This week at BCMCSunday, January 23, 2022
9:30 am Worship Service in the Sanctuary—no in-person attendance—service is live streamed
Tuesday, January 25, 2022
9—11 am Community Playschool
7 pm Abuse Prevention and Response Committee
Wednesday, January 26, 2022—No Youth Group or Chancel Choir in January
7 pm Menno Ringers in B7
Thursday, January 27, 2022
9—11 am Community Playschool
2 pm Hospitality Commission meeting in Fellowship Hall
6:15 pm Chancel Bells in Room B7
Sunday, January 30, 2022
9:30 am Worship Service in the Sanctuary–to be announced whether the service will be live-streamed only or in person
10:30 am Faith Formation
1 pm Congregational Meeting via Zoom
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Pastor Renee Reimer will be on vacation from January 14-29.
Pastor Nathan Koontz is increasing his hours up to 3/4 time for the month of January to help cover pastoral staffing until Interim Pastor Todd Schlosser begins on February 1, 2022. Pastor Nathan will be working Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, with flexible work days on Friday and Saturday as needed.
Congregational Meeting will be January 30 The Jan. 30, 2022 congregational meeting will start at 1 p.m. and will be held by Zoom. It will not be a hybrid meeting.
Following is the agenda for the meeting and the Zoom link.
For the Financial Report booklet click here There are copies of the Financial Report booklets at the church on the ledge by the church mailboxes. BETHEL COLLEGE MENNONITE CHURCH
Congregational Meeting Agenda
Sunday, January 30, 2022, 1 pm – Via ZoomZoom Link is:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81352999266?pwd=NkZQK1gyMFhoMGVDZm1zY1lCOTFWZz09
Meeting ID: 813 5299 9266
Passcode: 004219
1. Call to Order and Centering Prayer – Elizabeth Schmidt, Moderator
2. Approval of September 12, 2021 congregational meeting minutes and November 21, 2021
special congregational meeting minutes – prepared by John Kliewer, Interim Clerk
3. Report from the Auditing Committee – Diane Born, Auditing Committee
4. Presentation of 2021 Financial Reports -– Mike Claassen, Finance Manager
Zoom poll: Do you approve the 2021 Financial Reports? Yes No
5. Presentation of 2022 proposed budget – Mike Claassen, Finance Manager
The Church Board recommends the following: It is moved that the congregation approve the proposed general fund budget of $522,681 for 2022. During the year, if income is less than expenses, the first $10,000 will be covered by general fund reserves, then from benevolences up to $8,000. Any additional amount necessary will be taken from general fund reserves.
Zoom poll: Do you approve the 2022 proposed budget? Yes No
6. Pastoral Transition Update – Elizabeth Schmidt, Moderator, & Ada Schmidt-Tieszen,
Moderator-Elect
7. Faith Formation Report: Plea for Volunteers! – Mary Ellen Hodge, Faith Formation
Commission
8. Columbarium Expansion Project Report – Glen Ediger, Columbarium Expansion Task Group
9. Other business
10. Closing Prayer – Pastor Nathan Koontz
Save the date for the next Safe Sanctuary training on Sunday, February 6th from 10:30am-11:30am. This training will take place in the fellowship hall but will be available over zoom too. Please email Renee for a link if you’d like to join via zoom. Please plan to attend if you are a mentor, youth/child Sunday School teacher, sponsor, or Wednesday night club leader and did not attend a training this past fall.
The new Library Theme is focusing on the state of Kansas. Check out the many books that celebrate Kansas. Also, a couple of 2000 piece puzzles in excellent condition have been donated to the library. We are using them as a fundraiser. We are asking for a minimum donation of $5 for one puzzle. Just place your donation in the basket or give it to the committee person on duty. We look forward to seeing you in the library and let us know of any addition you would like us to add to our collection. Library Committee
Follow-up Links from January 19, 2022, COVID Zoom Conversation with Dr. Koontz
During our church’s zoom conversation with Dr. Jennifer Scott Koontz on January 19, requests were made for links to be shared that Dr. Koontz uses to stay informed and updated on COVID-19 related issues. Below is a list of her suggested links.
