Board. They married in 2000.

Regular attendees and guests filled the sanctuary for the special installation service. Family of Mim and Jim provided the offertory music; Donella Clemens, Franconia Conference Minister, led the pastoral commitments; and Salford members as well as visiting friends of Mim and Jim offered words of blessing. Richard and Ruth Weaver, spiritual directors from Ephrata, Pa., administered the anointing of oil; and Salford’s adult and children’s choirs provided additional music.

Guest preachers for the service were Bob and Enid Schloneger, a retired husband-and-wife pastoral team who served at Blooming Glen Mennonite Church from 1999 to 2007. They now reside in Smithville, Ohio.

During the service, Mim voiced her desire to lead the congregation in fulfilling the purposes of God for the church; and following the example of Jesus, to be a person of love. Jim expressed his wish to help the congregation exemplify the purpose, presence and power of God in its mission in the world. Both are committed to lead the Salford congregation to live out Salford’s vision to be “a joyful, learning community eager to live and share the peaceable way of Jesus.”

Salford Mennonite Church, established in 1728, has approximately 400 current members and is located in Harleysville, Pa.

(click) to View Photo Album of the installation

photos by: Timoyer

A Special Issue of Peace and Justice News (PJN) on “Conscientious Objection to War” is now posted on the Peace and Justice Committee’s website at http://efpjc.ppjr.org or use the following link:
http://www.swarthmore.edu/library/peace/conscientiousobjection/co%20website/pages/CONewsletterOpenOffice.pdf. PJN is published 3 or 4 times a year by the Eastern District Conference and Franconia Mennonite Conference Peace and Justice Committee.

Quakertown Christian School will host its 49th Annual Country Auction & Fair on Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10. The two-day event kicks off on Friday evening with a Chicken Barbecue dinner from 4 – 8 p.m. with drive-thru service available. The Friday evening auction begins at 7 p.m. Saturday morning begins with a breakfast from 8 – 10 a.m. and the auction beginning at 10 a.m. Admission is free with on-sight parking. For a complete schedule, visit www.quakertownchristian.org or call 215-536-6970.

Towamencin Mennonite Church invites everyone to their Annual Spring Yard Sale on Saturday, May 10 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be a bake sale, plants, food, and a lot of yard sale treasures. Reserve a parking space for $10 to sell your own treasures by calling the church office at 215-368-2450. The rain date is Saturday, May 17.

HAHNA, a group of four Eastern Mennonite University students will be performing a concert of varied music around the theme of being united in love – of God, others, and music - on Friday, May 16, 7 p.m. at Blooming Glen Mennonite Church. Hahna, in Korean, means united, in an all-encompassing unity in God. Come and enjoy an evening of music including hymns, a cappella music, classical, Broadway, and instrumental music. The members of the group include Benjamin Bergey, Lena Risser, Eojin Lee and Joshua Dean.

The May prayer gathering of Franconia Conference goes to the marketplace! We will be meeting on Saturday, May 17, 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at the Gehman Custom Remodeling showroom in Harleysville. Pastors, intercessors, business owners, and anyone interested in prayer and the marketplace is invited. Noel Santiago, Executive Minister, will bring a message of encouragement and we will also spend time in worship and prayer. Visit www.prayer.franconiaconference.org for updated information.

Job Opportunity
Bethany Birches Camp in Vermont is seeking counselors and a preparation cook beginning in mid-June. Counselors have fun and share God’s love with the campers. The preparation cook prepares, serves, and gives leadership in the kitchen. Spend the summer in the Green Mountains. For more information, visit www.vtchildrenscamp.com.

TABGHA, Israel (CNS) — As the two hikers reach the parking lot of the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes, a group of tourists scrambles into their waiting air-conditioned bus.

The hikers, Maoz Inon, 32, and David Landis, 25, have just taken a short hike down from the Mount of Beatitudes to the shore of the Sea of Galilee on part of the new Jesus Trail hiking route they have mapped out over the past five months.

“Can you imagine what it would be like for a hiker after walking the route for some hours and then to arrive here, or at another holy site? It is different than arriving on an air-conditioned bus,” said Inon.

The two young entrepreneurs — Inon, a Jewish Israeli, and Landis, an American Mennonite tourist who divides his time between Israel and other travel destinations — met over the Internet when Landis came across
Inon’s travel blog.

