Facing allegations of misconduct, pastor disappears

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Joe Rosa, who had been pastoring a Lancaster (Pa.) Mennonite Conference congregation, disappeared on May 21 after unspecified allegations of misconduct were leveled against him.

Rosa had been a pastor at Shalom Mennonite Church in New Columbia, Pa. Lancaster Conference officials declined to provide more information about the nature of the allegations.

"The matter has been reported to the police," said a statement released by Lancaster Conference officials on May 26, "and they are investigating this matter ... We ask for the prayers of believers in our community that the mercy and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ will be experienced by all involved in this difficult situation."

According to a May 28 article in the Standard-Journal of Milton, Pa., state police on horses scoured a heavily wooded area of Kelly Township and spent most of the day on May 26 searching for the pastor. They found no evidence of Rosa and halted the search about 3 p.m.

Rosa, a church planter, also served on Mennonite Church USA's Constituency Leaders Council as a representative from Iglesia Menonita Hispana (Hispanic Mennonite Church). On May 24,  Adalberto Santiago was installed as the new pastor at Shalom Mennonite Church. This change had been planned for some time and was not related to Rosa’s disappearance.

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