Armbrust did testing on dozens of mask brands and gave them pass/fail ratings on how well they worked. You can find their results for individual brands here: https://www.armbrustusa.com/pages/mask-testing
Kansas Hospital Association posts a weekly dashboard with hospital data from across the state. This link includes several resources and the dashboard link: https://www.kha-net.org/CriticalIssues/HospitalPreparedness/covid-19/
CDC: This is their main link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html. I also think it’s helpful to follow them on Facebook and Twitter because they post regular updates.
CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: Scientific articles from the CDC get posted here and you can subscribe for email alerts: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/Novel_Coronavirus_Reports.html
Kansas Department of Health Environment COVID data: This is the state COVID data that gets updated three times per week: https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas
Two links with resources on aerosol transmission from Dr. Jose-Luis Jimenez from the University of Colorado. The first is called “FAQs on Protecting Yourself from Aerosol Transmission”: https://tinyurl.com/FAQ-aerosols. The second is a calculator to assess risk in different situations and has additional statistics: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16K1OQkLD4BjgBdO8ePj6ytf-RpPMlJ6aXFg3PrIQBbQ/htmlview?urp=gmail_link#gid=519189277
Dr. Eric Topol – He is a physician who has been an excellent source of information throughout the pandemic. His work has been consistent and thoughtful. He has a website, drerictopol.com, with excellent articles, but following him on Twitter is a great way to get regular updates (@EricTopol).
Andy Slavitt, Former Biden White House Sr Advisor for COVID Response, has a regular podcast called “In the Bubble.” He has interviews with excellent scientists such as Dr. Paul Offit, Dr. Michael Mina, and many others: https://lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble/
Journal of the American Medical Association Open Network: This publishes scientific articles related to COVID on a regular basis. This is heavier on science than some of the other links, but can be a great resource to see the latest publications on diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and the impact of policies: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/pages/coronavirus-alert
medRxiv is the preprint server for health sciences and shares scientific publications before they undergo the peer review process. These articles should be viewed as preliminary but the majority of COVID research is shared here first: https://connect.medrxiv.org/relate/content/181
Link to order four free home antigen tests per household: www.covidtests.gov
The University of Kansas Health System’s Facebook page hosts regular video morning updates.
Each state has a health department (ours is KDHE) and many post excellent data and information from their state.
The UK shares excellent data. This is a link to their technical briefings on variants and their impact on cases, hospitalizations, etc: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/investigation-of-sars-cov-2-variants-technical-briefings
Bethel College Announcements
Life Enrichment at Bethel College has been canceled for spring 2022, due to ongoing health and safety concerns. Organizers hope to resume Life Enrichment in fall 2022.
TODAY (Sun., Jan. 23) – Bethel College Music Department Honors Recital, 4 p.m., Administration Building chapel, featuring freshman, sophomore and junior vocal and instrumental students who performed exceptionally during the fall 2021 semester. Current Bethel COVID protocols require masking indoors regardless of vaccination status.
Sat., Jan. 29 – Kauffman Museum annual Kansas Day event, “Famous Kansans,” noon-4 p.m. (with food trucks in the museum parking lot starting at 11:30 a.m.), museum and grounds. Along with activities inside and outside the museum, there will be presentations on Gordon Parks (Kirk Sharp, director of the Gordon Parks Museum), Blackbear Bosin (Erin Raux, director of the Mid-America All-Indian Center) and William Allen White (Bev Buller, author and retired educator). For more information, see the Kauffman Museum Facebook page or kauffmanmuseum.org. Current Bethel COVID protocols require masking indoors regardless of vaccination status.
Sat., Jan. 29 – Guest recital with Gjergji Gaqi, piano, from Tyler (Texas) Junior College, 7 p.m., Administration Building chapel at Bethel College. Current Bethel COVID protocols require masking indoors regardless of vaccination status.
Save the date: Fri., Feb. 11, guest recital with Bethel College Professor Emeritus of Music Don Kehrberg, oboe.
