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An Update From John Augsburger and Bev Stauffer

9/30/2015

Dear friends at Park View Mennonite Church,

We are awhirl with travel, first to Napa Valley this weekend to the wedding of John’s niece, Lara, and to visit Bev’s niece Miriam and family in Mountain View, CA and then on … John to Nepal and Bev to Bangladesh.

John’s assignment in South Sudan was challenging with difficulty establishing secure access to the very troubled part of South Sudan, and donor reluctance to fund services there because of the failed peace agreement (signed since he left). He did observe first-hand the on-going harsh conditions that many South Sudanese continue to experience. We ask for your continued prayers for peace and prosperity for people living in that country.

Just this week, John accepted a one year assignment in Nepal to direct Oxfam’s earthquake response program which is very large and well-funded. Please pray for him and his staff that they will have the wisdom to be effective and accountable to the beneficiaries who have experienced loss of home and assets (as well as injury and loss of loved ones), and to the many people around the world and governments who have donated funds. As winter is approaching there is a need to implement quickly the shelter, livelihoods and water/sanitation projects. This disaster didn’t get the coverage it deserves, so take a look at the impact of two recent earthquakes on the web.

Bev hopes to join John the end of October when she finishes her field work in Bangladesh.

It has been good to spend time in Kansas. Bev revived some old “skills’ helping with cattle and fixing farm equipment and fences. The quiet of the low-populated high prairies and beauty of the flint hills and streams has been rejuvenating.

John and Bev wish you a wonderful valley autumn. We hope to see you later this year or early 2016.

John Augsburger and Bev Stauffer

Forging Guns Into Garden Tools - NC edition

8/12/2015

From July 9-11 Larry Martin and John Miller were invited to go to the Wild Good Festival in Hot Springs, North Carolina to forge guns into garden tools with the RawTools organization.

The theme was "Blessed are the Peacemakers". They forged garden tools by the side of an open tent while a service including singing, scripture reading, and testimonies. At the end of the service attendees were invited out to the forge to take a few swings with the hammer.

Many of the participants were deeply moved by the transformation of weapons into garden tools. For more information on their work check out RawTools.org

An Update from John Augsburger and Bev Stauffer

7/31/2015

Dear friends at Park View Mennonite Church,

To thank you for your prayers and the care provided to our family, Bev started this to contribute to the church blog in May while we were still living in Turkey. This then read…."Life is quite interesting here in southern Turkey with the wonderful ancient history and regional foods as well as a great spring with walks in the tulip-laden parks near us. Yet, almost daily, we are touched by the depressing stories of the Syrian refugees who have had to flee their farms because of the on-going conflict and now are dependent on aid and monies sent by family members living abroad. During John’s birthday lunch, senior engineers working for CARE talked about how before the conflict in Syria “all religions got along, we would go to each other’s churches and mosques, eat and study together and women could dress however they wanted to.” They go on to tell of the horrors that the opposition/ISIS are initiating, “taking our land and homes, forcing women to be completely covered and creating conflict between people because of religion”. Please continue to pray for the people displaced from their country and homes, and for our country to not back opposition groups who are becoming increasingly radicalized."

Now in July, the conflict in Syria has extended to Turkey in an area where John was working, with the bombing of a cultural center and the loss of so many youth who were gathered to plan reconstruction in Syria.

John and I are also following the Nepal situation carefully, hoping to be able to help with restoration there. We are grateful for the news that our Nepali friends survived the quake; one was able to get his family out of the 11th floor apartment before it collapsed. Our friends in Nepal note how the post-earthquake response is slow for a variety of reasons including issues relating to poor governance.

