Worship this Sunday, March 24, 2019
Theme: Lent 3: Blessed Hunger, Holy Feast
Worship Leader: Jan Jenner
Song Leader: Greg Yoder
Prelude: Brad Lehman
Scripture: Luisa Miller, Leah Wenger
Children’s Time: Dayna Olson-Getty
Preacher: Rev. Cyneatha Millsaps
Pastoral Prayer: Dayna Olson-Getty
Scripture: Isaiah 55:1-9; Luke 13:1-9
Bulletin: 032419-Bulletin
Upcoming CMC Events
Sun, Mar 24 Contemplative Worship Service, 8 pm, Sanctuary
Wed, Mar 27 Women’s Bible Study, 8:30 am, Room 109
Thurs, Mar 28 Lent Contemplative Prayer, 8-8:30 am, Fellowship Hall
Fri, Mar 29 CMC Seniors host the MYF–meal provided, 6 pm, Fellowship Hall
CMC Events and Announcements
The Spirit Quilt: Africans in the Americas. Rev. Cyneatha Millsaps, Executive Director of Mennonite Women USA, is our guest preacher on Sunday, March 24. After worship during the adult ed hour, she will display The Spirit Quilt: Africans in the Americas and share its story. The quilt was created by 13 women from 2 congregations, Hively Avenue Mennonite Church (Elkhart, IN) and Community Mennonite Church (Markham, IL) as part of a Central District Conference "Reign of God Grant." The women worked together on every aspect of the quilt design, which tells the story of Africans brought to America, their lives in America and the hope for the future.
To learn more about Mennonite Women USA visit https://mennonitewomenusa.org/.
You are welcome to join the Contemplative Worship Service weekly on Sunday at 8 pm at CMC. This service is an invitation to deepening our everyday connection to God, 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.
Lent Contemplative Prayer. Join others in a time of contemplative prayer, Thursday mornings from 8-8:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall of CMC (through April 18). Consider this an opportunity to begin your day by listening and consenting to the Spirit of God within you in the company and presence of brothers and sisters. “We need contemplative practices that remind us who we are and of that which we are capable. Practices that enable us to live the revolutionary teachings of Jesus like: loving one’s neighbor without judgment or separation, giving one’s life for the benefit of others, healing the sick, helping the poor, and doing justice for all people. Contemplation is the space and presence-of-being that allows the illusions that wreak havoc on the world to be dismantled. Contemplative practice nurtures the growth and development of selfless, unconditional love. This mindset does not erase differences, but transcends them, inviting us to behold the Divine in all." -Victoria Rosales
We will begin by listening to one of the Lenten scripture texts, followed by 15-20 minutes of silence. Instruction will be included for those who are new to Centering prayer. Please join us – entering by the ramp door on the north side of the building. Jane Peifer (from Shalom) and Keaton Shenk and Kathy Hochstedler (from CMC) will share the leadership.
Saturday Night Easter Vigil. Each year Community Mennonite Church collaborates with Park View Mennonite Church to sponsor an Easter Vigil–a rich service that begins at an outdoor fire, includes scriptures of our sacred history, offers an opportunity to renew our baptismal covenant and leads to a joyful transformation of the visual environment in celebration of resurrection. If you would like to participate this year as a scripture reader or in some other way (vigil begins at 10pm on Sat, April 20) please contact Pastor Jennifer. jennifer.davis.sensenig@cmcva.org
Faith and Finances (Adult Ed Class). This week, the Faith and Finances for All Ages and Stages class will hear from Jennifer and John Murch about “Teaching Children about Money.“ Please feel free to join us in Room 109!
