Church Office and Building Closed and Staff Absences
The church office and building will be closed on July 5 in order for the staff to have a holiday (since July 4 is on a Sunday.)
· Monica Lichti will not be in the office July 6.
· Pastor Nathan Koontz will be gone from July 5 to 10.
· Pastor Renee Reimer will be attending the MC USA Convention from July 6-10.
BCMC’s Reopening Church Task Group met on June 29. Among decisions made was one to dispense with sign-up for in-person Sunday worship, effective July 11. Even though a high percentage of BCMCers are vaccinated, masks are still required as we care for those among us who are still at risk, including children and those who are immuno-compromised.
BCMC Offering for June 27, 2021: General Fund $6,847; Sr Hi Youth $100; Living Stones $5; Women’s Fellowship $50; Esther Rinner Memorial $250; Rosalind Andreas Memorial $50; Helen Ruth Unruh Memorial $25.
The Library Theme for June and July is MCC/Community Service in honor of the MCC Sale. Please stop by the library and see what we have to offer. New book write ups will also be published soon, but the new books have already been added to the recent shelves on the west side of the library. Please take advantage of the many books that we have available by either stopping by or using the church website link. – Library Committee
Summer Sunday School for Children
Outdoor Summer Sunday School for Children and Youth will take place July 4, 11, 18, and 25 on the BCMC playground. All ages are welcome as we will be playing outdoor team building games together.
_________________________________
The WDC Annual Assembly Delegate Session on July 31 at 8:30-10:30 will be virtual only. BCMC is looking for 15 people to serve as delegates. If you have interest in representing our congregation, please contact Dale Schrag. Registration fees will be covered by BCMC. For more Assembly info, go to: https://mennowdc.org/2021-wdc-annual-assembly/.
Fireworks Extravaganza at Kidron Bethel Village
Kidron Bethel Village will host its annual Fireworks Extravaganza on Sunday, July 4, at 3001 Ivy Drive in North Newton. There is no admission charge. Fireworks will begin after sundown, and arrival may begin at 8:30 p.m. Due to COVID precautions, the event will be scaled down from previous years and will be outdoors only, featuring just the fireworks show. Salted Creamery ice cream will be available for purchase. Organizers request physical distancing to be observed and for unvaccinated individuals to wear masks. Parking for the event will be marked. Lawn chairs are recommended for fireworks viewing, and flashlights may be helpful for navigating to and from parking areas.
The Mennonite Central Committee Central States office in North Newton, KS will be open to the public starting Tuesday, July 6. Regular office hours are Monday-Friday, 8am-12pm and 1pm-5pm. Masks are respected but not required for fully vaccinated adults. We look forward to welcoming you back at MCC! Contact us at 316-283-2720 or centralstates@mcc.org.
Western District Conference announcements
1. Shaking up the WDC Assembly worship Saturday evening (July 31)! Virtual participants, grab your supper at home, and onsite participants, get your supper from a food truck (at Faith Mennonite Church, Newton, KS), then join us for a time of worship and communion around the supper table. We hope you’ll join us for this and other creative worship times, seminars/webinars, and more July 30-August 1 as part of the WDC Annual Assembly. For more Assembly information, go to: https://mennowdc.org/2021-wdc-annual-assembly/.
2. WDC Assembly Sunday Worship: How can we join August 1 Assembly worship? Join us in-person at 10:30 am at Faith Mennonite Church, 2100 N Anderson, Newton, KS. Or worship via YouTube Live at 10:30 am wherever you are. Or watch the recording on our WDC YouTube channel at Western District Conference (MC USA) whenever it is convenient for you. Join us for Friday (July 30) worship at 7 pm in any of these ways, too!
3. WDC delegates appointed by the WDC Executive Board to the Mennonite Church USA Delegate Assembly on July 10 are Lois Barrett, Delon Martens, June Krehbiel, Karen Mascho, Lee Lever, Heidi Regier Kreider, Sandra Montes-Martinez, Kathy Neufeld Dunn, Lilly Garcia (youth delegate) and Andrea Hernandez (youth delegate). Pray for the Spirit’s presence and guidance for these representatives, as well as WDC congregational delegates, youth groups and others who gather virtually or in person for MennoCon21, July 6-10.