John is currently on a two month assignment with CARE to South Sudan to provide interim assistance, primarily conducting a rapid assessment of the situation in Unity State and to direct operations to replenish medical and nutrition treatment supplies for local health care teams, who because of the conflict between South Sudan government and opposition troops, have had to flee their clinics and are treating families in the bush who were displaced by violent attacks. He may follow his assessment with re-establishing a program to these displaced families. There are several UN agencies hoping that he can find solutions for distributing their food supplies as there are reports that malnutrition is now very high. Please pray for John's safety and health, and for guidance especially during his three to six week exploratory trip which requires camping in the bush, and for the health teams there as they continue to provide mobile healthcare services in dangerous and primitive settings. CARE had been operating 19 health facilities to address critical health issues, e.g. in South Sudan’s poor health statistics were staggering, e.g. one in seven mothers die from pregnancy and birth-related complications.

Bev is preparing to go to Bangladesh for a month to lead a national and international evaluation team that will be assessing a large social marketing program (public health measures such as insecticide-treated bed-nets, condoms, water purification products) which has had long-term funding from the US government. Please pray for her to have wisdom in leading the team to gather and interpret data and make recommendations that will build on Bangladesh improvements in health indicators and help develop systems for sustainable communicable and chronic disease reduction measures.

Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers. It was great to see many of you a Sunday ago.

Wishing you all good health, joy, peace and love,

John Augsburger and Bev Stauffer

A Colorful Mix of Beautiful and Bewildering: Romania in the Past, Present & Future - Michaela Mast

5/22/2015

Romania. Where exactly is that again? Back before I traveled to Eastern Europe with my high school Touring Choir, I probably couldn’t have told you that Romania was in Europe. I know I wouldn’t have been able to tell you that the language they speak is Romanian, or that their weather is very similar to our own in Virginia. And I most definitely couldn’t have anticipated spending more than one week in the country. But I certainly did. The story begins on a stuffy bus packed full of high school students and a few chaperones, crossing the border from Hungary into Romania after a long, hot, thirsty wait. It continues, taking me from the city of Oradea to Cluj to Sighișoara. The colorful buildings of Sighișoara were adorned with flower boxes, and the streets were made of cobblestone, and when we sang in the Church on the Hill our harmonies rang for five whole seconds after our singing stopped. Sighișoara captured my attention. We spent the next day in Țigmandru, a village 20 minutes outside of Sighișoara. I spent only a few hours there, playing with and singing to the children that showed up on the front steps of the church. Țigmandru, or rather the children of Țigmandru, captured my heart.

Fast-forward a year, one month, and four days. The day is July 17, 2013, when I stepped onto Romanian ground for the second time. I had recently graduated from Eastern Mennonite High School with flying colors. My senior year, I was calm amidst the frenzy of college decisions going on around me. Through most of my year, I experienced a patience I never had before, followed by certainty after making a decision. I would spend a semester in Romania in the same area as Jay and Sheri Hartzler, my choir director and his wife, who were taking a year’s sabbatical to return to Romania as well. In retrospect, things fell into place so easily that I can only give God the credit for thinking that crazy idea up. It’s humbling to think that I, an overanalyzing, indecisive, ambitious person, was able to cruise right along into such an ambiguous, unusual adventure with peace. After much preparation, I was off.

I heard once that if you stay in a country for a week, you can write a book about it. For a month and you can write an article. For a year and you can’t write anything at all. I understand that. I will, however, try my very best to give you a peek hole into my experience. I returned to Sighișoara and lived with a host family. I spent my weekday mornings in a Kindergarten classroom held at an organization started by the Nazarene Church. Twice a week, I had Romanian language lessons. On Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, Jay, Sheri, and I out to Țigmandru, the same village I visited on the choir tour. The population of Țigmandru is 80 percent Roma (commonly known as Gypsy), and the standard of living is very low in many cases. I spent my evenings there at a church, where 20 to 60 kids gathered for stories, crafts, food, games, and music. The rest of my time was filled with Gospel Choir, church, family dinners, journaling, and girls’ nights with my host sisters. Within that framework is where the meaningful stuff is found.

Romania, to me, is Dorinel, Magda, and Timi racing down the road when they see the Hartzlers and me arrive in Țigmandru, greeting us with wide smiles and big hugs.

