Congratulations, Calenthia!

Congratulations to our own Calenthia Dowdy on her new position as Director of Collaborative Ministries at Mosaic Mennonite Conference. For more, check out this article from Mosaic:

On March 9, Rev. Dr. Calenthia Dowdy will begin serving with Mosaic Mennonite Conference as Director of Collaborative Ministries. In this two-days-a-week role, she will will serve as the team leader for accompaniment relationships with Mosaic’s 25 Conference-Related Ministries.

“I really enjoy outreach and collaboration,” Dowdy shared. “Too many of us do ministry in silos, and I think it’s important to connect, support, and pray for one another in intentional ways.” She is especially looking forward to the diversity of relationships she will cultivate across the Conference.

Dowdy brings decades of ministry experience shaped by both church and academy. She has served in youth, camp, and college ministries. She briefly taught kindergarten and eighth grade before spending more than 20 years teaching college students, including as a professor of youth ministry and cultural anthropology at Eastern University. She also served as Philadelphia campus chaplain for Messiah University.

Her leadership extends beyond traditional church settings. Dowdy has been executive director of Roots of Justice and director of faith-based initiatives in a Philadelphia nonprofit organization with advocacy and services for persons living with HIV/AIDS. She has devoted many years to antiracism education within faith-based organizations.

Credentialed as an American Baptist minister and holding a PhD in anthropology, Dowdy brings theological depth and cultural insight to her work. She grew up in Philadelphia and has long been committed to Anabaptism.

She spent about 10 years at Germantown Mennonite, where she appreciated “the intellectual edges of faith,” and for the past two years has been a member of Ambler Mennonite, where she values “the earnest simplicity of faith expression.” She is currently participating in Ambler’s Vibrant Mosaic cohort.

When not working, Dowdy enjoys good podcasts, books and movies, walking her dog, and international travel.

Executive Minister Stephen Kriss expressed enthusiasm about her arrival. “Calenthia brings gifts in networking, experience in anti-oppression training, wisdom and a textured outlook in engaging urban and global mission,” he shared.

“I continue to feel grateful for the gifted persons who are willing to consider working together to embody the reconciling love of Jesus through our shared witness at Mosaic.”