Manchester Church of the Brethren
CONNECTIONS for OCTOBER 2011
Prayer Concerns
There are many ways in which our lives are woven together. Honoring those connections is one of the ways we continue to form deeper relationships within community. In a spirit of prayer, please keep these spoken concerns in your hearts and minds in the coming days.
Within our faith community:
We pray for those who aren’t able to join us in worship this morning due to their current health limitations including: Kathryn Becker, Betty Campbell, Helen Hollenberg and Evan Kinsley. Those Deacons we lift in prayer include: Francis Barr, Liz Hoffman Bauer, Ann Beattie, Angilee Beery, Stan Beery and Joan Fahs. The family of Joyce McFadden. Joyce died Wednesday afternoon, September 21. The Memorial Service will be Sunday afternoon, October 23. The family of Ruth Tully. Ruth died Friday evening, September 23. Service arrangements are pending. JoAnne Valentine hospitalized at Lutheran. Wilbur McFadden hospitalized at Wabash. Dorothy Mason hospitalized at Lutheran.In the wider community:
We pray for our sister church in El Salvador, Emanuel Baptist. We pray for the San Raphael community as their new community committee plans activities for the health and safety of the youth and children. We pray for peace. Pastor On-Call
Sept. 25 – Pastor Kurt: 982-4233, cell: 901-1851
October 2 – Pastor Karen: 982-8420, cell: 578-1247
October 9 – Kurt
October 16 – Karen
October 23 – Kurt
October 30 - Karen
Weekly Calendar
The Family Life Center is open daily from 8 to 10 am for walking and exercise.
Monday, September 26
7:00 pm Deacon Meeting
Tuesday, September 27
9:30 am Peace Patch Preschool
10:30 am Preschool in FLC
10:30 am Staff Meeting
12:00 pm Noon Women’s Bible Study
5:00 pm Weight Watchers – Room 220
5:00 pm Yoga
7:00 pm Richard Livingston Piano Recital in the Chapel at Timbercrest
7:30 pm Volleyball
Wednesday, September 28
9:30 am Peace Patch Preschool
10:30 am Preschool in FLC
7:00 pm Stephen Ministry
7:00 pm Messenger Bible Study
Thursday, September 29
9:30 am Peace Patch Preschool
10:30 am Preschool in FLC
5:00 pm Yoga
7:00 pm Stewardship Education Committee
7:30 pm Ecclesia Choir
Friday, September 30 – Office Closed
Walkers please use West FLC door
9:30 am Peace Patch Preschool
10:30 am Preschool in FLC
Saturday, October 1 – Camp Mack Festival
1:00 pm Kitchen in use
4:00 pm Middle School Youth Retreat
Sunday, October 2
9:30 am Worship. A very big stone. Pastor Kurt.Text: Matthew 21: 33-46.
Ecclesia Choir. Melodia Choir
10:30 am Fellowship Time
10:45 am Christian Education
NO College Student Meal
6:30 pm Love Feast
7:00 pm Room 213 in use
Piano Recital
Richard Livingston will present a piano recital on Tuesday evening, September 27, at 7:00 p.m. in the Timbercrest Chapel. The program will feature music by "The 3 B's of Classical Music." It will include two preludes and fugues from J. S. Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier, Sonata #8, Op. 13 ("Pathétique") by Ludwig van Beethoven, and three intermezzi by Johannes Brahms. The program will last approximately one hour. All are welcome.
Messenger Group
The Messenger Bible Study group will meet at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, September 28, in the Education Room at Timbercrest. We will discuss Grady Snyder's article "Brethren Outreach as a Two-Way Street." (Please note change of date.) Susie & Charles Klingler, for the group.
Changes to the Directory
Leona Campbell, 210 S. Maple
Kurt Borgmann, new cell phone number: 901-1851
Kathy and Paul Fry-Miller, 12856 N 325, 982-7385
Kathy's email: katpik@aol.com
Paul's email: pfmcanoeb@aol.com
October Worship Themes
October 2 – A Very Big Stone. Pastor Kurt. Text: Matthew 21¨33-46. Ecclesia Choir, Melodia Choir.
6:30 pm - Love Feast, Foot-Washing and Communion
October 9 – What is our Dress Code? Pastor Jim. Text: Matthew 22: 1-14. Ecclesia Choir
October 16 – National Junior High Sunday
Piece by Piece. Pastor Kurt. Text: Eph. 2: 14-22
Taizé Choir
October 23 – A Trick Question. Pastor Kurt. Text: Matthew 22: 34-46. Youth Choir, Melodia Choir
October 30 – Stewardship Emphasis How do I look? Pastor Kurt. Text: Matthew 25: 1-13. Ecclesia Choir
Middle School Youth
Fall Retreat - at Koinonia. Music, art, hiking, games … and prep for National Junior High Sunday. Meet at the church by 4pm on Saturday, October 1; return by noon on Sunday, October 2.
