BETHEL COLLEGE MENNONITE CHURCH
WORSHIP SERVICE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
January 4, 2026 — Epiphany
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, January 4:
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/63aVkBFhmeY?feature=share
BETHEL COLLEGE MENNONITE CHURCH
January 4, 2026
Epiphany
Christ Candle Lighting
Centering Music—Meghann Rogers
Welcome & Land Acknowledgment—Lauren Friesen
*Hymn—Longing for Light—VT 715
Children and Youth Conversation—Lindsay Anderson
Worship Music
Scripture Reading—Isaiah 60:1-6—Kevin Neufeld
*Hymn—See Whose Glory Fills the Skies—VT 274
Scripture Reading—Matthew 2:1-12—Kevin Neufeld
Sermon—Star-Gazing—Joanna Harader
*Hymn—Nun Ist Sie Erschienen—Insert
Offering Invitation and Prayers of God’s People—Lauren Friesen
*Hymn—O Beautiful Star of Bethlehem—VT 275
*Benediction
Postlude
* You are invited to stand
VT—Voices Together
Keyboard—Meghann Rogers
Land Acknowledgement from words by Mark Charles and VT #878
As we do on the first Sunday of each month,
we acknowledge that we worship
on the land of the Kanza, Osage, and Wichita.
We thank them for their care and respect for this land
and acknowledge the injustice of their forced removal.
We ask the Spirit to heal our histories
and find new paths of right relationships with them
and all of creation.
The Week at BCMC: January 4—11, 2026
Sunday, January 4, 2026—Epiphany
Worship returns to 9:30 a.m.; sermon by Joanna Harader
YouTube Link for the worship service this Sunday:
https://youtube.com/live/640qQqdiRg0?feature=share
4 p.m. Service of Remembrance
In order to recognize and mourn the loss of our loved ones from 2025, Bethel College Mennonite Church is hosting a Service of Remembrance in the BCMC sanctuary. During the service we will light candles for those from our congregation who have passed in 2025. You are also welcome to light a candle for others in your life whom you are mourning.
YouTube Link for the Service of Remembrance:
https://youtube.com/live/owcpAKE1GhI?feature=share
Monday, January 5, 2026
The church office is open
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
7:30 p.m. Chancel Choir Rehearsal—Sanctuary Chancel
Thursday, January 8, 2026
3-4 p.m. Cancer Support Group—Nursery
7 p.m. Church Board—Room 14
Sunday, January 11, 2026
9:30 a.m. Worship with sermon by Nathan Koontz; music by Chancel Choir
2 p.m. Recital/Hymn Festival—Sanctuary
BCMC Offering for December 28: General $10,157; Plant Fund $50; Camp Mennoscah $500; Kitchen Fund $17; Larry Penner Mem. $1,365.
Peace Connections is hosting a Bridges Out of Poverty Training Jan. 23 from
9 a.m.-4 p.m. This training experience is a great way to invest in your community and expand resources, to help individuals understand the impacts of poverty. This FREE and ENGAGING training will explore the root causes of poverty, increase personal understanding and identify ways to reduce barriers for all members of our community. For more information or to sign up for this training experience, please visit https://www.facebook.com/events/768743612864907?active_tab=about or call Peace Connections at 316-284-0000.
Bethel College/Kauffman Museum Announcements
· Mon., Jan. 12: Special one-evening show by local high school artists, 6-7 p.m., Regier Art Gallery in Luyken Fine Arts Center. You’re invited to meet students from Augusta, Goessel, Hesston, Moundridge and Newton high schools and view their art at this come-and-go event.
· Sun., Jan. 18-Mon., Jan. 19: Bethel College and Hesston College, with Newton Community for Racial Justice and the Newton Public Library, will collaborate to celebrate the annual Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Jan. 18, 3 p.m., Hesston Mennonite Church: concert featuring Bethel College Concert Choir, Hesston College Bel Canto Singers, Central Kansas Master Chorale, and Roz McCommon and her band; Jan. 19, 8 a.m., Bontrager Student Center at Hesston College, prayer breakfast with local clergy; Jan. 19, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., escape room with clues based on Dr. King’s life and work, sponsored by NCRJ at the Newton Public Library; Jan. 19, 6 p.m., Memorial Hall at Bethel College, listening event for Dr. King’s 1960 speech at Bethel; Jan. 19, 7 p.m., program in Memorial Hall with Roz McCommon, Bethel choirs, HC Bel Canto Singers and Bethel orchestra.
· SAVE THE DATE: Sat., Jan. 31: Kauffman Museum annual Kansas Day event, “Flavor of Kansas,” noon-4 p.m., museum parking lot and grounds. For more information, see the Kauffman Museum Facebook page or kauffmanmuseum.org
· SAVE THE DATE: 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
The Outreach Team of Hesston Mennonite Church invites your participation at a March 7, 2026 Spring Symposium on the Future of Water in Kansas. We are co-sponsoring this event to be held at Dyck Arboretum (177 W Hickory St), Hesston, from 8:30 to 4:30 p.m., Sat., March 7. Experts and water managers from state, local and municipal agencies will address critical issues that affect our state’s water resources and demands. Brad Guhr, Education Coordinator, urges “Let’s educate ourselves and work together on solutions now, while water is plentiful, so we never have to face the fight (referring to Mark Twain’s quote that ‘Whisky’s for drinking and water’s for fighting.’) Look for registration details coming soon, or contact arboretum@hesston.edu.
