Board
Marta Beidler Castillo
Member-at-Large
Marta Beidler Castillo lives in Norristown, Pa, where she serves as an associate pastor at Nueva Vida Norristown New Life congregation. Marta grew up in both Vietnam and Indonesia, the daughter of Franconia Conference-rooted mission workers. She’s committed to the intercultural work of antiracism and racial reconciliation. Marta lives in a bilingual Spanish/English household with her husband, Julio and children, Andres and Daniel. With broad mission experiences internationally and in a US urban location, Marta is committed to prayer along with active engagement of diverse neighborhoods with the message of Christ’s Good News.
John Goshow
Moderator and Conference Board Chair
John Goshow is retiring this fall after 33 years of service and leadership at Penn Foundation, Sellersville, Pa, where he served as president and CEO for the last decade. John and his wife Janet live near Perkasie, Pa, and are the parents of three adult children. They attend Blooming Glen Mennonite Church where John is a Sunday school teacher. John has served on the Board of Directors of Mennonite Health Services Alliance and in local and regional associations for community building and behavioral healthcare. He brings experience with organizational leadership as well as a social work background, combined with years of service connected with the church.
Joe Hackman
Member-at-Large
Joe Hackman lives in Harleysville, Pa, with his wife Angela and daughter Ila. He grew up attending Swamp Mennonite Church at Quakertown and currently serves on the pastoral team at Salford Mennonite Church. Joe recently graduated from Eastern Mennonite Seminary in Pennsylvania, returning to school after several years of teaching at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School. He’s passionate about the possibilities for Anabaptism in a postmodern context, loves working with young leaders and has worked hard to build bridges between the established and emerging congregations of Franconia Conference.
Jim King
Member-at-Large
Jim King is a member at Plains Mennonite Church. There, he has served as a Sunday School teacher, elder, and youth mentor. In 1991, Jim began as president of KJ Plastics, a plastic recycling company in Lansdale. Jim joined the conference board in 2010, and brings with him a sincere desire to be a faithful steward of what God has given, to make church real and meaningful to young people, and to respect the environment.
Beny Krisbianto
Leadership Pastor
Beny was born in Indonesia, the country with the highest Muslim population in the world, but his parents were Christians. Aside from working for the Conference, Beny has also worked with the Nations Worship Centers in both Iowa and Philadelphia. To relax, Beny watches football and the highlights of soccer games. He came to the US by way of Iowa (go Hawkeyes!).
Beny appreciated the support churches in the Conference gave his congregation in 2010 when many in his congregations lost their jobs. Conference groups jumped in to help the congregation. Christopher Dock collected rice and noodles and the Salford and Souderton congregations also helped. “I couldn't imagine if the congregation had tried to do that by themselves,” he said. He loves that Mennonite community is based in faithfulness to Christ. “I love the vision of the conference that wants to embrace multicultural vision,” he said. “As an immigrant congregation, we feel welcomed to be a part of the conference.”
Jim Laverty
Member-at-Large
Jim Laverty is the Pastor of Equipping and Discipling at Souderton Mennonite Church. In this role Jim acts as leader of the equipping core team and the adult education team. He also is the pastoral contact for the young adult ministry. Jim is the core team leader for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Equipping Network and a spiritual care team member of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Red Cross Chapter. Jim began serving on the conference board in 2007 and brings intercultural experience along with gifts of thinking theologically, strategically and with the big picture in mind.
James B. Longacre
Member-at-Large
James B. Longacre attends Bally Mennonite Church where he grew up as son of the pastor. Jim has been active in the congregation’s leadership and believes that the Anabaptist/Mennonite way of telling and living the Good News is particularly relevant in today’s world. Jim is an attorney specializing in employee benefits law, working with a regional firm in Reading, Pa. He and his wife Ann along with their children Ben, Sam, and Zoe moved back to the family farm near Bally, Pa after years of living in Washington DC and now can frequently be found at youth sporting events throughout southeastern PA.
Randy Nyce
Conference Board Finance Committee Chair
Randy Nyce is church relations manager for MMA/Everence based at the Souderton (Pa) office. He and his wife Juanita and son Garrett have recently relocated to Hilltown Twp, Pa, where they live in a three-generation household after a decade of living in Philadelphia. Having grown up in Franconia Conference, Randy worked as a teacher at Philadelphia Mennonite High School and as executive director at Germantown Mennonite Historic Trust. Randy had worked with stewardship education in his previous congregation (Circle of Hope Brethren in Christ in Philadelphia) and currently helps facilitate young adult Sunday school classes at Salford Mennonite Church.
