BETHEL COLLEGE MENNONITE CHURCH
WORSHIP SERVICE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR SUNDAY,
November 17, 2024
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:
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/3R0UK8Wn5GY?feature=share
BETHEL COLLEGE MENNONITE CHURCH
November 17, 2024
Christ Candle Lighting
Centering Music—We Gather Together (Raney)—Chancel Bells, Verlene Garber, director
Welcome & Prayer—Karen Ediger
*Hymn—”Could It Be That God Is Singing”—VT 42
Children’s Conversation—Jeanette Leary
Worship Music—Acclamation of Praise (Raney)—Chancel Bells
*Hymn—God of the Fertile Fields—VT 750
Scripture Reading—Luke 16:1-13—Judy Kliewer and Naomi Koontz
Sermon—Serving God, Not the Economy”—Joanna Harader
*Hymn—”God Whose Giving—VT 745
Prayers of God’s People—Karen Ediger
*Hymn—”People That on Earth Do Dwell”—VT 5
*Benediction
Postlude—Allegro (J.S. Bach)—Karen Schlabaugh
* You are invited to stand
VT = “Voices Together”
Audio visual—Ken Lamp
The Week at BCMC: November 17—November 24, 2024
Sunday, November 17, 2024
9:30 a.m. Worship: sermon by Joanna Harader —10:30 a.m. Faith Formation
Attendants in Nursery today: Adah Hodge, Mara Oswald, Kevin Neufeld
YouTube Link for the worship service this Sunday:
https://youtube.com/live/3R0UK8Wn5GY?feature=share
Sunday, November 17: 3 p.m. Newton Chorale and Newton Community Children’s Choir Concert in the Sanctuary — All are invited!
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
6 p.m. Women’s Fellowship General Meeting in Fellowship Hall with meal. (By reservation)
Wednesday, November 20, 2024—Last Wednesday Night Supper
6 p.m. Wednesday night supper in Fellowship Hall—PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN TABLEWARE—BRING A BOWL FOR SOUP—Menu: Italian Wedding Soup, Garlic breadsticks, Salad, Pumpkin dump cake
Please plan to join us for the last Wednesday night supper and a program on November 20. The meal will begin at 6 p.m., followed by a program on “Exploring our Voices Together.”
Our final Wednesday evening program this fall will be a hymn sing! Bring your song requests and your willingness to make a joyful noise.
Wednesday, November 20: 7:30 p.m. Chancel Choir rehearsal in the Sanctuary
Thursday, November 21, 2024
6:30 p.m. Chancel Bells rehearsal in Room B7
7 p.m. Deacon Commission meeting in Room 14
Sunday, November 24, 2024—Thanksgiving Sunday
9:30 a.m. Worship with sermon by Nathan Koontz; music by Chancel Choir
10:30 a.m. Faith Formation
You are invited to attend the fall concert of The Newton Chorale and Newton Community Children’s Choir, Sunday, Nov. 17 at 3:00 p.m. at Bethel College Mennonite Church. Each choir will sing a selection of pieces, and then the choirs will join together to sing “Peace, Everywhere.” Admission is free; a freewill offering will be taken. Note that the concert begins at 3 p.m.
Women’s Fellowship General Meeting will be Tues., Nov. 19 in Fellowship Hall at 6 p.m. with meal prepared by Sue Moyo and sharing her journey from Zimbabwe to the United States. Cost of meal – by donation with reservation.
BCMC Offering for Nov. 10: Gen. Fund $3,792; Wed.Supper $409; Meat Canning $650; Library Reserve Fund $15; Kitchen Fund $19; Solar Fund $80.
To put on your calendar:
· Don’t forget to fill out your bcmcXpress on-line intent form. If you prefer, there are paper copies on the ledge in the Gathering Place. The online form is at the end of this email.
· Jan. 25, 2025 Leadership Retreat (more details to come later)
The Repair Coalition has asked us to remember, as we come upon Thanksgiving time, how our families have benefitted from past and present colonization, access to originally Indigenous lands, and how we continue to benefit from colonization today. Check the poster, “How To Be An Ally to Indigenous Peoples,” which offers us some great ally practices beginning with “Care for the Earth: Give Thanks Frequently.” Talk about the suggestions at your Thanksgiving table.
