Leadership
David Moser (he/him) has been serving as a pastor at Southside Fellowship since 2005. He is passionate about the questions and stories that invite us into a Shalom Relationship with our self, others, creation, and God. David is energized by questions like, “Who is God, and how is Jesus awake in the suffering, struggles, and renewing of the world today?” He enjoys walking alongside people in the spiritual journey of being in the questions, and seeking a deeper connection with Life.
David has had a varied career in ministry. He spent almost ten years doing community reconciliation work in Belfast, Northern Ireland during the Troubles and in the early years of the peace process there. He has worked in outdoor education and the camping ministry at Camp Friedenswald. He has worked for Mennonite Central Committee doing Peace Education, and he served as pastor in two congregations before coming to Southside Fellowship.
He has an undergraduate degree in education from Goshen College and a Masters of Divinity from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary.
David rarely goes anywhere without a book to read. If he isn’t reading in his spare time, there are birds to watch; snakes, frogs, and turtles to marvel at; wild flowers to smell; and trees to listen to. David is enjoying Life -his- and all the life around him.
David is most grateful for his wife Ingrid and his two sons, Levi and Peter. Time spent with them in nature is precious.
David believes that time connecting with God, nature, and people is a gift and that Life is all about relationships.
Congregational Co-Chair
Suzanne Ehst (she/her) has served as a congregational co-chair since 2020, saying yes to this leadership role right at the start of a global pandemic. This proved to be a surprising gift as the role deepened her love for and investment in this community during an era of “social distance.” Suzanne has attended Southside Fellowship since about 1999 and has served on the worship committee, worked as the administrative assistant, and currently participates in worship through reading, songleading, and the occasional reflection.
Suzanne currently works as a Professor of Education at Goshen College and also serves as the Core Curriculum Director. Earlier in her career, she taught high school English at Bethany Christian Schools. Once upon a time, she valued writing poetry and creative nonfiction; these days she is more likely to write grant reports and curricular proposals. Regardless of the genre, she continues to love composition, putting words together and attending to the way that the right turn of phrase can give glimpses of mystery, nuance, complexity, or loveliness. One thing she loves about Southside is how many other people in the congregation care for words in the worship space.
Suzanne and her spouse, Mark, enjoy tending to their wooded lot along the St. Joseph River in Southern Michigan. They are aided in their tending of the woods by about eight to ten pigs, which they raise seasonally in their “micro-CSA.” A perfect day for Suzanne is a day at home, hopping from chore to chore–painting, weeding, fixing, sawing–followed by drinks on the dock with a few close friends at sunset.
Congregational Co-Chair
Rick Stiffney (he/him) serves as a Congregational Co-Chair. He and his spouse, Kathy, have been active in the life and work of SSF for several years. Rick leads worship and plays piano occasionally. He has chaired a scenario planning task force and the Pastor Congregation Relations Commission. He also served on the Associate Pastor search committee.
Rick has spent most of his professional career working with nonprofit organizations across the country and internationally. He has served as Executive Director in several and has taught and consulted with hundreds of organizations with special attention to board governance, senior and executive leadership. He continues to so some of this work in what he calls his season of “tapering and tempering”.
Rick and Kathy are parents of two grown children and have three grandchildren. Rick enjoys daily meditation, exercise, project work with his spouse Kathy (who is an accomplished painter,) table games with family and friends, and golf whenever the weather allows.
Administrative Assistant
Rebekah Short (she/her) has served as Administrative Assistant at Southside since 2018, and with her husband Gene has been a member since 1983. She has served in a variety of roles including Worship Commission, Community Life, song leader, worship leader, and all-around do what needs to get done person.
Originally from Australia, Rebekah was introduced to Mennonites when she attended a congregation in Winnipeg, ON, and subsequently enrolled at Eastern Mennonite High School then graduated from Goshen College with a degree in Art Education.
Prior to working in the Southside office, Rebekah taught Art in the public schools for nearly 40 years. On retirement she adopted Luna, her Weimaraner mix, who loves to come to the office and frolic in the wild spaces of the seminary campus.
She retains a love of liturgy from her early years in the Anglican church, but Anabaptist values and faith community are now core values. She is passionate about the integration of visual arts and music into worship as a way to enrich and deepen the mystery of our faith experience. She loves gardening, games, cooking for others, reading, and learning new things.
