Franconia Mennonite Conference
Conference Assembly Minutes
Saturday, November 8, 2008, 8:00 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Penn View Christian School
Come to the table: Embrace God in Us
On-going Worship and Intercessory Prayer
The on-going worship and prayer ministry continued this morning. Delegates were invited to attend as they felt led.
Opening and Welcome
Jessica Walter welcomed the delegates back to the assembly by reminding them of the significance of the table and encouraged them to think about the table theme throughout the day.
The delegates joined the worship band in singing several praise songs as the second day of conference assembly began.
Ballot Action for Conference Board and Committee Positions
Blaine Detwiler, conference moderator, reminded delegates to sign in on the sheet at each table. This will be used for roll call. He also called for action on the ballot for
Conference Board Members and Committee Positions. Delegates completed the ballot to act
Action 1: to affirm Randy Heacock as Assistant Conference Moderator and
Conference Board Vice Chair.
The ballots were quickly collected and tabulated. It was announced later that a 100% approval was given to Randy by the 129 delegates present at this meeting.
Blaine also called attention to the Delegate Nomination Suggestion Form. He asked the delegates to prayerfully review the form, write in names and information and submit the form today or at a later time to the Franconia Conference office.
Minutes approved
Randy Heacock, assistant conference moderator, highlighted the themes from Fall
Conference Assembly 2007. Randy called for action. The delegates acted by responding with “I”
Action 2: to approve the minutes of the November 9 - 10, 2007 Conference
Assembly
Vision and Financial Plan Update
Noel Santiago, executive minister, invited the delegates to turn their attention to the two documents FMC Vision and Finance Plan (VFP) Team Recommendations and VFP
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Recommendations Progress update for time period: January – August 2008. Noel reviewed the work of the team over the past three years. The task of the team was “to seek greater alignment in the use of historic resources in meeting the call for greater contemporary and contextual ministry.”
The progress update included information from the five overarching ministry areas framed in the VFP. These areas are equipping, credentialing and covenanting, property and financial, human resources recommendations, and review/evaluation. Noel highlighted some of the progress being made in each of these areas.
Noel charged the facilitators to lead the delegates in discussing the following questions as they relate to VFP: What is your understanding about what the VFP document is putting forth? What further clarity do you need? What counsel do you offer regarding financial contributions above budget for new ministry/missional initiatives as set up in the three tier missional budget, called for by VFP? What implications are you feeling from the VFP direction? Recording sheets were used so that each table’s thoughts could be tabulated.
After 20 minutes of conferring time, persons reported back to the delegate body. Many of the questions and comments were centered around how the conference can better communicate with the congregations. How can we keep our congregations informed about the missions being done in the conference with the monies we give? Other things included the oversight and care of the current leadership. The following persons reported for their table group:
Table #1 – Dennis Edwards, Peace Fellowship
Table #2 – Nelson Shenk, Boyertown
Table #3 – Jon Moore, New Beginnings
Table #4 – Mark Fly, Towamencin
Table #5 – Rich Lindberg, Vincent
Table #6 – George Wismer, Deep Run East
Table #7 – Alicia Boaman, Blooming Glen
Table #8 – Rachel Howe, Philadelphia Praise Center
Table #9 – John Landes, Blooming Glen
Table #10 – Jim Lapp, Salford
Table #11 – Ken Rutt, Covenant Community
Table #12 – Mike Derstine, Plains
Table #13 – Sherry Michalovic, West Philadelphia
Table #14 – Forrest Moyer, Blooming Glen
Table #15 – Earl Godshall, Franconia
Table #16 – Ron Hertzler, Perkasie
Table #17 – Dan Graber, Whitehall
Table #18 – Ron Freed, Blooming Glen
Table #19 – Loretta Moyer, Rockhill
Table #20 – David Kochsmeier, Steel City
Table #21 – Ken Burkholder, Deep Run East
Table #22 – Gerry Clemmer, Souderton
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Table #23 – Ed Brubaker, Dock Woods Community/Souderton
Table #24 – Carolyn Albright, Ripple Effect
Table #25 – Scott Landes, Frederick
Table #26 – John Brodnicki, Mennonite Bible Fellowship
Table #27 – Fred Kauffman,MCC Philadelphia
The delegates were given a 10-minute snack break and the worship band brought the delegates back to their tables with a native Swahili song “Praising the Lord.”
Passing on the Faith
Ertell Whigham, director of congregational resourcing and equipping, introduced the context for the work of the connections team on the Passing on the Faith document.
Marlene Frankenfield, Franconia Conference Youth Minister & Christopher Dock
Mennonite High School Campus Pastor, reminded the delegates that all of us have had many opportunities where faith was passed on to us. The history of this document came from Franconia Conference to work at intentional ways we can start working on faith formation in children and youth. Marlene and others gathered around a table and shared stories about the role that schools, camps, home schooling, and churches have played in their own faith development. Christopher Dock Mennonite High School, Penn
View Christian School, and Quakertown Christian School, as part of GPS 2012, looked at the spiritual formation of children at their schools. Out of this group came a smaller group that consisted of Marlene, Sharon Fransen, Blooming Glen, and Mary Benner,
Souderton who worked on this document presented to the delegates today.
Sharon explained the framework of the document. It was developed because the three schools heard from many persons their desire to make connections between the schools, congregations, and conferences in our area. Wanting a way for these groups to work together, this document was designed to be used by schools, families, and congregations. Each of the three circles has an intentional area of influence. If one circle is missing, how can the other areas pick up the pieces so that all areas are part of each child’s faith development?