You are invited to share a poinsettia for the sanctuary for the Christmas season. BCMC will purchase the poinsettias, and have them delivered to the church. To contribute, email the following to the office or fill it out and put it in the offering plate:
Donor’s: name:
In memory of:
Or in honor of:
Make a payment of $10.00 (made out to BCMC and designated “Flower Fund”) place in the offering plate or bring to church office by Nov. 24. There will be forms at a table in the back of the sanctuary this Sunday, if you wish to fill out a form in person. Contributors may pick up a poinsettia Dec. 24 after the 4:30 p.m. Christmas program or after the 11 p.m. program; or, if you can, leave them for the service on Dec. 29.
Invitation to join Fine Arts class for Advent! Starting on December 1, the Fine Arts class will be following the Sunday School/small group materials in Pastor Joanna’s book, Expecting Emmanuel. Fine Arts class meets in Room 22. Questions? Contact Pastor Elizabeth. All are welcome to join in during this season of longing and anticipation!
Can a Book of Stories Bring Peace to Palestine and Israel? Western District Conference (MC USA) Israel-Palestine Task Force invites you to join us for a book discussion group Feb. 25, 2025, 7 p.m. CST held on Zoom. We will be reading Apeirogon by Colum McCann. An apeirogon is a polygon with an observably infinite number of sides. McCann is an award winning author who writes a book of tiny chapters, each one a breath, a feeling, a story. The book is based on the real life experiences of two friends, an Israeli who opposes the occupation and a Palestinian who studies the Holocaust. They meet in a parent grief support group, as both have tragically lost their daughters. Their raw stories and their ardent peace work buoy the heart as the book takes us on a journey through love, loss, reflection, and hope. As you read the book, note the artful connections between the stories and the theme of ending the occupation in Palestine. What stories of peace do you tell? We will take time in our discussion to reflect on the book’s stories and our own. To register, email wdc@mennowdc.org, and a Zoom link will be sent out.
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Announcements
· MCC Borderlands Peace Camp, Jan. 19-25, 2025 Young adults, ages 18-30, are invited to join MCC in El Paso, TX and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico in January. This MCC Peace Camp will explore topics of peace and justice through the lens of migration, including the Biblical mandate of hospitality. Find out more and register by January 5 at mcc.org/borderlands-peace-camp.
· Serving And Learning Together (SALT) applications now open for 2025! Each year, MCC offers 80+ unique opportunities to serve with our local partners working for relief, development and peace around the world. Explore the numerous possibilities that match your passions, skills, and experience. If you’re between the ages of 18-30, the SALT program might be the epic adventure you’ve been waiting for. Check it out at mcc.org/salt
· MCC Open House, Tues., Dec. 3 from 2 p.m.—4 p.m. All are welcome to come see the updated space at MCC Central States in North Newton. Bring your Christmas shopping list to get your alternative Christmas gifts purchased from our tree. Visit with MCC staff, get a tour while you enjoy some snacks. We can’t wait to see you at the Open House, 121 E. 30th St, North Newton! mcc.org/open-house
· Giving Tuesday at MCC, Tues., Dec. 3 from 6:30 p.m.—8 p.m. We’re excited to host this annual evening of service to kick off your holiday season! This all-ages event is focused on service and fellowship. Please bring new dark colored hand towels with you – the more you bring, the more hygiene kits we can pack! There will be Christmas cards to write in and comforters to tie AND snacks to enjoy. What a great way to give back on Giving Tuesday! mcc.org/giving-Tuesday
· Yule love this! Join us for a live, online event Dec. 3, 11 a.m. CST as we take you behind the scenes of MCC’s Christmas Giving Guide. Discover the impact behind each gift and how your generosity makes a difference. Learn more and register to join this event at mcc.org/yule-love-this.
