January 25, 2026
Due to this weekend’s winter storm warning, Bethel College Mennonite will have online only worship this Sunday, January 25. Please join us on this livestream link [press here] at 9:30 Sunday morning (or any time after). The order of worship is below.
*The young–and young at heart–might enjoy this coloring sheet to accompany our worship.
Our congregational meeting and the youth fund-raising meal are postponed to Sunday, February 8.
BETHEL COLLEGE MENNONITE CHURCH
January 25, 2026
Christ Candle Lighting
Centering Music–Will Wiebe-Friesen
Welcome–Mara Oswald
Hymn–We Long to Know Her VT 44
A Word for the Children–Joanna Harader
Scripture Reading–Psalm 27:1-4 —William Eash
Hymn–The Lord Is My Light (verse 1 and refrain, 2 times) VT 437
Scripture Reading–Psalm 27:5-9
Hymn–The Lord Is My Light (verse 2 and refrain, 2 times) VT 437
Scripture Reading–Psalm 27:10-14
*Hymn–The Lord Is My Light (verse 3 and refrain, 2 times) VT 437
Sermon–Courageous Worship–Joanna Harader
Hymn–God of Grace and God of Glory VT 716
Prayers of God’s People–Mara Oswald
Hymn–The Lord Lift You Up–VT 832
Benediction
Postlude
The church office will be closed Monday, January 26. And Pastor Joanna will be out of the office on Wednesday, January 28.
Faith Formation has set our Wednesday night schedule for this semester. (See below.) Thank you to those who shared their thoughts with us through the survey and through conversations. We recognize that the six-week meal and fellowship schedule is valued by many people and also received very positive feedback about the monthly intergenerational worship–particularly from our families with school-aged children. As you will see on the schedule, we are preserving both elements. The “Messy Church” from last year is now called “Open Table,” but the idea is the same: a time to learn, worship, and connect across generations. On Open Table Wednesdays, all ages–including high school youth–are invited to participate. The youth group will have a brief gathering after Open Table in the youth room upstairs.
The Week at BCMC: January 25—February 1, 2026
Sunday, January 25, 2026—Worthy Worship
Worship 9:30 a.m. — Online worship only this Sunday
YouTube Link for the worship service this Sunday:
https://youtube.com/live/Nb7OeUIIS5s?feature=share
Monday, January 26, 2026—Church Office will be closed
5:30 p.m. Kansas Repair Communities—Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
7:30 p.m. Chancel Choir Rehearsal—Sanctuary Chancel
Thursday, January 29, 2026
6 p.m. Chancel Bells Rehearsal—Rm B7
Sunday, February 1, 2026—Worthy Worship
9:30 a.m. Worship with sermon by Joanna Harader
Pastor Joanna will be out of the office on Wednesday, January 28.
The congregational meeting scheduled for January 25 has been postponed to February 8 during the Sunday School hour in the sanctuary. Agenda items include: Church Board recommendations on proposals from the Finance Committee and from Witness Commission, and the approval of the annual church budget. Details of the budget and proposals were sent by email and are available in the Gathering Place. There will be live streaming of the meeting. The youth will provide a fundraiser meal after the meeting.
BCMC Offering for January 18: General $9,647; Kitchen Fund $15; Women’s Fellowship $20; Larry Penner Mem. $50.
Joanna’s 1887 Cafe office hours this semester will be on Thursdays from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. You are welcome to stop by for a chat!
“Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” will be Sun, Feb. 22, at noon. Email the office to indicate whether you would like to be a host or a guest. Hosts provide main dish, beverage, and maybe bread. Guests are assigned a side dish (vegetables, salad, dessert) or maybe bread. Experience this event interacting with some of our congregational members, as assigned, on a social level. There will be sign-up sheets in the Gathering Place, next Sunday, Feb. 1.
