BETHEL COLLEGE MENNONITE CHURCH
WORSHIP SERVICE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
September 28 2025
Our faith in a God of love leads us, by the power of the Spirit,
to follow Jesus in doing justice, loving mercy,
and walking humbly with God.
To livestream the worship service for Sunday, September 28:
On Sunday morning, around 9:20 a.m. go to BCMC’s webpage at bethelcollegemennonitechurch.org and click the green button labeled LIVE STREAM on the right side of the screen, which will take you to the worship service. If you get a message in the black box that the video is unavailable, click the gray box below that says “View Live Stream on YouTube”. Anytime after the service concludes, you can watch a recording of the service at your convenience by clicking the same green LIVE STREAM button. Again, you will probably have to go to the gray box that says “View Live Stream on YouTube”. That will transfer you to the BCMC YouTube Channel. You will have to click on the tab “Videos” to see all of the BCMC videos. Click the red button to see the bulletin/order of service.
OR – click on this link for this Sunday: https://youtube.com/live/gJ0wwBSNeAo?feature=share
The order of service for Sunday appears below – after the Pastoral Search Committee announcement.
But First–If you have not filled in the pastoral search committee survey, please do it now.
The pastoral search committee is asking members of the congregation to fill out this survey on what priorities we are looking for in an associate pastor to join the pastoral team of Joanna and Nathan. Please fill it out by September 28.
This survey is designed to identify the perceived needs/priorities of the congregation and the priorities and vision of pastoral candidates. It is an initial screen that helps identify general agreement between what the church is seeking and the priorities a pastor has for their ministry. It can also serve as a useful discussion guide between a pastoral candidate and a search committee/congregation.
If you would like to see all the statements at the same time before filling out the survey form, the attached document has all 24 statements.
Focus on what your perceived needs and expectations are for the pastor you are seeking to hire and how they may use their time and energy. Remember, no pastor can do everything! Here’s the link to the survey – https://forms.gle/BxKTcaisDo4FDEAV6
Thank you!
BCMC Pastoral Search Committee
BETHEL COLLEGE MENNONITE CHURCH
September 28, 2025
Christ Candle Lighting
Centering Music—Will Wiebe-Friesen
Welcome—Mary Ellen Hodge
*Hymn—Summoned by the God Who Made Us—VT 1
Children and Youth Conversation—Elizabeth Schmidt
Worship Music—Holly Swartzendruber and Lucy Burch
Scripture Reading—Matthew 9:16-26—Darlene Dick
*Hymn—Healer of Our Every Ill—VT 644
Sermon—Joanna Harader
Prayers of God’s People—Mary Ellen Hodge
Special Music—God, Be the Love—BCMC Ensemble
Litany of Release and Blessing for Elizabeth Schmidt—Kathy Neufeld Dunn
with BCMC leaders
*Hymn—The Lord Lift You Up—VT 832
Those with September birthdays are welcome to come forward during this hymn to receive a birthday blessing.
*Benediction
Postlude
* You are invited to stand
VT—Voices Together
Audio visual—Ken Lamp
Litany of Release and Blessing for Elizabeth Schmidt:
Congregational Moderator: Today we give thanks to Elizabeth for answering the call to serve Bethel College Mennonite Church in congregational care in a time of transition, and for becoming credentialed for specific ministry through Western District Conference/Mennonite Church USA.
Congregation: All praise be to our God. In God there is one Body, one Spirit. There is one hope in God’s call to us all.
Elizabeth: Surely the Spirit has been with me and equipped me to minister in many shared moments of sorrow and joy, and it has been a deep privilege to serve. I treasure the gifts of precious stories and liminal threshold moments during these years together. I will always hold this congregation in my heart.
Nathan: God has blessed this congregation richly through your ministry of visitation, pastoral care, and spirit-filled presence.
Joanna: God has blessed us as a pastoral team richly through your kindness, open-heartedness, and compassion.
Congregation: We give thanks for your caring presence among us.
Conference Minister: Do you, the people of Bethel College Mennonite Church, bless Elizabeth as she enters retirement, and release her from pastoral responsibilities and relationships?
Congregation: With the help of God, we do. We give thanks for Elizabeth’s service and now release her from pastoral responsibilities and relationships. We ask God’s blessing on her retirement.
