September 11, 2022
Based on CDC Guidelines Harvey County is in yellow status indicating medium risk for COVID. Masks are not required, but recommended, in the building and we can return to coffee during fellowship time.
To livestream the worship service:
On Sunday morning, around 9:20, 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 belows 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’s worship service:
https://youtu.be/eidY3qCfb8s
September 11, 2022
BETHEL COLLEGE MENNONITE CHURCH
Prelude—All Depends on our Possessing (Peeters)—Verlene Garber
Christ Candle Lighting
Welcome and Prayer—Brad Kohlman
*Hymn—When in Our Music God Is Glorified—VT 83
Children’s Conversation & Backpack Blessing—Kathy Stucky
Commissioning for Jill Robb and George Leary—VT 965
Anthem—I Sing the Mighty Power of God (arr. Mark Patterson)—Chancel Choir
Scripture Reading—Luke 2:28-34a, 36-40—Dorothy Nickel Friesen
Sermon—People of Blessing—Nathan Koontz
*Hymn—Will You Come and Follow Me—VT 540
Prayers of God’s People
*Hymn—Christ Has No Body Here but Ours—VT 568
*Benediction—Nathan Koontz
Postlude— Holy God we Praise Thy Name (Peeters)—Verlene Garber
* You are invited to stand
VT = Voices Together
Audio visual—Ben Lichti
Pastors—Nathan Koontz, Todd Schlosser
The Faith Formation Commission is excited to announce that Jill Robb has accepted the position of BCMC Faith Formation Coordinator (.2 FTE) and George Leary has accepted the position of BCMC Youth Coordinator (.3 FTE). Both Jill and George bring experience, compassion and dedication to their new roles. We look forward to their immediate involvement in their new positions. Feel free to click on the attached job descriptions to see what they will be doing. Please keep Jill and George in your prayers as they navigate new opportunities and challenges.
Youth Coordinator Faith Formation Coordinator
BCMC Sept. 4 Offering: General Fund $8,562; Library Reserve Fund $10; Living Stones $490; Kitchen Fund $16.05; Women’s Fellowship $50.
This Week at BCMC: September 11—18, 2022
Sunday, September 11—Backpack Blessing!
The Faith Formation Commission invites the congregation to participate in an intergenerational backpack blessing. Bring your backpack, school bag, work satchel, briefcase, etc., to church for a special blessing. Kathy Stucky, Faith Formation Commission
9:30 am Worship Service with sermon by Nathan Koontz; music by Chancel Choir
10:15 am Fellowship time with coffee and water in the Gathering Place
10:30 am Congregational Meeting in Fellowship Hall
Tuesday, September 13
9 to 11 am Community Playschool
9 am Women’s Fellowship Executive Board meeting in Room 14
Wednesday, September 14
7:30 pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal in the Sanctuary Chancel area
7:30 pm Senior High Youth Group
Thursday, September 15
9 to 11 am Community Playschool
4 pm Witness Commission meeting in Room 14
6:30 pm Chancel Bells Rehearsal in room B7
7 pm Bethel College Women’s Association meeting in Fellowship Hall
Saturday, September 17
3 pm Sara Dick and Eric Buller Wedding in the Sanctuary
Sunday, September 18—Peace Sunday
9:30 am Worship Service planned by the Witness Commission; music by Chancel Choir
10:15 am Fellowship time with coffee and water in the Gathering Place
10:30 am Faith Formation—Children’s Sunday school classes start
Update from the Church Board:
BCMC is in a time of transition, an “in-between” time of waiting and working in the boundary between what was and what will be. These times are rich with possibility for new understanding of our past and current status and for re-visioning and planning our future. The following are updates on Church Board work during these transitional times:
Congregational Meeting September 11:
The next congregational meeting will be Sunday, September 11, beginning at 10:45 in the Fellowship Hall. Bring your coffee with you downstairs to sit together around tables. Unfortunately, there will not be a streaming or zoom option for this meeting; our current technology does not make this possible. The agenda will include reports and time for questions/feedback about the Credence Consulting process and about the Abuse Prevention and Response Committee’s work and a time of sharing around tables about “Creating Community Post-Covid at BCMC” facilitated by Adam Robb. The meeting will end with time for congregants to build a sense of community with additional sharing.
Updates on Credence and Company Consultants:
BCMC has contracted with Credence to help us assess congregational strengths and challenges and review our current leadership structures as we consider the future with new pastors. The consultants are currently finishing the process of analyzing survey and interview results and writing the report. The reference group of David Linscheid, Lois Preheim, Megan Kohlman, Ada Schmidt-Tieszen, and Todd Schlosser has been offering feedback to the consultants and will meet with them for a very preliminary hearing of results on September 26. The preliminary report will also be shared at a leadership retreat on October 1 and shared for congregational discernment on Sunday morning, October 16. Both worship and Sunday School time will be taken for this process on October 16. Although this will mean missing adult Sunday School on that day, it appeared to be the best time to have most of the congregation present. We look forward to the final report on November 13.
