On March 3^rd and 4^th, I had the privilege of leading worship for Mosaic Mennonite Conference’s Pastors’ Day Away, an event designed to serve as a “retreat” for credentialed pastors in the conference, held at the beautiful Lambertville Station Inn in Lambertville, NJ. For the participants, it was a time of refreshment replete with great food, music, fellowship, and learning. The event began with a dinner, followed by an excellent concert featuring George Makinto (award-winning musician and director of Amahoro International, a ministry of Mosaic). The concert was an autobiographical journey through Makinto’s life. It was equal parts entertaining and inspirational.

The next morning began with breakfast followed by a session on developing financial wellness, led by representatives from Everence. Next was a time of worship and teaching on Sabbath Rest. The team and I (Laura Alderfer and Cindy Angela) led songs in English, Spanish, and Indonesian. The afternoon featured an amazing lunch followed by down time for the pastors (I was in rehearsal for the next worship session). Later in the afternoon, there was another multilingual worship session and teaching on Sabbath Rest, followed by a session on Developing Spiritual Wellness, culminating in a final song.

Mosaic’s mission is as follows: “Mosaic is a community celebrating and extending God’s grace, justice, and peace. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we shape our relationships and work around missional, intercultural, and formational priorities.” That mission was on full display, both in the structure of the event and in the conversations, which were happening in Spanish, French, German, Indonesian, and English. I witnessed a group of people who have a deep love and care for one another, regardless of their cultural background, first language, or socio-political views. I also found the pastors there to be very welcoming of me, even though I was technically a guest worship leader and not a credentialed pastor. One moment that stood out for me was when I sat at lunch with seven Indonesian pastors, mostly from either the Philadelphia area or from Florida. I had an opportunity to practice my Indonesian a little bit, and they were very gracious to me. The whole group worshiped with a passion and freedom not always seen in Mennonite circles, and they eagerly participated, even when the songs were not in their first language. It was a real privilege to lead and to serve them.

The Pastors’ Day Away was my first official event as part of Mosaic Conference. However, I have previously met and connected with members of Mosaic churches at several other events, including the Anabaptist Worship Network’s Songwriting Retreat in Canada last May and the Laurelville Music and Worship Leaders Retreat back in January. Each time, I encountered a group of people who love each other, celebrate diversity, and are passionate about, in the words of Mosaic’s vision, “spreading the reconciling love of Christ in God’s broken and beautiful world”. I look forward to more opportunities for Neffsville to connect with our new partners in ministry.