Worship this Sunday, February 24, 2019
Theme: Beauty in Brokenness: Beauty in Betrayal
Worship Leader: Shirley Showalter
Song Leader: Nancy Heisey
Prelude/Offertory/Reflection Music: Anna Showalter
Scripture Readers: Mark Sawin; Dick Stoltzfus
Preacher: Dayna Olson-Getty
Pastoral Prayer: Dayna Olson-Getty
Scripture: Genesis 45:3-11, 15; Luke 6:27-38
Bulletin: 022419-Bulletin.docx
Upcoming CMC Events
Wed, Feb 27 Kids’ Club, 6 pm, Basement
Fri, Mar 1 First Friday Art Opening, 5-8 pm, Fellowship Hall
Sun, Mar 3 MYF Fundraiser Meal, 11:45 pm, Fellowship Hall
Bridges Community Gathering potluck and dance, 4-7 pm,
Fellowship Hall and Sanctuary (snow date, March 10). All welcome!
Sat, Mar 9 Open Circle Small Group, 6 pm, Room 109. All are welcome!
Sun, Mar 10 Contemplative Worship Service, Sanctuary, 8 pm
CMC Events and Announcements
Dean House VS Unit Open House. Liza and Ali would like to invite Community Mennonite Church to venture over to the Dean House on Sunday, February 25 after church to an Open House. Lots of work has been put into the success and functionality of the house, and we would like to thank the congregation by welcoming them to get a taste of what everyday life is like as a CMC VSer. So come on over and introduce yourselves and find out what we have been up to!
Sunday School Needs. Once again a new Sunday School quarter is approaching! Starting in March, the children's Sunday School program is in need of the following:
Teachers (to teach in rotation with others)
Assistants
Music Leaders
Thank you to those of you who have dedicated time to nurturing and challenging our CMC children over the past months. The time you have invested in building relationships is greatly appreciated. If you are able to participate in the coming months (even one month is appreciated!), please be in touch with Monica Carlson (m.carlson.piano@gmail.com) as soon as possible.
Drivers for VANITA. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a volunteer driver for VANITA (Valley Area Network for Immigrant Transportation Assistance), please join us on Saturday, Feb. 23 (2:00 PM) in Room 109 (CMC). We will provide information, answer questions, and share our driving experiences. Email Tina Beachy (tbeachy530@gmail.com) with any questions.
MYF Fundraiser. Instead of a church potluck on Sunday, March 3rd, the senior high youth group will serve soups and broiled sandwiches as a fundraiser meal. Proceeds will go toward the youth group's trip this summer to Mennonite Church USA Convention in Kansas City. –Jason Gerlach
Bridges Community Gathering. On Sunday, March 3, CMC will be hosting another Bridges Community Gathering, an interfaith, intercultural potluck with music and dancing. The oft-heard response after our November gathering was, "When can we do this again?!" Music and dances will start at 4 pm in the sanctuary with the potluck about an hour later in the fellowship hall, followed by more music/dances until 7:00. Some children's groups are also planning to perform. Join in or watch from the sidelines! This is a chance to welcome our neighbors into our space. Bring a dish and join the fun! [Snowdate will be March 10]. fb.me/bridges.friendlycity –Betty Shenk
Contemplative Worship Service. Beginning Sunday, March 10th there will be a new Contemplative Worship Service weekly on Sunday evenings at 8 PM at CMC. This service is an invitation to deepening our everyday connection to ourselves and the community through healing, action and contemplation for the sake of the world. The service will be a time for contemplative silence, embodied practice and a space that welcomes and affirms everyone. Please note children are welcome, however, there will be no childcare provided during the service. Contact Adam Yoder (yodera@yahoo.com) on behalf of the Contemplative Service Discernment Group for additional information.
March Monthly Gathering. The next CMC Monthly Gathering will be Tuesday, March 19, with taco bar supper at 6 pm, followed at 7 p.m. by LIT (Learning Interesting Things). The topic will be: Mountain Valley Pipeline: Frontline stories from our Learning Tour. Hear stories and see images of the MVP from CMC’s learning tour in November. Learn about the big picture of fracked gas pipelines in Virginia, with an overview provided by activist Joshua Vana, coordinator of RAPTORS of the Valley. Take home resources for further study and action. Sponsored by CMC's Green Congregation Committee. For more info, contact Brian Martin Burkholder (brian.burkholder@emu.edu; 540-746-6419) or Mary Jo Bowman (bowbro@juno.com; 540-383-7792).