For several years Inon had toyed with the idea of mapping out a hiking trail along the route of Christian holy sites in Galilee. He found a partner in Landis, who shared his passion for hiking and world travel.

Landis mapped out the trail using Global Positioning System navigation and Google Earth, which offers searchable satellite imagery and maps. A map or GPS files of the route can be downloaded from the Web site — www.jesustrail.com — and an experienced hiker can set out on his own. The Web site also includes information about the trail,
accommodations, tour operators and other logistics.

The 40-mile trail, which follows the pre-existing Israel National Trail as much as possible, begins in Nazareth and passes through places of Jesus’ ministry: Cana, the site of the wedding feast and Jesus’ first miracle; Tabgha, where Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes; and Capernaum, which served as Jesus’ home base during his ministry. The trail also includes traditional Israeli tourist sites such as Zippori, famous for its Byzantine mosaics, and the Cliffs of Arbel, with their
panoramic views.

The trail culminates at the Mount of Beatitudes. An optional return route of equal distance passes through additional sites on a circuit back to Nazareth.

Most of the trails are accessible to all hikers, with varying degrees of difficulties. Public transportation is easily accessible from many parts of the trail.

The trail follows the growing trend in pilgrimage hikes such as the Way of St. James to Spain’s Santiago de Compostela and the St. Paul Trail in Turkey, said Inon. A group from Harvard University is putting together a trail following in the footsteps of Abraham — from eastern Turkey, through Syria, Jordan and ending in Hebron, West Bank — as an interfaith peace-building project, he added.

The Israeli Ministry of Tourism has been considering a similar idea for almost eight years, but the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly, said Amir Moran, who is working on the planning of the Gospel Trail for the Ministry of Tourism and the Galilee Development Authority. The Ministry of Tourism path, which will in many places follow the Jesus Trail, will include marked paths, parking lots, shaded areas, rest areas and other facilities, Moran said. The project, which is expected to be completed in about two years, will cost between $2 million and $3 million, he said.

“We as a public group need to make sure the tourists have a safe path to follow. There are things we as public officials can do which Maoz can’t do. I very much support Maoz’s initiative. The idea is a very
natural one,” said Moran.

Though it may be hard for the Western mindset to comprehend, Inon said with a grin that he and Landis expect no financial compensation for the work they are doing. They hope their path will attract more tourism to the area and encourage people to spend more time in northern Israel, eating at local restaurants, buying supplies from shops along the route
and visiting the small villages and Christian monasteries in the area.

“You give and you get,” said Inon, adding that they both enjoy the work they are doing and the people they are meeting along the way.

“Hiking is a much more humble way to travel,” said Landis. “You are in contact with people that you meet, you have to work for it and appreciate it more.

“You can connect with the way Jesus walked and lived as a real person. It is something that is moving and living. It is not just something that happened a long time ago that existed in one place, but something you
can participate in in a different way.

“Jesus didn’t build churches,” he added. “Jesus met people by walking from village to village.”

Copyright (c) 2008 Catholic News Service www.CatholicNews.com Used with permission of CNS

(click the header to read all stories)

Read the articles online:

• Emerging church profiles: Furthering the reign of God- Lora Steiner
• Inviting Outsiders- Gay Brunt Miller
• At the End of Ethnic Mennonite Life- Michael A. King
• Global shared convictions series: Where is the dove?- Blaine Detwiler
• Pilgrims on a Journey: Exploring Mennonite Spirituality- Forrest L. Moyer
• Motivated by the spirit of generosity: Living out their love for God- Brandon Bergey
• Celebrating a donation of time: Working to alleviate poverty- Cory Suter
• Scenes from the Junior High Lock In…

Click to View/download the printable PDF

Emerging church groups are hard to define. There is no pastor’s office, just a home phone number. Often there’s no set meeting time and, if there is, it’s not on Sunday morning. All of the following emerging worshipping groups are somehow affiliated with the conference —sometimes through a member, sometimes through the leaders, sometimes through an existing congregation. As with all churches, styles of worship vary and the visions and dreams of each congregation look a little different but all call themselves a part of the body of Christ, working to further the reign of God here on earth.

Centro de Alabanza, Philadelphia
Figuring out how Lety and Fernando arrived at Philadelphia Praise Center (PPC) is like playing a game of connect-the-dots. Or, as it were, connect-God’s-small-miracles.

