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/
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.
Thank you for your prayer support of Mennonite education. The Mennonite Education Agency has posted new Prayers for Faith and Learning for the month of March at www.MennoniteEducation.org/PRAYERS. Subscriptions are available online by visiting www.MennoniteEducation.org/Subscribe.
“Dock’s Got Talent” will raise money to help Nations Worship Center, a Franconia conference church, raise money for a new worship space. The talent show fundraiser will be held at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School tomorrow evening, Monday, March 8 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. The entry “fee” for the talent show was either $100 or 100 lbs. of jasmine rice or Ramen noodles. The food will also be donated to NWC for a food distribution program it operates for families in its south Philadelphia neighborhood. Members of NWC will join for the evening, which will also feature a silent auction and food sales (rice and noodles, naturally). Come out and have some fun for a great cause!
Karen’s Place, the coffee shop ministry of Doylestown Mennonite Church, continues the 10th Annual Blues-Rock Madness Month on Saturday, March 13 with Raging Grace, a Connecticut based blues-rock band. Admission is free. Donations collected will go to Mennonite Disaster Service to benefit hurricane victims in the Gulf area. Join this great time of Christian fellowship and music in a laid-back coffee-shop setting. For more information, please call the church office at 215-345-6377 or visit www.karensplace.org.
You are invited to RIPPLE at The Caring Place, 931 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA, on Sunday, March 14 at 4 p.m. to share in a possibility that will provide hope to the community and to help realize a dream of helping others in need. We will be praying, worshiping and giving what we can to help build a professional kitchen in the Caring Place. Mrs. Mary Griffin, director of The Caring Place (where Ripple meets), has a vision of a space where people of the Lehigh Valley can find work in their own micro-business by using a restaurant-quality inspected kitchen to produce specialty food items to sell. The youth of The Caring Place can also learn vocational skills from professional chefs to help them reach their career goals. Come in casual dress, have a snack and a cup of coffee in the Caring Coffee Cafe, hear the Word of God as it is relevant and involved in our lives, listen to a dream, pray for God’s possibilities, offer what you can–your talent (we will be working together on 3/20/10), donations and prayers. Childcare is available. If you would like more information, contact Tom Albright at 610-462-1075.
Come to the Quiet . . . at the next monthly Evening Song and Prayer service at Perkasie Mennonite Church on Sunday, March 14, from 7 to 8 p.m. Using music from the Taizé community in France, as well as hymns of the church, we gather in a candle-lit atmosphere for scripture, song, silence, and prayers for our world, communities and loved ones. For directions check the church website at www.perkmenno.org or call 215-257-3117.
PA Relief Sale! Join the festivities on April 2 and 3 at the Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg. Come for the food, bid on items at the Quilt Auction and Country Auction, and shop at the flower booth and other artisan displays. Children will enjoy activities in the Children’s area including an auction just for them! All sale day proceeds benefit the worldwide relief efforts of Mennonite Central Committee.
The Mennonite Central Committee Material Resource Project for April is Sewing Kits. When Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) began 90 years ago, the first supplies were sent to Mennonites living in Ukraine who were suffering from lack of food. MCC continues helping in that part of the world by sending more than 500 to Ukraine in the past year. The kits provide basic tools to make and mend clothing. People with little access to these simple but important items will use them well. Sewing kits are distributed in a useful double drawstring cloth bag (11in x 16in). You may sew the bag yourself, request bags from an MCC collection center, or donate contents that will be placed in a bag by MCC staff. Kits may be dropped off at the MCC Material Resource Center of Harleysville at 737 Hagey Center Drive, Suite C, Souderton. Contents (NEW items only)
1 metric tape measure
2 spools dual use white thread (cotton/polyester, minimum 273m / 300 yards each)
2 spools dual use black thread (cotton/polyester, minimum 273m / 300 yards each)
1 thimble (medium size)
1 dressmaker’s scissors (good quality)
1 pkg. needles (approx. 25)
1 pkg. straight pins (approx. 100)
1 pkg. hooks and eyes (approx. 12)
1 pkg. sew on snaps (approx. 20-25)
10 assorted safety pins
Kairos: School of Spiritual Formation welcomes all interested in the following April 2010 retreats at the Jesuit Center in Wernersville, PA. Register by March 25. Later registrations accepted on a space-available basis. For more information on the retreats or to register visit www.on-the-journey.org or contact Kairos at 717-669-2957:
* Silent Retreat: Wednesday evening April 7 to Friday, April 9 at noon
* Love as a Central Theme to the Journey: Friday evening, April 9 to Sunday, April 11 noon or Sat (only option)
* Silent Retreat: Friday evening, April 9 to Sunday, April 11 at noon or Sat (only option)
The day will include a morning and afternoon session of worship through music, prayer and sharing of the Word by Bonnie Stevenson, missionary in Mexico, serving at Monte Maria Tierra, Prometida, Mexico City. The theme of the morning session will be “Laying Down the Burden” and the theme for the afternoon will be “Picking Up Joy”.
