Newsletter for November 8, 2015

The Bearing Fruit

November 8, 2015

A Look Ahead     

Monthly Quilting                                           Nov 18

Hanging of the Greens, 5pm                           Nov 22

Saturday Kitchen                                            Dec 5

                                                                                   

  

Our Church

Happy Birthday to:  Carol Detweiler (11/9),

    Gordon Watson (11/9), Mary Martin (9/11),

    Megan Miller (11/13), Francis Litwiller (11/14),

    Roger Roth (11/14)

Offering for 11/1/15:  $3,277 (regular); $250 (HACAP)

Come help with the Hanging of the Greens on Nov 22^nd at 5pm here at the church.  Come help decorate and enjoy fellowship and food together.

Crooked Creek Christian Camp

Nov 17 is Annual Meeting at CCCC.  Turkey tenderloin meal is served at 6:15pm followed by program and meeting at 7pm.  Members and all who are interested in Crooked Creek to celebrate the past year are invited to attend.

Nov 14 at 8am is the rescheduled Wood Cutting Day.  Bring a chainsaw, wood splitter and if you want lunch please call in advance.

Nov 21-21 is Come to the Table Craft Retreat.  This bring-your-own-craft weekend features an opportunity to work on your project and connect with others as crafty as you.  See more details at www.crookedcreekcamp.org. 

Iowa Mennonite School

All are invited to the performance of The Cotton Patch Gospel, a musical show sure to entertain and please!  This afternoon’s performance is at 3:00pm, with seating still available.  Following the performance, all 6th-8th graders, as well as potential transfer students, are invited to enjoy refreshments, a backstage tour, and a chance to meet the cast.  Come and enjoy!

 

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink…  Matthew 25:35-36.  The IMS chapter of National Honor Society is hosting a food drive to benefit area food pantries.  We have set a goal to collect 1,000 food items for the holiday season.  Please help us reach our goal by bringing your non-perishable food items to IMS (or to an IMS home basketball game) any time between now and Friday, Dec. 4.  NHS students will gather and sort the items and deliver them to the Wellman and Kalona food pantries on Dec 5.  Thank you for helping your community in this very special way.

Central Plains Conference

The Sower Prayer Request:  Pray for the schools associated with CPMC: Freeman Academy in Freeman, SD, and Iowa Mennonite School in rural Kalona, IA.

Mennonite Agencies

Mennonite Mission Network Prayer Request:  Praise God for Israel College of the Bible, “the first Hebrew-language Bible college since the days of the disciples,” says a MMN professor.  Pray that the Arab Christian and Messianic Jewish students who study together will also be peace-builders in the Middle East.

Area Announcements

The Crowded Closet Thrift Shop, Iowa City, is seeking a full time Furniture Coordinator.  This position would involve managing the daily operations of the Furniture area, overseeing donations, managing volunteers, pricing and organization of furniture items.  This position has a

competitive wage and a friendly working environment.  Applicant must be able to lift heavy items, work quickly, independently, and as part of a team.  Excellent public relation skills are required.  For more information or detailed job description contact Crowded Closet at 319.337.5924 or email crowdedcloset.gm at gmail.com. 

Dan Fisher and his crew will be making 40 pumpkin cheesecakes for the Thanksgiving season.  The cost is $35 ($15 for ingredients and $20 donation).  The proceeds will go to Kalona Mennonite’s International Student Aid Fund.  Our current project is assisting Rudi Mucaj from Albania attend Goshen College.  This past August Rudi began his freshman year at Goshen College!  Cheesecakes may be picked up at Kalona Mennonite Church on Tuesday, November 24, from 4-7 pm.  To place your order please contact Wanda Miller Beachy at 319.683.3983 or email at beachydw at sharontc.net.  The deadline to order is November 18.  Thank you!

Friends of Pastor Max Update As you may be aware, Friends of Pastor Max continues to advocate for Max's return to his family and church in Iowa City.  In addition, Mennonite Central Committe Washington Office continues to find ways to advocate for Max's return. MCC's Tammy Alexander recently reported, "Pastor Max’s name is still ringing out loudly in the halls of ICE and we continue to be a thorn in their side on this issue. It’s impossible to know how many other Pastor Max’s might have been deported in the past seven months if not for our continued advocacy, but I suspect that the public outcry on this issue has given ICE pause to more carefully consider who they deport – and perhaps consider more closely following their own priority enforcement guidelines." Thanks be to God; our efforts have made a difference. With that in mind, we are circulating a petition to Department of Homeland Security Director Jeh Johnson to let Max return to his family.  We are told that it is unprecedented for people to continue to advocate for someone AFTER they have been deported, so our efforts are being noticed. Please, sign and share this petition.  Above all, keep praying that God will make a way for Max to return.

The Mennonite Historical Society of Iowa will welcome renowned Mennonite historian and story-teller John Ruth to their Fall Meeting at Kalona Mennonite Church on Monday, November 23 at 7pm.  As part of his presentation he will speak about “where the Mennonites came from, where they settled, what the Natives said and thought about this, where they went, and how the French and Indian War finished William Penn’s dream of a Peaceable Kingdom.”  Donations will be taken to provide for John Ruth’s expenses.  He will have his recently published memoir, Branch, for sale.  This will also be a time to renew your membership or join the Mennonite Historical Society.  Everyone is welcome