Panorama Fall 2012

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Celebrating with the people and congregations of Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference F a l l 20 12

Mission to LA: GrowinG the church SharinG the peace

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yun and Sue Hur feel “a strong call to live as missionaries,” but not in the stereotypical context that probably comes to mind. Hyun, raised in Korea, and Sue, his Korean-American wife, see one of the richest possible settings for missional work, and peacemaking, right in their own backyard: Los Angeles.

Four years after planting one of only two Korean-language Mennonite congregations in the United States (Church For Others, the PSMC-member congregation in Temple City), they are branching out –– not only to launch a sister congregation, but also to pursue the exciting vision of a Peace Center that would share the unique “gift” of Anabaptist teachings on peace and reconciliation with a broader immigrant church community.

The Hurs hope to launch the Peace Center, dubbed ReconciliAsian, officially in December. Among other things, it would offer workshops on conflict resolution for congregations and continue something called the North Korea Table Talk, a gathering of individuals to consider ways to help transform the decades-long conflict between North and South Korea. The Hurs also envision facilitating connections between peacemaking efforts in Korea and America, and among Asians (Chinese, Koreans, Japanese and Filipinos) whose historical animosities and misunderstandings sometimes carry over into the American context.

The concept for ReconciliAsian is a natural outgrowth of Hyun’s longtime passion for Christian reconciliation and conflict transformation, issues that stirred his heart years ago when he was a seminary student at a Baptist institution in Korea, discovered Anabaptist theology and enthusiastically joined the Mennonite fold.

inside...

3 an impassioned message to the church about youth

4 reflections on God’s mustard seed conspiracy

Sue and Hyun Hur have stepped out in faith to pursue their vision of a peace center and a second Korean-language Mennonite congregation in the area.

“One of the things Hyun always says is that something the Mennonite community can offer to the broader Christian community is this emphasis on conflict resolution, because there is so much conflict within immigrant congregations,” says Sue. Strife is common in highly hierarchical Korean churches, she observes, but also in congregations of all kinds that are composed mainly of immigrants. For newcomers struggling with cultural adaptation, economic difficulty and a loss of status and sense of control over their lives, stress often bubbles over into conflict in the one setting where they “can find their identity and practice their power,” says Hyun: the church.

For the Hurs, peacemaking goes hand in hand with church planting.

Continued next page

7 pSMc in action: moving forward, preparing leaders

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calling all women: a weekend retreat on caring ministries

news you can use: resources for congregations

Mission to L.A.:

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Growing the church, sharing the peace

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Panorama is a publication of pacific Southwest Mennonite conference, which unites and serves congregations across arizona, california and nevada.

Does your congregation get short shrift in panorama? help get the word out about what’s going on in your neck of the pacific Southwest by adding panorama to your email announcements or newsletters list, or by letting us know about your Facebook page.

Short articles, announcements and photographs are also always welcome. write to the editor, Doreen Martens, at: dmartens@ pathcom.com (905) 829-9640

From page 1 A struggle they experienced in founding Church For Others, a house fellowship that will continue under the leadership of Pablo Kim, is a sense of being small and alone in a Korean-American community highly suspicious of small denominations like the Mennonites –– to the point where one Church For Others member was officially shunned as a heretic by the church he had formerly served as young adult leader.

“I know a lot of Korean pastors, and when they found out I was Anabaptist, it was really hard to have conversations with them,” Hyun says. Observing that most Korean Christians know nothing about the theology or practice of conflict transformation, he considered how he could be a part of offering that knowledge to other denominations.

“If we give this gift to the larger body of Christ,” he believes, “they might open their hearts to conversation with us. And if we have a relationship, it’s going to be helpful for our church planting.”

The peace center, the Hurs write, will help to promote a culture of peacemaking that responds to the needs of emerging leaders in Korean churches who have witnessed church conflict and felt paralyzed by a complex set of theological, cultural and generational issues. Many young Korean Christians are looking to Anabaptists as models of an alternative way of Christian life.

Launching a second Los Angeles-area Korean-language congregation, as the Hurs plan to do alongside the peace center work, will improve opportunities for fellowship and connection, and ease the sense that Church For Others is alone in its ministry and theology.

The Hurs have already hosted a North Korean Table Talk, in July, which included a presentation by Don Mosley about the Fuller Center for Housing project to help bring much-needed housing to North Korea.

For November, they are planning a workshop geared to Korean pastors on conflict resolution in congregations,

to be led by Duane Ruth-Heffelbower, head of the Fresno Pacific University peace program. The idea is to encourage pastors to see resolving conflict “as a foundational tool they should have while ministering,” says Sue. That will be followed by another in December on restorative justice, geared more broadly to Korean Christians. It will be led by Jae Young Lee, an Anabaptist pioneer of restorative justice in Korea who leads the Northeast Asia Regional Peacebuilding Institute, which trains participants from various countries in the region –– some longtime foes –– in peacebuilding skills that are little known in that part of the world.

“What’s neat about Jae,” Sue says, “is he’s already been doing a lot of restorative justice in the Korean context. He proves that this can work in Korea, and it’s powerful, so that gives (Korean Americans) the possibility that this can actually work in the Korean context.” And if Japanese, Chinese and Koreans can come together to build peace in their home region, the Hurs believe, Los Angeles –– where these cultures live as neighbors –– should be an ideal place to work on peace issues together.

Conference leaders agree.

“As Anabaptists, Hyun and Sue carry the conviction that the center of the gospel is the message of peace. This project aims to equip these leaders with skills and strategies to understand and deal with conflict within the church and to help them better understand Jesus’ ministry as one of peacemaking,” Conference Minister Dick Davis writes in a letter of support to PSMC congregations.

A local Ministry Support Team led by Anne Dueck of Pasadena Mennonite has formed to support the Hurs’ work. They invite PSMC churches to get involved by praying for the work, reading regular email updates, and making a financial gift or pledge to help raise $66,000 to help cover the Hurs’ expenses. The couple are glad to visit churches to speak about their vision for peacemaking in L.A. For information, please write to dueckanne@ yahoo.com or contact Conference Minister Dick Davis.

Who’s who in Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference

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everal changes in representation were announced at the summer assembly of PSMC, among them the addition of a new board member: Don Linscheid, representing Northern California. Other members of the board, led by moderator Brian Fry, include Femi Fatunmbi (assistant moderator), Ben Shelter (treasurer), Joyce Welsh (Southern California rep), Melinda Hasegawa (North California rep), Eric Rasyidi and Melissa Hofstetter (both members at large).

