ALLEGHENY MISCELLANY
BY: JAYNE BYLER
VOLUME 39- june 2021
#1 – “I am going to do a new thing” Isaiah 43:19. Annual Celebration of Congregations and Conference will be a Hybrid gathering this year from August 6-8, 2021. You can choose either to attend in person at Laurelville or virtually via zoom. Registration information was sent to congregations and delegates or go to https://www.alleghenymennoniteconference.org/. It’s important that you register as early as possible because we are limited in the number of rooms reserved.
The speakers for worship will be Lorie Hershey pastor of West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship since the summer of 2007, on Saturday night and Tony Brown, internationally acclaimed baritone and Artist In Residence and Peace Ambassador at Hesston College on Sun morning. Worships are open for all to attend without registration. Registration on Friday, August 6th will begin at 4:30 with supper being served at 5:30. Please be prompt with our mealtimes as we are not the only group on grounds and the dining hall is trying to keep groups separated. As of now Laurelville’s policy is to wear masks in the dining hall until you are seated at your table eating. 
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#3 –Laurelville Summer Camps for children and youth is in full swing. Keep Joy Cotchen, Conference Minister of Children and Youth, Leah Rittenhouse, Summer Camp Director, the counselors, Bible teachers, nurses and Laurelville staff in your prayers. This year’s theme and Bible focus is Climbing the Mountain…Taking Hold ~ Matthew 5:1-16. They are all hard at work to deliver an Anabaptist-focused camping experience for summer campers. #5 - MennoCon21 begins soon on July 6-10, 2021. MennoCon21 participants may choose between attending in person in Cincinnati, Ohio, or virtually via Pheedloop, an interactive, online event platform. The delegate portion of MennoCon21 as a virtual-only meeting. Learn more about MennoCon21 virtual offerings at https://www.mennoniteusa.org/mennocon21-virtual-opportunity/ #6 - Registration is open for the Everence® Development Conference, which helps charitable organization leaders stimulate and nurture generosity to strengthen their missions. The event, Invest in what lasts, is scheduled for Sept. 28-30 at Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Register now at: everence.com/devcon21. | ||||
ALLEGHENY MENNONITE CONFERENCE News Release – March 8, 2021
Five years ago, it was hard to imagine what the future could look like for Allegheny Mennonite Conference. The conference had experienced decline in membership and finances for almost two decades, capped off last year when it lost a beloved peace and hospitality ministry in Washington, D.C – the International Guest House (IGH). The silver lining? The sale of the IGH property has given conference delegates an opportunity to dream new dreams out of a new sufficiency. On March 6 at the conference’s virtual Spring Faith & Life Gathering, delegates affirmed distribution of a tithe of the IGH sale proceeds towards hospitality and justice ministries, responding to a proposal from Allegheny pastors and honoring the IGH legacy. The property was purchased in the 1960s for about $50,000 amid racial unrest. It sold in 2020 for $1,351,000.
As the IGH Board of Directors and a Transition Team developed proposals for the closure and options for dividing the proceeds, they too were guided by the general principle of honoring the legacy of IGH. There was consensus that most of the proceeds should further peace, justice and hospitality ministries within the conference and the denomination. Over the years, many volunteers and supporters of the ministry came to Washington D.C. to oversee daily operations, helping with facility upkeep and renovation. Hospitality around the table at breakfast and teatime (the signature events of each day) allowed conversation with global visitors, some of whom were avowed enemies, but who came to appreciate sharing table with one another.
During several recent pastor peer gatherings, Allegheny pastors developed a specific proposal for the tithe – $135,000 – which is in line with the IGH legacy and seeks to address current headline issues in ways that might shape what happens with the remaining proceeds. The “Justice Fund,” recently established by Mennonite Church USA, seemed a logical first choice, both because of its denominational reach and focus on BIPOC congregations and organizations. Immigration, a gift to a first nations group, dismantling the doctrine of discovery, and assisting another MC USA conference became the other pieces of the proposal. Allegheny was assisted by Central District and Indiana-Michigan Conferences when Allegheny did not have funds to send representatives to Mennonite Church USA’s Constituency Leadership Council (CLC) and other national meetings. Now Allegheny will honor the spirit of Central District and Indiana-Michigan by “paying it forward” to another conference.
