This Sunday – August 14, 2022 – Worship Service will begin at 10 am
Due to the Bethel College new student orientation schedule, Bethel College Mennonite Church will be having worship service at 10 am this coming Sunday. We are sorry for the late notice. If you know of others who might not have email, please let them know of this change.
Based on CDC Guidelines Harvey County is in red status indicating high risk for COVID. To care for each other we require that we wear masks at BCMC while in the presence of others in the church building and in worship. While the county is in red status we will not have coffee fellowship time. This is reviewed weekly and will be adjusted accordingly; check your emails from BCMC.
Bethel College students are returning. Some have returned on Friday (August 5) and the rest are returning by the 15th. Please welcome students if you see them on campus or at the church.
Bethel College Relations Team
BCMC Welcome for New Bethel College Students
On Sunday August 14th BCMC will welcome the new students at Bethel College to our church. It is a large incoming class, numbering over 150 students from many different places. The gathering will start with our normal worship service to be followed by some refreshments (outdoors as able). While this is a wonderful opportunity for us to show hospitality, we are also aware of the possible COVID implications. While everyone will be required to wear masks, please be aware of the opportunity to view the service on line if you so choose. We also invite all who feel comfortable to join the students for refreshments following the service (whether you view on line or in person) to meet and greet and to offer a warm welcome to Bethel and BCMC
This Week at BCMC: August 14—21, 2022
Sunday, August 14—Live stream (YouTube) link for this Sunday is:
https://youtu.be/lhetHSkGkJ4
New students at Bethel College will join BCMC worship today—afterwards you are invited to join the students on the BCMC lawn for refreshments
10:30 am Faith Formation—Everyone is welcome!
Adult Classes (If meeting): Agape Class (Rm B8) Bible Study (Rm 14); Catacombs (Rm B5); Fellowship (B7); Fine Arts (Rm 22); Issues and Christianity (Rm 23);
Mosaic (Rm 20); Open Circle (Room 21); Seekers (Rm 28);
Sojourners (Chapel)
Today from 4 to 6 pm Mentor/Mentee Event in Fellowship Hall
Tuesday, August 16—Pastor Todd Schlosser will be away from the office today.
Sunday, August 21
9:30 am Worship Service with sermon by Nathan Koontz
10:30 am Faith Formation—Sunday school parent orientation meeting in the sanctuary—will also be live-streamed
We welcome BCMC member and Et Cetera Shop General Manager, Sara Dick, who will bring us the sermon on Sunday, August 28. The title of her sermon will be, “Push/Pull/Welcome!”
Mentor-Mentee Event for your calendar: Event will be Sun., Aug. 14, 4 to 6 pm in the BCMC Fellowship Hall.
Faith Formation will be hosting a Sunday school parent orientation meeting on August 21st from 10:30-11:30 am. This meeting will be recorded and all documents requiring signatures will be emailed to those who are unable to attend. We encourage attendance for those who are interested in hearing about the new way Sunday school will function this year!
If you are willing to help in the nursery during worship this fall please email Margaret Toews at mtoews1@cox.net. One Sunday or several, all help is welcome!
Thank you very much for a successful month financially. July receipts were $9000 more than expenses. Yay! However, we are not out of the woods yet with our receipts for the year lagging expenses for the year by $34,000 but we are moving in the right direction. The finance committee sincerely thanks you for your effort and encourages you to keep up the good work.
– Finance Committee
BCMC Aug. 7 Offering: General Fund $6,857; Living Stones $340; Women’s Fellowship $50; Mission Quilters $132.
The Chancel Choir is beginning a new year. Rehearsals will be on Wednesday, at 7:30 pm and will begin on August 24th. Riley King will be directing. Anyone, from HS Freshmen to seasoned singers are welcome.
When Harvey County is in red status indicating high risk for COVID, BCMC requires that we wear masks when in the presence of others in the church building. The church staff monitors this on a weekly basis and adjusts masking and other policies accordingly.”
