September 27, 2009.

Vital Spiritual Practices

 Hospitality

 

Call to worship

Invocation

Holy, holy, holy                                                                                               HWB # 120

For the fruit of all creation                                                                   HWB # 90

1 John 3.11, 16-18

Litany of Confession

Leader   Day and night we cry out to God for help.

Women  We ask for food for the hungry.

Men       We pray for power for the powerless.

All          We desire justice for the oppressed.

Leader   Our hearts cry out: “God do something!”

Men       “Make things right.”

Women  “Grant us peace.”

All          “Change the world.”

Leader   But we confess that too often we look for a miracle

              when our hands and hearts could be God’s means of granting justice.

                                  Silence

Leader   The God who made heaven and earth helps us to live justly.

All          Emboldened by God’s strength,

              we will pursue what is right and holy and just .

 

Brothers and sisters of mine                                                   HWB # 142

Offering

Children’s time

Matthew 15.21-28

Sermon            Becoming A Neighbor

When the poor ones                                                                SJ # 69 v. 1, 2, 4

Congregational prayer

Announcements

Renew your church                                                              HWB # 363

Benediction

 

There is a nursery for young children across from the main washrooms.

 

Leading in Worship: 

Pre-service worship music :  Glad To Be Here

Worship Leader :  Lynn Yantzi              

Song Leader : Tim Miller Dyck

Accompanists :  Doris Martin, Susan Seyler

Children’s Time :  Melissa Gingerich

Sermon :  Pastor Myrna Miller Dyck

Congregational Prayer :  Pastor Ilene Bergen

 

Coffee, tea & juice and muffins will be served in the fellowship hall following the service. Donations for the muffins will go towards LOGOS.

 

Today

 

11 & 11:15 - Christian Education for all ages.

Preschool (ages 2) in room 004, lower level.

Preschool (age 3 & 4) in room 008, lower level.

Kindergarten to grade 5 in lower assembly area.

Jr. Youth (grades 6-8) in room 005, lower level.

Youth (high school) meet in the north upper gym room.

Mass Sunday School in the Fellowship Hall for adults on preparing for the H1N1 Pandemic.

2 p.m. - Ralph & Sue Weber will be showing pictures and sharing their experiences from their Mission Trip to Benin at Bloomingdale Mennonite Church.  All are welcome! 

 

THIS EVENING AT 5:30  we will be hosting our Jamaican Neighbours to an evening of a meal followed by music, games and storytelling.  If you registered for this event and are able to bring a crokinole board and/or a dominoes set, indicate so by placing a "C" or "D", or both, beside your name on the sign-up sheet.  Thank you.

 

This Week

Monday

Morning - Volunteers are needed to help cut wipes at the New Hamburg Thrift Centre. Call Mildred V. Roth for more information.

 

Fall Seniors’ Retreat at Hidden Acres Retreat Centre. Theme: Mennonite Congregation Singing, Sources and Traditions of Past and Present. Brochures are on the small table in the hall by the mailboxes.    

 

Tuesday

7 p.m. - Interested in being part of a small group? Want to learn about small groups? Join Janessa Otto, Darlene Gingerich and others for a brief informative sharing time.

 

7 p.m. - Have you noticed our blue hymnals are just a little tattered? Come join the Worship Committee in an evening of taping the spines of our hymnals. Snack supplied!

 

Wednesday

8 - 8:30 a.m. - Meeting for prayer in room 115. All are welcome.

 

5:20 - 8 p.m. - LOGOS for children and youth from grades 1-12. This week we celebrate National Chewing Gum Day!

 

7:30 p.m. - All young adults, post high school and older, are invited to Don and Marilyn Steinmann’s (A-3045 Bleams Rd.) to discuss and brainstorm the idea of starting up a new small group. If you are unable to attend but interested or have questions, contact Brent Steinmann.

 

Friday

Tyler Scheerer’s Extravaganza - a fundraiser for his time with Youth With A Mission in Switzerland. $10 includes a dinner followed by a concert. For tickets see Tyler or one of his family members.

 

Saturday

8:45 to 11:30 a.m. - Core Ministry Teams meet at the Church.