Bake Sale items are needed for the “Friends of Kidron Holiday Market, Sat., Dec. 7, 9 a.m.—1 p.m. They are asking for donations for the Friends of Kidron bake sale booth. Popular items are cinnamon/pecan rolls, coffee cakes, breads, cakes, zwiebach, pies, cookies, cupcakes, muffins, jelly/jam, candy/fudge, and other sweets. Please drop off the baked goods Fri., Dec. 6 in Kidron Hall from 9 to 4 p.m. or Sat., Dec. 7 at 8 a.m. All proceeds benefit the Kidron Health Care Benevolent Fund.
Kidron Bethel Village hosts a “Holiday Market” with handmade items & goods from local vendors, Sat., Dec 7, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Kidron Hall. Enjoy holiday shopping and help support the Health Care Benevolent Fund at Kidron Bethel Village. Free admission.
Bethel College Announcements:
· Sun., Nov. 17: KIPCOR Film Series presents Food, Inc. 2, 2 p.m., Krehbiel Auditorium in Luyken Fine Arts Center. This is the sequel to the 2009 documentary Food, Inc. Audience talkback to follow with Ryan Goertzen-Regier of the Kansas Rural Center.
· Sun., Nov. 24: Sunday-Afternoon-at-the-Museum program, “Diversity and Complexity in Indian Kansas,” Eric Anderson, Haskell Indian Nations University, 3 p.m., Kauffman Museum auditorium
· Now in the Regier Gallery in Luyken Fine Arts Center at Bethel College: “The Pandemic Portraits,” works by Nicholas Hill, through Dec. 7. Gallery hours are Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 2-4 p.m.
Life Enrichment program at Bethel College for Wed., Nov. 20. Life Enrichment is for people age 60 and above and is an excellent way to continue learning and meet people from the surrounding area in a relaxed setting.
9:30 a.m “Obsession: The Highlands and Islands of Scotland” Jim Richardson, National Geographic photographer, Lindsborg
10:50 a.m. Music selections by the Bethel College Concert Choir,
Chamber Singers, Woven and Open Road, Dr. Henry S. Waters, director of
choral music and associate professor of music
The Newton Treble Clef Annual Vespers will be Sun., Dec. 1, 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 900 Columbus, Newton. Prelude begins at 2:45 p.m. with Connie Rickard, saxophone. Program includes: Treble Clef Chorus, Prairie Bronze Handbell Ensemble, and the Schrag Siblings. A freewill offering will be taken for the scholarship fund that is awarded to high school seniors who are pursuing a music major. Be our guest and begin your Christmas season.
All bakers and craft makers are invited to make items for 5 Places of Christmas which will be Sat., Dec. 7, from 10 a.m.—3 p.m. at Goerz House, Bethel College. Bethel College Women’s Association will again be selling baked goods, candy, craft items and poinsettias. Your homemade cookies, zwiebach, cinnamon rolls, peppernuts and poppyseed rolls are always great sellers. This year we are especially asking for homemade candies such as fudge, peanut clusters, peanut butter balls and peanut brittle as well as other non-chocolate candies. We are also looking for Christmas craft items to sell. Please bring your items to Goerz House on Friday, December 6, from 2-5 p.m. or on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 9:30-10 a.m. Thank you for your support of Bethel College.
Mennonite Action Emergency Mass Meeting
Thursday, November 21 at 8pm EST / 5pm PST
Mennonite Action is holding an emergency mass organizing call on November 21st, 2024 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT.
Last November, we gathered to pray, grieve, and organize on Mennonite Action’s very first virtual mass call. Over 800 of us came together because we needed this community space to help process our shock, horror, and deep grief as the genocide in Gaza unfolded.
This year, in the wake of the election, we will gather to recommit ourselves to this movement for peace, justice and liberation. We will gather to process our fear and our grief about the future for our own communities and for Palestine. And we will prepare to continue to take mass, public action together.
To sign up, visit mennoniteaction.org/call
For more information about Mennonite Action, visit mennoniteaction.org
–BCMC Witness Commission and BCMC pastors
Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp Announcements
Jr. High (Jan. 24-26) and Sr. High (Feb. 14-16) Snow Camps are coming again in 2025: The time has come to enjoy the beauty and chill of RMMC in the winter once again. Come play in the snow and on the ice and then be ready to come inside for good food, fellowship and worship together. Visit the camp web page (www.rmmc.org) for additional snow camp details and to register that you’re headed to the Colorado Rockies to start the new year!
