The Church library will be open and staffed on Sunday mornings following worship beginning this Sunday, May 30
The Church Office and Building will be closed Monday, May 31 for the Memorial Day Holiday.
New addresses for BCMC members:
Metta Lieb, 1722 Paddington Circle, Newton, KS 67114
Howard Lohrentz, Schowalter Villa, Mullet West, Room 1136, Hesston KS, 67062
Janet Harder Stucky, 541 W. 78th St., Unit 41, Chanhassen, MN 55317
Myron and Mildred Voran, Presbyterian Manor, 1200 E. 7th Street, Anderson Place, Suite 218, Newton, KS, 67114
Offering at BCMC for May 23, 2021: General Fund $13,191; Caring Fund $500; Living Stones $85; Church Retreat $1,203; Mennonite Camp Scholarship $322; Women’s Fellowship $630.
Service of Ordination for Pastor Renee Reimer
Sunday, June 6th at 1:00pm
Over the past several months Pastor Renee has spent time discerning and preparing for her ordination. She met with a clearness committee of BCMC members and spent time reading and reflecting in preparation for her Ministerial Leadership Commission (MLC) interview on Friday, May 21st. The church board also voted to approve and support her into this call toward ordination. On Friday, the MLC offered their support of ordination following her interview.
All are invited to an outdoor service of ordination on Sunday, June 6th beginning at 1:00 pm in the Peace Garden. Bring a blanket or a lawn chair.
Quilts!
The Mennonites Central Committee Relief Sale deadline for quilts for the Relief Sale Auction is June 1. If you have a quilt to donate, call Margo Schrag, BCMC Relief Sale Committee member, and she will pick up your quilt for the sale.
Bethel College Mennonite Church is teaming up with Casa Betania, Faith Mennonite Church, First Mennonite Church, New Creation Fellowship, and Shalom Mennonite Church to offer Vacation Bible School the week of June 28- July 2, 2021. At home VBS bags (filled with lessons, crafts, and activities) will be delivered to homes before the week of June 28, pre-recorded dramas and music with familiar faces will be available, and an in-person field day will take place on Friday, July 2nd from 9-11am. Sign-up here if your child ages 3-5th grade would like to participate.
Outdoor Summer Sunday School for Children and Youth will take place July 4, 11, 18, and 25 on the BCMC playground. All ages are welcome as we will be playing outdoor team building games together.
Newton Et Cetera Shop thanks you for shopping, donating and volunteering at our community thrift shop! We’ve been able to send over $10,000 to Mennonite Central Committee so far this year, and have set aside over $1,000 for 2022 Local Giving Grants, as well as supporting our local nonprofit partners with gift cards for those in need. Thank you for making this possible! We also request your help letting folks know about three open positions at the shop: two full-time management positions and one part-time summer receiver position. More information is at newtonetceterashop.com and on Indeed.com. Newton Et Cetera shop is an equal opportunity employer, committed to employment equity. Newton Et Cetera Shop values diversity and invites all qualified candidates to apply. Thanks again from the Newton Et Cetera Shop board of directors and staff!
Art Show at Carriage Factory Art Gallery by Glen Ediger
You are invited to visit an art show entitled “Environmental Exposure” at the Carriage Art Gallery from May 29-July 16 featuring artwork by Glen Ediger. Glen has created a unique new art medium. Materials are placed on top of copper, steel or wood, which are then exposed to the environment for months to a year, then cleared off and mounted with framing made from reclaimed lumber, much of which, is salvaged oak shelving from our church remodeling projects. “Everything we do leaves an impression. Our actions, whether intended or not, create an effect on our environment and on our relationships.”