Romania is a family with six daughters, three of whom who live at home, who took me in as one of their own for almost five months. Romania is movie nights with my sister Lori, English and Romanian lessons with my younger sister, Bia, and theological conversations with my older sister, Sendi. It’s coming home to a mug of warm pudding with sprinkles on top left for me by my mother, and jovial greetings from my father.

Romania is a place of towering mountains and bumpy roads and five-story apartment buildings and castle ruins and quaint villages and cardboard roofs and rolling pastures.

Romania is frustration at the prejudice I see toward the Roma people, an ethnic group found all over the world, but concentrated in Romania. Roma are not to be confused with Romanians. This topic is far too complex to get into. Ask me about it sometime. For now, though, know that the children begging on the street were Roma, the adults I watched going through dumpsters for food were Roma, and the children I worked with in Țigmandru were Roma.

Romania is my friend Agco, who I would sit down at the piano and sing with for as long as we could think of something to sing.

Romania is no exercise, aside from lots of walking and feeble attempts to do quiet workouts in my room.

Romania is a 30-minute walk to and from town at least once a day, alone. That time became a mental struggle as I battled homesickness and exhaustion and loneliness. But within that loneliness I became acutely aware of the beauty of connectedness. A hug from my little sister, a kind word from a kindergartener, or an unexpected conversation with a stranger all held special meaning.

Romania is homemade bread and jam and soup and goat cheese and potatoes and cabbage and tomatoes and sausage.

Romania is hearing my name called on the street and turning to see Andreea, a girl I passed almost every day on my way to and from town. What began as a feeling of apprehension and helplessness as I passed her and her siblings begging was transformed into humility and a sense of accomplishment when I learned enough Romanian to talk to them and become friends.

Romania is sitting in a car, willing myself to get out and face the hand-grabbing, name-yelling love of a crowd of children. On other days, the 20-minute car ride to Tigmandru couldn’t pass quickly enough.

Romania is a woman and her daughter walking around all day long with a stick and a bag, going from one dumpster to the next.

Romania is a place where I lived comfortably, with a newly built Kaufland grocery store around the corner and $3 meals I could easily afford. It’s also a place where I often questioned the validity of my experience because I was comfortable. Finally, it’s a place where I discovered that gratitude is meant to transcend comfort and discomfort.

Romania is 60 children in a big room, all their eyes on me as I lead them in singing and signing Peace Before Us.

Romania is six to 16 kindergarteners (depending on the day), trying so hard to write their names as I sit by their side. It’s the purpose I received after deciding that I needed to take on a project of my own in the Kindergarten class, and the challenge of teaching the kids how to write their names using only Romanian.

Romania is Skyping with my family after a meal at the Hartzler’s every Sunday.

Romania is confusion and complexity and questions. But it’s also longing and compassion and joy in their simplest, most pure forms.

Romania is a thrill of accomplishment when I first understood a sentence spoken and later when I realized that I could speak those sentences myself.

Romania is beautiful relationships and a lot of self-searching and a colorful mix of beautiful and ugly.

Fast-forward a year and five months to today. The value of an experience can only truly be measured in retrospect. Less than a month after I returned from across the ocean, my dad died. Needless to say, that left me reeling. All of a sudden, my content, broad, optimistic view of life was funneled into a tiny pinpoint that allowed me to think only about the people in front of me and the moment I was in. Romania? Where exactly is that again? Ever so slowly, the pinpoint has grown yet again into a vast lens that seems almost limitless. Well, some days. As I have been re-exposed to the world, especially through my studies at Eastern Mennonite University, Romania has snuck back into the picture in the form of memories, conversations, nostalgia, and questions. There are things that were once very clear that are now muddled, and other things that were very muddled but are now at least a little more comprehendible.