October 16 - Junior High Sunday. Plan on some practice time Saturday, Oct.15.
Senior High Youth
Sunday, October 2 - Lunch at Schillings’ at noon.
Looking ahead:
November 12-13 - Powerhouse 2011 at Manchester College
December 6 - Registration begins for Christian Citizenship Seminar (April 14-19) in New York City and Washington, DC. This year's theme is, "What's your carbon footprint?"
Mark your calendars - "Silent Auction"
The senior high youth are sponsoring a Silent Auction to be held January 15, 22, and 29, 2012. Organizing this year's auction will be Jan Fahs and Bonnie Shenefield. Keep alert to details late in the fall for bringing items, services, etc. to be bid on to raise funds for a trip to El Salvador the summer of 2012.
Adult Christian Education
Questers Class meets in the Chapel.
October 2, finish The Evolution of Faith by Philip Gulley with David Waas as discussion leader.
October 9, Decade to Overcome Violence with Brad Yoder as discussion leader.
October 16 & 23, The Brother of Jesus by Jeffrey Butz with Jo Ann Schall as discussion leader.
October 30, District Moderator presented by Beth Sollenberger.
Koinonia Class meets in the Conference Room and will continue the series on prayer led by Byron Miller.
Friends Class meets in room 211
Jubilee Class meets in room 301
All Things Considered Class meets in Room 220
October 2 Bible Discussion with Bob Bowman
October 9 Bible Discussion with Bob Bowman
October 16 Sermon Conversation the Kurt Borgmann
October 23 Science and Religion with Dwight Beery.
Request from Communion Committee
Please consider donating your clean & empty ice cream tubs to be used for left-overs after Love Feast Sunday, October 2. The food will be frozen and donated to provide the meals for College Students on Sunday evenings this year. Thank you!
Make time for Bell Choir
Rehearsals on Wednesdays at 7 pm. Questions? See Robert Lynn
Church World Service is in need of clean up bucket kits. Would you like to donate a bucket but do not want the job of shopping for all the items and getting the bucket shipped? The third/fourth grade class is willing to do the work of purchasing and putting the cleaning buckets together. Anyone that would like to donate toward this project, find our table in the Narthex on October Sundays of 2, 9, and 16. Thank you, Harley Kruschwitz, Kelsey Eichenauer, Hannah Lehman, Samuel Reichenbach, Justin Self, Susannah Watson, Konrad Borgmann, Leo Fuller Wollman, Ann Hartsough, Alice Campbell, Angilee Beery.
Mark Your Calendars!
See your bulletin insert this week! Everyone is invited to participate in a morning of workshops called “The Times of Our Lives,” Saturday, October 15, at the Church. The morning starts with a breakfast of cinnamon rolls and fruit from 8-8:45. This event is provided for you free of charge.
Event at GilChrist Retreat Center: October 17-18
The Circle of Trust facilitators invite you to an overnight event at the Fetzer Institutes retreat center near Three Rivers, MI. The $60 fee includes lodging and meeting space rental and some food. If interested, be in touch with either Nancy Olson, Helen Beery or Jim Chinworth. The group will depart North Manchester at 8am Monday, October 17, and return late afternoon Tuesday (18th).
Fellowship Meals
We are grateful to the Friends and Jubilee Classes for providing a pleasing pasta dinner for the September Fellowship Meal. On October 19, the All things Considered and the Questers Classes will combine to bring together another wonderful evening. As usual, proceeds from these fund-raisers go to the Matching Scholarship Fund.
CONNECTIONS with our Community ….
Fellowship of Churches Report
REACH served 23 clients last month. Electric bills remained high. Contributions were up but not enough to match the needs. October means the energy assistance from the government will kick in again for qualified families, so that should help.
The THRIFT SHOP logged 346 volunteer hours and hosted a Seasonal Clothing Give-Away last month so they wouldn’t have to put the summer clothes into storage. They have a surplus of coats and are considering another Give-Away Event to reduce that inventory since space is an issue.
The FOOD PANTRY logged 357 volunteer hours and is having some frustration getting the walk-in cooler assembled. It was donated and, if it works ok, then they won’t need to buy a new one.
THURSDAY’S CHILD served 31 infants and toddlers. They have switched their seasonal clothing and contributions are up. They are grateful for the community support. Extra clothing goes to Goodwill and what doesn’t get used there goes overseas.