Pastor Romero, of Paso Robles, has begun a first full term as Northern California rep on the Pastoral Leadership Committee (headed by Femi Fatunmbi).

Naomi Krause of San Francisco began a two-year term on the Gifts Discernment Committee (headed by Ruth Suter). Dan Flickinger was named to represent PSMC on the board of Bethel College. Cheri Herrboldt of Pasadena was named to a new position representing PSMC on the board of Mennonite Disaster Service’s California unit.

Where better to hold a discussion on urban ministry than in a church parking lot? With space at a premium during PSMC’s San Francisco assembly in June, a workshop by Ervin Stutzman was held outdoors.

‘Do not hinder them’

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Departing youth pastor issues a passionate challenge

Rebekka Stutzman speaks to delegates at the June assembly, a photo of Maranatha’s smiling youth group on the screen behind her.

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ebekka Stutzman, youth pastor at Maranatha Christian Fellowship and youth liaison for PSMC, left for a new mission assignment in Germany this fall, but not before an impassioned call to churches to heed Jesus’s admonition: “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them.”

One reason so many churches have few youth in them is “because we hinder them to come and to answer Jesus’s call,” she told delegates at the June assembly.

Often, the church doesn’t perceive that it has a mission right in its midst to youth –– and that holds especially true for churches composed mainly of immigrants, like Maranatha and others in PSMC. Maranatha learned this the hard way –– through the experience of losing its first wave of second-generation young people. Six years ago, the leadership wrestled with how to create a space where youth feel they belong, and decided things had to change.

“You have to understand that the first generation that comes, they create a space, a niche for them to fit as immigrants. They like the traditional way of worship; they like their songs, and they like to have it in the ‘heart language’” –– Indonesian, in her congregation’s case, Stutzman explained. But the youth are losing the language and feel a disconnect with the church, even though they don’t feel entirely “American,” either. So creating a space for youth at Maranatha “required a lot of flexibilty – a lot of ways to not hinder them,” she said. alling Stutzman to be youth pastor was itself a symC bol of that willingness, she reflects, as “a German born in East Germany, married to an American, living in L.A. and working in an Indonesian immigrant church!”

“Youth group is a very safe place,” Stutzman read, quoting from the reflections of a 13-year-old girl at Maranatha. “Everyone is respected, and there is still fun. ... It’s a place to laugh and cry. It’s a safe place to be whoever you want to be, without the pressure of being constantly judged. There’s always someone to talk to. For me, It's mostly been my path to Jesus, about living my life and how Jesus can help me through it all. It was about

getting through these struggles, with Jesus holding my hand.”

For Maranatha youth, that sense of belonging has been enhanced by connections with the broader church –– meeting other Mennonite youth of various cultural backgrounds at HYPE! events, area worship services, going to Assemblies and practicing missional living in their own neighbourhood, for example by working at a local food pantry. Youth hear the message that “even though we might not ‘fit in,’ even though our church is not privileged, still God calls us to be his servants, and we can find belonging and purpose within our community.”

For the church, the struggle is that every choice is transitional; structures need to be reworked often, and flexibility is a must. Last fall, after four and a half years of intentional youth work, the church began holding a English service parallel with the bilingual Indonesian-English one.

“We’re still church together, and we still eat afterwards together, but we have an opportunity (this way) to create belonging for the first and second generation. The first generation is able to minister to other new immigrants,” Stutzman points out, while the second generation connects to other second-generation kids –– not necessarily Indonesians.

Kids with immigrant parents have a lot in common, a fact that helps youth of other ethnicities feel like they belong at Maranatha, too. Last year, about a third of the 20 youth weren’t Indonesian. “That’s a unique niche (in which) Maranatha is able to live missionally –– out of character, out of circumstances, and out of context,” Stutzman said. And that’s what mission is all about, she said: “Not trying to take on something that comes out of power and privilege, but out of weakness, out of vulnerability and out of who God created us to be. That's something unique I've learned through Maranatha.” he congregation has now taken that one step further, T by becoming a sending congregation, investing in a church in Germany that has been pushed to the margins and is struggling to be relevant to youth who know nothing of the Christian message. Rebekka and her husband Dave have recently begun service through Virginia Mennonite Missions and Mennonite Mission Network at a Mennonite church in Bammental, Germany.

“We have learned from Maranatha that if you invest in the next generation there is hope and a future for the church,” Stutzman said, pointing out that mission typically happens out of a position of powerlessness and vulnerability. “Maranatha has given me hope for Germany, often where I had no hope; that God will be there with the weakened followers of Christ.”

Christ’s rebuke to his followers –– Do not hinder them –– is a future-oriented message, she said, and is inseparable from our calling and mission.

Rebekka Stutzman’s presentation is available on YouTube. Watch it here: youtube.com/watch?v= wQA2FyC-vok&feature=relmfu

reflections on a mustard seed:

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‘the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.’

Mark 4: 31-32

rvin Stutzman, executive director of Mennonite Church USA, recalls visiting a Baptist church in New Orleans that partnered with his home congregation after losing its building and many of its members to Hurricane Katrina. Every week, a deacon hands each congregant a Post-It note with a black mustard seed stuck to it –– a tiny symbol and powerful reminder of the hope the congregation maintains for its restoration.

In reflecting on the Mustard Seed parable –– the theme passage of the Summer Assembly –– Stutzman described several reasons why this and parallel agricultural stories told by Jesus have so much resonance, even for a largely urban conference like PSMC. A group from First Mennonite San Francisco participates in an First, they remind us that there’s someintriguing group reading and reflection on the Mustard Seed thing organic about the Kingdom of God Parable at the June assembly of PSMC. –– the same seed has different kinds of effect depending on where (and upon something more, something that God dreamed up, that’s whom) it lands. Unlike the precise GPS-guided farm organic, that comes from the heart of God, that’s built into equipment of modern times, designed for efficiency, God Creation, that’s right there in the universe, that declares is a generous sower, scattering grace and good news itself.” everywhere, even where the seed is unlikely to succeed.