I try not to romanticize my semester in Romania as I reflect on it. It was not all rainbows and flowers and hugs from little children. The poverty I was surrounded by was often not synonymous with generosity and hospitality, as is so often shared by Americans who go overseas. I did not always feel like staying. What Romania gave me was a gift so powerful that I don’t regret spending a semester there – it gave me deep gratitude. I returned home with a renewed appreciation for the Valley, for my community, for my family. I returned home with an appreciation for learning and living and noticing simple things. I know, though, that there’s much more that semester did for me than make me appreciate home. I think it’s one of those things that will slowly become unwrapped, revealing new pieces of influence in my life as time goes on. But clearly, there’s something special about Romania. I feel it when I sit down to write about my experiences and my mind starts clicking along at double time, my heart beats a little faster, and I feel this energy coursing through me, ready to spew words onto the page. There’s something in me that lights up whenever I think about the children of Țigmandru. Ask me about them sometime and you’ll probably see it in my eyes.

Fast-forward yet again, to June 10, 2015. On that day, in less than a month now, I will board a plane with Jay and Sheri for Romania Adventures, part III. This time, though, my mom, sister, and brother will join me two weeks after I arrive. I will be reunited with my host family, with my friends from Sighișoara, and with the children of Țigmandru. When the rest of my family arrives, all six of us will lead a “Friendship Camp” similar to the Peace Camp my mom started here in Harrisonburg. We will spend a week with a group of about fifteen kids in Sighișoara and a week with who knows how many kids in Țigmandru, playing games, sharing stories, making music, and creating art. As my departure date draws near, I am so excited in some moments, nervous in others, but always hopeful that this trip will once again touch me deeply.

For more information on our upcoming trip, join us in the Fellowship Hall of Park View MC at 7:00pm on Monday, May 25 for our fundraiser. There will be stories, reflections, dessert and tea, and music. We look forward to seeing you there!

To read more about my previous trips and stay connected during our next one, visit my blog at michaelamast.wordpress.com.

Guns to Plowshares: Part 2

3/25/2015

On Friday March 20, 2015 Larry Martin and Marty Miller once again demonstrated the art of forging guns into garden tools, this time at State College, PA. The event, hosted by Raw Tools as part of their Peacemaker Tour, took place in and around the State College Presbyterian Church just outside of the Penn State Campus. Shane Claiborne was the main speaker at the event which also included Terri Roberts, mother of the perpetrator of the Nickel Mines school shooting. During the service a video feed played showing Larry and Marty working at the anvil while the congregation sang and worshiped together.

Several of the participants, including the chief of police, tried their hands at forging garden tools. This event was also covered by local and national media.

Photo courtesy of RawTools.org

Powerful to beat guns into tools w/ police. Last year: 47 police were killed 461 people were killed by police pic.twitter.com/8XigOVMaiB
— Shane Claiborne (@ShaneClaiborne) March 23, 2015

ReconciliAsian: building God’s Kingdom one peace {moment} at a time

1/11/2015

(clockwise) Hyun and Sue Hur with their children, Lynn, Guhn and Yul

Based on interview with co-founders, Sue & Hyun Hur
The concepts of peacemaking and conflict transformation were unfamiliar to Sue and Hyun Hur who grew up in traditional Christian churches within Korean communities – for Sue in the U.S. when she immigrated with her family as a child, and for Hyun who was part of the Korean Baptist Church in South Korea. The Hurs were drawn to shalom theology and its practical applications for the tensions surrounding them in their local community of Los Angeles, California. The more they learned about Anabaptism, the more they felt called to start a church with specific outreach to Korean immigrants and Korean Americans.
This proved difficult, however, because “Anabaptism” and “Mennonite” are not common concepts in Korean culture and any mention was met with suspicion and distrust. Because of ongoing tensions between North and South Korea, any group or organization that hints at a “peace movement” is suspect of being Communist and this was not working in the Hurs’ favor. They knew there was much they could offer their local Korean community in the way of conflict transformation; the challenge was to connect with people.
In 2012, the Hurs had the idea of offering seminars and workshops so Korean immigrants and Korean Americans could experience Mennonite theology and practical peacemaking skills firsthand. They partnered with Fuller Theological Seminary, knowing it would feel less threatening to host an event at a local venue versus their home-based church.
Bit by bit, the Hurs reached out and built trust, and as participants experienced the tangible effects of practicing peacemaking, the word spread. At the time, Hannah Heinzekehr was working with Mennonite Mission Network and learned what the Hurs were attempting to do with scarce funding. Together the Hurs, Heinzekehr, and Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference worked to set up a support team that would raise funds for continuing this ministry. Because of limits in the process, this quickly led to the “official” founding of ReconciliAsian and becoming a 501(c)3 organization in 2013.