 

RIDE for Refugees - Register to ride, log on to www.rideforrefugees.com choose the Waterloo, ON location, then click on Sign Up and follow the steps.  Your team name is Mennonite Central Committee Ontario and Moses Moini is the captain. If you are unable to cycle and would like to sponsor this event, click on Sponsor Team/Rider; then, select Individual Search in order to contribute in the name of a particular individual or select Team Search if you prefer to sponsor the team as a whole.  You can also use a team member's pledge form if you would rather sponsor with a cheque or cash. If you have questions, call Neil or

 

Next Sunday             

9:15 - Prayer in room 115

9:30 - Pre-service music

9:45 - World Communion Sunday. Vital Spiritual Practices – Testimony. Acts 4:13-22, Telling It Like It Is, Pastor Steve speaking. The symbols of Communion and Foot Washing will direct our focus on Christ. In lieu of contributions to the congregation’s Compassionate Fund, which after disbursements has a good balance because of the generosity of the congregation, donations will be received to help people in our community through the Wilmot Family Resource Centre.

 

11 & 11:15 a.m. - Christian Education for all ages.

 

MYF

(high school & up)

Oct. 2 (Fri.) - Attending Tyler Scheerer’s fundraising dinner.

 

Small Group

Oct. 1 (Thurs.) 3:15 p.m . - Nithview Seniors’ Bible study meets in the Community Room. Call Victor & Viola Dorsch

 

Coming Events

Oct. 5 (Mon.) - Christmas Choir rehearsal . The Community Advent Concert will be held here at Steinmann on November 29^th , hosted by Zion United Church. All are welcome to participate in the choir.

 

Oct. 7 (Wed.) 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. - Wilmot Township Congregate Dining at Zion United Church, New Hamburg. Cost is $10. Register by 10 a.m. Monday, October 5^th by calling 519.669.3023 or 419.749.0784.

 

Oct. 11 (Sun.) - Thanksgiving Worship service includes a celebration of 185 years of God’s guidance and blessing. Guest speaker is Doris Weber, who grew up in this congregation. A food and coin offering will be received for the Wilmot Family Resource Centre Food Bank.

 

Oct. 16 (Fri.) 7:30 p.m. - Shalom Counselling Services Waterloo invites you to an evening with Mary Wiens, CBC Producer and Reporter, at Waterloo Mennonite Brethren Church. To purchase a $15 ticket talk to Gladys Bender. Reception to follow.

 

Oct. 17 (Sat.) 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. - New Hamburg LIVE! Festival of the Arts is delighted to host a FREE Choral Workshop for young people , grades 7 - 12 at Zion United Church, 215 Peel Street, New Hamburg. Directed by singer/conductor Vicki St. Pierre and accompanist Charlene Nafziger. Register at www.newhamburglive.ca At 4:00 p.m. families and friends can hear this choir sing during a short concert. Tickets just $5.00, available at the door

 

Oct. 21 (Wed.) - All women are invited to St. Agatha Mennonite Church for a day of quilting, comforter knotting, a speaker, and fellowship. Lunch will be provided. Please contact Reta Bender if you are able to attend.

 

Oct. 23-25 (Fri.-Sun.) - Mennonite and Brethren Marriage Encounter Weekend at the King’s Motel in Palmerston. Contact the church office or a pastor for details.

 

Oct. 24 (Sat.) 6:30 p.m. - Annual Fellowship Events Banquet. Details are in your church mailbox or on the table between the mailboxes. Tickets available today from Ralph Gingerich, Sandy Scheerer or Karen Erb.

 

Oct. 24 (Sat.) 7 p.m. - MennoHomes Old-Fashioned Barnraising Fundraiser with “Menno Valley Sound”. Proceeds will go to the Wellesley Semi Build. Concert Location: The Healing Barn, 1433 Berletts Rd., St. Agatha. See bulletin board in the upper lobby for details.

 

Oct. 30 (Fri.) 6:30 p.m. - House of Friendship Fundraising Dinner at St. Aloysius Catholic Church, 11 Traynor Ave., Kitchener. Guest speaker, Dr. David Seljak, Assoc. Professor of Religious Studies, St. Jerome’s University of Waterloo. Tickets: $50 ($40 charitable tax receipt). Contact or 519.742.8327.