You are invited to Pastor Joanna’s house for a church board game night on Sat., Jan. 31, starting at 6:30. Bring games and/or snacks to share if you’d like–we’ll have plenty on hand. (Contact Joanna if you need her address: joanna@bethelcollegemennonitechurch.org.)
Special Speaker on Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP):
The Kansas Repair Communities, a local advocacy group working with the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery, will have its next meeting on Mon., Jan. 26, at 5:30 p.m. in the BCMC Fellowship Hall. We will hear a presentation from Sharron Fisher about Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) from her perspective and experience as an Indigenous woman. MMIP is the group’s selected focus for advocacy. The meeting will also include updates on other work and refreshments. All are welcome to attend this meeting and/or join the work of the group. The Kansas Repair Communities has grown over the past year to include individuals from more than 12 congregations and others.
We will announce a date in February to come together to write letters to our legislators on behalf of the first bill newly elected Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07) introduced in early December: The Save Oak Flat from Foreign Mining Act. From the BCMC Indigenous Justice Task Force
We offer sympathy to the family of Joan Brubacher. Joan died Jan. 11. Please continue to remember Joan’s husband Wade, their children Anne, Kate, and Jacob and their families in prayer. The memorial service for Joan will be Sat., Feb. 14, 11 a.m. at BCMC.
We offer sympathy to Virginia and Ron Benninghoff and their extended family on the death of Virginia’s brother, James Duane Koehn. James died Jan. 4 at Covenant Village of Denver, Colorado. The memorial service was held Jan. 15.
2025 Giving Update
Thank you to all who contributed financially to our church for 2025! Your
generosity is much appreciated as we seek to do justice, love mercy, and
walk humbly with God. The Finance Committee is pleased that our financial
contributions for 2025 were close to our 2025 expenses. A full report will be
forthcoming in the lead up to our congregational meeting on January 25.
The Education and Service Scholarship Committee (ESSC) is supporting Grace Harader-Ellett and Ani Koontz to attend the MCC Peace Camp being held in Puerto Rico this coming February. We wish them safe travels and a rich week of experiences – most of it in Spanish!
Lunch and Learn at Mennonite Central Committee Tuesday, Feb. 17, 12-1 p.m. join the Global Voices Speaking Tour to hear firsthand stories of the intersection of climate and peace. Speakers Dr. Arefur Rahaman with MCC Bangladesh and David Waiswa with MCC East Africa and Sahel Region will share how they are working toward peace and climate resiliency, especially around food security. RSVP by Feb. 10 at mcc.org/global-lunch or contact patsydirksen@mcc.org, 316.283.2720. Suggested $10 donation per lunch.
Looking for Singers for the upcoming 2026 Kansas Mennonite Men’s Chorus. We have six rehearsals in Hesston Mennonite Church starting Jan. 25 at 2:30 p.m. The rehearsals last for 2 hrs. KMMC has been singing since 1969 in Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Nebraska and even Europe. If interested in singing or more information please reach out to Membership Chair Aaron Stucky via email stuckya2003@yahoo.com. You can also find us on Facebook at Kansas Mennonite Men’s Chorus. Thank you, Aaron Stucky
Hesston College will host the annual Melva Kauffman Lecture Series Jan. 25 and 26, welcoming internationally recognized peace studies scholar and Hesston College alumna Dr. Angela Lederach ՚04 for a three-part series titled “Slow Peace: Lessons from Grassroots Peacebuilders in Colombia.” Dr. Lederach will speak Jan. 25, 7 p.m. and Jan. 26, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. All events are free and open to the public and held at Hesston Mennonite Church. For more information visit hesston.edu/melva.
Love singing? Students in 2nd-5th grade are invited to join Newton Community Children’s Choir’s new Prelude Choir! For ten weeks starting Feb. 9, we will meet on Mondays from 5:45-6:15 p.m. at Bethel College’s Fine Arts Center (choir room) to learn, sing, and have fun–no audition required! For further details and to sign up, visit nccchoir.org. Register by Jan 26 to guarantee your spot!
