Houston Mennonites in the path of Tropical Storm Harvey

8.28. 2017  Written By: Hannah Heinzekehr, The Mennonite 

Over the weekend, Tropical Storm Harvey hit land, bringing intense rainfalls and flooding to Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States. The city is home to four Mennonite churches whose pastors have been keeping in touch with each other and their members via phone, as they continue to pray for safety and for an end to the onslaught of rain. Mennonite Disaster Service also has a team of people scheduled to arrive in the city later this week, on Wednesday or Thursday, to begin working with local organizations to assess damage and begin relief work.

The storm, which the National Weather Service referred to on Twitter as “unprecedented” and “beyond anything experienced,” began on Friday, Aug. 25, and though rains have slowed, drizzle continues to be in the forecast for the week ahead. So far, five fatalities have been reported. Many across the city are reporting injuries, and there are widespread reports of homes and businesses being damaged or destroyed by floodwaters across the city.

Pastor Alberto Parchmont of Iglesia Menonita Casa del Alfarero in Pasadena, Texas, was grateful to report that all the members of his church were safe and had shelter in dry places. Parchmont is currently providing shelter for six people in his own home.

“Everybody is in communication,” said Parchmont on Aug. 28. “We check in and ask, What happened to you? Are you OK? I called every day to check in on everybody in the congregation to see if they have a problem, and so far every person has said that they are OK.”

Parchmont also noted that the storm causes economic concerns for congregational members. Many of them who work in construction or as teachers’ aids are losing hourly income, many of them for up to a week, as local businesses and schools remain closed due to flooding.

According to Marty Troyer, pastor of Houston Mennonite Church, church members have reported receiving anywhere from 27.5 to 40 inches of rain over the last three days.

“We’d definitely invite prayers for all the Mennonites and people in Houston,” said Troyer. “I’ve checked in with all three of the Mennonite churches and [the] church plant in the city, and all [are] reporting [being] safe and dry. Today we’ve lost a couple of cars. Please pray for ongoing safety. And I would ask for prayers for us as we try to live out our faith to our neighbors. There are definitely people who need help, and I would ask for prayers that Mennonites here in Houston can do what we can and be bold enough to see ourselves as part of the solution.”

Pastor Simon Lian Hmung Tlumang of Chin Emmanuel Baptist Church in Houston, a member of Western District Conference, said that some members of their congregation have lost vehicles, as apartment parking lots flooded.

Tlumang notes that right now members of the church are mostly hunkered down in their homes and unable to help their neighbors. “Right now, even we cannot go to anybody,” he said in an Aug. 28 phone interview. “Even I myself am just sitting in the house. We cannot go outside because of the flooding, and I don’t see anybody outside.”

Mark Beach, communications manager for Mennonite Disaster Service, says the organization has already begun to prepare to be a presence in relief and rebuilding efforts after the storm passes.

“We expect to be there,” said Beach in an Aug. 28 phone interview. “What’s amazing is that there have been so few fatalities, and we hope it stays that way and all that’s left is to rebuild and get people back in their homes. It’s hard to understand the magnitude of the storm at this point in time. We can’t speculate what it’s going to be, but we know there’s going to be a role for MDS.”

The organization has started collecting donations and been in touch with local Houston Mennonite pastors and leaders at nearby San Antonio (Texas) Mennonite Church and Austin (Texas) Mennonite Church about assisting in relief efforts. MDS is also in regular communication with long-term recovery committees in both Houston and nearby Bastrop, Texas, where MDS has already been at work addressing a previous flood. MDS is also part of a national organization, Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), which helps coordinate rebuilding efforts after disasters.

Troyer notes that Mennonites and MDS already have a good reputation in Houston because of their help

Photo from Flickr/Creative Commons.

in rebuilding in 2001, following Tropical Storm Allison, which also led to widespread flooding and displacement in the city.

All three congregations canceled their usual Sunday morning worship services. In lieu of gathering in person, Houston Mennonite Church posted a virtual worship service on their website, including a video message from Troyer and prayers and questions for church members to engage.

“Talking about canceling worship just sounded strange,” said Troyer. “We don’t have to get together, but we don’t need to cancel worship.”

