Three speakers who do not come from an Anabaptist tradition but who have chosen that faith and theology will be featured at Hesston College’s annual Anabaptist Vision and Discipleship Series conference Oct. 28 to 30.
Anton Flores-Maisonet, Hal Shrader and Joanna Shenk will address the conference’s theme “Getting Beyond Them and Us – to We.”
Flores-Maisonet is co-founder of Alterna, a missional community of U.S. citizens and Latin American immigrants in LaGrange, Ga., Schrader is lead pastor of Trinity Mennonite Church in Phoenix, Ariz., and Shenk is an associate for Interchurch Relations and Communication with Mennonite Church USA in Elkhart, Ind.
The weekend conference will use an Anabaptist perspective to explore the tension of the church’s call to be both distinctive and open to others. Participants will discuss ways to talk with those from differing faith backgrounds and how to extend a hospitable hand to all people while remaining distinctly Anabaptist.
“Churches often expect those not familiar with their specific faith tradition to become like them in order to be accepted or become full members,” says Shenk. “What does it look like for the church to celebrate ‘the other’ being fully other and still see ourselves as part of the same body? I believe the Spirit moves in the space between each of us. The Spirit is not in us or them, but instead between us, and that’s where transformation happens.”
Each of the speakers has experience talking with people who have an interest in Anabaptist beliefs and practices but do not come from an Anabaptist background.
Shenk states that her own journey to the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition came through experiences with the Evangelical faith tradition. She will share her story, including her struggles with feelings of exclusivity within the church and ways to overcome the ideas that create those barriers.
“By allowing people to be fully who they are and challenging people to question why they do the things they do and believe the things they believe helps us to better understand ourselves and one another to work toward eliminating exclusivity in our churches and communities,” says Shenk. “There’s also no way we have it all figured out. People who see things differently offer important perspectives. Usually those on the margins can see the weaknesses of a system or community a lot better than those in the midst of it.”
Shenk has been traveling around the U.S. since 2009 connecting with discipleship communities influenced by Anabaptism in research for her forthcoming book where she will share the stories of these communities. In her work with Mennonite Church USA, she serves on teams committed to undoing racism in the church and is leading the Women in Leadership Audit project. She has a master’s in theological studies from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (Elkhart, Ind.).
Flores-Maisonet left his tenure-track social work faculty position at a United Methodist college in 2006 to follow a call to live in solidarity with unwelcomed Latin American immigrants through Alterna. The organization emphasizes hospitality to strangers and those in need, reconciliation for broken relationships, environmental stewardship and simple living.
Shrader served in Chile for three years and was a student ministries pastor in Ventura County, Calif., prior to his role as pastor at Trinity Mennonite Church. He has a master’s in theology from Pepperdine University (Malibu, Calif.).
A complete schedule and registration information are available at www.hesston.edu/avds. Cost for registration before Oct. 1 is $110 for individuals or $85 per person if registered in groups of three or more. After Oct. 1, individual registration is $130, and the group rate is $95 per person. For more information, contact Elaine Schmidt at elaines@hesston.edu or 620-327-8290.