ReconciliAsian fundraising dinner with close friends & supporters, Temple City, CA

Jun Nakai (left) and Hyun Hur (right) with comfort woman statue in Glendale, CA

Naming the organization ReconciliAsian was very intentional – it opens conversation because it is an unusual word and not so “loaded”. This allows the Hurs to share about peace theology and conflict transformation in a non-threatening way. In turn, this has led to the Hurs sharing with others about the brokenness that happened in the Garden of Eden and how ever since, God has been about the work of restoration. They share that we are citizens of God’s kingdom – something that resonates with Korean immigrants and Korean Americans who are bi- and tri-cultural and are often trying to figure out where they belong.
The Hurs also observed that within the Korean community, church becomes the place where many find self-worth. Because Korean immigrants often come to the U.S. highly educated but unable to speak English, they are forced to take low-paying jobs. This can be a blow to self-esteem and since the church is the locus of the Korean community, it is here where many seek fulfillment and meaning – including self-worth. As a result, the Hurs witnessed power plays and conflicts ensuing around church roles. They knew Anabaptist principles of conflict transformation could help church members navigate these multi-dimensional conflicts and they began offering workshops to equip church members in this way.
The Hurs witness their outreach coming full circle – a hope they had from the very beginning. Their practice of peacemaking ripples from their marriage, to their family, to their house church, to ReconciliAsian, to the broader community and world.
Many Korean Americans and Korean immigrants are still living with the history and trauma of war. The Hurs feel called to equip their Korean community with the skills and tools to navigate conflict in transformative ways. This ripples out in navigating conflicts that can happen between the Korean community and other ethnic groups, as well as rippling out globally to conflicts in Northeast Asia.
As this reach spreads, ReconciliAsian workshop participants become curious about Anabaptist theology and the Mennonite Church. On more than one occasion, people have been surprised to learn the Hurs are Christian pastors because they do not match up with previous Christian encounters or experiences. This gives the Hurs the opportunity to share that there are many ways to follow Jesus, and they are choosing to follow the Prince of Peace as citizens of God’s kingdom.

To learn more about ReconciliAsian and to support this ministry online, visit ReconciliAsian.com.

Story Insert:
Seeking Shalom
As co-founders of ReconciliAsian, Sue and Hyun Hur are committed to sharing peacemaking skills and principles of conflict transformation with their local Korean community and beyond. So in the Spring of 2014, the Hurs gladly accepted an invitation to participate in a forum hosted by Duke University’s Divinity Center for Reconciliation.
At the forum, they met Jun Nakai, a Japanese Jesuit priest who was studying at Boston College. As he learned about the Hurs work with ReconciliAsian, he asked if he could study with them for a summer. The Hurs agreed and a summer of transformation unfolded for each of them.
As the trio got to know each other, Jun opened up about his journey in discovering the painful history of the “comfort women” – Korean, Filipino, and Chinese teenagers who were taken during World War II to “comfort” Japanese soldiers. Parents were told very little about what their daughters were being called to do, other than support and serve the war effort. The young women were subjected to the horrors of abuse and rape and because of a strong shame culture, they would return home unable to share what happened.
For the last twenty years, these comfort women – now in their 80’s – have come forward, speaking of what happened. The Japanese government denies there was any wrongdoing, saying everything that happened was voluntary.
As Jun shared his involvement in standing in solidarity with the comfort women, Hyun remembered the Glendale bronze statue created in memory of comfort women. There has been great controversy over the statue because the Japanese government wants it taken down. However, the statue remains as a reminder of the nightmarish history and as a vow to never let it happen again. The Hurs asked Jun if he would like to visit the statue.
When Jun, Sue and Hyun stood before the bronze comfort woman, it was an incredibly powerful moment. They stood in silence, particularly aware of their realities as a Japanese man and a Korean woman, standing together. Sadness overwhelmed them as they imagined these girls and all their unspoken stories.
Although their time before the statue was filled with pain, it was also filled with hope. The three talked together about their friendship and the hope that Jesus brings. This hope spilled over into the weekly peace study in Pasadena near Fuller Seminary. Jun joined the Hurs and other Koreans to study the Bible and learn more about shalom theology. He committed to learning Korean and speaking Korean which was very meaningful to the group. Sue shared that often the ideas of shalom and peace can feel so abstract, so out of reach. In the Summer of 2014, however, the three friends experienced the real-life ways that healing and peace can happen.