Conference Affiliation Discernment Survey. The Leadership Taskforce requests input from CMC members and regular attenders on our conference affiliation discernment. Please use this link to take a brief survey. The survey will close April 24. –Aili Huber, Council Chair
Fifth Sunday Offering on Sunday, March 31. On Sunday, March 31, the first Fifth Sunday offering of 2019 will go toward grants for tuition at Mennonite colleges. Last year, church council asked a task force to review CMC's support for Mennonite education, and the task force recommended increasing the grants for both college and Eastern Mennonite School students. They noted that CMC had not changed its financial support for Mennonite college students in 25 years. This year, council intends to double the grants to students at Mennonite colleges to $1,000 per semester, and to fund this in part through a special offering and additional contributions–the goal is $10,000. Plans are to add additional support for EMS students in 2020. Please consider making a contribution to this education fund at next week's special offering. –Jeremy Nafziger, Council Vice Chair
Congregational Sharing. Last September we decided to stop committing staff time to transcribing Sunday morning congregational sharing and distributing it via email to the congregation. Some CMCers (fewer than 3% of adults) have noticed and shared their disappointment with pastors or the church administrator. We want to encourage a rich community life and upholding one another in prayer throughout the week, yet at this time we don't see staff time as the most fitting response to this need. For those who wish to remember prayer concerns throughout the week a couple ideas are: build your commitment to pray by recording requests on a bulletin or prayer card as you listen during worship; build relationships by asking a friend to do this and share it with you when you're away. There may be CMCers who are willing and available to consistently take on this responsibility. If you are among them, please be in touch with the church office. –Pastor Jennifer
Community Mennonite Church is hiring a Church Administrator. Office and building administration, church communication duties, and pastoral and church council support, requiring computer skills, writing and proofreading, office management, initiative, and the call to sustain the ministry of the church through interaction with the public, congregation, and pastors. 30 hours per week, competitive salary with benefits including health insurance, paid vacation and sick leave, and retirement contributions. See the job posting on the CMC website for more information and application instructions. Applications will close on April 5, with the job to start around April 24. Questions? Email Jeremy Nafziger at councilvicechair@cmcva.org.
ATTENTION CMC Seniors and MYFers: This is the year that the CMC seniors host our MYF for an evening of food, music, and fun.
TIME: Friday, March 29, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.
PLACE: CMC Fellowship Hall
BRING: An appetite (do not eat before you come) and an appetite for fun.
Children’s Faith Formation Workshop. Youth Commission invites you to take part in an interactive workshop focusing on children’s faith formation on Tuesday, April 9 at 7 pm at CMC. Joyce Peachey Lind will provide input about faith development and guide discussion to help us think creatively about ways to welcome children into the life of the congregation and nurture their spiritual lives. Joyce is pursuing an M.Div. in Christian Faith Formation at AMBS, and this workshop is part of a ministry practicum. Following the workshop, dessert will be served! Childcare provided.
TIME TO FILL THE BOXES! On March 31, April 7 and April 14 we will have boxes to fill for the post-high, young adults in the Fellowship Hall. Please consider putting some little treats, snacks, messages, office supplies, etc., in the boxes to remind them how much CMC cares and prays for them. The 5 years after high school are a very important time in our young adults’ lives! There are 29 boxes this year! Thank you! –Sheri Smucker
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 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!
Traveling to Philadelphia? Micah Jost and Hannah Wittmer are happy to announce that they hope to be able to bring their son Arthur home from the NICU within the next month. They request your prayers for the transition. They also need help bringing things back to Harrisonburg, including their bikes and the frozen breast milk Hannah has accumulated over the last 4 months. If you know of anyone traveling from Philadelphia to Harrisonburg over the next few weeks, please contact Micah at micahpsjost@gmail.com.
It is time for Community Preschool’s Spring Flower Fundraiser. If you want to order flowers in hanging baskets, the signup board will be in the fellowship hall starting March 22nd. Orders are due by April 10th and members can pick up flowers at CMC on April 17th after 11:00. They will be located in the memory garden lawn. Please pay for flowers when you place order. Thank You!
Single Bed Needed. An elderly neighbor of our church is in need of a single bed — with frame, boxed springs, and good mattress. Contact Keaton Shenk if you know of one that can be donated: 540.908.1657 (call or text) or kwshenk@gmail.com
Supporting Graduate Students. Each year CMC disburses a small fund equally among our CMC grad students who are in seminary or advancing their education at an Anabaptist/Mennonite institution. Often these funds are matched by the school and make higher education more affordable for our students. You’re welcome to contribute to our graduate school fund: Make checks payable to CMC (Anabaptist Institution Scholarship in the memo line). –Pastoral Team
Is God calling you into mission or service? CMC encourages people of all ages to be ready to respond to God’s call into mission and service assignments—both short and long-term. We set aside funds annually to support CMCers in this way. If you are considering an assignment domestically or abroad, be in touch with the chair of Outreach Commission, currently Dennis Showalter, or Pastor Jason, who works with this commission. They can talk with you about funding that may be available. –Pastoral Team
LAUNCH-ING INTO LENT – The latest photo collage on the "CMC Today" bulletin board at the south end of the fellowship hall is featuring worship services and other activities from mid-February (theme: "Beauty in Brokenness") to the start of the Lenten series, "Blessed Hunger, Holy Feast."
