Announcements for August 1-8, 2021

Worship Service for August 1 
There will be no worship at BCMC on Sunday, August 1, so that everyone can participate in the Western District Conference Assembly worship at Faith Mennonite Church, 10:30 am. You can participate in the worship service in-person or virtually.  Following is the link for the livestreamed service.  Click on the words, YouTube Live.
10:30 am – Worship (On-site or YouTube Live)

Thank you to BCMCers serving as delegates at the Western District Conference Assembly this weekend:  
Ada Schmidt-Tieszen, Arlo Kasper, Austin Prouty, Brad Kohlman, Dale Schrag, Dawn Yoder Harms, Dick Koontz, Elaine Prouty, Elaine Schurr, Jim Mininger, Marlene Faul, Renee Reimer, Roger Juhnke, Susie Swartley, Tim Hodge.  

Western District Conference Annual Assembly
Friday worship, July 30 at 7 pm followed by sno-cones outside at 8 pm.  July 31, Saturday 7-8 pm enjoy storytelling under the tent with fresh popcorn.  Invite your friends to Faith Mennonite Church, 2100 N Anderson Ave, Newton, KS, for some summer fun.  Storytelling also inside and online!   See the WDC Assembly flier here.
Western District Conference invites you to visit their website at https://mennowdc.org/ to read the latest news, stories and announcements!

Staff Absences and Pastor On Call

  • Pastor Dawn Yoder Harms will be out of the office July 28 – August 3.
  • Pastor Nathan Koontz will be out of the office August 1-3.
  • Pastor Renee Reimer will be the pastor on call for August 1-3.  Her cell phone is:  605-212-0081

Here are links to recent services at BCMC:

  • Nancy Mueller’s memorial service on July 24:  Press here for the link to the service.
  • Worship Service for Sunday, July 25:  Press here
  • Hartzel Schmidt’s memorial service on July 25:  Press here
  • Miner Seymour’s memorial service on July 28:  Press here

Upcoming memorial service:  Rosalind Andreas:  Saturday, Aug 21, 1:30 pm, BCMC Sanctuary
You are welcome to attend this service in-person. It will also be recorded and live streamed.  You can access the live stream by going to the Bethel College Mennonite Church website and clicking on the green live stream button at the right hand side of the page.  Click here to get to the website:  BCMC Website

Library News from BCMC
The Library Theme for the next couple of months is Creation Care/Nature. We have many wonderful books to browse through/read. Please come check out our display behind the  desk and on the cart in front of the desk. The children’s section’s books are displayed on the book trays on the south side of the room, while the Junior Section have their books displayed around their shelving area. We didn’t pull all of the books on this subject (there are many!), so feel free to look this subject up on our library website. You may just find one that you would like to read.

Play Bells!
Are you interested in participating in Chancel Bell Choir this fall?  If so, complete the brief survey here. Both new and experienced players are welcome!  Rehearsal time has not yet been set.  Please complete the survey by August 8.

Budget Updates
As of the end of June 2021, expenses exceed contributions by $29,302.48.  Contributions received stand at 42% of the amount expected for the year, and expenses are at 47% of the budget.  Please keep this information in mind as we begin the second half of the year.

Living Stones II update:  Currently the amount contributed to Living Stones II is $13,712.61 short of covering the costs of the kitchen/fellowship hall renovations.  Please continue to keep this in mind during the second half of the year.

Offering at BCMC for July 11:  General Fund $8,086; Plant Fund $120; Living Stones $93.33; Hartzel Schmidt Memorial $125; Mission Quilters $942; Miner Seymour Memorial $100.  
Offering at BCMC for July 25:  General Fund $2,467; Living Stones $505; Women’s Fellowship $50; Elevator Repair $10.  

Mennonite Central Committee in North Newton Sent an update on the Colorado Peaches
Get your Colorado Peaches this summer and support MCC at the same time. Beth-El Mennonite Church in Colorado Springs is organizing a fundraiser to cover expenses related to the annual Rocky Mountain Relief Sale, which is being planned for October 15-16 in Rocky Ford, Colorado. Peaches are available in 10-pound boxes for $25 and 18-pound boxes for $35. Deadline for orders/payment is Monday, August 2 (payment must be made before the end of day on August 2 or your order will be canceled). Checks or cash are accepted, checks are made payable to Beth-El Mennonite Church with “Peaches” in the memo line. Please contact Patsy Dirksen at MCC Central States Office for orders/payments at patsydirksen@mcc.org or 316.283.2720. Pick-up date for peaches is tentatively scheduled for Monday, August 23 at the MCC Central States in North Newton.  