Ways you can support in prayer:
• Pray for peace in Northeast Asia.
• Pray for the Korean immigrants who are being sold the American Dream. Pray they are able to connect the dots and realize their unique position as immigrants who are multilingual with rich history – they can transcend the American Dream to something much greater as citizens of God's kingdom. Pray they embrace their identity and know who they are so shared stories can emerge and unite for peace.
• Pray for intercultural and interdenominational conflicts – that there can be openness across the differences and bridges of peace can be built.
• Pray that all those involved in this ministry can trust God more and as a result, rest more. When we trust God, we can have Sabbath. We tend to work too much, relying on our own strengths, but when we trust God, we can rest.
• Pray for people who can come alongside the ReconciliAsian team and join in peacemaking work. God continues to provide despite very limited funding, but it gets lonely at times. The Hurs would welcome sojourners in this ministry.

God’s Ever-Widening Circle

1/9/2015

Based on interview with Lynn Parks, Associate Pastor of Oxford Circle Mennonite Church, and Anita Lyndaker-Studer, Executive Director of Oxford Circle Christian Community Development Association

In 1946, a ministry outreach was started by a Mennonite family living in Oxford Village, a public housing development in northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. What started as a Bible club for children and youth quickly grew to a Sunday School and then a church plant. Each week, Mennonites from Lancaster County would drive into the city to be part of the ministry. Eventually a pastor was called and over the last 20 years, Oxford Circle Mennonite Church has grown into a community-based congregation.
The church’s transformation mirrored what was happening in the larger Oxford Circle community and in many urban centers across the country. As older Caucasian residents moved out of inner cities, younger people of color moved in and cities became significantly more diverse. As the Oxford Circle neighborhood changed, church members revisited the question, “Why are we here?”

Oxford Circle Mennonite Church members gather for Maundy Thursday Footwashing & Soup Service

