BETHEL COLLEGE MENNONITE CHURCH
WORSHIP SERVICE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
May 4, 2025–Third Sunday of Easter
Our faith in a God of love leads us, by the power of the Spirit,
to follow Jesus in doing justice, loving mercy,
and walking humbly with God.
To livestream the worship service:
On Sunday morning, around 9:20 a.m. go to BCMC’s webpage at bethelcollegemennonitechurch.org and click the green button labeled LIVE STREAM on the right side of the screen, which will take you to the worship service. If you get a message in the black box that the video is unavailable, click the gray box below that says “View Live Stream on YouTube”. Anytime after the service concludes, you can watch a recording of the service at your convenience by clicking the same green LIVE STREAM button. Again, you will probably have to go to the gray box that says “View Live Stream on YouTube”. That will transfer you to the BCMC YouTube Channel. You will have to click on the tab “Videos” to see all of the BCMC videos. Click the red button to see the bulletin/order of service.
OR – click on this link for this Sunday: https://youtube.com/live/oGRJicG3mac?feature=share
The memorial service for Merrill Raber is this Saturday, May 3, 11 a.m. in the BCMC Sanctuary with a lunch to follow. Live-stream link for the service is: https://youtube.com/live/_3KzTE8LCN8?feature=share
BETHEL COLLEGE MENNONITE CHURCH
May 4, 2025
Third Sunday of Easter
Christ Candle Lighting
Centering Music—Lift High the Cross (Weber)—Karen Unruh
Land Acknowledgement—Jim Robb
Welcome & Prayer
*Hymn—I Know That My Redeemer Lives (verses 1-4)—VT 347
Children and Youth Conversation—Deb Gering
Worship Music—Do Lord, O Do Lord (Bill Ingram)—Chancel Bells, Verlene Garber, director
Scripture Reading—John 21:1-19—Dorothy Nickel Friesen
*Hymn—Seeking Warmth from Charcoal Blazing—VT 344
Sermon—From the Miraculous to the Mundane—Nathan Koontz
*Hymn—Now the Green Blade Rises—VT 353
Prayers of God’s People
*Hymn—The Risen Christ—VT 345
(During the hymn those with April birthdays come forward to receive a birthday blessing.)
*Birthday Blessing and Benediction
Postlude–“Excerpts from The Best of John Williams” (arr. Wagner)
(“May the Fourth be With You”)–Chancel Bells
*You are invited to stand
VT—Voices Together
Audio visual—Francis Toews
Land Acknowledgement from words by Mark Charles and VT #878
As we do on the first Sunday of each month,
we acknowledge that we worship
on the land of the Kanza, Osage, and Wichita.
We thank them for their care and respect for this land
and acknowledge the injustice of their forced removal.
We ask the Spirit to heal our histories
and find new paths of right relationships with them
and all of creation.
GOING BEYOND LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
From the Repair Coalition:
“While the Supreme Court has yet to take any action on the Apache Stronghold case, the federal government on Thursday, April 17, 2025, announced that it plans as early as June 16, 2025 to publish a final environmental impact statement and begin moving forward with the transfer and destruction of Oak Flat. On Friday, April 18, Becket Law filed a letter with the Supreme Court explaining that this makes it even more urgent for the Court to hear the case.
Thanks to the federal government’s haste, Apache Stronghold now has legal standing to request an injunction, a legal order for ‘the courts to stop this move in its tracks and ensure justice can be delivered before Oak Flat is permanently destroyed,’ with the District Court as another avenue in case the Supreme Court decides to not hear Apache Stronghold’s case.”
BCMC Task Group will be organizing a prayer vigil and letter writing campaign next week on behalf of the Apache Stronghold and Oak Flat. Watch for a request for your help! “May we lament all that has been and is destroying life.”
A congregational meeting is scheduled for this Sunday, May 4, 10:45 a.m., after the worship service.
Youtube link for the meeting is: https://youtube.com/live/G7KfOKQLN28?feature=share
For the agenda for the meeting and the Annual Report booklet press here. There will be printed copies available in the Gathering Place.
The Week at BCMC: May 4-11, 2025
Sunday, May 4, 2025: Worship—9:30 a.m. Congregational meeting in the sanctuary—10:45 a.m.