Conference Minister: Elizabeth, do you release the congregation from seeking your service as part of the pastoral team at BCMC?
Elizabeth: With the help of God, I do. When we meet again in the future, I will no longer be a pastor on the pastoral team. I look forward to returning after a time away to join you again as a congregant, at a time “unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.”
Conference Minister: Elizabeth, may God bless you on your retirement, and bless the rest and change of pace that you seek. May God continue blessing and guiding this vibrant congregation in its hopeful future of kindom work as it seeks to meet the new pastor that God is preparing to join the pastoral team. May God bless and guide each of us in the new relationships that we now will share.
Congregation: God, who is Alpha and Omega, we thank you for your faithfulness in all our beginnings and endings, and for the companions you provide for us on the journey. Amen.
(the last line is from Voices Together 962)
The Week at BCMC: September 28—October 5, 2025
Sunday, September 28, 2025
Worship 9:30 a.m. Worship
Live-Stream Link: https://youtube.com/live/gJ0wwBSNeAo?feature=share
A farewell reception for Elizabeth will be held in the Fellowship Hall today, Sept. 28 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Monday, September 29, 2025
10 a.m. Library Committee—Room 14
4 p.m. Meeting in Room 14
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
8-10 a.m. Pastor Joanna will be at the 1887 Café— Bethel College campus
7:30 p.m. Chancel Choir rehearsal—Sanctuary
Thursday, October 2, 2025
4 p.m. Staff Congregation Relations Committee—Room 14
Saturday, October 4, 2025
10 a.m. Miroslav Volf, “Striving for Superiority and Striving for Excellence,” at Bethel College Mennonite Church. Volf, a Croatian Protestant theologian, is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology and director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture at Yale University. His latest book, The Cost of Ambition, examines why ambition is at odds with the Christian faith.
Sunday, October 5, 2025—Fall Fest Sunday
9:30 a.m. Worship with sermon by Joanna Harader; music by the Bethel College Chancel Choir
BCMC Offering for September 21: General $5,410; Sr Hi Youth $2,554; Kitchen Fund $30; Women’s Fellowship $250; Betty Schmidt Mem. $25; Ilene Schmidt Mem. $315; Marion Deckert Mem. $30; Doug Penner Mem. $50; Dorothy Unruh Mem. $100.
All young people aged 16-25 are encouraged to attend the final session on conscientious objection (c.o.). Meet at 10:45 in the chapel room.Sunday, September 28, participants will receive resources and support for creating their own c.o. file. Bethel College students can receive convocation credit for today’s session. Participants are invited to a pizza lunch hosted by the Agape Sunday School class after the session.
There is a new prayer app available for parents of children (birth through pre-teen) called Unbridled Prayers. The app provides a short prayer and optional activity for each day. You can find information to download the app at Unbridled Prayers.
Bring your pets to the church playground for a pet blessing on Sunday, October 12, at 3 p.m.! This event is a special request from one of our younger community members and will be a fun time to gather, appreciate our animal companions, and give thanks for God’s creation. All animals (that do not pose a danger to people or other animals) are invited to come with their people to receive a blessing.
The nursery has openings for one volunteer each Sunday in October. If you are interested in joining the list of volunteers who choose to spend a delightful and always interesting hour in the church nursery, please let Barb Voran or Margaret Toews (mctoews1@gmail.com) know. The process of training has been made very easy and we would love to have more names on our list!
The Western District Conference (WDC) Listening Process has highlighted common themes and concerns shared by congregations, inspiring ideas for helpful resources from WDC. WDC will periodically provide Affinity Group forums for interested congregational members and leaders to engage a particular topic together. For the first forum, the WDC Resource Commission will host a Voices Together mini webinar via zoom Sept. 30, 7-8:30 pm, featuring Joanna Harader and Cynthia Neufeld Smith. Joanna is a pastor at BCMC and writes worship and devotional resources. Cynthia is a musician and retired pastor, and served on the Voices Together hymnal committee. The focus of this webinar will be worship resources and music that nurture all ages, including kids. Bring your questions about music and/or worship resources in Voices Together. There will be time to share some great ideas about how your congregation has used Voices Together to create worship. We hope to see you on Zoom, but the webinar will also be recorded and posted on the WDC website. Go to the WDC website to
register.