This led to church members doing a door-to-door survey in the neighborhood and asking residents what they most needed. The 2010 Census revealed that about 40% of the residents are under the age of 21. Since many residents were new to the area, they also did not know each other or about Oxford Circle’s ministry. The idea surfaced to host a community festival.
Church members agreed it would be a safe, family friendly, low-pressure way to get to know new residents of the community and for community members to meet each other. That first community
festival was a huge success and has become an annual summer event, now running for 14 years!
In 2006, the church also founded the non-profit organization, Oxford Circle Christian Community Development Association (OCCCDA), with a focus on being the hands and feet of God. Although part of the mission is to address needs of the community, Executive Director Anita Lyndaker-Studer shared about the importance of also being relational. OCCCDA staff and volunteers are intentional about building relationships while meeting the needs of the community.
Partnering with the national programs Bridge of Hope and Interfaith Hospitality Network are examples of meeting a dire community need while also building relationships. There are very few homeless shelters open to families (most serve only adult men or adult women). Oxford Circle partners with other congregations, taking turns hosting homeless families in their church building. One of Oxford Circle’s small groups also serves in a mentoring role for Bridge of Hope participants.
The church and OCCCDA are also intentional about partnering with local schools to support neighborhood children. Schools are too often overcrowded and underfunded. Members whose children attend local schools are able to communicate needs and serve as a bridge between the church, OCCCDA and the school district. Providing supplemental education programs like after-school tutoring, the Summer Art & Enrichment Program, and the EDGE conflict resolution program are tangible ways to build relationships while meeting a significant community need.
Following God’s call to remain in northeast Philadelphia and to be a peaceful presence, Oxford Circle and OCCCDA abide by the guiding question: If Jesus loves Oxford Circle and this community, how will they know? It is one thing to offer a service on Sunday morning; what happens the rest of the week?
Prayer walks through the neighborhood are one way the congregation lets residents know they are present and available. During the summer months, members gather in small groups an hour before church and walk through the community. Pausing to greet neighbors and pray with them lets residents know about the church and its ministries.
Even though people may not go to church, or may attend another congregation, residents know that Oxford Circle is a safe place and many turn to the church in difficult times, regardless of an individual’s church affiliation. Community members turn to Oxford Circle knowing they can receive support and encouragement.
Oxford Circle desires to equip its members to be witnesses wherever they may be – at work, in school, on their residential block. This is evident by a group of church members who host small group Bible studies for their neighborhood blocks. Sharing the Gospel and doing evangelistic outreach where you are is part of Oxford Circle’s Kingdom ministry.
Associate Pastor, Lynn Parks, and OCCCDA Executive Director, Anita Lyndaker-Studer, share that the greatest challenge in these ministries is working with people because life is messy! So many residents live in deep poverty and are fighting for survival. Families fight difficult odds to overcome generations of brokenness and addiction, struggling to find ways of living differently. It is hard for any of us to recognize sin in our own lives and especially hard to break family patterns.
While people present great challenges, Lynn and Anita share that people are also a source of tremendous joy. Oxford Circle provides mentoring and discipleship, supporting people to grow in life-giving ways. (See inset story, Growing God’s Kingdom, for a celebratory example.) Families are stressed, kids are stressed, and the church provides people with a place to rest. Members are conscious of the importance to share God’s Good News when bad news overwhelms the airways. Remembering God’s faithfulness, members ask: What do we need to put our hands on today?
Recently, the leadership team surveyed the 90+ children and youth who attend Oxford Circle Mennonite Church. One question asked if he or she had a problem, which adult would they go to. Every single youth was able to name two or three adults in the church who were not family members. This was yet one more sign of God’s goodness and hope – that while relationships were being built, needs were also being met. Praise be to God!

OCCCDA group visits the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Story Insert:
Growing God’s Kingdom
Tyler* started attending Oxford Circle Mennonite Church as a teenager, participating in the youth program. When he graduated from high school and was trying to get into the work force, he met Michelle* and they began dating. When she became pregnant, they decided to get married and committed to a life together.
Over the years, Associate Pastor Lynn Parks has witnessed Tyler and Michelle navigating life together, growing in their desire to serve the Lord. They attend church faithfully with their young child and as they face life’s inevitable challenges, they seek God’s direction. They have turned to their small group for guidance in how to have a strong, Christian marriage.
As Tyler and Michelle grow in their marriage, they want to share with others and have been inviting couples to their home to grow together in understanding Christian marriage. Together, the couples continue to learn about marriage and discern how God is leading them.
To witness God’s Kingdom growing from person to person is so encouraging. Youth get involved with OCCCDA programs and build relationships which often leads the youth to start attending church. As they attend church and grow in their faith, they are encouraged to share God’s Good News with others and the welcoming circle widens.
These are signs of God’s great faithfulness and the hope that comes with Christ Jesus!
*Names have been changed.