Scripture makes it clear that we are the soil, the places And the seed has life in it; it doesn’t require the farmer where God puts the seeds of grace, and we can decide to do much. Like that seed, he said, “the Kingdom of God how we will respond. “Our level of discipleship has to do has God in it, doing things that don’t depend on our with how open we are ot the seed being planted – whether human ingenuity to make them happen.” we’re hard-hearted, or (allow) the worries of this world, What’s more, the results seem out of proportion with and riches, and anxieties, choke out our disciple intent.” what is put into it. “There are suprising times when the Sometimes we get discouraged, Stutzman said, results outstrip our efforts; when the consequences are “because our efforts seem to small compared to the techbigger than we imagined.” nocratic world around us; we feel outnumbered, outSometimes, Stutzman acknowledged, “there are things stripped, and wonder what we have to offer.” about the church that start to feel really human-driven and He reflected on a Nigerian pastor attending the agenda-like, and it’s as though it’s just us trying to make Peacebuilding Institute at Eastern Mennonite University, things happen through social engineering. And we step whose Baptist church building has been burned four times back and say, is this all God has for us? No, God has in Muslim attacks. Despite the bounty on his head, he has refused to retaliate and is building a group of like-minded Muslims and Christians “to be a mustard seed to build peace in a nation torn apart by this conflict.”

“This mustard seed parable speaks to his situation, because his peacemaking efforts seem so small, but God can make that grow into a plant where the birds will sit in its shade.”

Tom Sine’s book, The Mustard Seed Conspiracy, reminds us that efforts that begin very small, in overwhelmingly large places like Los Angeles or Phoenix, can grow amazingly when it is God who is doing the seeding. At the heart of a missional church is aligning ourselves with what God is already doing, bringing healing and hope to the world.

“Whether you feel small, whether you feel it’s difficult to make a difference, whether you feel hopeless –– take hope in the parable of the mustard seed, and join with God’s conspiracy.”

Watch Ervin Stutzman’s talk at youtube.com/watch?v=1k0XyPhj7dU&feature=relmfu Ervin Stutzman speaks at the June assembly.

small does not mean insignificant

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hy did Jesus choose a mustard seed and not some other? Pastor Sheri Hostetler of First Mennonite Church San Francisco wondered, and went exploring through the history of this common, weedy, insignificant looking plant. Considered by a Roman naturalist of the time as beneficial for health, it grows entirely wild, she told delegates at the PSMC assembly in a powerful meditation prior to Communion. But it benefits from being transplanted, she said –– not unlike some PSMC leaders who have come from afar.

And once sown, it’s difficult to get rid of, as it germinates and spreads rapidly. A tenacious, deeply rooted weed, she said, it can survive long droughts.

It’s a kind of unexpected metaphor for the kingdom of God, Hostetler said, suggesting that, “If you’re not seeing the reign of God coming, maybe we ought to be looking at unexpected places, among people we might think are unlikely to e involved in kingdom work –– people we might even see as unworthy.”

Many people within PSMC either work with those on society’s margins, or see themselves as on the margins: immigrants, people with few economic resources, gay or lesbain.

It’s important to know “that is in the margins where we see the kingdom of God coming,” Hostetler said.

“My prayer is that those of us who see ourselves as being on the margins might be able to see how we share a common experience, and a common story, and have so

much more in common than we have that is different.”

Some find the church a place to shelter in, like the birds, and some see it as a noxious weed that should be rooted out. “That’s something for all of us to think about.” Do we mistake as a weed a place where the kingdom is happening?”

As churches of the Pacific Southwest, “we’re on the edge of the continent away from the strongholds of Mennonitism, and we’re small. But the kingdom of God is a common, tenacious, scandalous, healthy weed.”

As Christians, we have all come from the same seed, the living Word given by Jesus.

“But when you sow a seed in vastly different soils and climates, it produces a plant that looks different. We are in our different climates and we produce plants that look different. The communion table here reminds us that we are all from the seed, and this seed has been planted within us and in our communities.”

Hostetler invited all of us “to see each other as this beautiful group of scrubby, tenacious weeds who are offering shelters to birds of the air –– each in our own place.”

Watering seeds around the Pacific Southwest

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he Conference Mission Team –– PSMC’s own experiment in organic mustard-seed nurturing –– continues to move ahead with occasional meetings around the Pacific Southwest. The most recent discussions have focussed on the outcome of the MCC West Coast Nigeria Learning Tour; conflict transformation work among Koreans; support for the African Mennonite mission congress to be held in England; and church planting. (A consultation on church planting was held in May featuring Mauricio Chenlo from Mennonite Church USA.) “An ongoing concern for us as a conference and denomination is the reality of undocumented people who sit in our pews ... and hold leadership positions in Mennonite churches,” leader Steve Penner commented in a report at the Summer Assembly in June. The immigration debate “is a very important issue for us as a confer-

ence, given the vast numbers of new immigrant people who are brothers and sisters in our congregations. We promoted a Day of Prayer for Undocumented Immigrants at the end of May. ... If your church has not had a focus on thinking of an praying for undocumented people in our churches in May, you could do so sometime in the future.

We hope this is something we do on a regular basis, especialy leading up to Phoenix 2013, becase we want undocumented people to know that when you come into our churches, you are welcome and you are part of our fellowship.”

The CMT is a loose affiliation of people interested in learning about, learning from and supporting missional activities that grow out of local congregations. All are welcome. Its next meeting will be held Nov. 9 at Wholicare Community Missionary Church in Pasadena, Calif.

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pSMc’s gift: new ways of being anabaptist the latest issue of Missio Dei, titled New Anabaptist Voices, features pSMc leaders on the cover and a host of writers from our conference inside. the issue explores how recent, diverse waves of anabaptists are seeking new ways of being a faithful church in the midst of rapid change, developing new and creative models of church life in cultural situations different from the Germanic Mennonite past. among the pSMcconnected writers are hyun and Sue hur, who lead the church for others in pasadena; erin Dufault-hunter, a member of pasadena Mennonite who teaches at Fuller theological Seminary; Sunoko Lin, who pastors Maranatha christian Fellowship in northridge, calif., Jason evans, a leader of the ecclesia collective in San Diego; angela williams, children and youth director at pasadena Mennonite; and editors Matthew Krabill (former conference administrator) and David Stutzman, former youth leader at Maranatha. a pDF version of the publication can be downloaded free: www.mennonitemission. net/resources (click Mission Journal).