We want to inform you about two upcoming immigration justice advocacy training events that will be presented by Abraham Diaz Alonso, Immigration Program Coordinator for Mennonite Central Committee – Central States, who will be visiting in the Newton area Sept 27-30:
Sunday, September 28, 3-5 pm at First Church of the Brethren, 1103 North Jefferson Street, Wichita, KS: Active by-stander training and resources for rapid response if ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) comes to your church or community. Presented in English. (Hosted by First Church of the Brethren)
Monday, September 29, 6-9 pm at MCC-Central States, 121 E. 30th Street, North Newton, KS – Know Your Rights training, and resources for rapid response if ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) comes to your church or community. Presented in English with Spanish interpretation provided. Refreshments will be served. (Co-Hosted by MCC-Central States and Western District Conference.)
For more information or to arrange for a separate meeting with Abraham Díaz Alonso while he is in Kansas, contact him at abrahamdiazalonso@mcc.org
Bethel College Announcements—All events free and open to the public
· Tues., Sept. 30: Come enjoy the 2nd annual Fall Fest parade, 6 p.m., North Main (starting at stadium parking lot) to 24th, 24th to residence halls driveway, North Newton
· Thurs., Oct. 2: Bethel College Jazz, 6 p.m. on the Main & Broadway stage at Taste of Newton, downtown Newton
· Bethel College’s Fall Festival is Sept 29- Oct. 5, with most activities Sat., Oct. 4, on campus. Features include music, food, class reunions, soccer (vs. Sterling), softball (vs. Dodge City CC), football (vs. Sterling), a hymn festival, the Fall Fest play, and a ribbon cutting for the new Wellness Center. See https://www.bethelks.edu/fallfest/ for the complete schedule.
· Fri., Oct. 3: “Made for you by a professional seamstress,” fiber art by Karen Reimer, opens in the Regier Gallery in Luyken Fine Arts Center with the exhibit reception also Fri., Oct. 3, 6-8 p.m., in the gallery, as part of Fall Fest. The exhibit is open through Oct. 27. Regular hours are Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Sun. 2-4 p.m. (extended hours: Sat., Oct. 4, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.)
· Fri., Oct. 3, 7 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 4, 3 p.m.; Sun., Oct. 5, 2 p.m.: The Bethel College theater department presents Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christopher Durang during Fall Festival, Krehbiel Auditorium in Luyken Fine Arts Center. Ticket purchase required, in Thresher Shop in Schultz Student Center weekdays 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; online (https://www.bethelks.edu/fine-arts/theater/theater-department-presents/#tickets); or at the door. Contains adult content and may not be suitable for young children.
· Kidron Bethel Village, 3001 Ivy Dr., will host its annual Country Breakfast Sat., Oct. 4, from 7 to 10 a.m., in Kidron Hall. Enjoy pancakes, sausage and eggs by donation. Proceeds benefit the Health Care Benevolent Fund, a ministry of Kidron Bethel Village, that assists residents who are unable to cover the full cost of their care.
· Sat., Oct. 4: Kauffman Museum bird walk, 8 a.m. meet in the museum parking lot at the corner of Main and 27th streets (2801 N. Main St.) Experienced birders lead a walk of 1-1.5 hours in Chisholm Park and on Sand Creek Trail
· Sat., Oct. 4: Miroslav Volf, “Striving for Superiority and Striving for Excellence,” 10 a.m., Bethel College Mennonite Church. Volf, a Croatian Protestant theologian, is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology and director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture at Yale University. His latest book, The Cost of Ambition, examines why ambition is at odds with the Christian faith.
· Sat., Oct. 4, 10 a.m.: Fall Fest programs: Kauffman Museum auditorium: “The Organ Still Sings,” with Rosi Penner Kaufman and Donna Hetrick;
1:30 p.m.“Revisiting the Voth-Unruh-Fast House: 150 Years of History,” with
Kris Schmucker
· Thurs., Oct. 9: Bethel College Wind Ensemble concert, Chris Miertschin, director, 7 p.m., Krehbiel Auditorium in Luyken Fine Arts Center
QUILTERS CORNER IS HAVING A FALL SALE Fri., Oct. 3, from 4 – 7 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 4, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Mennonite Central Committee Central States Warehouse, 121 E. 30th St., North Newton. Come and shop ALL things quilting! SPECIAL ITEM FOR SALE: Husqvarna-Viking Designer Epic 1 sewing and embroidery machine with many, many accessories – $4,500. Contact person for this item is Charlotte Wenger: wengercd@gmail.com All proceeds support MCC work around the world for relief, development, and peace.