“We realize that our tithe is only a beginning gesture into centuries long injustices, but we are compelled to open these channels as we attempt to honor the legacy of IGH. We believe that taking these initial steps will assist us in our conversations for the use of the remainder of the proceeds,” said Conference Minister, David Mishler. He added, “We have opened communication with MC USA, Mennonite Mission Network and people focused on first nations’ justice, because we hope to do more as we learn how best to be generous and wise with what we have been presented with.“ AMC Moderator, LeAnne Zook offered, “With these monies, we as a conference acknowledge that our God is a God of justice and is calling us to participate in undoing the structures and policies that have long been present, too often built by our governments and sanctioned by our churches.“
The disbursement of the tithe affirmed by Allegheny delegates at their March 6, 2021 Faith & Life Gathering is as follows:
$60,000 – to the Justice Fund of Mennonite Church USA ($45,000 undesignated gift and
$15,000 to be used to generate matching funds for this new ministry)
$35,000 – for immigration ministry at the southern border - various ministries of San Antonio
Mennonite Church, including La Casa de Maria y Marta (developed in consultation with Mennonite Mission Network)
$30,000 – gift to a first nations group and educational initiatives ($20,000 gift to a
Washington, D.C. area indigenous group and $10,000 to the Dismantling the
Doctrine of Discovery Coalition)
$10,000 – gift to Gulf States Mennonite Conference for the purpose of representation at
denominational meetings ($5,000 a year over a two-year period)
$135,000 - Total
For questions, contact Allegheny Mennonite Conference,
David Mishler, Conference Minister at 814-443-2007.
As the IGH Board of Directors and a Transition Team developed proposals for the closure and options for dividing the proceeds, they too were guided by the general principle of honoring the legacy of IGH. There was consensus that most of the proceeds should further peace, justice and hospitality ministries within the conference and the denomination. Over the years, many volunteers and supporters of the ministry came to Washington D.C. to oversee daily operations, helping with facility upkeep and renovation. Hospitality around the table at breakfast and teatime (the signature events of each day) allowed conversation with global visitors, some of whom were avowed enemies, but who came to appreciate sharing table with one another.
During several recent pastor peer gatherings, Allegheny pastors developed a specific proposal for the tithe – $135,000 – which is in line with the IGH legacy and seeks to address current headline issues in ways that might shape what happens with the remaining proceeds. The “Justice Fund,” recently established by Mennonite Church USA, seemed a logical first choice, both because of its denominational reach and focus on BIPOC congregations and organizations. Immigration, a gift to a first nations group, dismantling the doctrine of discovery, and assisting another MC USA conference became the other pieces of the proposal. Allegheny was assisted by Central District and Indiana-Michigan Conferences when Allegheny did not have funds to send representatives to Mennonite Church USA’s Constituency Leadership Council (CLC) and other national meetings. Now Allegheny will honor the spirit of Central District and Indiana-Michigan by “paying it forward” to another conference.
“We realize that our tithe is only a beginning gesture into centuries long injustices, but we are compelled to open these channels as we attempt to honor the legacy of IGH. We believe that taking these initial steps will assist us in our conversations for the use of the remainder of the proceeds,” said Conference Minister, David Mishler. He added, “We have opened communication with MC USA, Mennonite Mission Network and people focused on first nations’ justice, because we hope to do more as we learn how best to be generous and wise with what we have been presented with.“ AMC Moderator, LeAnne Zook offered, “With these monies, we as a conference acknowledge that our God is a God of justice and is calling us to participate in undoing the structures and policies that have long been present, too often built by our governments and sanctioned by our churches.“
The disbursement of the tithe affirmed by Allegheny delegates at their March 6, 2021 Faith & Life Gathering is as follows:
$60,000 – to the Justice Fund of Mennonite Church USA ($45,000 undesignated gift and
$15,000 to be used to generate matching funds for this new ministry)
$35,000 – for immigration ministry at the southern border - various ministries of San Antonio
Mennonite Church, including La Casa de Maria y Marta (developed in consultation with Mennonite Mission Network)
$30,000 – gift to a first nations group and educational initiatives ($20,000 gift to a
Washington, D.C. area indigenous group and $10,000 to the Dismantling the
Doctrine of Discovery Coalition)
$10,000 – gift to Gulf States Mennonite Conference for the purpose of representation at
denominational meetings ($5,000 a year over a two-year period)
$135,000 - Total
For questions, contact Allegheny Mennonite Conference,
David Mishler, Conference Minister at 814-443-2007.
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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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