What's the right answer for seekers?

Christian ethics and theology with an Anabaptist perspective
User avatar
Josh
Posts: 23813
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 6:23 pm
Location: 1000' ASL
Affiliation: The church of God

Re: What's the right answer for seekers?

Post by Josh »

Hats Off wrote:i think all of our NMB are married, almost all to MB.
This is a definite challenge for NMB who are of other races or other ethnic groups.
0 x
User avatar
Josh
Posts: 23813
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 6:23 pm
Location: 1000' ASL
Affiliation: The church of God

Re: What's the right answer for seekers?

Post by Josh »

Ernie wrote:If a seeker is willing to move, is willing to become Mennonite, and is willing to be discipled into the conservative Mennonite way of thinking about the Christian life, I would recommend they check with Fairview Mennonite Church in Reading, PA. The last I knew Fairview is open to people moving there to be a part of that church. It is a good size church (134 members) and has a good school that is open to anyone (not just Anabaptists) who are willing to embrace the school vision and guidelines. The church has a number of folks from non-Anabaptist background.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fairview ... 5985363002
I would add York, PA's Tidings of Peace Menn. Church to this description, which is also within driving distance of Baltimore, commute-wise. They would be delighted for any seekers to move there and the cost of living there is cheap.
If a seeker is not interested in becoming Mennonite but wants a "pilgrim church", they could visit Followers of the Way in Boston and see if that church is the flavor they are looking for.
http://www.followers-of-the-way.org/
0 x
YorkandAdams
Posts: 120
Joined: Sat Jun 10, 2017 10:12 am
Affiliation:

Re: What's the right answer for seekers?

Post by YorkandAdams »

Just to add on to Josh's comment, York County, PA has several different conservative anabaptist denominations within driving distance to Baltimore for work. Mid-ATL, Hope, Keystone, CCYandAC, Dunkards, and Conservative COB. Or you could move to the homeland (Lancaster) for even more variety.
0 x
Judas Maccabeus
Posts: 3878
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 11:13 am
Location: Maryland
Affiliation: Con. Menno.

Re: What's the right answer for seekers?

Post by Judas Maccabeus »

YorkandAdams wrote:Just to add on to Josh's comment, York County, PA has several different conservative anabaptist denominations within driving distance to Baltimore for work. Mid-ATL, Hope, Keystone, CCYandAC, Dunkards, and Conservative COB. Or you could move to the homeland (Lancaster) for even more variety.
If work in Baltimore is what you are going to do, you don't have to drive, Hampden Mennonite, a Keystone church is right in town, and is quite seeker friendly.

In general, if you are interested in a Mennonite church, and are NMB, I would suggest that Keystone is a very good choice in general.
J.M.
0 x
:hug:
Ernie
Posts: 5445
Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2016 2:48 pm
Location: Central PA
Affiliation: Anabaptist Umbrella
Contact:

Re: What's the right answer for seekers?

Post by Ernie »

Judas Maccabeus wrote: In general, if you are interested in a Mennonite church, and are NMB, I would suggest that Keystone is a very good choice in general.
J.M.
I agree. Assuming you are not looking for a church that is free from things like materialism, an interest in professional sports, and gradual acculturation.
0 x
The old woodcutter spoke again. “It is impossible to talk with you. You always draw conclusions. Life is so vast, yet you judge all of life with one page or one word. You see only a fragment. Unless you know the whole story, how can you judge?"
Ernie
Posts: 5445
Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2016 2:48 pm
Location: Central PA
Affiliation: Anabaptist Umbrella
Contact:

Re: What's the right answer for seekers?

Post by Ernie »

Ernie wrote:
Judas Maccabeus wrote: In general, if you are interested in a Mennonite church, and are NMB, I would suggest that Keystone is a very good choice in general.
J.M.
I agree. Assuming you are not looking for a church that is free from things like materialism, an interest in professional sports, and gradual acculturation. Some seekers are disappointed, whenever they were trying to get away from these things by joining the Mennonites.
0 x
The old woodcutter spoke again. “It is impossible to talk with you. You always draw conclusions. Life is so vast, yet you judge all of life with one page or one word. You see only a fragment. Unless you know the whole story, how can you judge?"
User avatar
Josh
Posts: 23813
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 6:23 pm
Location: 1000' ASL
Affiliation: The church of God

Re: What's the right answer for seekers?