The service opened with a praise and hope drawn from Luke 1: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.…His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.”

MDS is now accepting donations to help fund their work in Houston following Tropical Storm Harvey. You can also sign up to volunteer in ongoing relief efforts.

Featured image: Flickr/Creative commons. 

Mennonite Central Committee Needs Your Help!

Click here to complete the survey!

In response to a call from churches and individuals, MCC is creating an MCC toolkit on gun violence prevention! They would love your feedback so they can better understand your needs, concerns, and questions.  

This resource will cover gun violence in all of its forms, including suicide, as 2/3 of all gun deaths in the US are suicide. 

Please contact Krista Dutt, Program Coordinator for Chicago and Church Relations Associate for MCC Great Lakes, at  312.623.4227 or kristadutt@mcc.org

IMC Names New Associate Conference Minister for Hispanic Ministries

Illinois Mennonite Conference is excited to welcome Martin Navarro as the new Associate Conference Minister for Hispanic Ministries. This is a new part-time staff position within the conference.

Navarro is a Chicago native. He grew up in the Comunidad Cristiana Vida Abundante in Cicero, IL. He has an M.Div. from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. Currently, he holds the position of stewardship consultant and financial service representative with Everence. In that role, he serves exclusively Hispanic Anabaptist churches.

Navarro says, “In this position (with IMC) I expect to bridge cultural gaps and also strengthen relationships with the Hispanic churches within IMC. Also, I’m hoping that this will be a time where reconciliation can occur between the Hispanic congregations and the conference. Historically, Hispanic churches have been neglected or not well represented within IMC…”

Conference Executive Minister, Michael Danner, said, “I’m excited to have Martin on the staff of IMC. I’m hopeful that his work will help us begin to move towards being a multicultural conference in practice, not just on paper.”

Danner also said, “In my excitement, I’m also careful to guard against a quick fix mentality. The relationship between Anglo and Hispanic congregations in IMC has a long history. Moving towards a new way of functioning will take time. Having Martin on staff is a good first step. ”

Illinois Mennonite Conference leaders are excited about the possibility of growing relationships between our Hispanic congregations and the rest of the conference. Martin Navarro began his work with IMC on August 11, 2017. You can reach him via email at mnavarroimc@gmail.com

 

Bio: Martin and his wife Viri live in Elkhart IN. Where they both attend Prairie Street Mennonite Church. Martin enjoys spending time with family, and also vegetable gardening.

Martin and his wife are Chicago natives. He grew up in the Comunidad Cristiana Vida Abundante. He is also an MDiv alumni from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. He has a passion for the study of the intersection of Mennonite identity and Latino theology.

Church Spotlight: First Mennonite Church of Champaign-Urbana

The following is a snapshot of congregational life at First Mennonite Church of Champaign-Urbana, IL  provided by Rebecca Bare. If you would like more information on news shared here, please contact the congregation directly. We’re sure they’d love to hear from you.

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First Mennonite Church Champaign/Urbana

The summer worship theme has been grace. Guest preachers were Randy Nelson and Cindy Breeze.

A group of pilgrims walking on the Potawatomi Trail of Death spoke at FMC on June 4, about the trail and their experiences.

Hazel Malekin participated in the Illinois State Special Olympics in June.

On June 11, 49 bells were chimed to honor the Pulse Night Club victims and other victims of gun violence.

The dedication of two Habitat houses, which FMC members helped build, was held on June 11.

Seven people attended the Central District Conference annual meeting at the end of June. Nine people, including three youth, were delegates to the MC USA convention in July. The youth and their sponsors planned the worship service on July 23.

On July 16, Menno Mugs were given to three members who are moving on: Paul Duncum is returning to Australia and Claire and Seth Morgan are moving to North Carolina for more schooling.

July 30 was the 5th Sunday of the month, so a number of people attended breakfast and Sunday School with other churches. Worship service began at 10:45.