Bethel College announcements:
The summer day camp program at Kauffman Museum, Uncle Carl’s Camps, starts June 1 and runs through July 16. All camps still have some spaces available. Most camps will be in-person with reduced enrollment, masks required while indoors, and many activities held outdoors where campers will not be required to wear masks. Camps are: “Trash and Treasure” (9-12/completed 3rd-6th), archaeology with Monty Graber; “Watercolor My World” 1 (6-8/completed K-2nd) and 2 (9-12/3rd-6th) with LaDonna Unruh Voth; “The Prairie is ALIVE!” (6-8/K-2nd) with Kendall Smith; “Little Houses on the Prairie” (ages 4-5, not yet in kindergarten) with Kristin Neufeld Epp; “Pedal Power” (9/3rd through adult), biking camp with Karen and Stephen Kreider Yoder. See https://kauffmanmuseum.org/uncle-carls-camp/ for dates, cost and online registration.
Sat., June 5 – The public is invited to Walk Sand Creek Trail Day, part of National Trails Day®. Water will be available for people and dogs at the trailhead at Memorial Grove on the Bethel College campus, dawn to dusk (6 a.m.-8 p.m.), courtesy of the Sand Creek Trail Committee.
Sat., June 5, 7 a.m. – Kauffman Museum first-Saturday bird walk. Meet in the museum parking lot (corner of Main and 27th streets in North Newton) to join experienced birders for a walk of 1-1.5 hours in Chisholm Park and on Sand Creek Trail. Trails are mostly unpaved and sometimes steep or sloping.
Everence to hold Basics of investing webinar:
Everence will host a free, online webinar, Basics of investing, on Tuesday, June 8 at 6:30 p.m. Register for this webinar to learn about:
- The fundamentals of investing.
- Different types of investments available.
- How faith values can play a role in your investment decisions.
To register, or learn more about this webinar event, please visit our webpage at everence.com/kansas.
Securities offered through ProEquities Inc., a registered broker-dealer, member FINRA and 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 ProEquities, Inc., or its affiliates.
WDC announcements
1. The WDC Resource Library invites children ages 3-8 to join us for an outdoor Green Things Summer Story Hour. On Thursdays starting June 3 at 10:00am, we will meet in front of the North Newton (KS) City Building at 2601 N. Main. Register here or at mennowdc.org/library If registration numbers are low, Story Hour will move to virtual format. Please contact the library if you would be interested in a virtual Story Hour. (Central Kansas-area churches please run this announcement and post the attached flier.)
2. Your Story, My Story: “Woven into God’s Story” is our Annual Assembly theme and StoryCorps has invited WDC to partner with their storytelling project, One Small Step, to share and record our own stories within WDC. One Small Step is an initiative to facilitate conversations across differences. Take time to listen to another WDC member and discover the stories behind each other’s beliefs. Sign up at https://onesmallstep.storycorps.org/wdc/. The deadline for registrations is June 25 and virtual recordings will be scheduled July 28-30 (space is limited). For more information about One Small Step see attached flyer.
3. BIG NEWS from the Western District Women in Mission! The Women’s Retreat at Camp Mennoscah will happen in-person this September! Details are being discussed but please circle the dates of Saturday, September 11 and Sunday, September 12 and consider joining our fellowship and reconnecting. Of course, some things will look different including no programming for girls, only meeting on Saturday and Sunday, building use being limited, bodies being one year older, etc. We’ll send out more details and registration information later this summer; hope to see you there!
4. The WDC office will be closed Friday, May 28 and Monday May 31.
Camp Mennoscah announcements
1. Kitchen staff needed! Camp Mennoscah is still looking for kitchen staff for June 6-12 and July 18-24. No professional cooking skills needed–just an ability to follow directions and some happiness to share! Contact olivia.bartel@campmennoscah.org or 620-297-3290.
2. Congratulations! Deborah, Camp Mennoscah’s dedicated and generous office assistant of over 7 years, is retiring! She has reduced her hours and has graciously agreed to stay on while the next assistant is found. Camp Mennoscah is seeking someone to share in office/support operations and guest services in a position with potential growth. Contact olivia.bartel@campmennoscah.org for information.
3. There’s still time to register for camp! Camp Mennoscah has a few openings at most camps. Register online at campmennoscah.org!
