Hello! This week’s “Hello” video comes from Pastor Nathan Koontz. Click here to join Nathan on a tour of his orbit.
Porch Portraits
We love seeing your pictures and want to keep seeing more! Please send your porch portraits to Renee at renee@bethelcollegemennonitechurch.org so we can include your smiles to our collection. View photos by following this link: https://cruxphotos.smugmug.com/BCMC-Porch/ New photos have been added and will continue to be added in this ongoing project.
Prayers for Lee Suderman
Over the past number of months, Lee has struggled with pericarditis. It is a condition that progressively constricts the heart, making the heart less and less able to pump blood. One possible option to aleve the pericarditis would be to have a pericardiectomy. Di and Lee will be traveling to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN for an appointment on September 7 in order to see if Lee is eligible for such an invasive open heart surgery. If the pericardiectomy is advised, Di and Lee would likely be staying in Rochester for most of September in order to stay safe from COVID 19 both before and after the surgery. Please pray for peace and calm and wisdom for both Lee and Di and their doctors as they discern the best path forward.
From the BCMC Financial Manager, Mike Claassen
According to the latest numbers, we still need $5,291.12 to cover the elevator repair. Based on the estimate from Regier Construction, we need $39,631.03 to cover the kitchen/fellowship hall renovation.
Contributions from January 1 through July 31 were $249,106 and expenses were $275,461, leaving a shortfall of $26,355.
Mennonite Mission Network Prayer Request: Thank God for how the youth of the Barcelona Mennonite community in Catalonia are flourishing in their spiritual growth despite pandemic restrictions. Pray for Alisha and Joshua Garber, serving with Mennonite Mission Network, as they explore best practices to mentor and teach online.
Western District Conference Prayer Request: Pray for God’s wisdom and guidance for WDC as we seek to understand more deeply the structural racism of our own church life and history, and to be faithful to God’s vision for justice in today’s world.
Offering at BCMC for August 23-30, 2020: General Fund $6,312; Memorial Fund $200.29; Columbarium Fund $2,000; Living Stones $45; Elevator Repair $200.
Other Announcements
For the health and safety of participants and the wider community, Life Enrichment at Bethel College is canceled for the fall 2020 semester.
Bethel College Women’s Association has worked to raise money for Bethel for many years. This August we are opening our first online store, www.bca marketonline.com. We invite you to help us support Bethel by checking this online market for crafts, jewelry, Bethel-themed items and much more. Our inventory will change over time so please check in to find that special gift or item for your home. If circumstances allow, on September 1 we will begin accepting orders for baked goods to be picked up on Fall Fest weekend, October 1-3. Please check the website for updated information.
The 2020 issue of Mennonite Life, Bethel College’s online journal, is live at ml.bethelks.edu, with articles and reviews by Alain Epp Weaver, Ben Nobbs-Thiessen, Ben Woodward-Breckbill, Cheryl Denise, Christopher Reed, Emma Beachy, Jason Schmidt, Joanne Lehman, Joyce Zuercher, Julia Kasdorf, Keith Sprunger, Lisa Schirch, Marc Gopin, Melanie Zuercher and Raylene Hinz-Penner.
Preschool Story Hour at the Conference Resource Library returns this fall with VIRTUAL LIVE story hours full of stories, rhymes, and craft ideas on Tuesdays at 10:00 am and Thursdays at 3:30 pm. Tuesday and Thursday sessions will be different, join us for one or both sessions each week. Story Hour will start Tuesday, September 8 and be geared toward ages 3-5. Story Hour will be led by Library Director Jennie Wintermote and will be shorter than our Summer Story Hour. Register at https://forms.gle/vpk7DXRwwHAbSo5A7 and contact Jennie with any questions at crlib@mennowdc.org.
Camp Mennoscah announcements
· Mental Health Spiritual Retreat at Camp Mennoscah will be a one-day event on Monday, September 7. This retreat is for those affected by mental illness, including friends and family. Activities will be outside. We will follow social distancing and mask guidelines. Please bring a mask with you. Those interested in attending the retreat should contact Camp Mennoscah at 620-297-3290.
