Allegheny Miscellany
By: David Mishler, Conference Minister
Volume 30 - october 2020
#1 – Join us on November 7 for AMC’s Fall Faith and Life Gathering – delegates and visitors
At 10:00 AM on a Saturday morning, is there any better place to be than meeting with other Allegheny conference folks to worship, work and walk together in forwarding the mission and vision of our conference of congregations? I think not! J This “optional” meeting has been called to update our delegates about our collaborative work and to begin the process of determining how to effectively steward the proceeds we expect to soon receive from the closing of the sale of the International Guest House property. A final updated proposal was emailed yesterday. Also sent were minutes of our August “Celebration” gathering. Pray for our upcoming meeting as we discern this unusual and wonderful opportunity to further the work of our collective witness. #3 – AMC to participate again in “Giving Tuesday” Mark your calendars for December 1st – Giving Tuesday 2020. Allegheny is experiencing strong support through this year of COVID-19. And in order to remain on track for a balanced 2020-21 fiscal year, we seek your ongoing contributions to meet our current obligations and grow needed ministries in our growing conference. We are learning how to maximize the convenience of online giving, but we are still novices. We will ask you to go to our website – alleghenymennoniteconference.org – and use our PayPal link to send in contributions of $25 (or more!). If you have a PayPal account, using it eliminates transfer fees. But if you use your credit card, it’s also quite simple. Either way we ask you to identify your contribution as “Giving Tuesday” in the memo area so that we know you are responding to this unique annual opportunity to give. Last year Allegheny received over $2,300 from 23 contributors. That’s almost 2% of our annual budget! Our goal this year is for a 30% increase – to 30 contributors/$3,000 for this celebration of giving. Will you join us? 
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#2 – Growth in credentialed ministers brings focused opportunities for peer support
Since the beginning of 2019, Allegheny has increased the number of persons who hold credentials in Mennonite Church USA via the conference by more than 20. Mennonite Mission Network personnel, chaplains, those engaged in the teaching professions and pastors are among those who have joined us. In order to bring peer support with more focus to these ministering persons, Allegheny is in the process of increasing the number of peer gatherings (currently via Zoom) to bring more focused resourcing. We are seeking to learn from the model offered by Virginia Conference – several “cluster” groups to share common perspective s and find mutuality. In fact, Virginia and Allegheny have partnered to continue to offer a peer “teaching” cluster for numerous persons employed by Eastern Mennonite University/Seminary. We are now exploring how a pastor cluster and a chaplain cluster may better serve those seeking peer relationships within those credential fields. Allegheny has a stated commitment “to be present at regular gatherings to share what God is doing in our various places, so that we can celebrate and counsel with one another.” To that end our credentialed leaders seek to be engaged regularly in peer gatherings for sharing, education and counsel. We value relationships and want you to know that such are the priorities and opportunities we bring to our shared ministries as a conference of congregations. #4 – PPP Forgiveness Update Last month we reported that we had “just received approval from MidPenn Bank indicating that our PPP forgiveness application has passed its first hurdle.” Since then we received word that our application was approved for full forgiveness ($9,000) by the Small Business Administration (SBA). You will see this forgiven loan turn into income on our balance sheet in October. |
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Who is Allegheny Mennonite Conference?
We are a group of 14 congregations from PA, WV, MD, VA and DE who are raising two significant priorities: to be a conference whose highest priority is to walk in the way of Jesus, the center of our faith, and to be so committed to place-based ministry, ministry in our local neighborhoods, that everything we do flows out of this commitment to offer Jesus’ reconciliation in our home towns. We value relationships. We commit our delegates to be present at three gatherings each year to share what God is doing in our various places, so that we can celebrate and counsel with one another. Our pastors commit to be engaged regularly in pastor peer gatherings for sharing, education and counsel. We value diversity. We believe diversity of thought and practice will sharpen one another in extending the reign of God in our neighborhoods. We value staying at the table. Not imposing our agenda on one another, yet discerning together how God is speaking into the life of our conference and the lives of our congregations, we aspire as adult siblings to honor one another with ongoing conversation, seeking our future together. Allegheny Mennonite Conference. Jesus centered. Collaborative. Committed to place-based ministry. |
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