The Church Pictorial Directories Have Arrived! If you had your picture taken or submitted a picture for the directory, you can pick up your copy of the pictorial directory in the Gathering Place before or after church Sunday morning during the month of August. Thank you for your participation and patience during the completion of this project. -The Hospitality Commission
NEW HOPE SHELTER ANNOUNCEMENT
BCMC will be providing volunteers and meals at New Hope Shelter from Aug. 10 to 16. Please remember these faithful volunteers in your prayers. We still need more people willing to serve as evening volunteers at New Hope. We do not have enough volunteers to fill all of our commitments there next week. Please consider helping with this important ministry. If you have questions, contact Valetta Seymour at seymour2314@gmail.com, 620-217-7536.
There will be a New Hope volunteer training on Aug. 25 at 7 pm at New Hope. Please let Valetta know if you would like to take the training.
Subscription to Anabaptist World
It is time to renew our group subscription to Anabaptist World, a monthly magazine featuring voices from across the Anabaptist-Mennonite world. If you sign up with the congregation’s plan, you receive this publication at the discounted rate of $39. If interested in joining the group plan, please contact Monica Lichti in the church office by August 29. New subscribers can also receive a one-year subscription for the discounted rate of $39.
Email the church office at: office@bethelcollegemennonitechurch.org
Bring in or mail your $39.00 payment to the office or place it in the offering plate on Sunday. Be sure to mark your checks with “Anabaptist World” in the memo line.
If you are currently receiving Anabaptist World through the BCMC group subscription plan it will expire November 25, 2022. Anabaptist World would like us to renew the subscription now so that you will receive the magazine without interruption.
Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission (AIMM), a partner of Mennonite Mission Network, will host a gathering to share ministry updates on Sunday, August 21, at 6:30 p.m. at First Mennonite Church, 429 E. 1st Street, Newton, KS. Co-executive Coordinator John Fumana and his wife Lucie from Democratic Republic of Congo are planning to be present. For more information contact aimm@aimmint.org or 574-535-0077.
The Abuse Prevention and Response Committee will continue in the month of August to read the book, #Church Too. Sunday August 21 will be spent sharing reactions to the book. On August 28 guiding questions will be used to help us discuss how we as a congregation can use the information from the book to help us create a healthy culture around sexuality at BCMC that supports survivors, our children/youth and ourselves. The book can be purchased through Amazon, requested through Faith and Life bookstore, or a local independent bookstore. If demand is high we will figure out a way to have copies available in the church office for purchase. – Jill Robb, APRC chair
The current BCMC Library theme is “Committee Book Recommendations”. Our current members, picked a few of our favorites from our wonderful collection and they are now shelved in back of the library desk. Come in, check one (or two or three) out and see if you agree with us. Carol Flickinger, Rose Haury, Barb Koontz, Sondra Koontz, Kathryn Simmons, Margaret Goering.
The Library Committee has processed almost 20 new books, 10 of them purchased and donated by The Abuse Prevention and Response Committee. The APRC books can be found on the Pastor’s Corner shelf which is now located on the west wall with the other recent purchases. Another new purchase is “The Land Is Not Empty” by Sarah Augustine which was recommended by the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery group. Please stop by and see what we have to offer and continue to browse and donate from our puzzle collection.—The Library Committee
Work & Play Day on August 20! Camp Mennoscah has projects to complete and plenty to do after a busy, fun summer. You are invited to be part of this camping ministry through fellowship and service! Projects for all ages and weather are available. Let us know you’re coming so we can be prepared for you! Bring your lunch and a water bottle. The day will start at 8:30 at the maintenance shed. Contact Olivia at 620-297-3290 or olivia.bartel@campmennoscah.org to sign up.
Life Enrichment returns to Bethel College with the start of the fall 2022 semester – but It will be on a different day. Life Enrichment resumes Thursday, Aug. 25, and will be on Thursdays thereafter. Place and time remain the same: Krehbiel Auditorium, 9:30 am. See https://www.bethelks.edu/academics/convocation-lectures/life-enrichment for more information.
Kauffman Museum at Bethel College is seeking a graphic designer who has experience with digital and print design, as well as social media, web and IT. Interest or experience in museum exhibition design and fabrication preferred. This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position. To see the complete job description and to apply, go to the https://www.bethelks.edu/about/who-we-are/career-opportunities/current-position-openings/graphic-designer-kauffman-museum For more information, contact Andi Andres at Kauffman Museum: asa@bethelks.edu or 316-283-1612.