YouTube Link for the worship service this Sunday:
https://youtube.com/live/oGRJicG3mac?feature=share
YouTube Link for the congregational meeting
https://youtube.com/live/G7KfOKQLN28?feature=share
Monday, May 5, 2025—Church Office will be closed today
6-8 p.m. Newton Community Children’s Choir Party in Fellowship Hall
7:30 p.m. Bethel College Campus Ministry event in the sanctuary
Tuesday, May 6, 2025—Pastors will be on a retreat
Thursday, May 8, 2025
5:15 p.m. Hospitality Commission meeting in Fellowship Hall
6 p.m. Bethel College rehearsal in sanctuary
Friday, May 9, 2025
11 a.m. Bethel College Open Road and Woven rehearsal in sanctuary
6 p.m. Bethel College rehearsal in sanctuary
Sunday, May 11, 2025
9:30 a.m. Worship with sermon by Joanna Harader; sabbatical blessing for Pastor Nathan Koontz; welcome to new members
4 p.m. Bethel College Open Road and Woven Concert in the sanctuary
6 p.m. Bethel College rehearsal in sanctuary
Pastor Joanna Harader will be out of the office from May 1 to May 6. She is attending the “Fabulous, Fierce, and Sacred” event in Philadelphia from May 2-4.
Upcoming Events at BCMC:
· May 18, 10 a.m.: Bethel College Baccalaureate at BCMC
· May 30, 11 a.m.: Memorial service for Helen Bargen at BCMC
Forty-one years ago–in spring 1984–leaders of the Western District Mennonite Conference took away John Linscheid’s ministerial credentials because he is gay. In a worship service at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 11, at Peace Mennonite Church in Lawrence, KS, current WDC leaders will apologize for what their predecessors did. You can read more details about this event on the Western District Conference website. Please contact Pastor Joanna if you would like to carpool with others who are attending from Newton.
As most of you know, Pastor Elizabeth Schmidt has announced her plan to retire from her position at Bethel College Mennonite Church later this fall, after Pastor Nathan returns from his sabbatical. The BCMC board has had significant conversations with all three pastors and is now working to develop a job description for a future pastoral position. Our moderators will be creating a search committee that will carry forward our church’s search process. Your prayers are appreciated as we look toward this upcoming time of transition.
BCMC Offering for Apr. 20: Gen. Fund $8,846; MCC Sale $25; Sr Hi Youth $2,172; Caring Fund $1,336; Library Reserve Fund $5; Women’s Fellowship $509; Merrill Raber Mem. $150.
For April 27: Gen. Fund $1,485; Plant Fund $50; Sr Hi Youth $511; Flower Fund $15; Church Retreat $848.
Want to make your voice heard but don’t know how? Check out “5 Calls,” an easy and effective way to be in touch with your congressional reps. The website provides help with knowing how to make your calls, provides a timely list of topics to address (gets updated frequently) and a handy script guide to help you know what to say. Check them out at https://5calls.org/ —Witness Commission
Destination: Greensboro, NC: Mennonite Church USA conference 2025, July 8-12 If interested in being a delegate, contact any Gifts Discernment Committee (GDC) member: Jeanette Stucky, Jerry Buller, Dick Koontz, Francis Toews or the church office. Delegate sessions will be July 12. GDC reimburses registration fees to delegates.
You are invited to attend the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Relief Sale Annual Meeting Thurs., May 22, 6 p.m., at Hesston Mennonite Church. The cost for the meal is $20/person and you will pay at the door. Please RSVP to Barb BJ Reeves by May 19, 620-543-6863 or bj.reeves@live.com The meeting to celebrate our successful Sale and present MCC with a check will be held after dinner at approximately 7 p.m. A filled sandwich bag of California almonds will be available for $20.
Youth ages 12 to 17 are invited to become a Junior Volunteer at Schowalter Villa (Hesston) or Kidron Bethel Village (North Newton) for the summer. The Bluestem Communities Junior Volunteer program runs from June 2 to July 25. Participants will interact with residents in a variety of ways, including activities, games, exercise, conversation and more. It’s a wonderful opportunity for intergenerational connections and to enrich the lives of all involved! Applications are required and must be submitted by May 9. For an application or questions, contact Bluestem Communities Volunteer Coordinator Sheri Esau at SheriE@bluestemks.org.