Rina Rampogu
Member-at-Large
Rina Rampogu is a member at Plains Mennonite Church. She teaches Jr. and Sr. High Sunday School, along with periodically serving as a worship leader. Rina has worked in banking for the past 14 years and currently holds the position of Market Leadership in the Southeastern Pennsylvania region for Bank of America. Rina joined the conference board in 2006 and began serving on the Executive Committee in 2008. She brings business and intercultural experience, along with a passionate missional bias.
Nelson Shenk
Conference Board Ministerial Committee Chair
Nelson Shenk has served as the pastor at Boyertown Mennonite Church for the past 15 years. Prior to becoming a pastor, Nelson was an elder at Boyertown and taught Sunday School. He has also been a part of various mission trips to Mexico City, Chile, and New Orleans. Nelson joined the Conference Board in 2004. He serves as chair of the Ministerial Committee and joined the Executive Committee in 2009. Nelson brings a theological background and a passion for missions to his role on the conference board.
Executive Committee
John Goshow
Moderator and Conference Board Chair
John Goshow is retiring this fall after 33 years of service and leadership at Penn Foundation, Sellersville, Pa, where he served as president and CEO for the last decade. John and his wife Janet live near Perkasie, Pa, and are the parents of three adult children. They attend Blooming Glen Mennonite Church where John is a Sunday school teacher. John has served on the Board of Directors of Mennonite Health Services Alliance and in local and regional associations for community building and behavioral healthcare. He brings experience with organizational leadership as well as a social work background, combined with years of service connected with the church.
Randy Nyce
Conference Board Finance Committee Chair
Randy Nyce is church relations manager for MMA/Everence based at the Souderton (Pa) office. He and his wife Juanita and son Garrett have recently relocated to Hilltown Twp, Pa, where they live in a three-generation household after a decade of living in Philadelphia. Having grown up in Franconia Conference, Randy worked as a teacher at Philadelphia Mennonite High School and as executive director at Germantown Mennonite Historic Trust. Randy had worked with stewardship education in his previous congregation (Circle of Hope Brethren in Christ in Philadelphia) and currently helps facilitate young adult Sunday school classes at Salford Mennonite Church.
Nelson Shenk
Conference Board Ministerial Committee Chair
Nelson Shenk has served as the pastor at Boyertown Mennonite Church for the past 15 years. Prior to becoming a pastor, Nelson was an elder at Boyertown and taught Sunday School. He has also been a part of various mission trips to Mexico City, Chile, and New Orleans. Nelson joined the Conference Board in 2004. He serves as chair of the Ministerial Committee and joined the Executive Committee in 2009. Nelson brings a theological background and a passion for missions to his role on the conference board.
Ertell Whigham
Executive Minister
Finance
Charlotte Hunsberger
Consultant
Blooming Glen
Jennifer Landis
Conference Board Finance Committee
Franconia
Conrad Martin
Director of Finance
Blooming Glen
Randy Nyce
Conference Board Finance Committee Chair
Salford
Barb Rice
Conference Board Finance Committee
Deep Run East
Timothy Swartley
Conference Board Finance Committee
Blooming Glen
Ministerial
Ken Burkholder
Conference Board Ministerial Committee
Deep Run East
Marlene Derstine
Conference Board Ministerial Committee
Franconia
Carolyn Egli
Conference Board Ministerial Committee
Whitehall
Noah Kolb
Pastor of Ministerial Leadership
Plains
Janet Panning
Conference Board Ministerial Committee
Plains
Nelson Shenk
Conference Board Ministerial Committee Chair
Boyertown
Jim Williams
Conference Board Ministerial Committee
Nueva Vida Norristown New Life
Ray Yoder
LEADership Minister
Credentialing
Marta Beidler Castillo
Member-at-Large
Nueva Vida Norristown New Life
Mike Clemmer
Conference Credentials Committee
Towamencin
Marlene Derstine
Conference Board Ministerial Committee
Franconia
Mike Derstine
Conference Credentials Committee Chair
Plains
Mary Nitzsche
Conference Credentials Committee
Blooming Glen
Properties
Brian Alderfer
Franconia Conference Properties Secretary/ Treasurer
Blooming Glen
Marvin Anders
Franconia Conference Properties President
Salford
Conrad Martin
Director of Finance
Blooming Glen