Fairhaven Mennonite Church in Fort Wayne is a congregation of 25-30 people, where lay leaders have worked to provide leadership and support. We have not had a pastor for 10+ years so retired pastors, speakers from church agencies, and others preach weekly.

About a year ago, the congregation had a frank, “Where do we go from here?” conversation. No one was ready to throw in the towel and move on. Yet at times it felt like we were treading water. The vision to “build a diverse community of Jesus followers through caring relationships” was still relevant but we wondered “Could we do better?”

Around this time, Dr. Bob Smith, a retired minister with a strong background in urban ministry, preached occasionally at Fairhaven. He and his wife Belinda were invited to come monthly and preach, share lunch, and lead the congregation in thinking about the future.. He encouraged the group to pray and name hopes and big ideas.

Two ideas became the focus: (1) invite an intern from a seminary to work with Fairhaven for several months (still pending); (2) share the building with another congregation since the well-maintained building could be better utilized. Thanks to a matching grant from IMMC, a new steel roof replaced a badly leaking one!

News of a small Hispanic congregation, Familia De Fe, looking for a space reached Fairhaven through connections with Bob. The two groups met during late winter and a decision was made to proceed with plan to share the space. Since Bob had pastored a church that shared a building, he was able to give guidance on creating agreements, having realistic expectations, and finding ways to not simply rent the space but share some aspects of life together. Work began to write a contract, contact the insurance company, clear storage space and plan the communication process.

Familia De Fe began worshipping on site in August of 2024. Fairhaven worship service begins at 10am with Familia De Fe starting at 11:30am. This allows time for informal greetings as Fairhaven heads to Sunday School and Familia De Fe begins worship. All children attend Sunday School together. Having new friends has re-energized Sunday School time for all the children and their teachers! Familia De Fe also worships on Wednesday evenings.

Everyone eagerly anticipated September 15 when both congregations shared in worship and a common meal together. A well-filled sanctuary, joyful singing in both languages, prayers of thanksgiving, a sermon by Pastor Bob interpreted by Ron Collins, encouraged a spirit of unity and joy. Pastor Elio shared that seven years ago, while he was waiting to attend a meeting elsewhere in the community, he parked in the Fairhaven parking lot and prayed for the congregation. Little did he know that someday it would be his meeting place as well.

What a combination of camaraderie and delicious food was shared during lunchtime! Since our fellowship hall is only accessible by stairs, space was cleared and the meal was shared in the sanctuary so everyone could participate.

Everyone is looking forward to what God has in store as Familia De Fe and Fairhaven grow and learn from each other.

Submitted by Rachel Yoder, Fairhaven Mennonite Church.

The evening of Friday, August 23 to Sunday, August 25, Piedra Viva Mennonite Church had its annual retreat at Amigo Center located in Sturgis, MI. It was a time of renewal, inspiration and grounding in the Anabaptist faith.

The celebration started on Friday with an informal meal and time of fellowship, reflecting on our faith, and how we have seen God move in our lives in our Christian walk. The evening ended with singing psalms and prayer. Saturday we started the day with a brunch provided by Amigo’s staff, and it was followed by a two part study, led by sister Deb Byler, on eight spiritual practices for the believer to follow in order to stay strong in their journey towards holiness and stay strong in their faith in Christ.

A pontoon ride was a break from the study and served as an opportunity to get a closer look at God’s creation, to enjoy each other’s presence, and to get acquainted with factual information about Amigo Center and the lake.

After congregational singing, Deb continued with the second half of the study. In this session, the emphasis was on the importance in the life of the believer to have alone time with God, to have retreats, and connecting with a spiritual guide.

A bonfire was planned for 8:30 pm; however, it started to rain, and though the fire had been kindled, it was very quickly extinguished the fire by the rain. The flames on the bonfire were extinguished, but not the flames of the spirit. The congregation met in the dining room of the lodge, and started to sing psalms and other scriptural songs. What a blessed time!

Sunday morning started with a service by the lake. Terri Geiser and Michelle Sosa led the congregation in singing and brother Rolando Sosa preached, giving a brief historical overview of the Christian Church and the roots of Anabaptism. Diana Montiel, Michelle Sosa and Juan Carlos “Charlie” Rodríguez, all three adults, confessed their faith in Jesus Christ and were baptized. Brother Rolando Sosa, with assistance from brother Charlie Geiser, officiated the baptisms. The services ended with the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

After nurturing our soul and spirit, the congregation moved to the dinning hall to celebrate the baptisms and to close the retreat, with a delicious brunch provided by Amigo’s wonderful staff. The activity closed on Sunday at 12:30 pm with prayers and goodbyes.

We thank our Creator for the blessed time we had during our retreat, for the privilege to be called children of God, for our Anabaptismos faith, and for Piedra Viva, our faith community, which although small in numbers, has an ardent fervor, love for Christ and people. 

Submitted by Rolando Sosa, Pastor, Piedra Viva Mennonite Church.