Ways to support with prayer:
• Pray for all the children and families that we work with who face immense challenges in education, inadequate medical care, ongoing violence and poverty.
• Pray that we can know how to best support and serve the Oxford Circle community.
• Pray for renewed hope for people in the church living in Philadelphia, a city with one of the highest poverty rates in the United States. Things are broken everywhere we look and although we know God has not forgotten us, we need to remain firm in that assurance. Pray for refreshing energy and to draw on God for continued strength.
• Pray for OCCCDA’s continued direction. The Oxford Circle community is very underserved – there are not many local services. Sometimes we are not able to meet a community need and refer people to outside organizations, only to experience the larger broken system. It is easy to get discouraged. There is always more and more that we could do. We need God’s guidance to consistently discern: what is the next right step?
• Pray for faithful leadership. We know God has called us to these ministries for a reason. Pray that we can remain faithful to our calling.

Nowhere to Lay His Head

1/7/2015

Written by Anawim’s Co-founder and Pastor, Steve Kimes
In 1995, Diane and I invited Ed, a local homeless man to our home for dinner. He came over that night, and the next and the next. Then he brought friends until we were serving a meal almost every night of the week out of our two-bedroom apartment. We spent a couple of years just listening to our friends and helping with what little we could.
After a few years, we realized that the homeless community needed a worship service of their own and so began gathering in worship with homeless people beginning in 1999. Over the years, our ministry grew and we currently rent a facility from the Pacific Northwest Mennonite Conference where we offer a day shelter five days a week, showers, clothes, a winter overnight shelter and a small community house, as well as multiple worship services.

Anawim participants join in worship at the day shelter. From left to right: Jeanne, Zach, Bob, Rebecca, Genevieve, David, and Yvan

It is our understanding that to be part of God’s “kingdom” is to bring Jesus’ shalom to those who do not know shalom. As the homeless are increasingly harassed and feared, they experience less shalom. In our facilities, however, people without homes experience respect, safety, and Jesus’ love. It is a sanctuary for them, a rock of shelter in the midst of a storm. We don’t always have answers, but we provide encouragement.
We weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. Most importantly, we welcome and offer love to even the most difficult of people. The police and other churches send people our way when there is no other help for them.
After twenty years of working with the most distraught and struggling people, we have tolls on our own strength and emotional resonance. Our long-term members are worn and new supporters and volunteers are difficult to find. On the other hand, when we see someone get a job, get their life turned around and praise God for our work in their lives, it is all worth it!

Story Inserts:
Linda was a grandmother who lost her home, her car and her job because of a false accusation. She lived on the street for five years, all the while encouraging and supporting high school kids on the street. We supported her and seeing her talent in being a “mom” on the street, we invited her to take over our day shelter program. She now has housing and volunteers four days a week leading our day shelter program. Michael (pictured below) sold and used drugs on the street for many years. He came regularly to the day shelter and church, and he would occasionally stay at our community house. However, drugs always pulled him back on the street. After a lot of prayer (by him and us), he and his best dog-friend, Alice, finally remained at the community house for good. Now he has gotten back in touch with his family and is leading our work day where the homeless care for our church property.

To support in prayer:
We are looking for more peacemakers and servants of the poor to join our work with us, as well as more support. We are also seeking a fuller release of the Spirit to give a renewal of joy and energy to love with Jesus’ love.
For more information, visit Anawim’s website:
NowhereToLayHisHead.org

Christian Baptist Church Playground... Wrapping Up

11/22/2014

Mission accomplished. Playground built. Mulch applied. Fence finished. Pastor Jones' two granddaughters tested it, and squealed their approval. Sign on the gate christened it the "D. Jon Dutcher Memorial Playground," in honor of Jon's passion for children, and deep love of the people of Christian Baptist Church. A joyful day for all.

The team took care of several odds and ends during the last morning. Tomorrow morning they will attend worship with our sisters and brothers at Christian Baptist, share a meal, and then head home for the 15-hour drive.

Christian Baptist Church Playground... Onsite and at Work

11/20/2014

The crew arrived safely this morning and got straight to work clearing brush, putting up fencing, and building a playground at Christian Baptist Church.