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How little seeds grow:

Stories from PSMC congregations

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San Francisco

irst Mennonite San Francisco pastor Sheri Hostetler reflected on the “invigorating” seven-month process of prayer, reflection, dialogue and decision-making that her growing 35-year-old congregation underwent recently. It was prompted by an emerging sense “that the Spirit was drawing us to go deeper in our journey with God, with each other, and in our ministry to our broken yet beautiful world, as the confession of faith says. And we wondered how we could cooperate with the stirring of the Spirit.”

What they came up was described as three movements: 1. A movement toward God. “Sacred storytelling” –– telling personal faith stories as a faith-building and community-building exercise –– has always been vital to FMCSF. But the congregation wanted to go deeper in spiritual formation. They came up with the idea of “experiments in right relationship” –– a method of spiritual formation that was emobided and experiential. People would get together, read scripture and discern what God was calling them to do. Then that group would conduct a sixweek experiment in which they would practice their faith in a very concrete way. It could be committing to a particular spiritual practice, perhaps, or by living on a certain amount of money, or even giving away a proportion of their possessions. Some congregants teamed up with a spiritual partner to support one another for nine months in exploring and practicing spiritual disciplines. And the congregation looked for ways to include their growing collection of kids in this work.

2. A movement toward each other. FMCSF has always been a “family” for its members, many of whom are far from their roots. But as the congregation has grown, the sense of intimacy has diminished, and the pastor’s attention is stretched more thinly. The church decided to establish “community-wide practices of care” –– more intentional ways to care for one another: a support group for people with aging parents; or a “clearness committee” (borrowed from Quaker tradition) to help someone discern where the Spirit is leading him or her; a supper co-op to share meals once a week. They also trained one another in skills such as active listening, restorative justice as a personal practice, and group facilitation.

3. A movement outward. As host church for a Mennonite Voluntary Service house, this came naturally. “About 40 percent of our congregation is 18 to 35 – that’s unusual,” Hostetler pointed out. “We’ve embraced young adult leadership training as one of our missions.

“In addition, we have a lot of social entrepreneurs in our community –– people who see a need, feel a passion for it and go out and try to meet that need.” One member of the congregation felt convicted by God to start a clinic in an underserved area of Indonesia, which she and her cofounder linked with preserving a rain forest: the clinic provides free or low-cost health care, and in return the local people participate in conservation measures, such as planting seedlings in clear-cut areas.

The congregation wondered: How could it help nurture “social entrepreneurs” like that? They came up with the idea of a “social impact incubator” – assembling a group of people with expertise in business and organizational leadership that people with a passion for a particular ministry could go to to help them think through the idea, make connections, collect seed money and support and nurture the idea to fruition.

“Coming up with one good thing we could do as a congregation –– because of our geography ... and for a lot of reasons, that was hard to do.

But this was a way of sending out a lot of seeds into the world.”

And there are plenty of ideas still floating around: a Mennonite high school, a Ten Thousand Villages store, a peace and justice center, to

Worship minister Pat Plude and other musicians from First Mennonite San Francisco lead lively singing during the June 1516 Summer Assembly. name a few. “Now we need to move forward into this future that God is calling us to,” Hostetler said. “We know that unless God is intimately involved in this, this will not happen, and we know that your prayers will help us to continue to be faithful to the Spirit’s leading.”

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Tucson

ver since I moved to the desert, I’ve thought this whole mustard seed thing is misphrased,” joked Bryce Miller, pastor at Tucson’s Shalom Mennonite Fellowship, at the June assembly of PSMC. “Have you ever seen a cactus seed? It’s smaller than a mustard seed, in a dry place, and you end up with 60-foot-high plants with food, housing and all of that. Often, I feel that is a good metaphor for us at Shalom. Cactus is adapted to its environment and finds a way to grow even in difficulty –– and we’ve been experiencing good growth and good movements of the Spirit.”

The Tucson congregation is unique both for its flow of congregants in and out with the seasons, and for its position close to a contentious border. It has played host to a variety of Mennonite groups coming to Tucson to better understand immigration issues. At times the church can feel remote from those issues, “But we’re also always asking, together with our brothers and sisters: Who is our neighbor? And how do we love that neighbor, especially when the neighborhood contains everyone from the undocumented to the border patrol?”

The church has been a “cactus seed” in a variety of ways, from its partnership with a sister church in Bogota, Colombia; to its involvement in a community agency that does home repairs; to its hosting of SOOP (Service Opportunities for Older Persons) volunteers who come to help out with the church community projects in the winter months.

The seeds are growing, slowly but surely, as the Spirit is moving in the church. “We’re asking questions of how we can best be community; how do we more completely own and experience and stand alongside brothers and sisters as they deal with issues of immigration? What does it mean to be a church in a community where hundreds of people literally die in the desert every year? And how do we be in conversation about that as people on the border, as the church gathers in this area shortly?

“A lot of questions, not a lot of answers,” Miller concluded, “which I'm guessing many of you today identify with. We covet your prayers just as we offer ours to you.”

Pacific Southwest Conference in action

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Advancing forward wenty people met at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, T Calif., on Aug. 17-18 to take part in a “focusing exercise” as part of the “advancement” process recently introduced to help Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference’s sharpen its focus and create a strong “case of support” so member congregations have a better understanding of PSMC’s role, vision and priorities. Information gained will assist the PSMC board in developing plans to expand its support of member congregations and their ministries.

Before the meeting effort had been put into describing the PSMC “picture”, naming strengths and weaknesses and suggesting goals for the next three years. Bookended by prayer and worship, much of the Saturday session was spent in table groups discussing what healthy churches, effective leadership, and missional focus look like in various PSMC settings. The group also reviewed a list of “restricted funds” held by PSMC and brainstormed ways to use that money to support the mission of Conference and PSMC congregations. “The meetings left me feeling hopeful and excited about our future,” reports Conference Minister Dick Davis.

–– from a report in PSMC’s E-Update

Training church leaders SMC continues to work at one of its most important P goals – leadership training – with a series of seminars, classes and retreats.

A mini course on Biblical Interpretation, one in an ongoing series designed for church leaders new to Anabaptist perspectives, was offered on two Saturdays in August at Pasadena Mennonite Church, with Dr. Stan Friesen teaching. The course, designed to equip students in their use of scripture for Bible study, teaching, worship planning, preaching and theological reflection, covered issues such as what it means to place Christ at the center of our reading; to hold the congregation as the interpreters of Scripture; to read Scripture missionally; and to read it in the 21st century, in the light of Empire.