Commissions, Committees, and Board Retreat:
Please set aside Saturday morning, October 1, for a special annual retreat for those involved with commissions, committees, or the Board. This year, we will hear the report from Credence and Company Consultants and have time to process its meaning for our work together. More information about specific time and other details will be coming soon.
Formation of Search Committee:
The Board approved moving forward with naming a Search Committee for our new pastors. The Committee’s substantive work will be informed by the report from Credence Consultants, committee members, orienting the committee, and completing preliminary work so that the Committee can begin work efficiently when Credence’s report is received.
Peace Sunday
Peace Sunday hosted by the Witness Commission will be on September 18. This year our guest speakers will be from the Bethel College Community for Justice and Peace. This group is a recently formed group of students at Bethel College, with sponsors from the Kansas Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution. They hope to present their vision and process for justice and peace in this community and how BCMC can be involved. Please mark your calendars to listen to and interact with our neighbors who seek the peace of this place.
Wichita Pride Parade
Please mark your calendars to participate in the Wichita Pride Parade on Sunday, September 25. We will have pizza at 11:30 and carpool to the event at noon, leaving from the south doors at BCMC. The parade begins at 1 from the Old County Courthouse in Wichita. Contact Pastor Nathan to let us know how much pizza to order and for carpooling.
You are invited to a fall church party hosted by Al and Nadine Peters and Nathan and Esther Koontz in the Koontz backyard (1 Jasper Court, North Newton) Sunday, October 2 at 5:30 pm. We will provide Nuway sandwiches and chips. If you’d like, you can bring a side dish or dessert to share. Please RSVP to Nadine or Al at 316-804-7141 or 38aldene39@gmail.com
Bethel College Announcements
· Sun., Sept. 11 – KIPCOR Film Series begins, with “Generation 9/11,” 2 pm, Krehbiel Auditorium. Filmmaker Katherin Hervey tells the stories of an entire generation shaped by the events of 9/11 and the aftermath. Audience discussion follows the film screening.
· Life Enrichment: Place and time: Krehbiel Auditorium, 9:30 am. Sept. 15
9:30 am Moses the Two World Peacemaker, Josué Coy Dick
10:15 am Coffee Break 10:35 am The Fate of Food—What Will We Eat in a Bigger, Hotter, Smarter World? Compiled by Jim Goering; presented by Mary Goering—continues at 11:30 (double session)
· Fri., Sept. 16 – Bethel College guest recital, Spencer Myer, piano, 7 pm,
Krehbiel Auditorium
· Sun., Sept. 18 – “Decommissioned Missile Silo Sites: Reminders of Our Past and Future,” a program by Nate Hofer, Overland Park, 3 p.m., Kauffman Museum. Following the museum’s brief annual business meeting, Hofer, a “Peace Photo Award” winner, will discuss making photographs of decommissioned nuclear missile silos. The project included finding and traveling to the sites, talking with landowners and considering why he takes the photos and whether he considers himself a legitimate photographer. Hofer’s exhibit of photos, “One and a Half Acres: Images from America’s Decommissioned Missile Silos,” is currently on display in Bethel College’s Regier Art Gallery in Luyken Fine Arts Center, Mon.-Fri., 9 am-5 pm, Sun 2-4 pm, through Sept. 22.
· Mon., Sept. 19 – Bethel College Wind Ensemble concert, directed by Joel Boettger, 7 pm, Krehbiel Auditorium in Luyken Fine Arts Center
· SAVE THE DATE: Thursday, Oct. 13, KIPCOR celebrates 50 years of Peace Lectures with Dr. Fania Davis, a leading national voice on Restorative Justice, speaking in Bethel College’s Memorial Hall.
- SAVE THE DATE: Oct. 16-17, well-known Reformation scholar Brad Gregory from the University of Notre Dame will give the annual Menno Simons Lectures at Bethel College.
- SAVE THE DATE: Nov. 4-5, “The Contemporary Relevance of Erasmus for Today: A Symposium,” with a keynote address by Dr. Greta Kroeker, University of Waterloo, Ontario, on Nov. 4, at Bethel College.
- Bethel College’s Fall Festival is Oct. 6-9, with most activities taking place Saturday, Oct. 8, on campus. Features include music, food, class reunions, football, the play Quiet in the Land by Anne Chislett and the STEM Symposium honoring Professor Emeritus of Psychology Paul Lewis. See https://www.bethelks.edu/alumni/events/fall-festival for the complete schedule.
Bethel College Women’s Association will appreciate donations of homemade baked goods for Market-in-the-Round at Fall Festival. Zwieback, cinnamon rolls, fruit pies, and poppyseed roll are especially needed. Please bring to Room 141 in Luyken Fine Arts Center 2-5pm on Friday Oct 7, or 7-9am on Saturday Oct 8. Email bcwa@bethelks.edu with questions.
Camp Mennoscah Announcements
- Camp Mennoscah Annual Meeting and Dedication of the Renovated Campfire Amphitheater on Sunday, September 18! Join us for an evening of song, popcorn, and generic pop, as well as updates and information on the year at Camp Mennoscah. Time is yet to be determined, but will start in the early evening. (It’s like a mini-Camp Sing! Bring your friends for a happy sing-along.)