The Swiss Mennonite Cultural and Historical Association annual banquet will be Oct. 18, 5 p.m. at the Burrton City Auditorium (203 N. Burrton Ave., Burrton). Peter Buller, recent Bethel College graduate, will speak about his experience this summer at Reba Place in Chicago, connecting with bigger themes about our role as Mennonites in the world. Music provided by the Schwisters. RSVP by Oct. 11 to Dave Stucky at bigdstucky@gmail.com or text or call 620-532-4408. Cost is $25 and can be paid at the door or online at www.swissmennonite.org.
BETHEL COLLEGE WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION is looking forward to Fall Festival, our biggest money-raising event. We will have our usual New Year’s cookies, borscht and zwiebach and pie by the slice all outside Luyken Fine Arts Center and Market-in-the-Round inside. We again welcome your donations of homemade peppernuts, whole fruit pies, poppyseed rolls, zwiebach, cinnamon rolls, cookies, jams and jellies and other goodies. We’d love to have you donate your craft items as well! Please bring baked goods and craft donations to the Luyken Fine Arts Center Music Library between 1-5 p.m. Fri., Oct. 3, or 7-9 a.m. Sat., Oct. 4. If you have questions, contact us at bcwa@bethelks.edu. Volunteers are needed as well to staff the booths. To sign up, click on the following link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0E4CA8A72FA3F58-50920044-fall
This announcement is in the all church email.
Camp Mennoscah Announcements
· Registration for the Fall Scrapbook and Crafts Retreat, Oct. 10-12, is open. Activities and lodging will be in the dining hall and bunkhouses. Register at https://campmennoscah.campbrainregistration.com
· Camp Mennoscah’s Annual Meeting is at Hope Mennonite Church, 868 N. Maize Rd., Wichita, Oct. 19, 6:30 p.m. All are invited to attend. A silent auction for a few items will take place.
· The next tee shirt comforter will be (silent) auctioned off at Bethel College’s Fall Fest on Oct. 4. Also, tee shirts and souvenirs will be available.
Western District Conference invites you to visit our website to read the latest news, stories and announcements.
For Mennonite Mission Network “News and Beyond” press here For Mennonite Mission Network “News from around the world” press here
From Mennonite World Conference press here
October 5
Live your faith through action! Join Mennonite Voluntary Service (MVS) for a transformative one-year volunteer experience for ages 20+ starting August 2026, with an option to extend your placement. Serve with organizations addressing critical community needs, like health, education and immigration. By living with peers in a unit house and growing with a local faith community, MVSers join in a global movement for peace and a more just world. Ready to make a difference? MennoniteMission.net/MVS
From Mennonite Church USA
Menno Snapshots
Emma Nord, a recent graduate of Eastern Mennonite University, spent July traveling Europe with the EMU Chamber Singers. The choir concluded their trip by performing with four other ensembles at Mennonite World Conference’s Anabaptism at 500 celebration in Zurich, Switzerland. Read about her experience in MC USA’s Menno Snapshots here: mennoniteusa.org/united-to-sing
Mennonite Mission Network Prayer Request: Pray that Mennonite Mission Network’s Mennonite Voluntary Service participants in San Francisco, California — Bella Kephart, Keyan Krabill, Emmi Scott and Ana Esperanza Neufeld Weaver, who is continuing for a second year — will build good rhythms of life, as they learn to live as a household, adjust to their service assignments and integrate into their host congregation, First Mennonite Church of San Francisco.
Western District Conference Prayer Request: Pray for the new and emerging faith communities at WDC, that God will guide their growth and bless their leaders with wisdom and vision. -WDC Church Planting Commission
Bethel College Mennonite Church is an open and affirming congregation
centered in the life and teachings of Jesus. Embracing the divine within each
person, we warmly welcome any and all into fellowship without regard to race, ethnic background, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability,
economic status, marital status, or age.