The story begins with Alejandra Lopez, a graduate of Tabor College who was interested in going to Indonesia but had student loans to pay and needed to find a job. At the time PPC was joining Franconia Conference, so Franconia put Lopez in touch with PPC. PPC began with the vision of becoming a multicultural church, and asked Lopez, who is from Mexico, to help them start a service for the local Hispanic community.

When she lived in Mexico, Lopez had attended a church in Mexico City pastored by Kirk Hanger, who now leads New Hope Fellowship in Alexandria, Va. Hanger and Lopez knew of a Hispanic couple living in Denver, Co., gifted in evangelism and church planting. So they invited Fernando, Lety and their two daugthers to come to Philadelphia.

Since their arrival in Philadelphia, the couple has been working at outreach and evangelizing. About five percent of the population of South Philadelphia is Spanish-speaking; many are from Mexico, but others are from Honduras, Guatemala and Ecuador, meaning that although they share a common language, there are cultural differences. Many of the immigrants are undocumented, trying to find jobs and adjust to a new culture. Fernando and Lety have worked to make contacts within the community, but struggle to find times to meet because most immigrants don’t work regular hours. More than anything, their goal has been to befriend people.

“We wanted to serve God, and this is how we could do it,” says Fernando. Despite their struggles, Fernando and Lety can see the need and are working toward helping PPC realize its vision of a multicultural church. God is opening doors—more people are talking to them and they’re beginning Bible studies.

“Dios está cambiando vidas,” says Lety. God is changing lives.

Nueva Esperanza, Baltimore
While Kirk Hanger has played a supporting role in Philadelphia, he’s also working with a church plant in Baltimore called Nueva Esperanza.

Nueva Esperanza began two years ago, when the family of one of New Hope’s members expressed interest in starting a cell group in Baltimore. Services are conducted in Spanish, and currently all the attendees are immigrants from Mexico. The group is a mix of old and new believers, and is planning a baptismal service for mid-May.

Hanger hopes that the group will eventually become a full-fledged congregation. He drives to Baltimore most Sundays, but is praying for someone who could serve as a bi-vocational minister.

Hanger, who lived in Mexico for ten years, is always looking for ways to network with others to develop new congregations. He wants to make the work part of a broader ministry and utilize the leadership gifts of people to help multiply churches. He notes the most important thing is to be willing to take risks and try different things.

“Sometimes things work,” says Hanger, who is also working with a Spanish-speaking congregation in North Carolina. “Sometimes they don’t. If you’re out there scattering enough seed some things will come up and grow and that’s where you focus your energy. There are failures and successes, but you have to try.”

Crossroads, Chester, Vermont
Last fall, when Andover (Vt.) Community Church broke its ties with Franconia Conference and Mennonite Church USA, Christine and Daniel Chapman, who had pastored at the church, wanted to remain connected to the Mennonite Church. It turned out others felt the same and asked Chris and Dan to continue meeting.

The group, which calls itself Crossroads, recently had its second meeting. Worship services include music, but no sermons. There is time for discussion, coffee and snacks. Chris feels coffee is important, and not just for its caffeine jolt, “I think people share better over a cup of coffee.”

She is leading the group for now, trying to form a core group and waiting to see where it goes. The group’s vision from the beginning has been to “not just be hearers of the word, but be doers also.” Participants wanted to be missional—to go out and do mission, not just sit and talk.

Chapman shares that vision: “I want to see it be a missional group, to be able to get up at any moment and go help others, whether it’s down the street or across the ocean. They want to be the doers of the word…if that ‘do’ means that we meet at four and someone says, ‘Did you see that person down the street? Can we go down there?’ Then we go out and rake leaves or shovel snow.”

The group set some guidelines from the beginning—the biggest was encouraging participation from all, not letting anyone dominate the conversation—but they’re still asking questions about structure and service. Chapman says that their time together “does not, at all, in anyway, look like a typical church service. And I think right now that’s what people are looking for.”

Those who attend Crossroads are a mix of people from Andover—some attend both services—and others who don’t feel like they fit in standard church: they don’t speak the religious language, or buy into all the traditions and trappings that go with traditional church. Chapman says there are a lot of good things in tradition, and that she doesn’t want to “throw out the baby with the bathwater.” But, she adds, “I think tradition has ruled for too long.” She wants to see where it goes, to “have the ability to be flexible and yet hold on to that which is true.”