The Newton Chorale invites new members to participate in its 50th anniversary concert. Rehearsals begin in January, culminating in a performance March 1. Interested singers should contact the Chorale at:
newtonchorale@gmail.com
Bluestem U, the lifelong learning program of Bluestem Communities for individuals age 55 and better, will begin Jan. 8, with “Life Upon the Wicked Stage: Classics of Western Theatre” taught by Lauren Friesen. Classes will be Thursdays, Jan. 8 through Feb. 12. There is still time to sign up! Other classes being offered for the winter/spring semester are “Health, the Human Face of Climate Change” taught by Dwight Krehbiel, and “Biblical Literature (Bib Lit) Crash Course” taught by Kevin Wilder. Courses are $50 a piece. See bluestemu.org for more information and to register for classes.
Greetings from Western District Conference! We are writing to share with you a message from Iglesia Menonita Casa Betania, which has recently called new pastoral leadership: Iglesia Menonita Casa Betania, a WDC congregation in Newton, is pleased to announce that Alva Pérez, Mario Rocha and their young son Santiago will be arriving in Newton in early January to begin their new pastoral role. We are also celebrating Mario and Alva’s recent graduation from the AMBS Spanish-language Graduate Certificate in Theology online program. They are coming from Mexico on a religious worker visa and Casa Betania welcomes help from area congregations in supporting them. The biggest need at present is a reliable vehicle. If you have a vehicle you are willing to donate or sell at an economical price, or are willing to help search for options, please contact the WDC office a wdc@mennowdc.org or 316-283-6300, or Linda Shelly, Casa Betania Treasurer, at Lindajs81@gmail.com 316-734-5947. Financial donations can be sent to: Iglesia Menonita Casa Betania, Box 102, Newton, KS 67114. Your prayers and support for Casa Betania are greatly appreciated!
The $2,500 BCMC match for Camp Mennoscah is now in effect, and we hope that camp supporters from our congregation will step up to help ensure the retreat center can be completed by the end of March! If you have been considering a gift to camp, this is a great time to do it, as every dollar up to that amount will be doubled. You may also consider adding to that challenge so even more people can see their gifts matched up to $5,000. Every dollar makes a huge difference in the next 90 days, so please consider sending your investment to camp with a notation of “BCMC match” on the memo line. Eric Litwiller,
Director of Development, Camp Mennoscah
Hesston College will host the annual Melva Kauffman Lecture Series January 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 on January 25 at 7 p.m. and on January 26 at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. All events are free and open to the public and will be held at Hesston Mennonite Church. For more information visit hesston.edu/melva.
From Mennonite Mission Network “News and Beyond” press here
From Mennonite World Conference press here
From Mennonite Women USA “Women’s Voices” press here
Western District Conference invites you to visit our website to read the latest news, stories and announcements.
From Mennonite Men “Engage” press here
From Mennonite Center in Paris press here
Mennonite Voluntary Service
Live out your faith through service! Mennonite Voluntary Service (MVS) is now accepting applications for the 2026-27 term. This one-year volunteer experience is open to individuals age 20+, with the option to extend placements for an additional one to two years.
Serve with organizations addressing critical community needs, such as health, education, immigration and more. You won’t do it alone, though! By living with peers in a unit house and growing with a local faith community, MVSers join in the global movement to work for peace and a more just world. Ready to jump in? Go to MennoniteMission.net/MVS to learn more and apply.
From Mennonite Church USA
Is your congregation undergoing or anticipating a pastoral transition? Join MC USA’s Rachel Ringenberg Miller, denominational minister for Ministerial Leadership, for an online Zoom meeting titled, “Navigating Ministry Transitions,” on Monday, Jan. 12 at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET. She will explore the emotional and spiritual dynamics of pastoral change while guiding you through discernment, visioning and practical search processes. Spanish interpretation is available. Register here: https://bit.ly/4pDziNk
Did your congregation celebrate the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism in 2025? As we mark the 501st birthday of the Anabaptist movement, MC USA would like to share photos from across the church that capture how congregations honored this milestone. Please submit one or two photos from your celebration, so we can highlight them on MC USA’s social media channels this month. Please upload your photos by Friday, Jan. 9, using this form: https://MCUSA.formstack.com/forms/500th_anniversary_pictures
MC USA joined Indigenous leaders and partner organizations in a Native-led ceremony in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to honor the children who died at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and to acknowledge Mennonites’ historical involvement. Read more about this important step toward truth-telling and repair at: https://www.mennoniteusa.org/carlisle
Menno Snapshots
Sue Park-Hur, MC USA director of racial/ethnic engagement, urges churches to embrace diverse, Christlike hospitality in the new year – and highlights a practical checklist to help leaders create welcoming spaces. Read her Menno Snapshots blog here: https://www.mennoniteusa.org/ready-to-welcome
Mennonite Mission Network Prayer Request: Praise God that after nearly a year of chemo treatments, Caleb Schrock-Hurst is cancer free! Caleb and Stephanie plan to move to Taiwan early this year to serve with Mennonite Christian Hospital in Hualien.