4. Storytelling opportunity! WDC’s Annual Assembly theme is “Woven into God’s Story.” StoryCorps has invited WDC to partner with their storytelling project, One Small Step, to share and record our own stories within WDC. OneSmall Step is an initiative to facilitate online conversations between people of different viewpoints and life experiences. (Facilitators are bilingual, so conversations may be either in Spanish or English). Thank you to those who have registered to participate in this initiative! We are still seeking additional registrants to meet the number needed for the project, so StoryCorps has rescheduled WDC’s virtual recording days for October 7-9 (instead of July). With this change in dates, participants will be matched with a conversation partner from the WDC community OR from the StoryCorps national community, to make sure everyone has an opportunity for a conversation. This means you still have time to sign up! To register, go to https://onesmallstep.storycorps.org/wdc/. To learn more, see these examples of One Small Stepstories.
5. Join us in saying thanks to WDC Administrative Assistant Nancy Funk! If you would like to share an expression of appreciation for Nancy in anticipation of her retirement at the end of August, you are invited to stop by to visit with Nancy at the WDC office (2517 North Main Street, N. Newton, KS) over the next several weeks, or to send a note to her at WDC, PO Box 306, North Newton, KS 67117, or wdc@mennowdc.org.
Camp Mennoscah announcements
1. Family Weekend at Camp Mennoscah on July 17-18! If you’re looking for a weekend to escape, this retreat offers a smorgasbord of camp activities for you to choose from and plenty of time to be with your family and friends. Register at campmennoscah.org and contact 620-297-3290 with questions!
2. Extra help needed for summer youth camps! Camp Mennoscah has paid and volunteer positions for grounds, maintenance and custodial positions. Volunteer kitchen staff is needed for July 18-24; willing hands and the ability to follow directions is all that is needed. Contact Camp Mennoscah at 620-297-3290 or olivia.bartel@campmennoscah.org for details. You will make camp an amazing experience for everyone!
3. August 28 is the next Work Day at Camp Mennoscah! We’ll remind you again, but save the date. You make camp great!
Mennonite church announcement
Want to be an integral part of a young adult’s life? Become a unit leader for Service Adventure, a gap-year program for ages 17-20 from Mennonite Mission Network. Unit leaders, who are at least 24 years of age, serve as mentors to the young adults in the Service Adventure household. Leaders are needed in Johnstown, PA. Learn more by contacting SusanN@MennoniteMission.net.
Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Washington Office Announcement
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a catastrophic impact globally on health, economic well-being and inequality. Many countries lack the resources to access COVID-19 vaccines or therapeutic treatments and are struggling to recover from a global economic downturn.Join us for a webinar on Thursday, July 15, at 1:00 p.m. EDT to explore the issue of vaccine justice and the need for an equitable pandemic response by the U.S. government.
Register for the webinar here (if you cannot attend, you will receive a link to the recording).
Hear from the following panelists:
- Paul Fast, MCC U.S. Global Health Coordinator
- Vurayayi Pugeni and Thelma Sadzamari, MCC Area Directors for Southern and Central Africa and Nigeria
- Charles Kwuelum, Senior Legislative Associate for International Affairs, MCC U.S. Washington Office
We hope you will join us. Register here.
| Everence Announcements We are excited to share with you the Everence Toolkit; a quarterly newsletter to help you creatively use your God-given gifts. Everence offers many resources to your congregation. By clicking on the button below, you will be able to download the current Toolkit. Contact your Stewardship Consultants for physical copies. |
Everence to hold Medicare webinar: Tuesday, July 13
Everence will host its popular workshop, Make Medicare an easy step, as a webinar on Tuesday, July 13 at 6:30 p.m. Attendees will learn about the various Medicare plans and what they cover; plans that supplement Medicare; and enrollment details and deadlines. This webinar is free. Please register by contacting our office at 877-467-7294, 316-283-3800 or central.kansas@everence.com.
*Attendance is recommended for those approaching retirement or those ready to sign up for Medicare.
Securities offered through ProEquities Inc., a registered broker-dealer, member FINRA and SIPC. Investments and other products are not NCUA or otherwise federally insured, may involve loss of principal and have no credit union guarantee.
Products and services offered through Everence Trust Company and other Everence entities are independent of and are not guaranteed or endorsed by ProEquities, Inc., or its affiliates.
Click here for the Mennonite Creation Care Network Newsletter
https://mailchi.mp/6ee5bab45821/menno-creation-care-e-news-july-church-edition?e=e981fb2fe8
Mennonite Mission Network Prayer Request: Arloa Bontrager of Mennonite Mission Network has been the servant project coordinator for Mennonite Church USA conventions since 2003! Thank God for her faithful ministry and for the 23,533 volunteers who have contributed to the ministry of 420 local agencies during the past 18 years. Pray that Jesus’ love will be shown through this year’s Service in a Box projects.
Western District Conference Prayer Request: Pray for delegates, youth groups and others from WDC attending MennoCon21 (Mennonite Church USA convention and delegate assembly) both virtually and in-person this week.