4. Camp Mennoscah campers and parents! If your camper is fully vaccinated (2 weeks after the final shot) for COVID-19 before they come to camp, they will not have to quarantine (go home) if they are a close contact unless they have symptoms. Preventative measures are being taken, but that virus can be sneaky. Completed vaccination cards can be uploaded to the camper’s account.
Mennonite church announcements
1. The Kansas Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (KIPCOR) at Bethel College is offering its core mediation training (Practical Skills for Managing Interpersonal Conflict) via Zoom June 14-18. There is a fee discount if you register before May 28. See the attached flyer or visit kipcor.org for more information.
2. Jen Helmuth Shenk felt the need to deepen her spiritual walk, so she began meeting with a spiritual director. Read about Shenk’s journey – from being a stay-at-home mom, to a photographer, to a pastor – in Evan J. Miller’s blog, “Where God’s Spirit is Already at Work.” https://www.mennoniteusa.org/menno-snapshots/gods-spirit-already-at-work/
3. Tim Nafziger reflects on the power of stories in fighting against militarism in his blog, “The Courageous, Vulnerable, Improbable Story of Peace.” The blog is part of Mennonite Church USA’s Learn, Pray, Join: Cost of War initiative. Read more about Nafziger’s story here: https://www.mennoniteusa.org/menno-snapshots/courageous-story-peace/
5. Authors Elain Enns and Ched Myers shared a presentation based on their new book, “Healing Haunted Histories: A Settler Discipleship of Decolonization” in a recorded webinar from Mennonite Church USA. View it here: https://www.mennoniteusa.org/webinars/
Book signing: Saturday, June 5, from 1-3 at Faith and Life Bookstore Kathy Wiens will be signing her new book, Please Don’t Send Me Back. This is a sequel to her first book, Bars, Dumps and Other Childhood Hangouts
Hesston College announcements:
- Attend prospective student visit events, like our summer Theatre Camp.
Join in a celebration of the “bare necessities” June 7 to 18 in a weekday camp from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. with a public performance to follow. Auditions will take place during camp and everyone who wants a part in the show will get one! Participants may also help build set pieces, props and costumes. Registration closes June 1. Mail form and check to Hesston College Theatre Director, Box 3000, Hesston, KS 67062. More details at: www.hesston.edu/theatrecamp
More details regarding admissions visits at www.hesston.edu/admissions/visit
- Golf with a Purpose! Join us for the Lark Open Golf Benefit on June 12 at the Hesston Golf Park. More details at www. hesston.edu/lark-open
- Watch the newest Peacing it Together interview, hosted by Tony Brown, Hesston College’s peace ambassador and artist in residence: www.hesston.edu/peace-interviews
The June 2021 Mennonite Mission Network PRAYER VINE is now available for download. The PDF is posted in theprayer resources section of our website and can also be downloaded directly by clicking the link below:
Download this month’s Prayer Vine (PDF)
The link to the June issue of Prayers for Mennonite Education is below.
Prayers for Mennonite Education – June 2021
This is a monthly prayer resource prepared by Mennonite Education Agency (MEA), the education agency of Mennonite Church USA. These prayer requests were gathered from across Mennonite education, from early childhood – grade 12 schools, undergraduate schools, graduate schools and seminaries, and MEA’s Hispanic Ministries’ Seminary and Bible Institute. By partnering with these schools and helping them flourish, MEA works to strengthen the church through education. Thank you for supporting the Anabaptist-Mennonite schools through prayer.
Mennonite Mission Network Prayer Request: Jae Young Lee, Karen Spicher and their children serve with Mennonite Mission Network in South Korea. Pray for them as they promote peace ministries through organizations, such as Korea Peacebuilding Institute and Northeast Asia Regional Peacebuilding Institute.
Western District Conference Prayer Request: Pray for WDC congregations in pastoral transition, and potential candidates considering ministry opportunities in WDC.