Share the love this Valentine’s with Offender Victim Ministries & Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). February 12 from 6-8 p.m. In the spirit of Saint Valentine, help us pack 350 MCC prisoner care kits for men on the indigent list at Hutchinson Correctional Facility. Hear impact stories at 7:30, design a note to go into each kit, enjoy snacks and give a monetary donation to help cover the cost of the kit items. All ages are welcome to join us at MCC, 121 E. 30th St., North Newton. Find out more at mcc.org/prisoner-care or contact
brociamueller@mcc.org.
Bethel College/Kauffman Museum Announcements
· Sun., Jan. 25: Bethel College Music Department Honors Recital, 4 p.m.,
Administration Building chapel, featuring first-year, sophomore and junior
vocal and instrumental students who performed exceptionally during the fall
2025 semester.
· Sat., Jan. 31: Kauffman Museum annual Kansas Day event, “Flavor of Kansas,” noon-4 p.m., museum parking lot and grounds. Featuring food trucks, exhibits and activities, indoors and out, that look at Kansas foods and foodways. Programs include music by Queen Jack Jericho, poetry from Kansas Poet Laureate Traci Brimhall, and a presentation on foraging. For more information, see the Kauffman Museum Facebook page or kauffmanmuseum.org
· Sat., Jan. 31: Bethel College Academy of Performing Arts (BCAPA) 30th-anniversary event featuring collaborative pianist Mory Ortman, emeritus professor of music Don Kehrberg and more, 6:30 p.m., Krehbiel Auditorium in Luyken Fine Arts Center. Ticket purchase is required at Thresher Shop in Schultz Student Center, Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
· Now in the Regier Art Gallery in Luyken Fine Arts Center at Bethel College: “Reclaiming My Roots,” works by Marco Hernandez Guillen from Wichita State University, through Feb. 12. Gallery hours are Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Sun. 2-4 p.m.
· Sun., Feb. 1: The Bethel College Chamber singers present a program entitled “Resound!”, 4 p.m., Shalom Mennonite Church, 800 E. 1st St., Newton
Chamber Singers personnel are: Maddie Anderson, Lucy Burch, Emma Graber, Abigail Grittman, Kyra Linenberger, Bethany Schrag, sopranos; Anna-Joy Jones, Abby Koontz, Faith Peterson, Dalaina Schutte, altos; Caleb Garber, Riley Hartvickson, Liam Ortman, Jacob Schrag, Timothy Schrag, tenors; Seth Balzer, Henry Harrington, Ben Janzen, Ethan Wilcox, basses; Dr. Russell Adrian, director
· Life Enrichment, the series at Bethel College for adults age 60 and older, resumes for the spring semester on Wed., Feb. 4, with Larry Hatteberg of KAKE TV, Wichita, and Joe Fred Perez of Brownsville, TX. See https://www.bethelks.edu/academics/life-enrichment/ for details and a link to the complete spring schedule.
· SAVE THE DATE: Bethel College’s biennial Justice Symposium, Feb. 25-27, with a focus on immigration and with special guest speaker Karen González, author of Beyond Welcome (2022) and The God Who Sees (2019).
WANTED—Cars, Trucks, Motorcycles, RV’s, Campers, Tractors, Modern Farm Equipment, etc. for the KS Mennonite Central Committee Sale. Items you no longer need help feed and clothe thousands in desperate living conditions. ALL donations are tax deductible. Call Jerry Toews for info: 620 367 8257. Help make a difference. Be a part of the growing number of folks donating vehicles to the Mennonite Relief Sale.
A household within the BCMC family has issued a $2,500 challenge to our congregation to benefit Camp Mennoscah! Every dollar from our church donated to camp will be matched up to $2,500 with the desire to allow the camp retreat center to be completed soon and help ensure the financial future of Camp Mennoscah. If you would like to have your gifts doubled – OR if you would like to ADD to the match – simply notate your wishes on the memo line of your checks to Camp Mennoscah mailed to 9458 SE 40th St / Murdock, KS 67111.
