BETHEL COLLEGE MENNONITE CHURCH
WORSHIP SERVICE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
DECEMBER 8, 2024 — 2nd SUNDAY OF ADVENT
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 9:00 a.m., (preludes during Advent begin at 9:15 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/hq2UC7NknjQ?feature=share
BETHEL COLLEGE MENNONITE CHURCH
December 8, 2024
Second Sunday of Advent
Prelude Music—Gesù Bambino (Yon; arr. Walters) Ben Lichti-Trumpet
Holy Night/Silent Night Angelika Donaldson
Hark the Herald Angels Sing—William Eash, Ron Garber, Joe Peters, Weldon Schloneger, Tim Hodge; Verlene Garber, Rebecca Schloneger, violin
The People That Walked in Darkness (Handel)— Doyle and Mary Jo Preheim
Advent Candle Lighting—Beaty and Jim Robb, Gabby and Jake Robb
Scripture Reading—Hebrews 11:29-31
Litany:
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea.
By faith we come with open hearts.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell.
By faith we offer praise and prayers.
By faith Rahab received the spies in peace.
By faith we gather together for worship.
Lighting the candle of Faith
Welcome & Prayer—Adam Robb
*Hymn—With Mary Sing Magnificat—VT 208
Kin-dom Report—Jill Robb
Children’s Conversation—Esther Koontz
Worship Music—Sing We Now of Christmas (arr. Fred Prentice)–Chancel Choir; Joel Garber, director; Will Wiebe-Friesen, accompanist
Scripture Reading—Joshua 2:1-9, 12-15—Raylene Hinz-Penner, Esther Kreider Eash, Kevin Neufeld, Brad Kohlman
*Hymn—Unexpected and Mysterious—VT 229
Sermon—Rahab: On the Margins—Nathan Koontz
*Hymn—Comfort, Comfort, O My People—VT 212
Prayers of God’s People
*Hymn–Great is Thy Faithfulness—VT 419
*Benediction
Postlude—Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme [VT 226], (J.S. Bach)
Will Wiebe-Friesen
* You are invited to stand
VT—Voices Together
Keyboard- Will Wiebe-Friesen
Audio visual—Ken Lamp
The Week at BCMC: December 8—15, 2024
Sunday, December 8, 2024—Advent 2
9:15 a.m. Prelude 9:30 a.m. Worship: sermon by Nathan Koontz
10:30 a.m. Faith Formation
YouTube Link for the worship service this Sunday:
https://youtube.com/live/hq2UC7NknjQ?feature=share
12:30 p.m. Bible Study Class Christmas Dinner at the home of Marlene Faul
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
9 a.m. Women’s Fellowship Executive Board meeting in Room 14
7-9 p.m. Bethel College Relations Team Study Break for Bethel College
students in Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
7:30 p.m. Chancel Choir Rehearsal in the Sanctuary
Thursday, December 12, 2024
9-11 a.m. Community Playschool Christmas Celebration with Playschool Families in Fellowship Hall
5:15 Hospitality Commission meeting in Fellowship Hall
6 p.m. Chancel Bells Rehearsal in Room B7
Sunday, December 15, 2024—Third Sunday of Advent
9:15 a.m. Advent Prelude by Chancel Bells
9:30 a.m. Worship with sermon by Joanna Harder; music by Chancel Bells
10:30 a.m. Faith Formation
BCMC Offering for Dec. 1: Gen. Fund $5,117; Kitchen Fund $62; Plant Fund $50; Gen Fund 2025 $250; Caring Fund $100; Library Reserve Fund $10; Flower Fund $40; Solar Fund $550; Clara Koehn Mem. $300.
Join Fine Arts Class in the Chapel for Advent sessions following Pastor Joanna’s book, Expecting Emmanuel. Whether or not you have purchased the book, you are welcome to join and listen, ponder, and share.
Christmas Program for everyone, sponsored by Women’s Fellowship, will be Tues., Dec. 17, at 7 p.m., in the sanctuary. Will Wiebe-Friesen will provide both organ and piano music. Also more to come. Refreshments in the Gathering Place.
The current Library Theme is Advent/Christmas. Come on in and find ideas for Christmas activities, devotions, even fiction books set around the holidays. And, if you’re looking for a unique Christmas gift, our committee always has a Wish List. Why not consider giving a book in their honor/memory or purchase one of our puzzles for a suggested donation of $5? As always, Happy Reading/Puzzling!
