New Address for John and Elsie Sheriff–They have moved to the Kidron Bethel Village campus
27 Lakewood Circle, North Newton, KS 67117
We offer sympathy to Mildred and Myron Voran and their family on the death of Mildred’s sister, Elizabeth Helene (Claassen) Goering, December 23, 2021, Kidron Bethel Village.
BCMC Offerings
December 26, 2021: General Fund $8,089.79; General Fund for 2022 $225; Caring Fund $750.
January 2, 2022: General Fund $6,512; Living Stones $1,005; Women’s Fellowship $195.
This week at BCMCSunday, January 9, 2022
9:30 am Worship Service in the Sanctuary
10:30 am Faith Formation
4 pm Service of Remembrance in the Sanctuary— In order to recognize and mourn the loss of our loved ones from 2021, Bethel College Mennonite Church is hosting a service of Remembrance on January 9 at 4 pm.
Monday, January 10, 2022
7 pm Facilities Committee meeting in Fellowship Hall
Tuesday, January 11, 2022
9—11 am Community Playschool
12 noon Mid Kansas Investment Club meets in Fellowship Hall
4 pm Funeral Committees meeting in Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, January 12, 2022—No Youth Group or Chancel Choir in January
6:45 pm Menno Ringers in B7
Thursday, January 13, 2022
9—11 am Community Playschool
4 pm Staff Congregation Relations Committee meeting in Room 14
7 pm Finance Committee meeting by Zoom
7 pm Chancel Bells in Room B7
Sunday, January 16, 2022
9:30 am Worship Service in the Sanctuary
10:30 am Faith Formation
Monday, January 17, 2022—Martin Luther King Jr. Day—Office will be closed and church locked
Pastor Renee Reimer will be on vacation from January 14-29.
Pastor Nathan Koontz will be at a “Roots of Justice” Training from Jan. 14-16.
Menno Ringers (bells for youth in grades 3rd-8th) will take place on Wednesdays from 7-7:45 pm beginning January 5th and going through February 23rd.
Service of Remembrance
January 9, 2021
Bethel College Mennonite Church
4:00 pm
In order to recognize and mourn the loss of our loved ones from 2021, Bethel College Mennonite Church is hosting a service of Remembrance on Sunday, January 9 at 4 pm. There will be singing, praying, scripture reading,and a reading of each person who has passed, followed by the lighting of a candle in their memory. In addition to wearing a mask and social distancing, windows inside the sanctuary will be open. Please keep your coat and warm clothes with you as you find your place in the sanctuary. You will likely need them!
If you have someone you would like to remember who is
not directly connected to Bethel College Mennonite Church, please contact Pastor Nathan Koontz before the service with their name and connection to you, or write their name and connection on a piece of paper and give it to Pastor Nathan before the service begins. Their names will be read once all the names in order of service have been read. You are also welcome to watch the service live streamed through our Bethel College Mennonite Church homepage (click the green LIVE STREAM button). If you have any questions about this service or COVID 19 precautions, please contact Pastor Nathan at nathan@bethelcollegemennonitechurch.org
Below is a list of those connected with BCMC that have died during 2021. If there are family andfriends that you know who are connected to those who have passed and may like to attend this service, please pass on the details of this service to them.
Lorene Katherine Penner Goering, Helen Ruth Jantzen Unruh, Rosalind Haury Enns Andreas, Laura Ann (Miller) Schrag, Philip Koontz, Elsie Mae Wicke Flaming, Allen Gaeddert, Hartzel Wayne Schmidt, Miner Seymour, Clark Eugene Wiebe, Louise Irene Duerksen Koehn, Ethel Elizabeth Dick Kaufman, Martha Friesen Graber, Mary Ann Unruh Gertsen, Carol Kaufman, Kenneth Kaufman.
Dr. Jennifer Koontz COVID Zoom Call, Jan. 19, 7pm
Dr. Jennifer Scott Koontz has been a leading expert on COVID-19 throughout the pandemic. She received the 2021 Bethel College Outstanding Alumni Award for her consistent and clear communication of COVID-19 research and guidelines to the general public. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health along with an M.D. from the University of Kansas and has practiced medicine in Newton for 12 years. She is also a member of BCMC. Dr. Koontz will be hosting a Question and Answer Session via Zoom for anyone interested in learning about the current landscape of COVID-19. Please come with your questions and plan to attend this Zoom meeting on Wednesday, January 19 at 7pm. A Zoom link will be sent out as we approach the 19th.
Covid Creativity
This era of Covid impacted everyone in different ways. The negative effects are obvious. But for some, it sparked introspection and a new kind of creative energy.
The Visual Arts Committee would like to showcase examples of your creativity in The Gathering Place. A small exhibit with artwork or photos and brief text about your motivation for creating during this challenging time.
What might you share? Whatever you were inspired to create! Did you paint something? Build something? Sew something? Write something? Learn new recipes or revisit old ones?
Pastor Nathan will be the primary contact and would love to connect with you. If you’re willing to share a photo or two (or the artwork itself!) and a brief statement about what prompted this expression, please get in touch with him!