- Camp Mennoscah is considering moving camps to a Sunday to Friday schedule. We’d be interested in hearing your thoughts–parents, campers, weekend groups, everyone! Please reply to olivia.bartel@campmennoscah.org or call 620-297-3290.
- Fall Scrapbook and Crafts Retreat on Oct. 28-30! Crafters and scrapbookers are all invited to come for a weekend of creativity and friends. Lodging will be in the Retreat Center and cropping/crafting will be in the Main Camp dining hall. Space heaters will be available for both areas since the repairs for the furnaces will not be completed.
The Rocky Mountain July/August newsletter is here!
Take a look at the latest/greatest happenings here at RMMC. For this and previous newsletters, please visit the camp website and click on the “News” tab under “About Us”.
Western District Conference invites you to visit our website to read the latest news, stories and announcements and share them with your congregation!
To delegates, congregations and pastors,
Read the 2022 Delegate Session Minutes from the 2022 WDC Annual Assembly posted on the WDC Assembly website under delegate information.
https://mennowdc.org/2022-assembly-delegate-information/
September Final Thursday Book Discussion – “Jesus ministered to the poor, Jesus was poor. If both are true of our Savior, both can be true of us too.” Explore this idea in Kevin Wiebe’s book “Faithful in Small Things: How to Serve the Needy When You’re One of Them.” Copies available at the WDC Resource Library. Join the Zoom discussion on Thursday, September 29, 2022 at 7pm. Register by emailing the library at crlib@mennowdc.org
First Mennonite Church of McPherson, KS is celebrating 75 years of church life on Sunday morning, September 25, at 9:30 at the church. From building a church by 38 charter members in 1945 and after a fire building another in 1963, God has been leading these people. These Mennonites are known for helping others through mission projects like school kits, building an Oak Harbor Cottage for homeless, establishing the ReUse It Center, working at the Mennonite Central Committee Relief Sale in Hutchinson each year to provide funding for overseas needs, meat canning to alleviate food crises, and providing a blessing box of food at the church for whoever needs it. God has blessed. The church address and contact info is as follows: 1161 E. Avenue A, McPherson, KS 67460 620-241-4040 firstmennonitemac@gmail.com
Join Everence for an informative webinar series: “Managing your finances—faithfully!” Webinar is on four consecutive Wednesdays at 2 and 8 pm Eastern time. Webinar dates are Sept. 14, Sept. 21, Sept. 28 and Oct. 5. See the flier on the church bulletin board. Email national@everence.com with questions or simply call the Everence North Newton office at 316-283-3800. Webinars are titled: Sept. 14: Women, Wealth, and Well-being; Sept. 21: The Dynamic Story of Stewardship Investing; Sept. 28: How to ACE your Financial Plan; Oct. 5: Retirement Readiness: Understanding your Income Options.
Click here for more info: Everence webinar
For Anabaptist Disabilities Network click here
For Mennonite Mission Network News and Beyond click here
Mennonite Church USA Announcements
Mennonite World Conference (MWC) affirmed the appointment of Linda Dibble, the Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) moderator, as one of the two North American representatives on the MWC Executive Committee and Sue Park-Hur, MC USA director of racial/ethnic engagement, to the MWC Deacon Commission. Read more here: mennoniteusa.org/news/mwc-meets
Menno Snapshots
While at Mennonite World Conference Assembly in Indonesia, Sue Park-Hur, Mennonite Church USA’s director of racial/ethnic engagement, was moved by Dr. Paulus Widjaja’s message, which she shares in abridged form in her blog, “Embracing the global church.” Read about how Dr. Widjaja reminds us not to fear and, rather, to be vulnerable in our diversity: mennoniteusa.org/embracing-global-church
#MennoCon23
MennoCon23 is less than a year away! But what is MennoCon23? Watch the newest video in the Mennonite Church USA Q&As series, “What is #MennoCon23?” to find out! mennoniteusa.org/qa-mennocon21
Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) invites you to engage with “Learn, Pray, Join: Mass Incarceration,” an initiative that examines the injustices in our criminal legal system that cause pain and suffering, especially for poor people and people of color. During September and October, MC USA will offer resources, prayers and ways to live into our Anabaptist faith values, resisting injustice in all forms and in all places. mennoniteusa.org/lpj-mass-incareration
Did you know that Mennonite Church USA has a health plan? The Corinthian Plan provides health coverage for eligible pastors, church employees and their families. Current participants of the plan are also welcome to ask questions. Learn more during an upcoming webinar on Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. ET. Register here: Webinar Registration – Zoom
Mennonite Mission Network Prayer Request: Mennonite Mission Network requests prayer for La Casa Grande (The Large House), a Christian community for children in Benin who have nowhere else to go. Pray for the children and teachers as they return to classes at Les Leaders (The Leaders), a school on La Casa Grande’s campus that also welcomes children from the neighboring communities.
Western District Conference Prayer Request: Pray for interim and transitional pastors, as they give leadership to congregations in times of change and new vision for the future.