Thank You. We send thanks for the outpouring of love from you all, symbolized by some lovely card pictures lining our window to the world here on the eighth floor at U VA. Thank you for your care, compassion, and prayers! –Timothy and Ruth
If you're wanting to send a word of encouragement to Tim Jost while he's hospitalized at UVA, consider this UVA e-card service: https://ecards.uvahealth.com/ –Pastoral Team
Bridge of Hope Harrisonburg-Rockingham is currently looking for a Neighboring Volunteer group of 6-10 committed people that would like to walk alongside and encourage a family in our program. Bridge of Hope works with single-parent families (children under 18) facing homelessness in our community. The program lasts 12-24 months. Initial training, ongoing relational support, and planned monthly gatherings will be provided. If you have questions, you can ask any of CMC’s former neighboring group which included Sue Swartz, Rebecca Barge, Andrea Wenger, and Shirley Showalter. Please contact Chris Hoover Seidel, Director, at director@hr.bridgeofhopeinc.org or cell: 717-602-0871 if you are interested.
Meals for Kids’ Club. Thank you so much to all of the small groups who have brought food to Kids’ Club so far! We are in need of more simple Wednesday meals for the winter/spring if it works for your small group or family. Generally we have 10-15 kids a week (sometimes more). Please email Hannah Hall, hannahdmhall@gmail.com if there’s a Wednesday that works for you!
Attention parents of EMS students and Mennonite college/university students: It's time to fill out the application for EMS and/or Mennonite college/university students for church matching grants/financial aid for the 2019-2020 school year. As of the 2019-2020 school year, CMC will provide $2000 each year ($1000 per semester) to qualified students who attend a Mennonite Church college or university. In addition, CMC provides financial aid to EMS students who qualify. In order to be considered for these grants/financial aid, please fill out the applicable google form below no later than March 17, 2019.
Eastern Mennonite School financial aid form
Mennonite College/University grant form
If you have questions about qualifications, please visit CMC's website or send an email to Shannon Sneary Alabanza at swsneary@gmail.com. Thank you!
Weekly Lenten Devotional Email List – CMC collaborates every year on a daily Lenten devotional reflection, written by folks at Community, Shalom, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill Mennonite congregations. If you would like to have your name added to the email list, sign up here, or let the office if know you would like a printed copy in advance. Daily postings will also be listed on CMC’s Facebook page.
Everence Sharing Funds provided $3000 in matching funds to support special needs in our church last year. Wayne Hochstedler serves as the Everence advocate for our congregation. For more information about sharing funds contact Wayne at whochstedler@gmail.com.
Church Midweek Parking. If you come to the church during the week, CMC parking spaces are now designated 1) beside the ramp entrance and 2) in the spaces between the handicapped parking and the steps that go down to Rosetta Stone. Rosetta Stone rents parking spaces from CMC, and they park on the north side of the parking lot and the spaces along the playground wall. Parking spaces along the front of the church are reserved for Community Preschool parents. If you are not sure if you have parked in the right space, feel free to check in with the church office. Thanks!
GMO Survey. Ava Grace Flory is conducting a survey for a high school biology class on the community’s knowledge and opinions on GMO foods. She would really appreciate it if you would take some time to complete a brief survey. It should take about 2 minutes. Please click the following link to complete the survey. Genetically Modified Crop Survey. If you prefer to cut and past the URL into your browser, you can do so with the following address: https://goo.gl/forms/inRsujJVX57949SR2. Thanks! Ava Grace Flory
'FEAR NOT LITTLE FLOCK,' HE SAID SHEEPISHLY . . . for behold, the "CMC Today" bulletin board at the south end of the fellowship is featuring a new photo collage that launches the first worship series in 2019 focusing on the Luke 12:29-32 theme verse for this year. To its right, check out a photo review from the January 6 Epiphany service featuring loads of music and communion, also some heart-felt reflections on Valentine's Day themes and a 'congregational report' for Nov.-Dec., 2018 from the 1/21/19 issue of Mennonite World Review. Enjoy! Jim Bishop
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE BEST KIND – Brothers and sisters, Lent me your ears (and eyes) – Cast ye corporate gaze eastward to the "CMC Yesterday" bulletin board on the east wall of the fellowship hall. There you'll find photo collages full of smiling happy people holding hands and 'encountering God,' the theme for Lenten services 2014. Remember?