On Oct. 5, elders (regional leaders who work on a volunteer basis with clusters of local congregations) gathered at First Mennonite Church in Upland for a workshop focussed on developing and strengthening healthy churches.

They later travelled, along with a good contingent of PSMC pastors, to Mile High Pines Camp for the conference’s annual Pastors Retreat. Dr. Rob Muthiah, a professor of ministry at Azusa Pacific University’s Graduate School of Theology, led that event, on the theme of “Pastoral Leadership in a Gifted and Diverse Community.” The retreat, in addition to building vital relationships, was a great opportunity for church leaders to reflect on issues such as pastoral leadership in a community of equals, leading a missional community, and leadership strategies for serving the community.

Preparing new pastors SMC’s Pastoral Leadership Committee, headed by P Pastor Femi Fatunmbi, undertakes the important role of guiding ministers new to PSMC, and often new to the Mennonite world, through the processes of licensing and ordination, which includes a series of four short courses in Anbaptist history and theology, leadership and pastoral ethics. At the summer assembly in San Francisco, a long list of graduates of that process over the past year were mentioned. Those ordained include Pastor Frank Pascascio, who leads Miracle of Faith Mennonite in Los Angeles; Pastor Grace Pam, at Los Angeles Faith Chapel; Roland Kleber at Basileia Christian Center; Cheryl Paulovich at Trinity Mennonite, for chaplaincy. Raymond Arnold of Family Mennonite was licenced for chaplaincy; Clay Grant was licenced at Miracle of Faith; Jules Massamba was licenced as pastor at Wholicare; Helen Mfwiliwakanda was licenced as an evangelist for the same congregation; and Angela Williams was licenced for pastoral work at Pasadena Mennonite.

Expanding the tent t PSMC’s June A assembly, Conference Minister Dick Davis, left, introduced Pastor Joseph Adeosun and his wife (right) to delegates. Adeosun leads Amen Ministries in Las Vegas and is exploring having his congregation join PSMC. (If that decision is affirmed, it would be the second PSMC congregation in Nevada.)

Delegates gather for the annual Summer Assembly of PSMC. First Mennonite San Francisco, which normally meets in a synagogue building, borrowed a nearby church at which to host the Friday night-Saturday event. The sessions offered times of lively worship led by a gifted musical team from FMCSF; fellowship; worship and reflection on the Mustard Seed theme; business; and workshops led by Ervin Stutzman (on urban ministry) and participants in the Nigeria Learning Tour earlier this year.

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As the Spirit moves:

God’s at work in the churches of the Southwest and beyond

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aranatha Christian Fellowship held a commissioning service for Dave and Rebekka Stutzman on July 7, marking their departure from youth ministry at the Northridge, Calif., church for a new assignment with a congregation in Bammental, Germany, in partnership with the Viginia Mennonite Board of Missions and Mennonite Mission Network.

Conference Minister Dick Davis participated in blessing the Stutzmans for their future service.

Rebekka, who is German-born, Dave and infant son Immanuel arrived in Bammental, near Heidelberg, in midSeptember after a period of training in Virginia.

They will be involved in youth work and stimulating the congregation’s outreach to the local community. The Dave and Rebekka Stutzman kneel as they are comStutzmans invite our missioned by their sending church, Maranatha prayer and financial supChristian Fellowship, for service in Bammental, port ; you can follow Germany. their adventures at stutzfamily.info/. ne of PSMC’s newest member congregations, O Wholicare Community Missionary Church in Pasadena, Calif., is growing, reports Conference Minister

chology course in Guatemala focusing on cross-cultural models of mental healing within a faith narrative • The Peace and Justice Academy, a Mennonite middle and high school founded by PMC members, for tuition assistance to students • Angela Williams, the congregation’s children and youth director, to cover transportation costs for a trip to Kenya to teach and preach, and to Ethiopia to lead seminars in leadership development for a grassroots women’s movement • Youth for Christ Croatia, to help with expenses for non-violence skills training for Croatians and Serbians • Sarah Wilson, for travel to Kenya with Life in Abundance International, and to help host a team of counselors, doctors and nurses.

The recipients were invited to share about their experiences in September services, to encourage members of the congregation to be aware of the many local and international ways we can be missional in our lives. five-member Youth Venture Team visited the Los A Angeles area in July for an intense two weeks of exploring urban mission with the involvement of several PSMC-related congregations. Among other things, the group of high school-aged youth helped lead Vacation Bible School at Family Mennonite in Los Angeles and Maranatha Christian Fellowship in Northridge; spruced up facilities at the Peace and Justice Academy in Pasadena and at Maranatha; took part in a benefit concert and a commissioning service; offered child care for Church for Others in Temple City; had a chance to compare and contrast the influence of wealth (Rodeo Drive) and poverty (Homeboy Industries, a jobs skills program for ex-gang members); participated in a kids’ community night at the DOOR house where they were staying; and sampled the multicultural flavours and worship styles of the city.

Dick Davis. Founded by Rev. Nlongi J.P. Mfwilwakanda in 1982, who remains senior pastor, the congregation now receives its primary leadership from Pastor Jules Massamba. The church, composed mainly though not entirely of Congolese immigrants, enjoys lively worship in French and English (translated back and forth, as it is committed to being a bilingual congregation), with keyboard and conga drums as the main musical accompaniment. The congregation, however, has outgrown its worship space and is looking for larger quarters. asadena Mennonite Church has a unique way of P encouraging missional activities among its members, by dispensing seed funding through the Aron Jantzen Fund, established in memory of a longtime member and former Mennonite missionary to India. The fund provides one-time gifts in support of personal mission or outreach work, or work on behalf of an organization. This year, the fund contributed a total of $6,150 to various recipients. They included: • Nico Gist, a youth who used it to join a youth mission trip to Peru to conduct repairs and children’s programming at several churches; • Anne and Bob Nolty, who received funds to lead a psy-

The Youth Venture Team in Los Angeles. lanning is underway to start a new Ten Thousand P Villages store in Fresno, and initiators are looking for people interested in helping this new venture. Selling fair trade crafts is a beautiful way to help artisans around the world provide vital income for their families. An information meeting was planned for 7 p.m. Oct. 22 at North Fresno Church.

asadena Mennonite Church celebrated the ordination P of Angela Williams with a joyful worship on June 24, with Rev. Olufemi A. Fatunmbi, assistant moderator/Pastoral Leadership Committee chair of Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference, PMC pastor Joe Roos and conference elder Ron Faus officiating at the ordination service.