Bethel College Academy of Performing Arts (BCAPA ) is presenting a 30th Anniversary Concert at Bethel College’s Krehbiel Auditorium Sat., Jan. 31, featuring Bethel alum and professional musician Mory Ortman. Collaborating performers include BCAPA students, instructors, and its founder Don Kehrberg. Audience members can see photos from BCAPA throughout the years, bid in a silent auction, and celebrate a longstanding arts education establishment in the Newton community! Additionally, Dr. Ortman will be leading a masterclass/workshop Jan. 30 on campus (in the Bethel Chapel) for aspiring/professional musicians and curious members of the community. Tickets for the concert will be available through the Bethel bookstore, and the masterclass tickets will be available through BCAPA’s website (bcapaks.org/register) or by emailing
bcapa@bethelks.edu.
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) invites you to Borderlands & Beyond Monthly Charlas, a new conversation series featuring MCC partners, community leaders, and borderlands practitioners who will share their work, struggles, insights, and hopes. Each charla provides a welcoming space to learn, ask questions, and explore how we can participate in faithful advocacy and accompaniment. You can join a charla via Zoom the third Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. Register here: Borderlands & Beyond: Monthly Charlas with MCC – Stories, Struggles & Faithful Action – Fill out form
Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp Announcements
· Scrapbook Retreat, Jan. 31-Feb. 2: Creating paper or digital photo books and sharing ideas and conversation is just another day for scrapbook participants. You still have time to register and spend the weekend documenting life memories and fellowshipping with others. Retreat info. and registration at rmmc.org!
· Save the dates! Men’s Retreat is coming February 27- March 1 with Paul Unruh leading conversations on “The Power of Service and Story”. Women’s Retreat March 6-8, 2026 will be led by Anita Amstutz exploring “Breathing through Transition”. Please visit rmmc.org for more details and for registration.
From “Peace Mail” an MC USA Prayer Request press here
For Anabaptism at 501 press here
For Mennonite Mission Network “News and Beyond” press here
Become a Service Adventure leader! Are you sensing God’s call to mentor and guide young adults as they grow in faith, service and community? Want to live in beautiful places like Anchorage, Alaska or Colorado Springs, Colorado? Answer the call and become a Service Adventure unit leader! Unit leaders mentor the young adults in the unit and provide some oversight and guidance for the household. Ages 24+ should contact MichaelO@MennoniteMission.net!
For Mennonite Disaster Service “On the Level” press here
Western District Conference invites you to visit our website to read the latest news, stories and announcements.
For Mennonite Mission Network “News from around the world” press here
From Mennonite Church USA
MC USA is launching a new collaborative workshop series to help churches and leaders practice healthier ways of navigating conflict. The first training kicks off in Beaverton, Oregon on March 12-14! Register here: https://mcusa.formstack.com/forms/conflict_transformation_2026
Menno Snapshots
MC USA Executive Director Glen Guyton outlines a strategic-planning post-mortem of MC USA’s Reimagination Process, identifying 10 key pitfalls the church must avoid to ensure meaningful, Spirit-led denominational renewal. Read more here: https://www.mennoniteusa.org/post-mortem Visit the Reimagining MC USA web portal here: https://www.mennoniteusa.org/reimagining-mennonite-church-usa/
Mennonite Mission Network Prayer Request: The Taiwan Mennonite New Dawn Educare Center brings God’s hope to people with intellectual disabilities by providing resources to help with independent living, personal development and health. Pray that the people they serve find belonging, purpose and hope.
Western District Conference Prayer Request: Pray that during this new year the Holy Spirit will open hearts and create new opportunities for connection, hospitality, and mission within our church planting communities. – 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.