Jim Bishop
Greening CMC: Speaking Out. Virginia was the first southern state to propose direct steps to address their emissions, and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality proposal to cap CO2 emissions is now in its final comment period. Speak out by March 6 on the proposal to join this regional initiative to reduce our climate impact.
Announcements from Virginia Mennonite Conference, Harrisonburg area and beyond
Nurture your children’s faith at home this Lent and Easter. Find a free, downloadable Lent At Home guide at mennoniteusa.org/lent2019. It includes Bible readings, short litanies, songs, hands-on activities and questions to ponder from March 5 through Easter Sunday on April 21.
Prayers are requested for those participating in the MC USA Constituency Leaders Council meeting taking place Feb. 28 – March 2 in Hesston, Kansas.
Call for Art Submissions at Mennonite Church USA Convention. The MC USA convention will be held in Kansas City this summer. The Peace and Justice Support Network is calling for submissions of painting, drawing, graphic arts or sculpture that challenge us to greater acts of peacemaking. Artwork will be displayed at the PJSN booth in the convention hall. A silent auction of the art works will operate, with proceeds going to support peacemaking across the church. You don’t have to be a professional to participate! Like the priesthood of all believers, this art show is open to everybody! Interested? Contact Jason Boone at PJSN by clicking here.
Would you like to open your home and your heart to a Mennonite Central Committee international volunteer? Please consider hosting an EMU foreign language assistant for the 2019-20 academic year. The department of language and literature is seeking Harrisonburg hosts to provide native speakers of Spanish with private bedrooms, packed lunches for weekdays, other meals at home, transportation to and from campus during the week and church on Sundays, and emotional support as they serve the EMU community. Compensation for host families includes a monthly stipend and rich international friendships. (You can read about the program at http://www.mcc.org/ivep/.) To explore the possibility of hosting, please contact Vi Dutcher at vi.dutcher@emu.edu.
EMU Music Concert: The EMU Wind Ensemble presents "Music from France" at 7:00pm Sunday, February 24, in Lehman Auditorium. The concert is free, with donations accepted for EMU’s music scholarship fund. For more info, visit emu.edu/music.
All are welcome to attend the Shenandoah Valley Men's Chorus concert at Weavers Mennonite Church, March 3 at 7:00 pm. Jared Stutzman, Eastern Mennonite School music department, is the director. The special offering this year will benefit Lezha Academic Center, in Lezhe, Albania. This school, now in its 9th year, has experienced growth and blessing. Jim and Pam Beachy, who have been teachers at LAC, will present their vision and the story of this adventure. They plan to return to Albania again in the fall. Albania Christian Education Foundation supports the administrative interests of LAC, while VMMissions sends the personnel from the US.
2019 MCC Turkey Canning Project: The Annual Meat Canning is scheduled for February 25-March 1, 2019 at the Hinton Mennonite Relief Center, Hinton, VA. Virginia Mennonite Conference is responsible to help provide help on Tuesday, February 26. Help is needed from 5 AM until 11 PM each day. Friday, March 1 is scheduled as a community day and help is especially needed in the early morning. Anyone is welcome to come and help on any day! Funds are needed to purchase turkey for processing and for the ongoing operation of the Relief Center. If you would like to contribute to this project you can send a donation to the: Hinton Mennonite Relief Center, PO Box 519, Dayton, VA 22821. If you have any questions about this project you can contact Leon Rhodes at (540) 820-5443 or Gerald Knicely at (540) 478-4203. Thanks for your participation in this effort to feed the less fortunate in the world.
FREE Medical, Dental and Vision Clinic, Saturday-Sunday, March 2-3, 2019, Rockingham County Fairgrounds, Harrisonburg, VA. This RAM (Remote Area Medical) clinic will be offering free medical screenings; women’s health visits; dental hygiene, fillings and extractions; and vision exams (with glasses made on-site). First come, first served. Tickets will be given out at 3 a.m. At the Fairgrounds; doors will open at 6 a.m. No identification or insurance required! To learn more, visit www.ramusa.org. Questions? Call or text 540-820-2996. This endeavor is financially supported by the RMH Foundation, the United Way of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, the James Madison University College of Health and Behavioral Studies, Holtzman Oil and the Harrisonburg Community Foundation.