Bethel College Announcements
· Sun., May 4: Bethel College Masterworks Concert, 4 p.m.: Three Nocturnes by Dan Forrest; Exsultate, Jubilate by Mozart; Considering Matthew Shepard: A Choral Suite by Craig Hella Johnson, with mass choir, orchestra and soloists; Memorial Hall
· Weds., May 7: Jazz on the Green at Bethel College, 7 p.m. (rain venue: Krehbiel Auditorium in Luyken Fine Arts Center)
· Thurs., May 8: Bethel College Voice Studio recital, Dr. Holly Swartzendruber, instructor, 7 p.m., Administration Building chapel
· Sun., May 11: Dr. Valerie Mendoza, Kansas City Kansas Community College, “Stories of Mexican Migration to Kansas,” 3 p.m., Kauffman Museum auditorium
· Sun., May 11: Woven and Open Road joint concert, 4 p.m., Bethel College Mennonite Church
· Mon., May 12: Dr. Henry Waters’ Hymnology class invites the public to a Hymn Festival, 7 p.m., Bethel College Mennonite Church. Sing and learn more about a selection of hymns from Voices Together.
· Now in the Regier Art Gallery in Luyken Fine Arts Center – Senior Art Exhibit, featuring the work of Bethel College students Gracie Higgins, April Powls and Lizzie Schmucker, through May 18. Gallery hours are Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 2-4 p.m.
· Bethel College advancement and development staff invite you for coffee and conversation (and some light breakfast snacks): Friday, May 9, 7:30-9 a.m., Thresher Stadium Viewing Suite, on campus at N. Main & 29th Streets, North Newton; or Friday, May 23, 7:30-9 a.m., The Breadbasket, 219 N. Main St., Newton (alumni-owned). Contact: George Leary, gleary@bethelks.edu, 316-284-5226
· SAVE THE DATE: Sunday, June 1: U.S. premiere of the 1874 immigration documentary Where the Cottonwoods Grow, Krehbiel Auditorium in Luyken Fine Arts Center
This semester at Bethel College, Dr. Henry Waters has been teaching a Hymnology class, drawing heavily from Voices Together and using C. Michael Hawn’s “seven streams of hymnody.” The public is invited to the class’s culminating activity, a hymn festival at Bethel College Mennonite Church, Monday, May 12, at 7 p.m. The evening will feature a variety of hymns that class members have chosen from Voices Together to reflect the different streams and what they’ve learned in the class. Come and sing some hymns that will be familiar and some that might be new to you.
Bel Canto Singers concert – “Singing Through Generations” Hesston College’s Bel Canto Singers will perform in concert Fri., May 16, 7 p.m. at Hesston Mennonite Church. The concert is part of commencement weekend activities at the college and is free and open to the public. Bel Canto will begin a 12-day spring tour in the Pacific Northwest following graduation weekend.
Want to visit someone in prison or be a pen pal? Volunteers with M-2 (Match-2) visit one evening a month with an inmate who gets few outside visits. Apply to be an M-2 volunteer at www.ovmks.org/m2 and plan to attend the next volunteer training on May 19, 12:30-4 p.m. at Hutchinson Correctional Facility (in the Old Schoolhouse, just outside the walls). Pen pals correspond monthly with an incarcerated individual, often sending letters through our office. Contact Kenzie Brister to learn more:
prison@ovmks.org or 316-281-4721.
Kidron Bethel Village is hosting a vintage car show Fri., June 6, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. If you have a vehicle you would like to bring to show, we would love to have you share it! Register your vehicle by contacting Kelli at 316-836-4865 or KelliM@bluestemks.org. No entry fee, judging or prizes; just a rewarding day of sharing your favorite cars, trucks and tractors.
Register today for the Mennonite Central Committee Immigration Learning Tour in South Texas, Oct. 4-9. This immigration-focused learning tour presents a unique opportunity to engage directly with organizations making a positive impact on our neighbors. Find out more at mcc.org/learning-tour-texas.
Camp Mennoscah announcements
Calling all campers! We’re taking “Another Way” and finding transformation in Jesus’ way of living. Summer camps are open for those going into grades 3-12. Scholarships are available and parents volunteering as kitchen helpers can receive a discount up to full camp fees for a camper. Register here! (https://campmennoscah.campbrainregistration.com/) Come build your house on the rock and play in the sand!
Weekly music leaders are needed! If you know of someone who you think might be great as a weekly music leader, please tap them on the shoulder. Olivia would love to talk to them. Contact us at olivia.bartel@campmennoscah.org or 316-293-7313 (call or text). Summer staffers must be 18 or older.
