Advent Banners and Decorations—We wish to express a deep thanks to all who have helped with advent visuals this year! The Worship Decorations Committee has wonderfully transformed our sanctuary as we prepare for Jesus’ birth. We wish to express a specific thanks to Josh Brubacher and Matt Koontz for hanging new banners each week during the advent season. As we progress toward the birth of Jesus on Christmas, the light grows stronger and stronger. The progression of the advent banners, our candle lighting, and other visual elements all mark our movement towards the Light.
This year two in-person Christmas Eve services (Friday, Dec 24) are being planned:
- 5 pm: Christmas Enactment Service in BCMC sanctuary and livestreamed. Costumes encouraged & provided for all attenders
- 9 pm: Service of Lessons and Carols, in the BCMC sanctuary and livestreamed. Please note change in time.
A come and go farewell reception for Pastor Dawn Yoder Harms will be held Sunday, January 2, from 3-5 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Masks will be required. Cards may be placed in the box provided near the mailboxes, brought to the reception, or mailed to the church.
This Week at BCMC
Tuesday, December 21
7 pm Worship Commission meeting by Zoom
Wednesday, December 22
7:30 pm Chancel Choir rehearsal in Sanctuary
Friday, December 24—Christmas Eve
5 pm Christmas Enactment Service in BCMC sanctuary. Costumes
encouraged & provided for all attenders.
9 pm Lessons and Carols in the Sanctuary
Saturday, December 25—Merry Christmas!—Church building will be locked
Sunday, December 26—Christmas 1
9:30 am Worship Service in the Sanctuary
There will be no children and youth Sunday school today
Monday, December 27—Office will be closed; church locked
Tuesday, December 28—Friday, December 31—Office will be closed
The nursery will be open but NOT staffed on December 26th and January 2nd.
There will be no children and youth Sunday School on December 26th and January 2nd.
Offerings at BCMC
November 28, 2021: General Fund $14,554.70; Living Stones $305; Flower Fund $80
December 5, 2021: General Fund $8,527.00; General Fund for 2022 $225; Columbarium Fund $1,500; Organ Fund $200; Living Stones $940; Flower Fund $90
December 12, 2021: General Fund $29,932.97; Bethel College $200; Caring Fund $200; Adult Choir $345; Living Stones $105; Louise Koehn Memorial $35.
Covid Creativity
This era of Covid impacted everyone in different ways. The negative effects are obvious. But for some, it sparked introspection and a new kind of creative energy.
The Visual Arts Committee would like to showcase examples of your creativity in The Gathering Place. A small exhibit with artwork or photos and brief text about your motivation for creating during this challenging time.
What might you share? Whatever you were inspired to create! Did you paint something? Build something? Sew something? Write something? Learn new recipes or revisit old ones?
Pastor Nathan will be the primary contact and would love to connect with you. If you’re willing to share a photo or two (or the artwork itself!) and a brief statement about what prompted this expression, please get in touch with him!
The Visual Arts Committee will begin working on this project shortly after the holidays so the sooner you can share your ideas with Nathan the better!
New Hope Shelter Announcement
There will be a Volunteer Training at New Hope Shelter on Thursday, January 6th, 2022 from 7pm to 8:30pm.
Their volunteer shift hours are as follows:
5pm to 11pm daily
11pm to 8am on Friday and Saturday.
Please consider being a volunteer at the Shelter. If you are interested, please contact Valetta Seymour at seymour2314@gmail.com, or 620-217-7536 before January 3.
The Kansas Mennonite Disaster Service Unit invites you to attend the annual meeting on Sunday, January 16, 2:00 PM at Tabor Mennonite Church. No need to register. Tabor Mennonite Church, 891 Chisholm Trail, Newton.This will be a hybrid event, in person as well as virtual on zoom. Click HERE to join the hybrid meeting remotely.
Agenda:
We will be sharing and celebrating about the work of MDS.
We will be voting on some Unit Bylaw revisions
For a copy of the Bylaw revisions contact Cleo Koop at email cleohkoop@gmail.com.