The Visual Arts Committee will begin working on this project shortly after the holidays so the sooner you can share your ideas with Nathan the better!
MLK Service Opportunities and Collecting Hygiene Kit SuppliesThe Newton Community for Racial Justice has put together a list of service opportunities for the Newton Community to take part in on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday on January 17th. MLK Day is an opportunity for communities to participate in a “day on” together. This year’s activities include making Mennonite Central Committee hygiene kits, writing letters at Offenders Victims Ministry, building a blessing box, indoor painting, and housekeeping/maintenance at New Hope Shelter. BCMC is invited to participate in 2 different ways. One way is to bring in adult sized toothbrushes (in individual original packaging) and new wide-tooth combs (6-8 in) on January 9th for the MCC hygiene kits. Another way is to sign up to volunteer at one of the service opportunities on January 17th using this form.
Pastor Reviews
Pastor Nathan Koontz and Pastor Renee Reimer are each in their second year of ministry with BCMC. It is BCMC’s practice to engage in a pastoral review of our pastors at this point in their ministry with us. The Staff Congregation Relations Committee, with guidance and assistance from Western District Conference consultant Keith Harder, is undertaking this process. Next week you will receive an email with two electronic evaluation tools. Please take a moment to complete both of the evaluations — there will be one for Pastor Nathan and one for Pastor Renee. If you do not receive email communications from the church, a copy of the evaluation tools will be mailed to you. We would appreciate receiving your responses no later than January 21, 2022. Following collection of the completed evaluations, Keith Harder will tabulate the raw data and prepare a report that will be shared with SCRC, the Church Board, Pastor Nathan and Pastor Renee. A report will also then be shared with the congregation. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to any member of SCRC (Jim Mininger, Dianne Epp, Vern Preheim and Heather Zerger).
New Hope Shelter Announcement
There will be a Volunteer Training Day at New Hope Shelter on Thursday, January 27, 2022 from 7 pm to 8:30 pm.
New Hope’s volunteer shift hours are 5 pm to 11 pm daily
If you or anyone you know is interested in signing up for volunteer training, please contact Valetta Seymour. seymour2314@gmail.com, 620-217-7536 no later than Tuesday, January 25.
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.
Mon., Jan. 17 and Tues., Jan. 18 – Bethel College hosts two activities for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday that are free and open to the public, both in Memorial Hall: Jan. 17, 7 p.m., program with Jasmyn Elise Story as the featured speaker; Jan. 18, 2 p.m., screening of the Kellogg Foundation’s 2022 National Day of Racial Healing event. Sponsors are Bethel College Student Life, the Bethel College Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center and the Kansas Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (KIPCOR). Current Bethel COVID protocols require masking indoors regardless of vaccination status.
Save the date: Sat., Jan. 29 – Kauffman Museum annual Kansas Day event, “Famous Kansans,” noon-4 p.m., museum and grounds. For more information, see the Kauffman Museum Facebook page or kauffmanmuseum.org
Everence® to hold Medicare webinar in January
Everence will hold an informative Medicare webinar on Tuesday, Jan. 18, starting at 6:30 p.m. Topics will include, when and where to sign up for Medicare, what Medicare does (and doesn’t) cover, Medicare Parts A, B, C and D in clear, understandable language plus budgeting for health care costs in retirement. There will also be time for your questions.
Information will be presented by staff from the Everence offices in Central Kansas.
To register contact Everence at 316-283-3800, 877-467-7294 or central.kansas@everence.com.
Attendance recommended for those approaching retirement or those ready to sign up for Medicare.
Securities offered through Concourse Financial Group Securities, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Investments and other products are not NCUA or otherwise federally insured, may involve loss of principal and have no credit union guarantee.
Products and services offered through Everence Trust Company and other Everence entities are independent of and are not guaranteed or endorsed by Concourse Financial Group Securities, or its affiliates.
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.
Healing & Hope: A confidential group of women supporting each other in seeking healing and hope after experiencing betrayal trauma (a spouse or partner’s use of pornography, affair, or sexual addiction). The group is faith-centered, hosted by First Mennonite Church of Newton for those in the Central Kansas area, and facilitated by Audrey Ratzlaff, M.Div, and Gail Unruh-Revel, LSCSW, CST, CSAT. Meetings are currently occurring via zoom. Please contact Audrey Ratzlaff at aaratzlaff@yahoo.com or Pastor Laura Goerzen laurag@firstmennonitenewton.org if you have questions or would like to participate.
For Mennonite Mission Network News and Beyond click here
Mennonite Mission Network Prayer Request: Kate Widmer, serving with Mennonite Mission Network, has extended her assignment with Eglise la Prairie Montbéliard (The Prairie Church in Montbéliard) in France. Pray for her as she is currently on North American assignment, sharing updates with supporting congregations, before returning to France for a second term to continue her ministries with children and other community outreach programs.
Western District Conference Prayer Request: Give thanks for the generous financial contributions, prayers and volunteer service of all the congregations and individuals who support WDC ministries.