The Deacons Commission is working on a “Thinking of You” campaign for people who are isolated due to health concerns. For the next few Sundays, we will have a table under the dove banner in the Gathering Place with pages for your comments to members of our church whom we haven’t been able to see for a while. Please stop by and write a short greeting or sign your name to let them know we are thinking about them. For those of you who are unable to attend worship but can stop by the church during the week, these letters will remain on the table during the week for anyone to write a note before we send them out. Thank you! —Deacon Commission
Birthday calendars – with photos of BCMC by Weldon Schloneger – are available in the back of the sanctuary for a suggested donation of $10. Checks may be written to BCMC with Women’s Fellowship written in the memo line. These birthday calendars are great gifts and work well for keeping track of birthdays of family and friends. Donations will be used for WF ministries.
The finance committee will be working on the 2025 budget next week and would like to thank everyone for sending in the bcmcXpress intent form. We would welcome any who have not yet submitted this form to do so in order for us to have a better picture of our resources for the coming year. Thank you in advance for participating in this process!
The Finance Committee
| bcmcXpress 2025 Bethel College Mennonite ChurchbcmcXpress 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. |
| 2025 Budget Information Bethel College Announcements · Sun., Dec. 8: David Janzen will read from and sign his book, Once Upon a Time There Was a Three-Year-Old Grandpa, 3 p.m. at Kauffman Museum. Janzen is a long-time member of Reba Place Fellowship in Evanston, IL, and the book is a memoir-like collection of stories and anecdotes. Copies will be available in the museum store. · Sun., Dec. 8: 39th annual Lighting of the Green, 8 p.m. on the Bethel College campus · Kauffman Museum at Bethel College seeks a visitor service and education coordinator. This is a part-time (50%) position for an organized, detail-oriented, curious and friendly person to work with visitors, school groups, volunteers, student staff, and scheduling. For a job description and to apply, visit https://www.kauffmanmuseum.org/vsc For more information, contact Andi Schmidt Andres at asa@bethelks.edu or 316-283-1612. The Annual Christmas Brass Concert will be held at the Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church, Sun., Dec. 8, 7 p.m.. Come join a Great evening of Brass Music with the McPherson Brass and the Goessel Elbiata Singers as well as enjoying audience participation in singing of familiar Christmas Carols. A free will offering with support the ministries of the Goessel Ministerial Alliance. 1304 K KS-15, Goessel, KS Let Central Kansas Master Chorale be a part of your Christmas tradition! Please join us for Christmas with the Chorale, a festive concert with CKMC under the direction of Dr. Joel Garber, and featuring the Prairie Bronze Handbell Ensemble. This free event will be held at 3 p.m., Sun., Dec. 15 at Hesston Mennonite Church, 309 S Main St., Hesston. For more information, visit the chorale website at www.centralkansasmasterchorale.org. Music On Site presents Amahl and the Night Visitors, a classic Christmas opera, performed live with singers from around the country. This heartwarming story of a young boy who gives everything to the promised Child will be sure to inspire your holiday season. Free admission, ticket required. Performances: Thurs., Dec. 19, 7 p.m. McPherson Opera House, 219 S. Main St. Fri., Dec. 20, 7 p.m. Whitestone Mennonite Church, 629 Crescent Dr., Hesston Sat., Dec. 21, 2 p.m. Kidron Bethel Village 3001 Ivy Dr., North Newton Sun., Dec. 22, 2 p.m. Westwood Presbyterian Church, 8007 W Maple St., Wichita See the church bulletin board for ticket information. Or go to: https://www.musiconsite.org/2024-season (Music On Site, Inc. is a Kansas-based 501(c)(3) music production company that works to close opera’s opportunity gap across socioeconomic divisions by cultivating opera education and appreciation in K-12 students in rural communities, and advancing and promoting the careers of those pursuing a career in opera.) Newton Community for Racial Justice will hold its annual anti-racism training Feb. 13-15, 2025. This is a date change from previous years. Training will be held at the Newton Recreation Center from Thurs. evening, Feb. 13 through Sat. afternoon, Feb. 15. Early Bird registration (until Jan. 3): $300 per participant. Regular registration (after Jan. 3): $350 per participant. Some scholarships are available. Registration link and more details to come. Hesston College Music