Camp Mennoscah has several trees that have lived long lives and need to be cut down to avoid damage. Some can be taken down without a lift. Camp Mennoscah has limited equipment to properly handle the removal of these trees. Please contact Olivia at 620-297-3290 or olivia.bartel@campmennoscah.org, if you would be able to help.
Camp Mennoscah is busy preparing for summer youth camps and guests. It may take additional time to respond to your email or phone call. We will answer as soon as possible. If a quicker response is needed, please call 316-293-7313.
Western District Conference invites you to visit our website to read the latest news, stories and announcements.
From Mennonite Mission Network “News and Beyond” press here
For Mennonite Church USA MennoCon Information press here
For Paris Mennonite Center Update press here
For Mennonite Men “Engage” press here
For Mennonite Mission Network “Just Peace Pilgrimages this Summer press here
For Mennonite Church USA “Bringing the Peace Initiative” Award Nominations press here
Mennonite Church USA Announcements
The MC USA Delegate Assembly is Friday, July 11, at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, North Carolina. Delegate resources, including the agenda, bylaws, previous minutes and proposed resolutions will be posted on MC USA’s Delegate Assembly website as they are available. See the web page here: mennoniteusa.org/2025-delegate-assembly-resources/ Register for Delegate Assembly here: mennoniteusa.org/registration/
Visit the MC USA Follow Jesus ’25 Congregation Kit for ways to help share convention details with your church! The kit includes easily shareable logos, social media posts and other materials to make keeping your congregation up to date a breeze. Learn more here: convention.mennoniteusa.org/follow-jesus-25-press-kit/
The Mennonite Education Agency board of directors and the MC USA Executive Board recently approved an integration plan to better address the needs of the denomination by bringing the ministry of MEA into the governance and operational structure of MC USA. Read more here: mennoniteusa.org/news/mea-integration/
MC USA’s Climate Justice Ministry is accepting applications for the Pam De Young Net Zero Energy Fund grant, due June 15, 2025. The Pam De Young Net Zero Energy Fund provides funds to assist MC USA congregations interested in forms of renewable energy. Learn more here: mennoniteusa.org/news/25-energy-grants
Menno Snapshots
Rachel Ringenberg Miller will be the worship speaker during the opening worship session at MC USA’s Follow Jesus ’25 convention. Read here for a sneak peek into what “Follow Jesus” means to her: mennoniteusa.org/follow-jesus-expectations
Leah Hoffner, executive assistant for MC USA, shares her experience of choosing to step away from the career she built to rest and live a slower life after becoming a mother. Read more about her experience here: mennoniteusa.org/menno-snapshots/rest-in-motherhood/
| Dear Bethel College Mennonite,Join MCC Mexico for a Week of service: Summer camp for peacebuilding with kids. Be part of a unique service experience with children and learn about the Rarámuri, Mestizo, and Mennonite communities in the City of Three Cultures.Where: Cuauhtémoc, Mexico Who: Young adults 18-30 years old (intermediate Spanish skills required) When: July 27 to August 2, 2025 Cost: MCC covers local expenses; participants cover travel to Chihuahua, Mexico. How: Register hereby May 15!For more information about the camp, contact: Gyna Romero, coordinator of projects, relations, and exchange program, MCC Mexico, at gynaromerocamacho@mcc.org.Thanks!Nathan Toews Peace Education Coordinator MCC U.S. National Peace & Justice Ministries |
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Mennonite Mission Network Prayer Request: Mennonite Mission Network requests prayer for Laura and Nick Sharp, and their children, Jesse (8) and Brielle (5), as they prepare to begin a year-long assignment in La Mesa, Colombia, where they will serve alongside the Colombia Mennonite Church and its school, Colegio Americano Menno (American Menno School).
Western District Conference Prayer Request: Pray for WDC representatives (Eric Buller, Moderator; Caleb Gingerich, Executive Board member; and Heidi Regier Kreider, Conference Minister) joining others from across the wider church to attend Mennonite Church USA Constituency Leaders Council meetings next weekend in Wichita, KS.
Bethel College Mennonite Church is an open and affirming congregation
centered in the life and teachings of Jesus. Embracing the divine within each
person, we warmly welcome any and all into fellowship without regard to race, ethnic background, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability,
economic status, marital status, or age.