Post by Josh »

Ernie wrote:
Judas Maccabeus wrote: In general, if you are interested in a Mennonite church, and are NMB, I would suggest that Keystone is a very good choice in general.
J.M.
I agree. Assuming you are not looking for a church that is free from things like materialism, an interest in professional sports, and gradual acculturation.
My experience with Keystone is limited to Bradford, Reading, and York, but these congregations seem surprisingly stable. In the case of York, I haven't observed much change since the break from Lancaster Conference. I would also not describe York as a place where people talk about professional sports much at all, and generally materialism is not in vogue there either (probably due to living in a pretty run down urban area).

Perhaps this is due to the unique leadership York has?
0 x
Ernie
Posts: 5445
Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2016 2:48 pm
Location: Central PA
Affiliation: Anabaptist Umbrella
Contact:

Re: What's the right answer for seekers?

Post by Ernie »

Josh wrote:
Ernie wrote:
Judas Maccabeus wrote: In general, if you are interested in a Mennonite church, and are NMB, I would suggest that Keystone is a very good choice in general.
J.M.
I agree. Assuming you are not looking for a church that is free from things like materialism, an interest in professional sports, and gradual acculturation.
My experience with Keystone is limited to Bradford, Reading, and York, but these congregations seem surprisingly stable. In the case of York, I haven't observed much change since the break from Lancaster Conference. I would also not describe York as a place where people talk about professional sports much at all, and generally materialism is not in vogue there either (probably due to living in a pretty run down urban area).

Perhaps this is due to the unique leadership York has?
Yes, those three city churches are unique.

I think the Keystone city churches as a whole tend to attract the more spiritually minded people.
0 x
The old woodcutter spoke again. “It is impossible to talk with you. You always draw conclusions. Life is so vast, yet you judge all of life with one page or one word. You see only a fragment. Unless you know the whole story, how can you judge?"
YorkandAdams
Posts: 120
Joined: Sat Jun 10, 2017 10:12 am
Affiliation:

Re: What's the right answer for seekers?

Post by YorkandAdams »

Josh wrote:
Ernie wrote:
Judas Maccabeus wrote: In general, if you are interested in a Mennonite church, and are NMB, I would suggest that Keystone is a very good choice in general.
J.M.
I agree. Assuming you are not looking for a church that is free from things like materialism, an interest in professional sports, and gradual acculturation.
My experience with Keystone is limited to Bradford, Reading, and York, but these congregations seem surprisingly stable. In the case of York, I haven't observed much change since the break from Lancaster Conference. I would also not describe York as a place where people talk about professional sports much at all, and generally materialism is not in vogue there either (probably due to living in a pretty run down urban area).

Perhaps this is due to the unique leadership York has?
Clayton Shenk runs the show over at tiding of peace in York, PA. A good man who is really decicaded to urban missions and teaching (I think he teaches at SMBI during a term). Anyway being from York, PA myself, I can attest that they have really made an impact on the local community in the area. The school is almost entirely NMB students with MB teachers and is located in a run down city. They are actually buying a new school building now as there school was getting too full! A tremendous testimony to the work that they are doing and the witness they are provideing in an area where almost all of the mennonite churchs refused to go. :clap:

I will say some of the youth in our church will fratinize with T.O.P. and maybe help with some of the missions (trash-a-thon, bible school,exc.), but generally urban missions bring up some difficult situations that some of our church families would like to avoid exposing their children to (whether right or wrong, it is a very real concern). Just something to think about.
0 x
User avatar
Josh
Posts: 23813
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2016 6:23 pm
Location: 1000' ASL
Affiliation: The church of God

Re: What's the right answer for seekers?

Post by Josh »

Slight correction: one of the teachers is not technically MB, but was one of those NMB students at another Keystone urban school. :-)

Overall, TOP's track record is pretty good. Families worried about "urban dangers" should be more concerned about rural redneck culture dangers plus the fact "urban dangers" are right inside their homes via smartphones and social media. The best defence against the enemy is a good offence.

In my group (CGCM, Holdemans), we have a lot of small urban missions which young people are strongly encouraged to go to as part of VS, after 8th grade is done. There isn't a bad reputation of young people being lost to the world - if anything, the ones who spend time in VS missions are a lot less naive.
0 x
Post Reply