She’s not sure if they’ll ever have a church building, and she’s okay with that. “I’d like to see it develop and move in the way that God wants it to move,” says Chapman, “Not in the way that man wants it to move.”

Nations Worship Center, Silver Spring, Md.
Nations Worship Center, in Philadelphia, is initiating a new worshiping in Silver Spring, Md.
The new congregation is a mix of recent immigrants and Indonesians who are now citizens of the United States. Services are sometimes held in Indonesian and sometimes in English, especially since the younger members of the church don’t always speak Indonesian very well.

The Silver Spring group began in 2006, when a few persons living in suburban Washington, DC, Beny Krisbianto, pastor with the Philadelphia congregation, to come preach. Some of the group had family who lived in Philadelphia and were attending Nations Worship Center.

The small group started meeting each Friday, and grew rapidly. Recently the congregation began meeting regularly on Sundays. The church still meets in a home, which they call their “house of prayer.” They also hold a large service—such as a concert—each month.

The church is led by Beny Krisbianto; Yunis Perksasa who is also a pastor at the Philadelphia congregation; and Wanda Pesulima, who lives in suburban Maryland. One of the goals of the church is to connect with other Indonesian congregations in the area, as well as to reach out to the Indonesian community there. Pastor Krisbianto says that the church in South Philadelphia has always collaborated with other congregations and finds it important to connect so they don’t just pull members from other churches.

“Our vision for this year is to build a house of prayer,” says Krisbianto. The Nations Worship Maryland congregation spends time praying for the United States and those who work in Washington, D.C. “We’re trying to work with the other churches in prayer. Prayer is a common, simple vision. We can come together for prayer.”

Ripple Effects, Allentown, Pa
For every action, says Newton’s third law of motion, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Isaac Newton was concerned with the natural world, but his laws could easily be applied to people: With every interaction, our lives create ripples that flow out from us affecting others in their path. When the group “Ripple Effects” meets, they spend time talking about the ripples they’ve experienced and created in the past week—usually for the better, although sometimes for the worse.

Ripple Effects began just over a year ago mostly as an experiment: The Albrights had been a part of Whitehall for a dozen years, and Tom had been pastor of the congregation for nearly six. Tom was hired as an interim pastor and had only intended to stay 18 months; he was ready to try something different.

As a pastor, Tom had emphasized reaching out and inviting others in the church. He presented some of his ideas to the congregation, but not everyone shared his vision. At the same time, Franconia Mennonite Conference was encouraging its members to do “missional experiments” and leaders in the church and conference encouraged Tom and Carolyn to try some of their ideas.

“We thought, Okay, let’s do a missional experiment,” says Tom. And Ripple Effects was born. It started with brunch and a discussion on the Gospel of Mark; now the group meets weekly in various locations.

Their focus is to talk about Jesus. But they try to avoid “churchy” language and leave space to wrestle with the questions. “We had been meeting different people who knew they didn’t want to be part of churches for different reasons,” says Carolyn, “But were still asking good life questions.”

“What we’re doing, it seems to me, is being drawn towards the center of Jesus,” says Tom. “And being drawn means that we can meet all kinds of people along the way, and very openly, honestly, caringly and lovingly, say, ‘Would you like to join us in looking at this center?’ I picture it as a sea of the love of God. No one is outside of that.”

For the Albrights, Ripple Effects has been exciting and energizing, but also challenging. Carolyn says one of the unexpected challenges is the “unplanning” of it. “Because of not knowing how people are going to respond, we have to be flexible,” she says, “And realize that this is God’s event, not ours.”

For Tom, it has been a challenge—albeit a good one—to relate to non-Christians. “We have to learn—instead of how to hand out the tract next door­—how to be a real, authentic neighbor. Just love the person.”
Tom says that learning to interact in this way doesn’t change the message nor its truth, but it does leave more space for questions and doubts. “One of the things I’ve learned from teaching: you can teach lots of facts, but if they learn it for themselves, then they remember it. Then it’s theirs.”

Others say they appreciate that space; it’s encouraged them be open-minded or helped them get to know their neighbors. And it’s given them a community. “I’m happier about myself and the rest of the world after coming here,” says one.