Bluestem U, a lifelong learning program for individuals age 55 and better, is enrolling now for its first semester that will begin in September. The fall 2022 semester will feature three courses hosted by Hesston College and Schowalter Villa – “Prairie Landscaping 101” taught by Brad Guhr, “Happy Habits from Positive Psychology” taught by Kevin Wilder, and “Buggies, Bonnets and Boundaries: A Study of Amish Faith, Life and Culture” taught by John Sharp. Each course is $50. For more information and registration, go to bluestemu.org or call 316-836-4846. Bluestem U is a partnership between Bluestem Communities, Bethel College and Hesston College.
Fall Book Study on Healing Haunted Histories – Sept. 8-Dec. 1, 2022 – Elaine Enns, co-author of Healing Haunted Histories: A Settler Discipleship of Decolonization, will be leading an online, intensive book study this fall for the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition. Two-hour sessions will be every other Thursday, 6-8 pm Central Time, on Sept 8 and 22, Oct 6 and 20, Nov 3 and 17, and Dec 1. This book encourages personal and collective work toward decolonization. It asks those of us who are settlers, immigrants and displaced peoples to do our own pre-work of integrating our ancestral stories, so we can see more clearly and show up in solidarity with Indigenous peoples. See the Western District Conference website for more information.
Kauffman Museum at Bethel College is seeking a graphic designer who has experience with digital and print design, as well as social media, web and IT. Interest or experience in museum exhibition design and fabrication preferred. This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position. To see the complete job description and to apply, go to the https://www.bethelks.edu/about/who-we-are/career-opportunities/current-position-openings/graphic-designer-kauffman-museum For more information, contact Andi Andres at Kauffman Museum: asa@bethelks.edu or 316-283-1612.
Western District Women in Mission (WDWM) Retreat Committee announces the annual Women and Girls Retreat at Camp Mennoscah on Sept. 10 & 11. ALL women are invited to attend! The theme is: Women’s Voices. Girls in Grade 5 and up are also invited to come, although there will not be any separate programming for them. See below for the Retreat Brochure and Registration Form. Deadline for registration is August 31. Contact Darlene Powers, dpowers11@cox.net for questions or more information. Come have a fun and relaxing weekend!
https://mcusercontent.com/6c82c57d5882e890a1945358a/files/48f1f3e2-272e-34fe-c248-5b8e402f0f35/2022_Retreat_registration_form.pdf
Western District Conference invites you to visit our website to read the latest news, stories and announcements and share them with your congregation!
For Mennonite Mission Network News and Beyond press here
Mennonite Church USA Announcements
Anabaptist Disabilities Network, a ministry partner of Mennonite Church USA (MC USA), has created a study guide to help congregations understand and implement ideas from the recently passed “Mennonite Church USA Accessibility Resolution.” It includes study materials, reflection questions and information for instructional use intended for use over four weeks. Learn more here: https://www.anabaptistdisabilitiesnetwork.org/Resources/Pages/Accessibility-Resolution-Study-Guide.aspx
Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) is now offering a wide variety of MennoCon21 resources, including the evening sermons, seminars and Bible studies, for free on the MC USA website and YouTube channel. Learn more here: mennoniteusa.org/news/resources-menncon21
Menno Snapshots
Talking about money in church can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be! In his blog, “Mini money messages,” Beryl Jantzi of Everence encourages church leaders to talk about money in simple, bite-sized pieces. Read more here: mennoniteusa.org/mini-money-messages
Learn, Pray, Join: Welcoming EveryBODY
In our churches, do we think about those with disabilities as full and useful members of our communities, or are their gifts and needs an afterthought? Katie Mansfield of Eastern Mennonite University’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding explores how our churches might put more of an emphasis on inclusion and “consider disability as a first thought” in her blog, “How do we recognize wholeness?” Read it here: mennoniteusa.org/recognize-wholeness
Mennonite Mission Network Prayer Request: Join Naomi Leary, Mennonite Mission Network’s regional co-administrator for North America, as she praises God for renewed vigor in service programs across eight locations in the United States. After two years of decreased participation, due to the pandemic, the number of participants has doubled since last year. Pray for the 16 Mennonite Voluntary Service participants and the 19 Service Adventure participants — 12 youth and seven unit leaders.
Western District Conference Prayer Request: As a new school begins, pray for wisdom for Sunday school coordinators, teachers, youth sponsors and mentors who guide faith formation for children, youth and adults in WDC congregations.