Lunch will be provided, as well as opportunities for fellowship and pampering such as head, neck and shoulder massage, light stretching and prayer stations. Child care will not be provided.
Click on the image above to download a PDF of the event flyer.
To register for this event by mail, download the registration form here.
Over 70 pastors, educators, and leaders from Franconia Conference recently explored the past, present, and future of Mennonite churches with author Conrad Kanagy. Dr. Kanagy, author of Road Signs for the Journey: A Profile of Mennonite Church USA, writes and speaks about the changing realities facing churches in the 21st century.
A thoughtful and compelling speaker, Dr. Kanagy believes churches should become more outwardly focused (missional) in order to better share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Road Signs for the Journey, his latest book, is based on a seven-page questionnaire sent to 3,000 members of Mennonite congregations across the United States in 2006. Inspired by the message of Jeremiah 31:21, Dr. Kanagy recognizes the importance of road signs and guideposts in helping God’s people stay on track.
The luncheon event featuring Dr. Kanagy was sponsored by the Catalyst for Missional Leadership (C4ML), the ministry arm of Biblical Seminary, and held on the seminary’s Hatfield, PA campus. Biblical Seminary, a nondenominational graduate school located outside Philadelphia, offers master’s degrees, the Doctor of Ministry degree, and certificates. Dr. Kanagy teaches in the school’s Doctor of Ministry (DMin) program.
“Conrad brings to our DMin faculty the perspective of a practicing sociologist, informed by his deep commitment to missional Christianity. His Mennonite background enriches the evangelical theological diversity which also characterizes our program,” states Mick Noel, executive director of C4ML and head of Biblical’s DMin program. C4ML creates learning opportunities for pastors, churches, and Christian leaders through its workshops, seminars, and community classes. It also helps churches and pastors develop missionally-directed congregations.
Conrad L. Kanagy is a professor of sociology at Elizabethtown College and an ordained minister in Mennonite Church USA. He is also a consultant to congregations and mid-level judicatories and has been involved in the Partnership for Missional Church since 2005. He holds graduate degrees in rural sociology from Penn State University and co-authored, with Donald B. Kraybill, Riddles of Human Society.
Michael A. King, a long-time writer, editor, publisher and pastor from Telford, Pa., has been named the new vice president and dean of Eastern Mennonite Seminary, Harrisonburg, Va.
Dr. King will begin his new role July 1, 2010. He succeeds Ervin R. Stutzman, who held the position nine years. Dr. Stutzman has begun serving as the new executive secretary of Mennonite Church USA. Dr. Sara Wenger Shenk is interim dean.
The vice president and seminary dean provides leadership and oversight for all seminary programs and faculty.
“Michael’s years of pastoral experience, academic preparation and passion for preparing church leaders will serve us well in his new role,” said Loren Swartzendruber, EMU president. “We anticipate his contributions to EMS as dean and to the entire university as he joins the leadership team.”
“Michael King comes to us from a distinguished career as a pastor, scholar and publisher,” said Fred Kniss, EMU provost. “He is a serious scholar with a pastoral orientation and will provide a clear Anabaptist voice in conversation with diverse Mennonite and Methodist constituencies and other audiences. Michael is committed to the mission of our university and especially to the seminary’s key role in training the next generation of church leaders,” Dr. Kniss added.
King is the owner, editor and publisher of Cascadia Publishing House, an Anabaptist-Mennonite publisher supporting examination of faith, history and contemporary life from an Anabaptist perspective. Cascadia publishes theological and scholarly volumes under the Cascadia label and popular books through the DreamSeeker Books imprint.
He has been a pastor at Germantown Mennonite Church in Philadelphia, Pa.; Salford Mennonite Church, Harleysville, Pa.; Zion Mennonite Church, Souderton Pa., and most recently Spring Mount Mennonite Church, Schwenksville, Pa. He has been an adjunct professor at EMS Lancaster and Messiah-Temple in Philadelphia.
Books he has authored include “Trackless Wastes and Stars to Steer By: Christian Identity in a Homeless age” and “Preaching about Life in a Threatening World.” He has also edited multiple volumes including “Anabaptist Preaching: A Conversation between Pulpit, Pew and Bible.”
“Church, culture, and seminary education all seem to be undergoing tremendous ferment and transition,” King said. “This places seminaries in the center of much of the important action in our day. I look forward to journeying with seminary students, staff and faculty as together we seek to discern how the Holy Spirit is speaking in the thick of it all.”
He received a BA degree in Bible and philosophy from EMU in 1976, an MDiv degree from Palmer Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and a PhD in rhetoric and communications from Temple University.
King is married to Joan Kenersen King, owner of Joan Kenerson King Consulting and Counseling, through which she provides public behavioral health consulting services. She is also a family therapist. They have three daughters - Kristina, EMU 2003, Katelyn, EMU 2006, and Rachael, an EMU senior.
Eastern Mennonite Seminary, a graduate program of theological studies on the EMU campus seeks to educate leaders to serve and lead in ministry in a global context.
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