Newsletter for February 16, 2020

The Bearing Fruit

February 16, 2020

Washington Mennonite

▪ Offering for 2/9/2020:  Regular Offering: $1,374.00

▪ Roger/Mary Lou Farmer will be delivering Meals on Wheels during this coming week from Monday, February 17 through Friday, February 21.  If you would like to help deliver Meals on Wheels in the future, please contact a member of the Outreach and Service Committee (Roger Farmer, Tim Widmer, Carol Detweiler, Mike Bates).  

▪ Quilting and comforter knotting will be held 10 a.m., Wed., Feb. 19 at the church. Bring your sack lunch for the noon meal. If you have questions, see Mary Lou.

▪ FAMILY FUN NITE : Wednesday, March 11th, at 5:30 p.m. Soup will be provided. Bring finger food to go along with the soup. Frivolity assured.

▪ Saturday Kitchen  date for Washington Mennonite to serve has been changed to Saturday March 14^th, 2020.  We were originally scheduled to serve at Saturday Kitchen on May 9^th and that date has now been canceled.  Please mark your calendars to help with Saturday Kitchen on March 14^th.  We will be putting out sign up work sheets for donated food items and workers in approximately two weeks.  If you have questions please contact us.  Phyllis Litwiller, Gloria Widmer and Sue Widmer.

SundaySucCrooked Creek Christian Camp

▪ 2020 marks Crooked Creek Christian Camp’s 40^th anniversary! We are so excited to celebrate 40 years of God’s faithfulness. Be on the lookout for ways we will be celebrating this year. We thank you for your continued support and prayers for Crooked Creek!

SundaySucHillcrest Academy

▪ Hillcrest Academy is looking for families to host 4 potential international students for the 2020-21 school year. If you are interested in being a host family, please contact Rebecca Beachy Miller at rbeachymiller@hillcrestravens.org or (319) 656-2073 x20 for more information. 

▪ Hillcrest Academy Prospective Family Night | On Mon, Mar 9 from 6:30-8:00 PM transfer students, 8th graders and their parents are invited to get all the
information about Hillcrest Academy that you need. Learn how Hillcrest can be affordable for your family, check out available classes, extra-curricular activities and more. Visit hillcrestravens.org/visit to RSVP.

Central Plains Conference

▪ The Outreach & Service Committee is presenting a webinar on racism hosted by Drick Boyd, Professor of Social Transformation at Eastern University in Pennsylvania. The three-part   series   will  be  held   at   7:30  pm  on  successive Tuesdays in February, the 11^th, 18^th, and 25^th. Each session will consist of a 45-minute presentation and some time for discussion and questions. We encourage wide participation on this important issue.

▪ Central Plains Prayer Request:  Pray for the good and peace-filled work of the Agape Peace Center and the Minnesota Peacebuilding Leadership Institute, both in Minnesota. 

Mennonite Agencies

▪ MDS Annual Meeting: The annual Iowa MDS meeting will be held at Upper Deer Creek Mennonite Church at 2:00 PM on Sunday March 1. All are welcome! Think of yourself as a member!

▪ Sign up for monthly highlights from MCC’s 100 stories for 100 years! Explore images and stories from the breadth of MCC’s work – from a graphic story on the 1920 trip that began MCC’s ministry to accounts of women peacemakers now. Go to mcc.org/centennial/100-stories/email to sign up for monthly emails highlighting stories from the project. Can you think of others who would be interested? Please share this announcement and encourage them to sign up for monthly email highlights too!

▪ Gain work experience with world experience through MCC’s SALT (Serving and Learning Together) program! SALT is a year-long, cross cultural service experience for Christian young adults. The deadline for registration is fast approaching, take a look at the program descriptions available at mcc.org/salt and prayerfully consider if a year of service through the SALT program is right for you! If you have questions please contact Abby Endashaw, Young Adult Programs Coordinator at MCC Central States abbyendashaw @mcc.org.  

▪ You invited to join the fun at the 13^th annual MCC Comforter Blitz on March 2, 3 and 4 at Journey Mennonite Church at the Yoder Campus, one mile north of Yoder, Kansas. Blitz times are Monday and Tuesday, 9:00am to 5:00pm, and Wednesday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. This event is hosted by Kansas Friends of MCC, an organization that supports the work of MCC.  For more information check out mcc.org/comforter-blitz.

▪ MCC centennial celebration, Feb. 29 at 7:30 p.m. You’re invited to join MCC for an evening of centennial celebration

and giving, We’ve Come This Far by Faith at the Shari Flaming Center for the Arts at Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas. Bid on silent auction items, grab a reproduction Mennonite Feeding Station sign from our limited supply and join us for a program celebrating MCC’s past 100 years, present and future! Find out more at mcc.org/events.

▪ Mennonite Mission Network Prayer Request:  Mennonite Mission Network requests prayer for Sophie Miller as she works with an indigenous organization in Guatemala that teaches sustainability from the worldview of the Tz’utujil, a Mayan people.

▪ MC USA Announcement: #Menno Snapshots

The Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) Archives' Oral History Project seeks to document and preserve the voices of young people, ages 24-40, who are part of MC USA. Hear what Theresa Peachey Crissman, a graduate of Eastern Mennonite University and long-term mission worker for Virginia Mennonite Missions, has to say about listening to others and risk-taking: mennoniteusa.org/church-together

Area Announcements

▪ J-POG (Just Peace Outreach Group) invites you to hear Matt Russell, Executive Director of Iowa Interfaith Power and Light, address the topic "Embracing Abundance in a World of Scarcity."   Matt will explore how Christian faith calls us to embrace the abundance of God's creation in managing our farms, using renewable energy, and finding solutions to climate change.  Join us at West Union Mennonite Church, 3253 305th Street, Parnell, IA on Sunday, February 16, 2020, at 6 pm for a finger food potluck (please bring your own table service) and conversation, or at 7 pm for Matt's presentation.  For more information, contact Roger Farmer at 319-653-2547 or Jane Yoder-Short at Wilma jane17@gmail.com.

▪ Beth Moore Bible Study: We are excited to begin another Women's Bible Study session at Upper Deer Creek Church. We will be joining Beth Moore in her study of 2 Timothy entitled "Entrusted". This 6 session study will meet on Monday nights, 6-8pm, beginning February 24th at UDC. Please register on or before Thursday, February 13th to ensure your study book arrives for the first night of class. You may register via facebook on the UDC Women's Ministry page or call/text Joni Stoltzfus at 319.325.7603.

▪ Cooking for one or two? Pleasantview Culinary Director Austin Gran will offer a complimentary seminar for those cooking minimally these days. It will be offered at 10:00 am, Feb. 25 in the Friendship Center. Some simple nutritional items will be prepared and sampled during the class, and there will also be some recipe handouts. The focus is on nutrition and motivation for those cooking for one or two persons. There is no cost to attend and no limit to the size of the group, but an RSVP will be helpful. To do so, call 656-2421 or email Austin at AGran@pvhome.org.