Mary, reading from Deuteronomy 6:4 - 9, reminded us of the need to teach the love of
God to our children. It takes a whole community that helps children in their faith development. What do we really want from our children? We want them to really live, to be radical followers of Christ, to see people with the eyes of Jesus, and to have empathy for the hurting world. Mary directed the table group leaders to record their comments on the sheet provided, offering comments and questions around the three questions: “How are your congregations intentionally working at faith formation? What gets you excited about the document and what value does this have for your setting?
What would be helpful as you work at faith formation?”
The delegates had 10 minutes for conferring at their tables. Marlene encouraged the delegates to take this document back to their congregations and pass it on. It is to be a fluid document used by our congregations, our homes, and our schools.
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Celebrating Newly Credentialed Leaders
Ray Yoder, member of Ministerial Committee, shared words about each of the persons who have gone before us while Nelson Shenk, Chair of the Ministerial Committee, lit a candle for the life and service of these persons. The following ministers were remembered:
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Curtis Bergey was chosen by lot at Franconia Mennonite Church and passed away on Feb. 4, 2008.
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Ron Blough served as pastor at Spring Mount and passed away on August 8, 2008 at the age of 55.
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Franklin Frederick also served at Franconia Mennonite Church and died on February
18, 2008.
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Alice Good served among the Triqui Indians in Mexico and as chaplain at Dock
Community and died on April 25, 2008.
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Kenneth Seitz, Sr. served in Mexico City under the Franconia Conference and then at Line Lexington and Finland and passed away in June, 2008.
Noah Kolb, Pastor of Ministerial Leadership, shared the work of the Ministerial
Committee over the past year. The Ministerial Committee restored the ministerial credentials of Ben Stutzman. Ben has more than met the requirements asked of him by the committee. His ministerial license will remain inactive at this time. The credentials of Michael Schaadt have been terminated. A moment of silence was held for the Alpha congregation and its connections to Franconia Mennonite Conference.
Noah then led the time of celebrating persons who had been newly credentialed over the past year. Each person was introduced to the assembly by someone who had worked closely with them. Five persons were licensed toward ordination: Arnold
Derstine, Franconia; Jenifer Eriksen Morales, Minister of Transitional Ministries at
Franconia Conference; Timothy Moyer, Vincent; Yunus Perkasa, Nations Worship
Center; and Aldo Siahaan, Philadelphia Praise Center. Persons licensed for specific ministry were Eva Kratz, chaplain of prison ministry and Gay Brunt Miller, Franconia
Conference director of collaborative ministries. John Brodnicki, Morris Mennonite Bible
Fellowship was approved for ordination. Transferring into the Franconia Mennonite
Conference were Dennis Edwards, from Virginia Conference to Peace Fellowship; Chris
Nickels, from Eastern District to Spring Mount; Mary Nitzsche, from Ohio Conference to
Blooming Glen; Wayne Nitzsche, from Ohio Conference to Perkasie; Jim Ostlund, from
Western District Conference to Blooming Glen; and Wayne Speigle, from Eastern
District to Bally.
Nelson Shenk, Chair of the Ministerial Committee, reminded these persons that they have been called and credentialed by the Franconia Conference. Leaders are agreeing across the churches that God is calling for new paradigms in ministry and these leaders have been called for such a time as this. The task that they have been called is one that
God is leading. The newly credentialed persons moved to the delegate tables where persons surrounded them and laid hands on them as he prayed a prayer of blessing on these 14 newly credentialed persons.
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Communion
Jenifer Eriksen Morales led the delegates in a communion celebration. The variety of bread offered at the tables was an attempt to acknowledge the diversity among us. The table groups shared in communion while the worship band led in singing “Taste and
See.”
Closing Action
Blaine led the delegates through the closing action that included the languages of our conference. The action was read in Indonesian, Spanish, Vietnamese, and English.
Action 3: “We affirm our desire to continue in and witness to the nonresistant and simple faith in Christ, looking for the blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Lunch and Afternoon Workshops
Melissa Landis, conference assembly coordinator, thanked the delegates for attending and Penn View for hosting the event. She also gave enthusiastic thanks to:
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Covenant Community for assisting with ice cream social
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Ambler for helping with registration
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Frederick for helping with coffee and communion preparations
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Vincent for providing lunch
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Swamp for providing dessert
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Landis Supermarket and Ten Thousand Villages for providing the morning snack and coffee.
Jenifer asked a blessing on the meal and the delegates dispersed to lunch and then to workshops.
The choices for workshops featured Partners in Mission:
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“Equipping for the Road: Walking with Our Eyes Closed” led by Rev. Dr. Dennis R.
Edwards
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“New Hope/RIMA/LaPaz” offering a time to share stories
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“Oxford Circle Mennonite Church” led by persons from this congregation
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“Rock Church” led by Ted Moyer
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“LEAD: Oversight for missional congregations” led by the pilot group
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“Gereja Kristus Muria Indoensia” led by persons making connections with GKMI
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“What’s on your mind?” led by Noel Santiago and Randy Heacock
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“Chillin in Chile” led by Charlie Ness
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“Church Planting and Evangelism in the 21 st
Century”
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“Grace Assembly Network” led by Larry Moyer
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“Preparing for Ministry in a Post Christendom World” led by Blaine Detwiler and Gay
Brunt Miller.
Karen F. Nofziger
Recorder
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