Contact Us

email: washingtonmennonitechurch@gmail.com

phone: 319-653-6041

address:

815 Polk Street

Washington, IA 52353

https://washmenno.weebly.com


Friday, February 27, 2015

Bulletin for March 1, 205



Washington Mennonite Church
March 1, 2015
9:30 AM

Upside down & inside out
Lent 2: Beyond Imagination

When we hear a promise, we expect it to result in what we have in mind.  Yet God’s imagination is bigger than ours.  How can we open ourselves to unbelievable actions that turn our world inside out?


Newsletter for March 1, 2015

The Bearing Fruit
March 1, 2015

Friday, February 20, 2015

Bulletin for February 22, 2015



Washington Mennonite Church
February 22, 2015
9:30 AM

Upside down & inside out
Lent 1: One more time

We think contracts are binding for both sides.  Yet God turns our self-importance upside down and unilaterally offers second, third, and fourth chances.  What if God’s covenant isn’t just about us?

Newsletter for February 22, 2015

The Bearing Fruit
February 22, 2015

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Lent 2015: Resources

Here are some resources that may be of use to you as you prepare to make this Lent count!

About Lent: 

Spacious faith: Spiritual practices, worship pieces and general ponderings: blog by Joanna Harader, Mennonite pastor from Kansas

Poems and artwork for Lent, the Painted Prayerbook, by Jan Richardson




Lenten Devotions:

Goshen College Lenten Devotions--student, faculty and staff written devotions for each day of Lent. Available on website, by email or RSS feed.

2015 Lenten guided prayer experience--"Upside Down and Inside Out." Written by members of Mennonite Church Canada, this $20 downloadable prayer experience uses the theme and texts we'll be experiencing on Sunday mornings this Lent. 

Free 2015 Lenten resource for families--"Upside Down and Inside Out." Written by members of Mennonite Church Canada, this downloadable family prayer devotional uses the theme and texts we'll be experiencing on Sunday mornings this Lent. Includes activities and coloring pages for children.

Lent programs/ideas for daily discipleship during Lent

House of Sinners and Saints' 40 Ideas for Keeping a Holy Lent--daily ideas for mindfulness during Lent

Tagline: 40 days, 40 acts of generosity: 40 days of giving back, doing good and living generously

Lenten photo-a-day project. Provides a list of words to reflect on and take a picture of during each day of Lent.

Weekly challenges presented in video format. These challenges are updated for modern times, but based on traditional Lenten practices. 

Ideas of "daily sacrifices" for Lent--delivered to your smartphone or computer via website, email, or twitter.

Lent 2015: Ideas for Taking Up or Laying Down

It seems so often that Lent is a popular time to "diet for Jesus." If you are considering laying something down or taking something up during Lent, I encourage you to choose something that will benefit you spiritually--not just something that will help you lose a few pounds (although physical health may be an added bonus). The point of taking up or laying down during Lent is that we use this 40 day season to spend more time thinking about and connecting with God--we choose practices that will help us do that. Lent is not about giving up things that we don't enjoy anyway or giving up things just to practice giving something up. Lent is different than a New Year's (self-improvement) Resolution--but we trust that our Lenten season, spent in deliberate communion with God, will reap unimagined benefits!

Ideas:

Lent 2015: Challenge


Dear Washington Mennonite, 

Last Sunday, I talked about Lent with the Youth in Sunday school. They've grown up with friends who give up things like chocolate for a season, and they've "enjoyed" fish on Fridays in the school cafeteria, but other than that, they know very little about this season of the church year--when we try to deliberately follow the way of Jesus-- who took on suffering and laid down his life. I've been thinking a lot about Lent since my conversation with the Youth. Traditionally, Mennonites have often not marked Lent with any special observation, but I wonder if we've missed some opportunities to embrace this relatively short season of the Christian year--opportunities to "beef up" our individual or collective spirituality--our relationship with God. 

In the wider Christian church, Lent is a somber time, marking the journey of Jesus as his ministry moved him toward crucifixion in Jerusalem. The Lenten season culminates in Easter, the celebration of Jesus' resurrection. As Mennonites, who read the gospels with a special eye toward the work of Jesus during his life, I wonder if our Lenten season could be a time of naming, celebrating, and following, with greater deliberation, the work and ministry of Jesus. The work and ministry of healing and love that so angered the powers-that-be, that were so threatening to the status quo, that they ultimately led to Jesus' death. Could our Lenten season be a time in which we reflect, not only on Jesus' impending death, but also on his ministry of abundant life--could we use this Lenten season to become more committed to discipleship--to following the way of Jesus?
I ended our Sunday school time with an impromptu challenge to each student--

Think of one thing to take up or lay down during Lent. 

Each of them are choosing one thing that will help them to focus on God, one thing that will help them to remember to follow the way of Jesus, one thing that will move them toward greater discipleship. 

We're going to talk about the things we're laying down and taking up next Sunday during the Sunday school hour.  We'll be discussing and holding one another accountable throughout the whole season of Lent. This is new for each of the youth. This is an experiment. We don't know what will happen--whether we'll be able to give up what we say we will or whether we'll be able to take up a new practice intentionally and see it through.We don't know what this season bring--or how this will impact our Sunday school class, But I, on behalf of Jim, Matti, Katie, Emmy, and Trevor (and Andrea): Invite you to JOIN US! Join the youth of Washington Mennonite as we try to use this Lenten season to grow in discipleship! 

I invite each of you to:

1) find some way to mark this Lenten season and use it to move toward greater discipleship
(take something up, lay something down, find a new spiritual practice, etc.)
2) let someone know what you're doing
3) hold one another accountable
and
4) let the Jr. High students know how it's going!

As a congregation, we are already involved in so many good things, imagine the things we could do if we each took this Lenten season seriously and used it to jump start our relationship with God and our discipleship living! 

So walk with us (the Youth Sunday school class) as we take this opportunity to spend 40 days living more deliberately. 
(We're DEFINITELY going to need encouragement!)

I'll be posting some Lenten resources soon to help you with this challenge. 


-amanda

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Bulletin for February 15, 2015



Washington Mennonite Church
February 15, 2015
9:30 AM
 

We welcome all to this place for the worship of God and for Christian fellowship.  Let us worship God in spirit and in truth, reaching out to one another in Christ’s love.  We welcome our guests and visitors and hope you will join us again soon.



Newsletter for February 15, 2015

The Bearing Fruit
February 15, 2015

Friday, February 6, 2015

Bulletin for February 8, 2015



Washington Mennonite Church
February 8, 2015
9:30 AM
 

We welcome all to this place for the worship of God and for Christian fellowship.  Let us worship God in spirit and in truth, reaching out to one another in Christ’s love.  We welcome our guests and visitors and hope you will join us again soon.



Newsletter for February 8th, 2015

The Bearing Fruit
February 8th, 2015