 

Important Events

 

Births

Victor Peña Martin to Jeronimo and Pam Peña Martin on June 8

 

Marriages

Joyce Wyse and Bharat Philiph on June 17

MCC Immigration Grants

Is your church working with Immigration within your community?  Would your church like to begin working with Immigration in your community? If so, Mennonite Central Committee has funding to help. The following is a list of activities MCC will be funding:

  • Immigration Law Training – This is a 40-hour training in Akron, PA. The training will teach the fundamentals of immigration law which will help churches better explain and advocate around the tension in our country right now. The training will also teach skills for working with immigrant communities on their rights and pathways to citizenship.
  • Immigration Documentation Programs – The grant will provide start up/support funds for churches who are offering immigrants assistance will preparing proper documentation and helping communities better understand the system of immigration and their rights.
  • Know-you-right brochures – If your church needs the know-your-rights brochures and postcards, please contact MCC Great Lakes and we can assist with getting them for their specific communities.
  • Trauma Healing Training – If someone in your church or community is interested in taking Trauma Healing Training, the grant will pay for classes in your area. WE have limited spots for this part of the grant, so if people are interested they should contact me soon.
  • Translation  – The grant will pay to have immigration material translated to Spanish.
  • Advocacy Day – The grant will pay for a few people to go to Washington DC for advocacy training. The grant will also pay to bring Washington DC staff to your community and offer a training as well.

    These are a few areas in which MCC has funding for local congregations and communities. If you would like more information about these grants, please email Cyneatha Millsaps, MCC Program Director for the Great Lakes Region. 

Plow Creek Fellowship Closing at End of 2017 – Hungry World Farm Emerging -by Cal Zehr

Tiskilwa, Illinois – August 4, 2017 – Plow Creek Fellowship, an intentional Christian community established in 1971, a mile south-east of Tiskilwa, Illinois, is announcing the close of its operations at the end of 2017. At its peak the community had up to a hundred participants in worship and common meals. Plow Creek Fellowship has been widely known for its u-pick strawberries and its sales of garden-fresh produce at area farmers’ markets.

Plow Creek Fellowship members shared in a common treasury. It was closely affiliated with Plow Creek Mennonite Church, a member of the Mennonite Church, USA. The Fellowship was guided by a commitment to share life, needs and resources according to the teachings of Jesus and the practice of the early Church as told in Acts 2-4. Peace-making and solidarity with refugees gained the community both respect and criticism. Over the years, many weary city-dwellers took retreats at Plow Creek, appreciating the natural beauty of its woodland trails, starry nights, campfires, and good pot-luck food. Plow Creek Fellowship was the site of several summer camp meetings for Shalom Mission Communities of which Plow Creek Fellowship was a member. One camp meeting in 2008 hosted a music festival with inspiring teachings for more than seven-hundred campers.

One of Plow Creek Fellowship’s most well known members was writer and pastor, Rich Foss, who, for a decade, wrote a weekly column in the Bureau Valley Chief until his death in January of 2017. Rich’s passing, plus the deaths of David Gale and Jim Harnish in late 2016, left only a dozen members who concluded that it was time to close up community operations and pass the property on to another non-profit ministry. This turned out to be Hungry World Farm, an offshoot of Willow Springs Mennonite Church.

Hungry World Farm is a new organization applying for not-for-profit status. It will receive the Plow Creek Farm and transition it into a new ministry utilizing the facilities and farmland. The idea of Hungry World Farm began through local conversations and a review of other farm-based ministries that teach about growing and consuming healthy food. Dennis Zehr of Coneflower Farm, Tiskilwa, and Calvin Zehr, Pastor of Willow Springs Mennonite Church, Tiskilwa, created a proposal which Plow Creek Fellowship accepted.

Hungry World Farm will focus on the following activities: educating people about food production, distribution, and consumption; addressing spiritual hunger in people’s’ lives; training local and international interns in farming techniques; and providing retreats for holistic growth and health. The transition will officially take place at the end of 2017.

If you would like to explore ways to partner in this new organization, or for more information, please contact Cal Zehr, 815-646-4819, hungryworldfarm@gmail.com.

Contact Information:

Mark Stahnke, Plow Creek Fellowship, stahnke1@gmail.com  – 19201 Plow Creek Rd., Tiskilwa, Illinois 61368, 815-646-4851

Cal D. Zehr, Willow Springs Mennonite Church. hungryworldfarm@gmail.com – 16621 Kentville Rd., Tiskilwa, Illinois 61368   815-646-4819