FELLOWSHIP APARTMENTS has been doing well and are grateful to the Methodist Church for the landscaping and for painting the sign.
Nurture Events: The planning committee for the Community Thanksgiving Service on November 20, was established and brain-storming for the Christmas Angel Tree Program has started.
Church Women United: November 4 will be the World Community Day sponsored by CWU. The jail ministry (Women’s Bible Study) is continuing, though the crafts activities (crocheting and beading) have been suspended.
River Clean-Up Report
There were 56 tires removed from the river weighing 1,458 pounds. The Wabash County Highway Department paid for 11,520 pounds of trash disposal at the landfill. The scrap metal guy is not finished sorting everything yet, but he estimates about 4,000 pounds of metal. (And no, we do not get cash for the metal, we are just glad to get it recycled and taken away!) So that is an approximate total of 16,978 pounds of trash out of the river from Saturday's clean-up. It was an amazing day! Thanks to all of you for your support and participation.
CONNECTIONS with Our Denomination …and Our District…..
Newsline is produced by the news services of the Church of the Brethren. To subscribe, simply contact the editor at cobnews@brethren.org
District changes E-mail: scindcob@gmail.com
And web-site: www.scindcob.org
Connect with Beth Sollenberger (574) 238-9156 or bsollenberger@brethren.org
Camp Mack Festival
Saturday, October 1, 9am-4pm
This is a day of fun and festivities for the whole family! All ages are welcome! Handicap parking and transportation are available for those with special needs. Admission and parking are free. Festival proceeds help underwrite summer camp scholarships.
Additional information is available online: campmack@npcc.net
Help create a new cookbook.
Be a part of the new Inglenook Cookbook as we share our favorite recipes, recall our fondest memories, and celebrate our rich Brethren heritage. Please submit your favorite recipes by October 15 to Brethren Press, 1451 Dundee Ave. Elgin, IL 60120
Regional Youth Conference
Registration for the 2011 Powerhouse Regional Youth Conference at Manchester College officially opens Sept. 6. The dates are Nov. 12-13, with the theme “Follow If You Dare.” All youth in grades 9-12 and advisors are welcome. Cost is $50 for youth, $40 for advisors, which includes three meals. To register, go to: www.manchester.edu/Powerhouse
Progressive Brethren Gathering – Registration Open!
"Pressing on, No Turning Back" is the theme for the Progressive Brethren Gathering on Nov. 11-13 hosted by Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren in Elgin, Ill. The gathering is sponsored by Womaen’s Caucus, Voices for an Open Spirit, and the Brethren Mennonite Council for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Interests. Keynote speaker Sharon Welch, professor at Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago, Registration is $100, with daily rates and reduced rates for students and children. Go to www.progessivebrethren.org for registration.
Prayer Calendar for Bethany Theological Seminary
Please join us in prayer this year for the mission and ministry of Bethany. For October 2011, please pray for Bethany’s Board of Trustees, who give their time, talents, and resources as advocates for the Seminary and who hold their semi-annual meeting this month.
Prayer Calendar for October
Week of Oct. 2: As we gather Sunday after Sunday it is easy to forget that our worship of God expands beyond the walls of our congregations. As Jesus prayed in the Gospel of John, pray this week of World Communion Sunday for the unity of the wider Christian community.
Week of Oct. 9: The Mission of God to creation in Jesus Christ sends us out to take part in that mission both locally and globally. Pray that time, energy, gifts, and support for God's mission might both be given and received.
Week of Oct. 16: At the end of this week the Mission and Ministry Board will gather to guide the ministries of the denomination. Take time to pray for the strategic plan that will be used as the frame for our work as a church.
Week of Oct. 23: As farmers gather the fruit of their work, offer thanks for the gift of food and the hands that labor to produce it. As a reminder of these gifts, keep track of how many times you open the refrigerator this week. Share from your bounty.
Week of Oct. 30: Give thanks for the many witnesses, both the saints known and unknown, who have shared the life giving story of Jesus Christ with countless generations.
2012 Annual Conference
Preachers, worship leaders, and music leadership for the daily worship services at the 2012 Annual Conference have been announced by the Conference Office. The 2012 Annual Conference of the Church of the Brethren takes place in St. Louis, Mo., on July 7-11 next year.
Renowned Lutheran scholar, preacher, and writer Walter Brueggemann will speak for the opening worship service on Saturday evening, July 7. Manchester College campus minister and former "Messenger" editor Walt Wiltschek will be worship leader for the service. Other participants are listed in the current issues of Newsline.