David Augsburger, professor emeritus at Fuller Theological Seminary, brought a moving message on prayer beautifully illustrated with funny but lesson-laden stories that brought the congregation to great laughter at several points in his message.

Williams gave a brief reflection of her spiritual journey with heartfelt thanksgiving to all those who encouraged her up to the point of her ordination. She remarked that without these people she would have been able to make it to this crucial juncture of her life.

Roos offered glowing remarks about Williams, who served two terms as an intern at the church while studying at Fuller. Williams’ ministry with the youth has been a blessing to the congregation, he said.

In his own remarks after presenting her with her certificate of ordination and the minister’s blue book, Pastor Fatunmbi thanked the congregation for its support of the conference, first for allowing the use of their sanctuary for the PSMC Pastoral Training Leadership Program this year, secondly for allowing Pastor Roos to serve as secretary to the PLC. Ordaining Williams, he told the congregation, reflects of the three priorities the conference set a few years back and continues to work on, namely: healthy churches; effective leadership; and missional focus.

He called for support of the Advancement Plan recently hatched by the PSMC Board to move the Conference forward.

–– Report by Rev. Femi Fatunmbi

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Angela Williams is flanked by, from left: Pasadena Pastor Joe Roos, PSMC assistant moderator Femi Fatunmbi and elder Ron Faus, pastor at Trinity Mennonite Church and conference elder.

Gordon Smith, with wife Mindy, is welcomed to PSMC by Conference Minister Dick Davis during Smith’s installation as the new pastor at Mennonite Community Church in Fresno on Oct. 14.

Smith previously served as pastor of Faith Mennonite Church in Wichita.

Weekend retreat will equip women for caring ministry

‘S

ister Care: Equipping Women for Caring Ministry” is the theme for a conference-wide women’s retreat coming April 12-14, 2013, at Oak Glen Christian Conference Center in Yucaipa, California. All women are invited!

Guest speakers Carolyn Heggen and Rhoda Keener will present this seminar, which is a ministry of Mennonite Women USA and has been shared across the U.S. and internationally. Sister Care explores claiming our identity as God’s beloved daughters, caring for self and others, compassionate listening, and transforming loss and grief.

Each participant will receive a 64-page manual, available in English or Spanish. Spanish translation will be available at the retreat.

Heggen is a psychotherapist specializing in trauma recovery. A frequent speaker and workshop leader on personal and communal healing, personal boundaries, gender issues, and post-traumatic stress disorder, she is the author of Sexual Abuse in Christian Homes and Churches. Carolyn lives in Corvallis, Ore. Keener is co-director of Mennonite Women USA and

her background includes mental health counseling and teaching in a variety of settings. She is co-editor of She Has Done a Good Thing: Mennonite Women Leaders Tell Their Stories. She lives in Shippensburg, Pa. The weekend also features time to relax and get to know one another. Brochures and registration materials will be mailed to congregations in October.

For more information contact committee members: Joyce Welch jwelchN323@aol.com Neta Kimel netachiro@hotmail.com Gail Harder lgharder@verizon.net Janice Flowers jlangels3170@msn.com Barb Ewy abewy@vip.net

Rhoda Keener and Carolyn Heggen will be the speakers at the Sister Care retreat for women, April 12-14, 2013, at Oak Glen Christian Conference Center in Yucaipa, Calif.

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Nov. 2-4 Trinity Mennonite Church 50th anniversary celebration Glendale, ariz.

Nov. 9 Conference Mission Team gathering wholicare community Missionary church, pasadena, calif.

Feb. 1-2 PSMC Winter Assembly all Souls christian centre, Los angeles April 12-14 Sister Care women’s retreat Yucaipa, calif.

July 1-6 ‘Citizens of God’s Kingdom’ Mennonite church uSa assembly, phoenix

What’s the scoop? people and events

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rinity Mennonite, in Glendale, Ariz., will celebrate its 50th birthday on the weekend of Nov. 24 and hopes to see lots of “alumni” and friends taking part. The event begins with a 7 p.m. Friday “Music Extravaganza” to include musical groups from the past 50 years and congregational singing. Saturday will include a morning of golfing or a choice of three hikes, followed by a hiker’s brunch and program. Over the noon hour, young adults, past and present, will enjoy a reunion, lunch and special activities in the fellowship hall, where displays, crafts, artwork and memorabilia will be on display. At 4:30 p.m., there will be family recreational activities while the youth serve food as a mission fundraiser. In the evening, a program will highlight Trinity’s history.

Sunday morning, an extended service will include a first hour when former pastors will share and bring greetings.

The second hour will feature former pastor Shane Hipps “challenging us with what God may call us to be and do in our future years.” There will be separate activities for kids. A catered dinner with a love offering will follow the service at the nearby gym of Palo Verde school –– where Trinity has been engaged in mission to kids in need over recent years. (Reservations necessary for the meal, by 5 p.m. Oct. 25.) The weekend will end with words from Trinity’s present staff as the church looks forward to the future. For more information, visit www.trinitymennonite.com or the special Facebook page: Trinity Mennonite Church 50th Anniversary Celebration 2012. ruit farmers Paul and Ruth Buxman of Dinuba, F Calif., have been named recipients of the regional Journey Award from Everence (formerly Mennonite

Mutual Aid). The Journey Award, which highlights what people of faith are doing as good stewards of God’s resources, is to be presented on Nov. 4 during the worship service at Reedley Mennonite Church. The Buxmans’ Sweet Home Ranch is a model of family farming that respects the environment as well as farm workers, who get free babysitting on site, an annual vacation with paid transportation to visit their families, and a plot of land on which to grow their own crops.

According to Pastor Steve Penner, the Buxmans live authentic, faithful lives. “When at their farm it seems that their world is small – this quiet lane, these orchards, these fruits, this packing shed. But soon it is evident that theirs is an expansive world-view – that their interests and concerns stretch around the globe. Their arenas of concern stretch from local farm issues and the struggles of local youth to Haiti, the Middle East (places where Ruth served with MCC and CPT) and beyond.”