Camp Mennoscah Announcements
What a great summer we’ve had!  Summer Youth Camps will be ending on July 30 and the tents and bunks need to be taken down in preparation for fall groups. Volunteers are needed for both July 30 and 31 to lower the tents and break down the bunks for storage.  On Friday, July 30, work will begin at approx. 1:30pm (after the end of Senior High Camp) and go until 6:30pm.  We’ll begin again on Saturday at 8:30am and work until we’re done.  A simple noon meal will be offered on Saturday.  There is the option of staying overnight between the two work days–make it a service holiday!  Let us know you are coming for one or both days so we can plan accordingly!  Contact us at 620-297-3290. 
The next Work Day is August 28 with all sorts of fun projects!  Meet at the Maintenance shed at 8:30am and bring your lunch and a water bottle. Come for a partial day, if that’s what works!  Call us at 620-297-3290 or email office@campmennoscah.org!  You are important to Camp Mennoscah’s ministry!
The Mental Health Spiritual Retreat held over Labor Day Weekend will take a hiatus to review and reflect upon mission.  There will be no retreat in the fall of 2021.

Kauffman Museum exhibit, “Vapes: Marketing an Addiction” 
This new exhibit examines what is known about e-cigarettes, and includes selections from a previous Kauffman Museum exhibit, “Better Choose Me: Collecting and Creating with Tobacco Fabric Novelties, 1880-1920.” “Vapes” has been on display at NMC Health in Newton since the beginning of June and moves to Kauffman Museum July 29-Jan. 9, 2022.

The 2021 issue of Mennonite Life, Bethel College’s annual online journal, is now live at ml.bethelks.edu, with articles and reviews by Brad Born, Rachel Epp Buller, Peter Goerzen, Raylene Hinz-Penner, Mark Jantzen, Jim Juhnke, Nate Kroeker, Alec Loganbill, Jacob Miller, Bethany Powls, Rich Preheim, Darrin Snyder-Belousek, Tara Schwartz, Anne Marie Stoner-Eby and Melanie Zuercher. 

DATE CORRECTION
The first notice had the wrong October date.
Kansas Mennonite Disaster Service Unit sponsoring two Learning and Service Trips to McAllen Texas
Dates of two trips:
October 16 – October 23 (corrected)
February 19 – 26
Participants will leave Kansas on Saturday morning traveling to San Antonio, TX, staying overnight. Visiting San Antonio Mennonite Church on Sunday morning. Sunday afternoon traveling to McAllen TX for the MDS project.
Costs: Lodging and meals on the two traveling weekends. MDS will cover the remainder of the expenses.
Reservations: To make your reservations or for more information contact Cleo Koop at cleohkoop@gmail.com or call 316-282-0797.
If you are interested in volunteering at McAllen, TX on different weeks than what is in this announcement please call the volunteer coordinator at 800-241-8111.

For Mennonite Disaster Service Volunteer Update press here

For Mennonites Mission Network News and Beyond press here

Mennonite Central Committee Action Alert press here

Mennonite Church USA Announcements
You are invited to participate in the Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) churchwide Journey Forward study through Springtide Research Institute. The survey results will be used to help inform the direction of MC USA, as we Journey Forward together. It is important that the denomination hears from a variety of voices, so please take part in the survey today: https://www.mennoniteusa.org/MC-USA-Member-Survey

Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) held its first online Delegates Assembly on July 10. During the assembly, delegates voted on changes to the MC USA bylaws, confirmed nominees for churchwide boards and heard reports from the Resolutions Committee and racial ethnic and constituency groups. Read more here: https://www.mennoniteusa.org/news/virtual-delegate-assembly.

MennoCon21
Good news! It’s not too late to purchase your virtual content pass for MennoCon21! The cost of the pass has been reduced to $25. Access to the MennoCon21 virtual convention will continue to be available through August 10. Sign up here: https://www.mennoniteusa.org/mennocon21_virtual_access.

Menno Snapshots
Joy Cotchen has been volunteering at conference in some capacity since 2000. In her blog, “The Joy of volunteering,” she shares what she finds most enjoyable about the volunteer experience. Read more here: https://www.mennoniteusa.org/joy-of-volunteering.