Young Adult Snow Camp (Feb. 14-16) Young Adult Snow Camp continues to join the Jr. and Sr. High Snow Camp activities and fellowship with participants serving as program assistants AND participants at just the right young adult price . . . free!
Scrapbook Retreat, (Jan. 31-Feb. 2) is your opportunity to create paper or digital photo books and share ideas and good conversation with other scrapbook participants. Lisa Longacher will return as our program resource for the retreat and help facilitate a variety of activities. Please come for retreat and community in God’s creation here at Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp. Register online (www.rmmc.org) and save a space to join in.
For Mennonite Mission Network “News and Beyond” press here
Mennonite Church USA Announcements
Mennonite Church USA, Mennonite Central Committee Central States and Eastern Mennonite Seminary provided an in-person conflict transformation training to 17 participants on Sept. 26-28, 2024, in Akron, Pennsylvania. Read more here: mennoniteusa.org/news/conflict-transformation-training/
Check out the September issue of Equipping, Mennonite Church USA’s quarterly resource newsletter for pastors and leaders here: mennoniteusa.org/equipping-sept-2024 Subscribe to Equipping here: mennoniteusa.org/equipping-subscribe
Menno Snapshots
Jon Carlson, moderator for Mennonite Church USA, reflects on trends in church attendance and what they mean for how we do church together. Read his reflections here: mennoniteusa.org/37-5
Sheryl Wilson, vice president of culture and belonging at Bethel (Kansas) College, gives advice on how bystanders can better assess a situation in which they witness harm done to others, so they know how to step up without overstepping. Read her thoughts here: mennoniteusa.org/bystanders-harms-done
Mennonite Mission Network Prayer Request: Freddy Barrón and Margrit Kipfer Barrón, who are serving with Mennonite Mission Network in Bolivia, request prayer for all regions around the world experiencing a lack of rainfall that is leading to devastating wildfires. Pray specifically for Chiquitania, near Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where fires are wiping out the world’s largest remaining area of healthy dry forest ecosystems.
Western District Conference Prayer Request: Pray for chaplains in WDC who are serving in hospitals, hospice, health-care communities, educational institutions, corporate settings and other organizations. Give thanks for their gifts of healing and care, and pray for God’s peace and presence to sustain them daily.
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.
| bcmcXpress 2025 Bethel College Mennonite Church This letter marks the beginning of bcmcXpress for 2025. bcmcXpress is the stewardship process used at BCMC to discern our individual financial commitment for the upcoming year. The ministries at BCMC will be supported by the 2025 budget including peace and justice initiatives, outreach, pastoral ministries, youth ministries, faith formation, music programs, congregational care and many more. We ask you to prayerfully consider how you will support these ministries financially along with support for general operations of our physical plant in 2025. Thank you for the gifts you have shared in the past and thank you in advance for your part in creating ministry opportunities in the year to come. To indicate the contributions you plan to make to the general budget in 2025, please complete and return the online intent form by Monday, November 25. You can access this form by pressing the button below. If you would like a paper copy you can pick one up from the ledge in the Gathering Place or call the church office. For the online form press this button |
| Information from the intent forms is used to help determine the budget for 2025. BCMC’s Church Board will recommend a final budget for approval at the congregational meeting in January 2025. May we, as a church family, look upon the coming year with gratitude for all we have been given. May we also seek new ways to reach out to the community around us and to share support and care for each other’s lives. Your financial giving helps BCMC explore the path God lays out before us. Thank you for participating in our stewardship process for 2025! In Christ, BCMC Finance Committee If you plan to give via the electronic transfer system in 2025, please make a request via email to BCMC Financial Manager Michael Claassen – treasurer@bethelcollegemennonitechurch.org This is separate from the online giving option found on the website. For the 2025 Budget Information for Bethel College Mennonite Church (the budget narrative) click the button. If you would like a paper copy of the 2025 Budget Narrative, you can pick one up from the ledge in the Gathering Place or call the church office. Paper copies of the 2025 Intent Form are also on the ledge in the Gathering Place. |