Ruth and Bob Buxman of Sweet Home Ranch.

iracle of Faith Mennonite Church in Los Angeles M annually celebrates Hallelujah Night on Oct. 31, an evening that combines evangelism and prayer with family-oriented fun, including Bible-based games, a costume contest, decorations, refreshments and praise singing and dancing. This year’s theme is “You Can Trust God!” The event begins at 7 p.m. at the church, at 7860 S. Western Ave. ennonite Insurance Services recently provided M scholarships to five PSMC-connected students for the current academic year. The $500 scholarships are given to members of West Coast Anabaptist churches, in at least their junior year, with a GPA of 3.0 or better. One goal of the program is church leadership development.

“I noticed that many of the applicants had participated in mission trips. That experience provided direction for their schooling and their goals after graduation,” said Claudia Fletes, scholarship administrator.

The recipients included Colin Good, of Sunnyslope Mennonite Church in Phoenix, who attends Arizona State University; Jinah Im, Hyung Jin Kim Sun and Jung Gyu Yang, all of Church for Others and attending Fuller Seminary; and Angela Williams of Pasadena Mennonite, also at Fuller.

“I feel a unique call to the dark places of this world and in it, to be a presence and the light of Christ to the forgotten, lost, and rejected,” Good wrote in his application.

Application forms and scholarship rules are available online at mennoniteinsurance.com or on the Mennonite Insurance Facebook page. Mennonite Insurance Services and its parent, Mennonite Aid Plan, provide property insurance to Anabaptists on the West Coast. gathering of the African, Belizean & Caribbean A Mennonite Mission Association was held at All Souls Christian Center in Los Angeles on July 21. The event included a report on the PSMC Learning Tour to Nigeria and on the 4th annual African Mennonite mission congress, an event bringing together church leaders of African origin on both sides of the Atlantic, which was to be held for the first time in the United Kingdom. Joining in the Los Angeles gathering, besides Conference Minister Dick Davis, were Del Hershberger, director of Christian Service at Mennonite Mission Network, and Marvin Lorenzana, MMN’s racial/ethnic church networker. who also visited some local congregations to learn about their ministries. verence (formerly Mennonite Mutual Aid) is E encouraging youths and young adults to enter a video contest reflecting their thoughts on money. Three awards, from $2,000 ($1,000 to the youth/$1,000 to a charity of their choice) to $500, will be given to the winning youths aged 15 to 23. A panel will select up to five finalists, and the winners will be chosen by popular vote online. The deadline is Nov. 15, 2012. Visit Everence.com/moneytalk for more details. ennonite Community Church has seen a number M of transitions this fall. It marked the retirement of pastor Steve Ratzlaff and wife Lynette with a beach party barbecue on Sept. 8, while the associated Hmong congregation hosted a farewell fellowship dinner on Aug. 4. Gordon Smith, the congregation’s new lead pastor,

and wife Mindy arrived in Fresno on Sept. 26. Smith, who previously pastored at Faith Mennonite Church in Newton, Kan., for 14 years, began his service in Fresno at the beginning of October. The Smiths have two young adult children, including a daughter who is currently living in nearby Reedley.

Also this fall, Jessica Mast completed two years of serving as youth pastor, and Lisa Penner began in that role on Sept. 1. The church also recently welcomed two new volunteers with the Fresno Mennonite Voluntary Service unit: Bethany Maven, from Virginia, is working with the local Boys’ and Girls’ Club; Adrienne Yoder, of Lititz, Pa., is working with the San Joaquin River Parkway Trust.

It should be noted that Mennonite Community has another interesting distinction this fall: all nine of its college-age students are attending Mennonite colleges and universities –– a remarkable record of support for Mennonite institutions. The congregation encourages such students by maintaining a scholarship fund that commits $500 per student per semester to those enrolled in Mennonite schools. A special worship service and fellowship meal in September and an October “Celebrating the Arts” evening of dessert, music and an auction were held to help raise the necessary funds.

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asadena Mennonite Church had an unusual set of guests in July: 25 Chinese seminary faculty who were in the city for a two-week seminar on pastoral counseling at Fuller Theological Seminary, in a program directed by congregation member Al Dueck. With the help of interpreters, congregants mingled with the Chinese visitors over a lunch provided in the church’s fellowship hall after the service. tudent news: Two students from PSMC congregaS tions were recognized on the Goshen College spring semester Dean’s List: Kathleen L. Hooley, daughter of Cristina Yoder and Ron Hooley of Peoria, Ariz., who attends Trinity Mennonite Church; and Joshua Andrew Yoder, son of Erik and Leanne Yoder of Tucson, a junior studying environmental science who attends Shalom Mennonite Fellowship.

Hesston College graduated several PSMC students this year. Andrew Penner of Fresno was one of nine graduates in the Disaster Management program. He was commissioned in April for service with Mennonite Disaster Service in Birmingham, Ala., and Habitat for Humanity in Fresno. Andrew is the son of David and Carol Penner and attends Mennonite Community church. Stephen Quenzer of Visalia earned an associate of science degree. He is the son of Galen and LeAnne Quenzer and attends First Mennonite Reedley. Evette Yoder of Phoenix earned an associate of science degree.

She is the daughter of Lowell and Ruth Yoder and attends Trinity Mennonite Church in Glendale, Ariz.

CJ Chukwukelu, who with wife Ude leads the Emmanuel Faith Chapel congregation in Las Vegas, graduated from Hesston’s Pastoral Ministries program in May, with the congregation’s conference elder, David Paulovich, representing PSMC at the celebration. ducation from your home computer: Anabaptist E Mennonite Biblical Seminary is offering a series of webinars (online seminars) on Church Leadership topics

throughout the academic season. Registering ahead, each costs just $45, and with a headset you can ask questions of expert speakers as you would in a classroom in Elkhart. Sample topics include Emergent Through the Ages: Sampling Stories of Radical Christian Renewal (Oct. 31), The Naked Anabaptist (Nov. 14), and Feeding the Spiritual Hunger of Contemporary Christians (Feb. 20). For details see ambs.edu/churchleadershipcenter/Webinars.cfm.

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osts usually like to do a little sprucing up before the H company arrives, and All Souls Christian Center in Los Angeles, which will host the next PSMC Winter Assembly (Feb. 1-2), is no exception. The congregation needs assistance to improve their facility, both to make it more hospitable and allow its building to become an income-producing property that will extend the church’s missional outreach. Don Linscheid, a PSMC board member, is coordinating a work crew to help clean, paint, strip and polish floors, and do simple carpentry.

