Jonny Rashid
Jonny Rashid is father to Elaine and Agatha. He lives on Lenape land, colonized as Philadelphia, in the Riverwards. He moved to Philadelphia from Lebanon, PA, where his parents emigrated from Egypt. He is an abolitionist and a housing activist. He is an avid home cook (find him on Instagram @foodpastor) and a perpetually disappointed Philadelphia sports fan. He blogs at jonnyrashid.com and is the author of “Jesus Takes A Side.” He studied journalism, education, and history at Temple University. And completed his Master of Divinity at Palmer Theological Seminary. He’s a member of the steering committee for the Philadelphia Coalition of Affordable housing. He serves on the advisory committee for the Anabaptist at 500 project. He’s a former pastor of Circle of Hope.
Our Leadership
When it comes to leading and following, WPMF keeps collaboration, consensus and dialogue at the core. We believe everyone has a contribution to make. Our communication structure assumes that many people (not one person) have pieces of the answer and that together we can put the answers together into a workable solution.
These value statements come from “Guiding Values for Decision-Making at WPMF,” a document that Church Council adopted in December 2002 and presented to the congregation.
Elders
The elders and the pastor work together as the pastoral team. Together, they deal with congregational spiritual life, clarifying vision and mission and seeking to discern God’s will for the congregation.
Areas of responsibility:
- overseeing small-group life
- pastoral care
- working with ministries of worship, nurture and outreach
- encouraging and supporting other ministry teams that develop
- dealing with matters of church discipline
- shaping the preaching and teaching plan
- overseeing the congregation’s membership policies and records
- overseeing the integration of new persons into the life of the church
- intervening with members experiencing conflict with each other
- appointing one elder as a delegate to Franconia Conference Assembly
Currently serving:
- Linda Esh
- Ethan Tan
Human Resource Committee
The HRC oversees the work of the pastor and hires and oversees any staff, including pastor(s), Minister of Worship (if applicable), and administrative assistant. It is also responsible for filling the lay posts in the church that are part of Church Council: Elders, Deacons, and HRC. In the event of pastoral vacancies, the HRC names a search committee.
Currently serving:
- Grace Hercyk
- Bryan Geib
Deacons
The deacons oversee the stewardship of resources and is responsible for the financial stability of WPMF. They shape the budget and present it for congregational approval, look after legal affairs, negotiate facilities, respond to mutual aid requests, oversee the hire and work of the custodian, and disburse mission budget line items.
Mutual Aid at WPMF general comes in two forms
- Emergency Aid
- Scholarship Aid
Currently serving:
- Marla Burkholder
- Ariel MacNeil
Church Council
The church council is the administrative and decision-making body of the congregation. It is comprised of the Pastoral Team, Deacons and the Human Resources Committee and meets quarterly. Council is accountable to the congregation, and all agendas, minutes and other documentation is available to the members. Council welcomes input and feedback on all matters from the congregation.