Click on this link for information and sign up sheet for the Kansas Mennonite Relief Sale Fellowship Meals for 2022
https://mcusercontent.com/6c82c57d5882e890a1945358a/files/e3c48723-f72c-d41a-e9a6-061baf60e9a7/Fellowship_Meals_Brochure_2022.pdf
Western District Conference Announcements
As Western District Conference comes to the end of our fiscal year on January 31, we invite you to share a gift with WDC during this season. We are grateful to many who have given their time and resources to WDC in 2021 to help our congregations Witness & invite others to faith in Jesus Christ, Dwell in just & loving relationships, and Connect to God’s mission in the world. As of December 31, contributions and other income are $331,300. This leaves a gap of $94,000 to meet our expenses year to date, so your generous gifts are invited to help close the gap towards WDC’s 2021 budget goal! You may make an online contribution here or send a check to Western District Conference, PO Box 306, North Newton, KS 67117. Thank you for your generosity!
Western District Conference invites you to visit our website to read the latest news, stories and announcements and share them with your congregation!
Everyone is invited to the WDC Final Thursday Book Discussion on January 27, 2022 at 7:00pm via Zoom. We will discuss This is God’s Table: Finding Church Beyond the Walls by Anna Woofender and explore what it means to explore “raw, honest, gritty way[s] of doing church.” Contact the library at crlib@mennowdc.org to register or borrow a copy of the book.
Camp Mennoscah Announcements
To all who supported Camp Mennoscah through gifts, prayers, volunteering, and visits in 2021, thank you immensely! Camp Mennoscah is looking forward to the 74th year of building on the Rock and playing in the sands of the Ninnescah River. Come be part of faith formation and connecting with others! It’s more fun together.
Other events and happenings:
- Summer staff positions are being filled, but more staff is needed! 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.
- Camp Mennoscah wants to respect your wishes regarding emails. To unsubscribe from these announcements, reply “unsubscribe” to this email. Camp Mennoscah sends announcements, newsletters, and the annual catalog by email. To unsubscribe from all, reply “unsubscribe all.”
- 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
- 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.
- Camp Mennoscah is seeking a full-time Director of Development, Marketing & Communications to lead our ongoing operational and advancement needs. This position reports directly to the Board of Directors while taking directive from the Executive Director when related to operational considerations. As a member of a small, very hands-on staff, the role is expected to be highly collaborative. This professional must embrace the mission of Camp Mennoscah, have an established background in coordinating nonprofit donation strategies, possess strong written, interpersonal, leadership and relationship building skills, and work as an independent contributor with good organization and follow-through. Most of the work will commence off campus, however some in-person time at camp is required.
This role involves organizing broad-based fundraising initiatives, advocating for Camp Mennoscah through speaking engagements, promotional materials, and social media, as well as recruiting volunteers, and building relationships with board members, donors and staff.
Our ideal candidate will have a bachelor’s degree, a minimum of five years of fund development experience, or equivalent experience in church relations, and a passion for Camp Mennoscah. They should also be familiar with office related applications, and other technology used for communication and social media. Experience with CampBrain and the associated donor database is a plus.
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled and early submission is encouraged. Please send application materials (resume, cover letter, references and salary requirements) to campmennojobs@att.net.
Mennonite Mission Network Urgent Prayer Request click here
Mennonite Mission Network News and Beyond click here
For Mennonite Men Oregon Eco Excursion click here
For Mennonite Disaster Service On the Level click here
For Mennonite World Conference Info click here
Mennonite Mission Network Prayer Request: Mennonite Mission Network requests prayer for young people, ages 15-22, considering participation in Youth Venture next summer. Experiences include: learning about the Hopi people in Kykotsmovi, Arizona; joining an immigration/borderlands tour in Tucson, Arizona; and engaging with a civil rights learning tour in the southern states. International opportunities may also be available, depending on the COVID-19 situation.
Western District Conference Prayer Request: Give thanks for WDC’s relationships with other organizations and institutions, and pray that these partnerships would extend God’s healing and hope in the world.