· Limited number of openings! Camp Mennoscah’s Scrapbook and Crafts Retreats will take place on Oct. 30-Nov. 1 and Nov. 6-8. Masks and physical distancing guidelines will be followed and the facility used has been changed. More spaces will be opened as determined safe and feasible, so put your name on the waitlist! Register online at campmennoscah.org! Call 620-297-3290 for further information.
· Camp Mennoscah welcomes guests! Camping areas and cabins are open to guests/groups for overnight stays and day visits. Spend time in the river, have a campfire cookout, and enjoy the open spaces of the tallgrass prairie and the Ninnescah River! Contact Camp Mennoscah at 620-297-3290 to make a reservation and to inquire about use of additional facilities. We can’t wait to see you!
Western District Women’s Retreat 2020: And now for something completely different! After much discussion and prayer, the Western District Women in Mission Retreat Committee has decided not to meet in person at Camp Mennoscah this year. We will miss all of you and the energy and joy you bring to camp. However, we WILL gather virtually on Saturday night, September 12 from 7:00-8:30 PM via Zoom for a worship service. Our goal is to connect to and encourage each other through Christ and His love for us. Susan Jantzen (interim pastor of Worship/Visitation at First Mennonite in Newton) will lead us on “Reflections on God as Keeper.” Bethany Martin from Faith and Life Bookstore will review a few books. Annelle Claassen (Retreat Committee Chair) will lead singing, and Karen Mascho (Pastor and Retreat Committee) will lead communion together. No masks required! For free registration or questions, send your email to Tammy Duvanel Unruh at 2020womensretreat.rsvp@gmail.com Save the date and we look forward to seeing your whole face!
Mennonite church announcements
· Curious about church planting or re-planting? Join the next Sent Network cohort and learn how to explore, equip, and be sent to spread the word of God! Visit MennoniteMission.net/SentNetwork to learn more and save your spot!
· The Mennonite Heritage and Cultural Museum in Goessel, has an ongoing display of Marie and Martha Voth’s Wheat Marquetry Art till the end of September. Over 25 larger works (both paintings and wheat art) and many, many smaller items and greeting cards. Museum Hours are Tues. through Sat. 10 am – 5 pm. Regular admission applies and free admission for museum members.
Join KIPCOR ONLINE for their 2020-2021 Film Series
On Sunday, September 13, at 2:00 PM KIPCOR will be hosting a ZOOM call featuring the film “Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot”, produced by the group Teaching Tolerance.
This film tells the story of a courageous group of Alabama students and teachers who fought nonviolently against a century of Jim Crow in a segregationist state to win voting rights for African Americans. These change-makers overcame violence, arrest, and even murder to achieve one of the most significant victories of the civil rights era.
The talk-back session after the film will feature Larry Burks, Sr., the President of the Wichita Branch of the NAACP.
You can find out more, and register to participate, on the KIPCOR website at http://kipcor.org/ Advance registration is required.
Now at Kauffman Museum (through Nov. 29) – “Sorting Out Race: Examining Racial Identity and Stereotypes in Thrift Store Donations.” Regular hours are Tues.-Fri. 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 1:30-4:30 p.m., closed Mondays and major holidays, but with ever-changing COVID-19 protocols, you are advised to check the museum website, kauffmanmuseum.org, or Facebook page or call 316-283-1612 before planning a visit.
Good news from Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp! Labor Day Work and Play Retreat, September 4-7 2020 is a “go” all while following existing guidelines to wear a mask inside and/or when within 6′ of participants not from your own place of residence. The weekend is a time for individuals and families of all ages to enjoy a day of work (Saturday) along with a day of “play” (Sunday). Camp operations/projects continue to abound including food service, housekeeping, and maintenance projects (i.e. Spruce beetle mitigation, painting, etc.) With 11 already registered, only 9 more spaces remain so please sign-up online at rmmc.org.