All are welcome to the Shenandoah Valley Men's Chorus concert at Weavers Mennonite Church, March 3 at 7 pm. Jared Stutzman, Eastern Mennonite School music department, is the director. The special offering this year will benefit Lezha Academic Center, in Lezhe, Albania. This school, now in its 9th year, has experienced growth and blessing. Jim and Pam Beachy, who have been teachers at LAC, will present their vision and the story of this adventure. They plan to return to Albania again in the fall. Albania Christian Education Foundation supports the administrative interests of LAC, while vmmissions sends the personnel from the US.
Thurs., March 7, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. — Parents of students who will enter 9th grade in fall 2019 are invited to a breakfast meeting. This is for parents of students who will attend 9th grade at Eastern Mennonite High School, or for those who may be interested in learning about 9th grade at EMHS. More details at www.easternmennonite.org. RSVP to Marsha Thomas (thomasm@emhs.net or 540-236-6021).
A two-day all-area knotting bee is planned for March 7-8. It will be at Village Hall on the VMRC campus. Come join in the fun when it works for you, Thursday or Friday, or both! Luann Bender and Deb Layman will have comforters ready to knot, provide snacks and all of the needed supplies. Please bring a sack lunch if you are staying over that time. We look forward to seeing you and enjoying each other's company as we make much needed comforters for MCC. Invite your friends! And if you have any supplies you'd like to donate – tops or backs, you may bring them. Email laymans4@verizon.net if you have questions.
Thurs., March 14, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. — Parents of students who will enter 6th grade in fall 2019 are invited to a breakfast meeting. This is for parents of students who will attend 6th grade at Eastern Mennonite Middle School, or for those who may be interested in learning about 6th grade at EMMS. More details at www.easternmennonite.org. RSVP to Marsha Thomas (thomasm@emhs.net or 540-236-6021).
Not Made for This. A performance about the life of Jourden Banks who was born enslaved in Rockingham County will be shared at the Lucy Simms Center at Court Square Theater on March 16 at 7 pm. –Art Stoltzfus.
Join Highland staff and friends on Saturday, March 16 at Lindale Mennonite Church for the Highland Benefit Auction. The auction helps subsidize camp tuition for all camper families and provides scholarships for families with greater need. Contact info@highlandretreat.org before March 1 if you have something you would like to donate: a new item, service, collectible, or baked good. See www.highlandretreat.org for more details.
Screen Schooled: Two Veteran Teachers Expose How Technology Overuse Is Making Our Kids Dumber. Joe Clement and Matt Miles, educators and authors of a book by the same title, present at Eastern Mennonite School, March 20, 7:30 p.m. In the school auditorium. Area educators, parents, pastors, and those interested in childhood development are especially invited to this free presentation and Q&A on the impact of technology on children's' brain development. Presented in partnership with James Madison University and WVPT and with sponsorship support from EMU, Park View Federal Credit Union, Everence, Shirley's Popcorn and Brian Mayes Studio. See full article for more details.
Monday, March 25, 8 a.m. — Middle and high school students are invited to shadow a current student at Eastern Mennonite School. Parents can participate in an informational session, tour the facilities and more. Download a registration form at www.emhs.net/admissions/visit.cfm. Call 540-236-6021 with questions.
Thurs., March 28 – Parents of students who are in pre-school through 4th grade are invited to drop in between 8:30 and 10 a.m. for coffee, conversation and observation to learn about Eastern Mennonite Elementary School. Talk with Maria Archer, principal; Marsha Thomas, admissions counselor; teachers, other parents and school counselors. Observe classrooms. More details at www.easternmennonite.org. RSVP to Marsha Thomas at 540-236-6021 or email thomasm@emhs.org
The Collins Center is offering a retreat for adult female survivors of sexual abuse on Saturday, March 30 from 9 am-2 pm. This retreat provides an opportunity for attendees to build community and reflect on their journeys of healing. If you would like more information, please feel free to reach out to Margaret at the Collins Center, margaret@thecollinscenter.org. Because CMC participates in the Safe Church program, there is no registration cost for CMCers who attend.
Eastern Mennonite School welcomes applications for a new Leadership Scholarship for students grades 9-12. Recipients will receive up to 50% off of the regular high school tuition rate. Applicants must be new students who have a GPA of 3.5 or higher, and who wish to develop their leadership skills through contributions to the school. An interview and essay are required. Contact Marsha Thomas at 540-236-6021 or go to emhs.net/admissions/leadership-scholarship.cfm