Contact him at dblin-scheid@comcast.net if you’d like to help out a sister congregation and join the crew sometime during the first two weeks of January. Donations are also sought toward the $2,500 cost of materials. he Hopi Mission School, a Christian elementary T school founded by Mennonites on the Hopi Reservation in Arizona more than 60 years ago, is making important moves to improve the educational experience of its students, according to a report by principal Thane Epefanio. The school now has a fully functioning resource room with qualified staff. After testing, individual education plans are being created for each student. The school has installed air conditioning as needed, and is working to improve its Internet access, in part with the help of partnerships with companies like LightSquared (which has donated laptops) and a Virginia school district.

Since the school has now HMS’s cross-country team, with coaches Kristen reached upward to 7th grade, Schrag, Becca Yoder and David Mueller. it has joined the Nava-Hopi Athletic League and added the role of Athletic Director Savivsi to its staff roster. After some years of thinning board by Garlyn (5th grade) representation, the school also has a full board that includes local and Hopi representatives as well as First Do you know about savivsi?

Mennonite Church Phoenix pastor Al Whaley, who well it is a very sour hopi heads the HMS Foundation. The school has local staff berry which grows in but also draws heavily on volunteer teachers, including Shungopavi. the only thing some through Mennonite Voluntary Service. Curious? is savivsi only grows in the Check out the online newletter at hopimissionschool. spring and summer. it's org. Members of PSMC churches can contribute to the green like the inside of an school in many ways: If you live in Arizona, you can avocado. it's as small as a designate the Hopi Mission School through the Arizona pinto bean. it smells like sand tax credit program. Anyone can also give (and receive a because it grows so close to charitable donation receipt) through the Institute for the ground and it's as soft as Better Education at www.ibescholarships.org. At right a kitten. Savivsi is one of the is a sample of the work produced by 4th and 5th grade things that makes me happy. students under writing teacher Becca Yoder.

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PSMC contacts Moderator Brian Fry brianfry.psmc@q.com

Conference Minister Dick Davis dickdavis5@sbcglobal.net 214-608-6334 Resource Advocate Barbara ewy abewy@cvip.net

Conference Office 379 n. campus ave. upland, ca 91786 interim administrator: nancy ellis admin@pacificsouthwest.org 626-421-2540 office hours: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. tuesday & thursday

Web site: www. pacificsouthwest.org (currently under reconstruction)

News you can use:

resources for congregations

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nabaptist churches in Asia, Africa and Latin America are growing rapidly, while membership and attendance in North America and Europe are declining. In Winds of the Spirit, available from MennoMedia ($13.99), authors Conrad Kanagy, Tilahun Beyene and Richard Showalter examine some of the reasons. Looking at data from 10 countries and 18,000 church members as part of a MultiNation Anabaptist Profile, they found the Holy Spirit is shaping Anabaptists across the Global South in parallel with the early church and the 16th century Anabaptists.

These churches share a commitment to mission and witness, deep piety, vital spirituality, and to care and justice for the poor and marginalized. Kanagy believes the Spirit goes where it is accepted, and historically the geographic “center of gravity” for Christianity has moved around the globe, depending on where Christians embrace and anticipate God’s activity. The findings may be especially relevant for the Pacific Southwest, where Christians from the Global North and South meet.

“I don’t think our congregations in North America will make significant changes without partnerships in the Global South,” Kanagy says. He believes this connection can be made as guests from the Global South regularly join Northern churches for worship, preaching, and to “speak into our perspectives.” Winds of the Spirit is a tool churches of the North can use to evaluate their faithfulness, witness, and commitment to Jesus. Convergence could “ignite a global partnership that could ensure spiritual vitality and faithfulness to Jesus in both hemispheres.” ircle of Grace is a Christian C safe-environment curriculum that teaches kids how to identify and maintain appropriate physical, emotional, spiritual and sexual boundaries, to recognize when a violation is about to occur, and how to take action when boundaries are threatened or violated. A generous donation has made this curriculum, developed and tested by the Archdiocese of Omaha, available free to member congregations of Mennonite Church USA, as a complement to regular teaching materials. It’s available in English and Spanish and has one to four age-appropriate lessons per year from kindergarten to 12th grade. It is provided on CDs, including a training CD, and can be customized. To learn more, visit dovesnest.net/circleofgrace .

pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference

n a world full of distractions and activIfaith? ities, how do Christians pass on their In Please Pass the Faith (Herald Press, $12.99), Elsie Rempel explores “spiritual grandparenting” as one intentional way to share faith with the next generation. Spiritual grandparenting doesn’t require having grandchildren. It means “relating to those in the first third of life, with the willingness to be spiritual companions or co-pilgrims,” says Rempel, a faith formation consultant for Mennonite Church Canada. Many single seniors are “wonderfully intentional about their relationships with the young people in their lives.” Rempel cites Samuel and David, Timothy and Eunice, and Elizabeth and Mary as biblical examples. Her book examines the challenges of these relationships, tending one’s own spirituality, and the process of how faith grows and matures. She gives practical advice for connecting across generations. “Some [elders] have learned to be a blessing for younger folk,” she says, “and others need to learn to bless and mentor others into leadership, rather than shape the church into a senior’s club,” says Rempel. “Once youth and seniors are introduced and participate in a nonthreatening conversation around things that matter, they enjoy it and want more of it.” She encourages cross-generation interactions through worship, church retreats, game nights, and interest-based service, craft, discussion or prayer groups.

Available at MennoMedia.org. ennoMedia has launched a new audio curriculum, M “Real Life, Real Families,” developed out of its weekly 15-minute radio program, Shaping Families.

“Real Life, Real Families: Listen & Talk Series 1” is designed for Sunday school classes, small groups or parenting groups and features 3- to 8-minute audio segments that can serve as a springboard for conversation. The curriculum is flexible so groups can use as many or as few lessons as they want. Topics include marriage, divorce, intergenerational families, memories, early parenthood, working and parenting, media, substance abuse, family meal time, and teaching peace to children. The leader’s guide includes Scripture and discussion questions. The curriculum is available for $34.95 for a print leader’s guide and CDs, or $19.95 downloadable online. A sample can be found at MennoMedia.org/ . You can also order by calling 800-245-7894.

Support for PSMC Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference gathers California, Arizona and Nevada churches in partnership for leadership, mission and congregational renewal.

Giving by congregations and individuals ensures that conference ministers are funded, mission activities flourish, and resources are available for church nurture.

Donations may be sent to: PSMC, 379 N. Campus Ave., Upland, CA 91786