 

Oct. 30 (Fri.) 7 p.m. - Mennonite Disaster Service Fundraising Dessert Evening at Crosshill Mennonite Church. Hear updates on current MDS projects, guest speaker Jerry Klassen, music by Five On The Floor, eat home-made pie, and meet MDS board members and volunteers.

 

Last Sunday we offered $ 13,929.20 in worship to God.

Spending Plan:  $ 11,949.00

Jr. Sunday School:  $ 5.20

Mortgage Reduction:  $ 1,955.00

MCC H1N1 Response Kits:  $ 20.00

 

Notices

1. Whatever you are doing to make the world a better and more sustainable place to live, the authors of a new Mennonite Publishing Network book, “Simply Sustainable,” want to know. Categories people can write about include food, cleaning, energy conservation, fair trade, money and barter, recycling as well as physical, spiritual and mental health and other topics.  To offer a submission, or to learn more about the book, go to www.simply-sustainable.org

 

2. MennoHomes is building eight affordable rental units in Wellesley for large low-income families. On the Labour Day weekend volunteers from Old Colony Mennonite Churches held a "barnraising blitz." They framed, roofed and nearly shingled both buildings. Needed now are general laborers (with hard hats, safety boots, tape measures, nail pouches and hammers); also painters needed by mid-October.  Contact Murray Leis, 519.656.3083,

 

3. Articles for the Communicator are due October 11th. You can put them in the “Communicator” mailbox or email them to Janessa Otto at

 

4. Service trip opportunity: Beginning October 5, Mennonite Disaster Service is booking volunteer groups for Jan. - March 2010, mostly for rebuilding in hurricane stricken Gulf States. We will book March Break week, March 15-19, for a group from this congregation.  In   order to know approximate numbers, please contact Steve Drudge during the coming week if you are interested. No firm commitment, just a "likely" or "seriously considering" is OK at this point. (If there is sufficient interest, we might also book a week during the 3rd or 4th week in April, but MDS does not take bookings for April until at least November. Let Steve know if you are interested.)

 

5. Mennonite Central Committee Ontario is requesting up to 5000 H1N1 Response Kits for 49 remote and isolated First Nation Communities in Northern Ontario. These communities are more vulnerable to infectious diseases than we are in the south. Therefore today and next Sunday, October 4, we will be collecting kits. Purchase the contents listed below, put them in a 11" x 16" drawstring bag and place the kits by the table in the hallway outside the Prayer Room. If needed drawstring bags are available on the stools in the main hallway. 

Cash donations are also welcome. Please clearly designate on your offertory envelope. Kits cost about $10.00.

Contents:  

1 hand sanitizer 60-75 ml (must have minimum 62% alcohol)

1 pump soap (mild) 225-250 ml

1 new individual (pocket sized) packet of tissue

1 new hand towel

1 new wash cloth 

Please contact Karl Bergen (MCC Rep) if you have any questions about this project.

 

6. Dead Sea Scrolls are coming to the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Oct. 10 - 18.  Two opportunities to see them with a group and Bible instructor are: Fri., Oct. 16 with Derek Suderman, Old Testament professor, Conrad Grebel University College.  Information and registration: 1.800.206.9356.  Sat., Oct 17 with Precept Ministries. Information and registration: 1.877.234.2030.

 

7. CMU Offers Ancient Stones Study Tour. Have you been dreaming of a visit to the Holy Land? Register now to join Canadian Mennonite University’s (CMU) next learning tour, “Ancient Stones, Living Stones: The Holy Land in Perspective,” April 29-May 21, 2010, with Gordon Matties, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies. This is Gordon’s sixth tour to the Middle East. Get ready for an intense and inspiring learning experience. Check out www.cmu.ca/studytour

 

Personal Notes

-           

-       Congratulations to Jenny & Gregg Stockdale on the birth of Ryan Daniel on Sunday, September 20th.

 

Remember In Prayer This Week

 

v     Pray for the staff of our area church, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, as they seek wisdom and vision.

 

v     Pray that Bruce Yoder and Nancy Frey with their children, Jeremiah and Deborah, will experience God’s presence in the face of dramatic cultural shifts. After 9 ½ years as Mennonite Church Canada Witness workers in Benin, they have returned to North America.