Feb 19, 2012 Newsletter

Bearing Fruit
February 19, 2012

Our Church

Prayers of Washington Mennonite --

·         Ty Blas’ recovery

·         Vicki Wulf

Happy Birthday to:  Lynn Miller (2/14), Don Headrick (2/20),

          Andrea Nussbaum (2/22)

Amanda will be licensed by the Central Plains Mennonite Conference on Sunday, March 4 during the church service with a potluck afterward.

Saturday Kitchen - Held at the United Presbyterian fellowship hall every Saturday over noon every seventh Saturday. Our church is responsible for the meal on March 31. We are responsible for preparing, serving, cleanup, and food expenses. An estimated 15 people will be needed each Saturday. Please see the sign-up sheets in the library and fellowship hall for more information and to sign-up to help.

Thank you - Our family extends our sincere appreciation for every hug, meal, donation, card, and prayer that has been offered up on our behalf.  The support from our entire community is a clear testament to the impact that Mick and Julie had on the lives of everyone they met.  We thank you for your continued support as we face every day knowing that God is in control.-The Murray/Fiordelise/Garner Family

Iowa Mennonite School

Prospective Student Day - IMS is hosting an information and visitation day on Monday, February 20, from 8:00 a.m.-3:10 p.m.  Interested 8th-grade students are invited to visit classes, attend chapel, eat lunch on campus (no charge to the student), meet potential classmates and teachers, and experience life on the IMS campus!  Parents are also invited to a brief informational session at the beginning of the day (8:00 a.m.).  Please contact Candi Schmieder (candi.schmieder at gmail.com) for further information, or call the school office at 656-2073 or 683-2586.

Recital - IMS senior Sam Swartzendruber, son of Larry & Connie Swartzendruber of Kalona, will present his Senior Recital on Saturday, March 3, 7:00 p.m. in the school's Celebration Hall.  Sam will present piano works by Liszt, Debussy, Bernstein, Dohnanyi and others, and will also share his vocal gift as well as a few guitar pieces.  He has studied piano with Susan See for 10 years.  All are invited to attend the recital; refreshments will be served in the lobby following the program.

IMS’s Turkey Steak Supper is scheduled for Saturday, March 10, with serving from 4:30-7:00 p.m.  Please consider volunteering your time and gifts by either working a shift or baking a pie or two . . . or both!  We are in need of 5 pies and 4 workers from 5:30-7:15 p.m., and appreciate any and all volunteers.  There is a signup sheet posted in the library and in the fellowship hall.  Thank you!

The IMS Board invites you to join them in prayer for IMS every Wednesday morning at 7:30 AM.  Come to IMS or ask to have the prayer guide emailed to you.  Join us either way as we invite God’s guidance and blessing for IMS each week.

Crooked Creek Christian Camp

Sustainability Conference:  Crooked Creek Christian Camp invites you to join us for: Exploring Foods and Farming Conference; The Myth of Sustainability on March 2-3, 2012. Are you a farmer? Conventional or Organic? Do you garden? This conference is for anyone who eats food and anyone who produces food. Our keynote speaker will be Neal Eash. Neal is an Associate Professor in Biosystems Engineering & Soil Science at the University of Tennessee. His research area is in soil fertility and carbon cycling in organic production systems.  He has ongoing no-till research in Lesotho, Mozambique, and Thailand.  He also continues to farm his home 160-acre farm in Ohio using only no-till methods. This event will focus on bringing together conventional and organic farmers to discuss and learn how all farmers (conventional or alternate) can move towards more sustainable and restorative practices. Diane Zaerr Brenneman will lead activities that help unpack how our language and assumptions affect our conversations. How do we build bridges between farmers who produce food differently and consumers in hopes of creating community?

Mennonite Agencies

You are invited to the Mennonite Central Committee Central States Annual Meeting at New Creation Fellowship Church in Newton, Ks. on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 7pm.  Joanna Hiebert Bergen, MCC's HIV/AIDS Program Coordinator will share how MCC is touching the lives of millions by caring for people living with HIV/AIDS, supporting children orphaned by the disease, teaching prevention and addressing the poverty and injustices that perpetuate the spread of the disease.  New Creation Fellowship is located at 221 Muse St in Newton and refreshments will be served following the meeting.  

MDS (Mennonite Disaster Service) will be sending people to Minot, ND to work in that area the weeks of March 18^thand March 25^th. If you can help please contact John Schrock at 646-2260 or at 319-430-3426. You can also contact your church representative if you can help.

Mennonite/s Writing VI: Solos and Harmonies: You’re invited to a literary arts festival March 29-April 1, 2012 at Eastern Mennonite University, co-sponsored by Conrad Grebel University College. Features playwright Vern Thiessen; poet Greg Orr; a growing list of Mennonite scholars and writers including Katherine Arnoldi, Stephen Raleigh Byler, Todd Davis, Dora Dueck, Jeff Gundy, Ann Hostetler, Jean Janzen, Julia Spicher Kasdorf, Keith Ratzlaff, Sofia Samatar, Hildi Froese Tiessen, and Rudy Wiebe. Learn more and register by March 16 at www.emu.edu/mennos-writing  Early registration discount available through February 3.

Thinking about service next year? Mennonite Voluntary Service’s early bird application deadline is March 16.Adults ages 20+ are invited by local congregations and communities around the country to spend a year engaging with them in service, reconciliation and sharing the love of Jesus. For more information on how you can apply, visit Service.MennoniteMission.net.

See MCC in action, go on a Learning Tour!   April 20-30 an MCC Learning Tour will travel to Honduras.  Participants will learn about Mennonite Central Committee's work with marginalized children, at-risk youth, vulnerable river neighborhoods and the Honduran Mennonite Church.  Registration deadline is March 9 and the cost of the trip is $1500 (includes all costs except necessary immunizations).  Curious?  Call Sarah Bunn or Maynard Knepp with questions at 316-283-2720 or email sbunn at mcc.org.

Mennonite Mission Network Prayer Request:  Three months ago, Christine and Phil Lindell Detweiler and their three teenagers left their home in South Africa.  Lift up the family as they grieve friends left behind, adjust to life in the United States, and share about MMN in congregations and schools.

The Sower Prayer Request:  On Saturday, Feb 25, congregational leadership teams from across Central Plains will gather in Manson, IA, to study biblical power and authority with J Nelson Kraybill. Pray that they will learn much from the biblical study and be equipped with practical ideas that enable the church’s mission.

Washington Area

Bethel Mennonite is hositng Randy Davis of Drawing Closer Ministires. Randy does a chalk art drawing as his wife plays background music. Randy will be at Bethel tonight at 7pm. For information see the poster on the bulletin board.

The Goshen College Men's Choir is on a Mid-west tour and will be giving a concert at First Mennonite Church on Wed., Feb. 29th at 7:00 pm.  Dr. Scott Hochstetler directs the choir of 48 men (two from this area). All are welcome to attend this concert of singing on the theme of "Light in the Darkness".

World Day of Prayer is a global inter-denominational movement of Informed Prayer and Prayerful Action. Christian women of many traditions come together to observe a common day of prayer each year, and who, in many countries, have a continuing relationship in prayer and service.  There is a World Day of Prayer gathering at the United Presbyterian Church in Washington on March 2 at 1:30 pm.  See the bulletin board for more information.