This remote link to join the zoom meeting on January 16 will come active 30 minutes before the meeting is started: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83355094919?pwd=anNDNWlBRkJrWmVNOFRKbHUwOU9tQT09Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) is monitoring the damage from the string of deadly tornadoes which moved through areas of the Midwest and parts of the South last weekend. We extend our condolences to those who have lost loved ones and we offer prayers of support for the survivors.
We have several MDS Early Response Teams investigating several of the tornado sites to help determine how and where MDS will respond. Many of our partners via the National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) which specialize in search and rescue, damage assessment and cleanup are already responding. Together with our NVOAD partners and local officials we will determine when and where volunteers will be needed most. If you are interested in being added to a volunteer waitlist, please include your name, address and email address and send to: volunteer@mds.org.
If you wish to donate to the MDS response, you may do so on our website. Please click here.
As new information becomes available we will continue to update information at www.mds.org
Merry Christmas from Mennonite Mission Network click here
Mennonite Mission Network News and Beyond click here
Mennonite Mission Network Christian Service and Global Citizenship click here
Camp Mennoscah Announcements
- What greater gift than to share in the joy of Christ with others! You can be part of Camp Mennoscah’s ministry of Christian fun through prayer, donations, and volunteering. Encourage everyone to follow Jesus Christ through faith formation at Camp Mennoscah. Checks can be sent to Camp Mennoscah, PO Box 65, Murdock, KS 67111. To volunteer, call 620-297-3290.
- Camp Mennoscah Merch! From CamelBaks to tee shirts and stickers, you can find your Camp Mennoscah merchandise at https://camp-mennoscah-store.square.site/s/shop Share a bit of summer with friends and family this Christmas!
- Keep those 2022 Summer staff applications coming! Applicants should be 18 years old or older and in agreement with the Camp Mennoscah mission statement. See website for details. Information and the online application can be found here! Call or email with questions! Interviews are being scheduled.
- Volunteering opportunities continue through the winter months! The wish list is full of both items and volunteer projects for every group size, skill set and length of project. These items and projects help with the faith formation that happens at Camp Mennoscah. The list has more wishes and there are more projects to do. Email office@campmennoscah.org or call 620-297-3290 to volunteer. See the Wish List for other ways to support Camp Mennoscah!
- Camp Mennoscah has openings for a part-time custodial/housekeeping position (10 hours) and a part-time office/administrative position (30 hours with benefits). Some of the office/administrative tasks can be done from home. Contact Olivia at olivia.bartel@campmennoscah.org for more information.
Western District Conference invites you to visit our website to read the latest news, stories and announcements and share them with your congregation!
From the Mennonite Church USA: “The angel said to them, ‘You have nothing to fear! I come to proclaim good news to you – news of a great joy to be shared by the whole people.” (Luke 2:10) Mennonite Church USA Executive Board and staff hope that you and yours are blessed by the good news and transforming power of Christ this Christmas.
KIPCOR’s Fall 2021 Newsletter is here!!
Read about our recent Peace Lecture featuring Mark McCormick, our ongoing training of professionals in the field, our training in schools across the state, our staff, and MORE!!
You can read the newsletter online with pages that flip here:
https://www.flipsnack.com/kipcor/kipcor-s-fall-21-newsletter.html
(just click on the “+” sign at the bottom of the screen to expand the newsletter, and then ‘grab and drag’ the open page to se the article you’re interested in.)
or on KIPCOR’s website as a PDF here:
https://kipcor.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Fall-21-Newsletter-Single-page.pdf
or you can pick up a physical copy at KIPCOR.
Thank you so much for your interest in, and support of, KIPCOR. We couldn’t do our work without you!!
Mennonite Mission Network Prayer Request: Matthew and Toni Krabill, of Mennonite Mission Network, are serving as co-directors for the Paris Mennonite Center in France. Pray for their health, creativity and joy, as they welcome researchers, share Anabaptist resources and develop online classes for French-speaking theology students throughout the world.
Western District Conference Prayer Request: Give thanks for WDC congregations as a visible expression of God’s presence in local communities, now in this Christmas season and throughout the year.