Department will host a program called Anabaptism at Five Hundred: Hymn Festival Sun., Jan. 19, 2025, 3 p.m., at Hesston Mennonite Church. The Hymn Festival coincides with the 500th anniversary of the first Anabaptist adult baptisms in Zurich, Switzerland in 1525. This event will also celebrate the release of the Anabaptist Community Bible. The public is invited to this community wide celebration that involves singers from surrounding churches, as well as audience participation in the singing of hymns, led by Russell Adrian and Karen Unruh. The core of the program will be historical narrative by Ken Rodgers tracing important hymns and texts throughout the past five centuries. Western District Conference (MC USA) Israel-Palestine Task Force invites you to a book discussion group Feb. 25, 7 p.m. CST held on Zoom. We will be reading Apeirogon by Colum McCann, an award winning author who writes a book of tiny chapters, each one a breath, a feeling, a story. An apeirogon is a polygon with an observably infinite number of sides. 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 stories and their peace work buoy the heart as the book goes on a journey through love, loss, reflection, and hope. As you read, note the connections between the stories and the theme of ending the occupation in Palestine. To register, email wdc@mennowdc.org, and a Zoom link will be sent out. Western District Conference invites you to visit our website to read the latest news, stories and announcements. Camp Mennoscah – Reserve your tasty verenike casserole meal here! Deadline is December 9. The meal consists of verenike casserole, seasoned green beans, zweiback, and fruit crisp. Camp feeds your soul and this favorite youth camp meal will feed your belly! Meals will be available for pick up or eat in on Saturday, December 14, at Faith Mennonite Church between 5:30 – 6:30pm. Call 620-297-3290 with questions. Get ready for the last busy days before Christmas with a meal you didn’t have to prepare! For Mennonite Mission Network “News and Beyond” press here For Mennonite Men “Engage” press here For Mennonite Central Committee “In Touch” press here Mennonite Church USA Announcements Season Two of MC USA’s “Lead/Follow” podcast for pastors and leaders has finished! This season focuses on reimagining church. Watch new episodes on YouTube or listen on Apple or Spotify! Watch or listen here: mennoniteusa.org/leadfollow/ View the PDF here: mennoniteusa.org/lead-follow-season-2-pdf View the PowerPoint slide here: mennoniteusa.org/lead-follow-season-2-slide “What is the most important skill of a competent pastor?” That’s what Michael Danner and Rachel Ringenberg Miller of MC USA’s Church Vitality department ask pastors in their new podcast, “The Competent Pastor.” Learn about this new podcast specifically for pastors here: mennoniteusa.org/the-competent-pastor View the PDF here: mennoniteusa.org/slide/competent-pastor View the PowerPoint slide here: mennoniteusa.org/slide/pp-comp-pastor The Corinthian Plan open enrollment dates are Nov. 1-Dec. 31, 2024, with a start date of Jan. 1, 2025. Learn more here: mennoniteusa.org/learn-more-tcp Join us for a transformative celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Damascus Road anti-racism process and its pivotal role in the Anabaptist commitment to justice and reconciliation. Co-hosted by MC USA’s Hope for the Future, this special event will gather BIPOC leaders and white allies who are actively engaged in the ongoing work of confronting and dismantling racism in the church. Register here: mennoniteusa.org/hftf-2025-register Menno SnapshotsRev. Dr. Jacob Cook, assistant professor of Christian ethics at Eastern Mennonite Seminary and co-director for the Shalom Collaboratory, challenges church communities to accept conflict as an everyday part of living in community with other imperfect people and use it as a constructive force. Read more here: mennoniteusa.org/navigating-everyday-conflicts Mennonite Mission Network Prayer Request: Join Mennonite Mission Network in praying for Odesa Theological Seminary in Ukraine. Professors are adapting curricula to the changing needs of a society traumatized by prolonged war. Pray for the students, who are immediately putting into practice what they learn in their courses about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and crisis counseling and as they share the healing love of Christ. Western District Conference Prayer Request: Give thanks for those who serve on WDC Commissions, and pray for them as they guide ministries that sustain pastors and other ministers, provide resources for congregations, and support church planting partnerships in our conference. 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. |