Newsletter for September 6, 2015

The Bearing Fruit

September 6, 2015

Our Church

Happy Birthday to:  Courtney Bates (9/8),

Karen Bates (9/12)

Happy Anniversary to:  Jason & Jillian Chalupa

Offering for 8/30/15:  $2,385.02 (regular) $100.00 (kitchen)

Fall Worship Series (Sept 13 – Nov 22)

        Our worship services this fall will focus on stories from the Bible about people who were “chosen” or “called.”  The Old and New Testament have many examples of God calling an individual to a very particular task – David, Solomon, Abraham, Moses, Gideon, the Apostles, among many others.  There’s no reason to suppose that God no longer calls people in the 21^st Century or invites particular people to take on particular tasks.  Many people feel called to a very particular people to take on particular tasks.  Many people feel called to a very particular task and there is no reason to doubt the reality of what they are feeling.

        On Sunday, September 6^th, each person attending Washington Mennonite Church will be asked to identify one thing they feel called to do.  This can be a passion of yours, a career choice, a spiritual gift, a talent, etc.  You will write your name as well as your “calling” on a paper, which will be included in a display board during our fall series to represent the variety of areas that we are called to serve.  Please come prepared to participate in this activity next Sunday.

Thanks to everyone’s support, Washington Mennonite collected 72 school kits for MCC! If you have a kit at home, you can still bring it to church and place in on the “kit” table. Your generous donations are appreciated!

We will have our (almost) annual cider making evening on Friday, September 11, out at Crooked Creek Christian Camp.  Come at 5:00PM or soon after to help.  We’ll provide hot dogs, lemonade, and s'mores and a fire.  Bring something nice to share for our supper.  Bring clean jugs to take cider home in.  Also, we need volunteers to help pick apples on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.  Talk to Megan or Myron to step up and help

Crooked Creek Christian Camp

Save the upcoming dates!

October 8 - Senior Day

October 30-Nov 1 - High School fall retreat weekend

October 31 - Woodcutting Day

November 17 - Annual Meeting at camp Retreat Lodge

November 20-21 - Come to the Table Craft retreat

January 15-17, 2016 - WinterFest

Crowded Closet

Fall meeting of the Crowded Closet Association will be held Monday, September 21, 7:00pm at Wayland Mennonite Church.  ALL volunteers and interested persons are invited to attend and learn of the latest happenings at the Closet

Central Plains Conference

There is still time to register for the Central Plain’s Women’s Retreat at Swan Lake Christian Camp, Viborg, South Dakota, September 19&20, 2015!  Luann will speak on the theme “Time in a bottle.”  Come to listen, reflect, and celebrate each other as we gather as women who are continually being shaped by and living out of the stories we hold inside.  Cost: $80 which includes meals, camp fees and women retreat expenses.  See poster and registration forms by the mailboxes. Registration due Sept 13. 

The Sower Prayer Request:  Join the members of the Northside church in Omaha, Nebraska, in prayer for a pastor who can join in their ministries and enhance the Anabaptist witness in North Omaha. 

Mennonite Agencies

Mennonite Mission Network Prayer Request:  Amanda and Gamaliel Falla of MMN serve as mentors to Mennonite pastors in Colombia.  Pray for the Fallas as they encourage Colombian pastors to make their relationship with God top priority.  Ask God to provide the resources for their families’ needs.

Area Announcements

We invite you to experience the Grillmasters of Kalona Mennonite Church at a bold, benevolent barbeque on Sunday noon, September 13, to benefit the KMC International Student Aid Fund.  Our current project is Rudi Mucaj from Albania.  Rudi attended IMS as an exchange student and is currently attending Goshen College.  (Read more about his IMS experience on the IMS website).  The KMC Grillmasters will be grilling chicken breasts, hamburgers and hot dogs.  Other menu items include baked beans, coleslaw, chips and a sundae bar.  Hope to see you there!

Please join us for a free Community Shred Day on Saturday, September 12th from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm at Bontrager Tax, 307 5th St., Kalona.  Bring all sensitive paperwork that includes account numbers, birth dates, passwords, PINs, signatures and Social Security and/or driver's license numbers. To protect your privacy, consider other items that include names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. When in doubt, shred it!

Weekend Focus:  Ministry of Presence – When the unthinkable happens.  We want to explore with you how the church family can be present with persons when they are experiencing difficult times.  For us, the ministry of presence is about being with and walking with persons who face difficult situations. It is about being God’s love, care and healing presence with persons who are experiencing difficult times. September 12 at 7:00 PM & September 13 at 10:30 and 6:00 PM at Pulaski Mennonite Church.