To the right, you'll find a report on the local (in)famous Groundhog Day celebration from the 2/18/19 issue of Mennonite World Review, a Lenten reflection from the Daily News-Record and a 'congregational report' for Jan.-Feb. 2019 from the 3/18/19 MWR. Stop and savor! –Jim Bishop
SPRING-ING TOWARD EASTER – Turn back the hands of time and 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 fraught with Lenten images from March-April 2012 and from the March 2013 worship series, "Ashamed No More: God is Doing a New Thing in Our Midst." Check 'em out! –Jim Bishop
Greening CMC : Speaking Out. If you’re interested in strengthening the voice of Christians in domestic and international policy, including those addressing the integrity of creation, plan ahead now for Ecumenical Advocacy Days in Washington DC, April 5-8.
Announcements from Virginia Mennonite Conference, Harrisonburg area and beyond
May God’s face shine through us and make us a blessing even after we blow out this third Lent candle. This prayer for today comes from the "Blessed Hunger, Holy Feast" Lent at-home resources. Find more prayers, readings, activities and pondering thoughts at mennoniteusa.org/lent2019.
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.
Mennonite Disaster Service is beginning to schedule their spring and summer projects! If you are considering becoming an MDS volunteer visit mds.mennonite.net/volunteer/current-needs to see a list of project locations.
Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) is seeking a full-time Development Coordinator to serve as a member of their Peacemaker Corps in expanding their financial capacity and building fiscal sustainability. Click here for more information.
Travel to Ethiopia and learn about the impact of MCC’s partnerships in the region that bring food security, watershed rehabilitation, conservation agriculture and peace to many communities. Included are stops at Blue Nile Falls, Lake Tana, and Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This two week learning tour is scheduled for Jan or Feb 2020. See the flier on the bulletin board near the coat racks for more information.
Come "Meet and Greet" your healthcare colleagues and students! Mennonite Healthcare Fellowship (MHF) is sponsoring this informal event, Friday, March 22, 2019, 4:30-6:00 pm at the Eastern Mennonite University Suter Science Center, Room 104. Persons in medicine, nursing, therapeutic, mental health, chaplaincy, and other healthcare disciplines are encouraged to come. Students in related fields: Come and meet active professionals and discover the networks to help you in your emerging career! Refreshments will be served and a drawing will be held for books relating to healthcare and faith. For more information, contact MHF at 1-888-406-3643 or info@mennohealth.org or local host Kristopher Schmidt at kristopher.schmidt@emu.edu.
EMU Music Faculty Artist Series Concert: EMU piano professor David Berry will be joined by award-winning cellist and Berklee School of Music/Boston Conservatory professor Patrice Jackson-Tilghman for an exciting concert of solo and chamber masterworks at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 23, in the EMS Martin Chapel. Musical works will include pieces by Chopin, Mendelssohn, Debussy, Martinu, and arrangements by Berry and Jackson-Tilghman. Admission is free, with donations welcome for EMU's music scholarship fund. For more information, visit emu.edu/music.
ACRS will host a breakfast at Park View Mennonite Church, on Monday, March 25. The speaker, Kara Hartzler will present on the topic: “Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Dreams and Nightmares of an Immigration Attorney". Kara Hartzler will reflect on the challenges of being an immigration attorney and how life could be made simpler and more just for immigrants and attorneys who support them. For more information visit https://emu.edu/acrs/events.
Parents of students who are in pre-school through 4th grade are invited to drop in at Eastern Mennonite Elementary School on Thursday, March 28 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.
As part of the James Madison University "Real Change Film Festival," there will be a free screening of the award winning documentary film: "Bisbee '17" by Robert Greene on Thursday, March 28 at 7 PM at Court Square Theater. The film is about a historic conflict between immigrant workers, the Copper Mine Owners and the militia of townspeople who were deployed against the immigrant workers in Bisbee, Arizona in 1917. Members of the Cargill NIne group will briefly discuss the relevance of the film to the recent labor struggles of immigrant and refugee poultry workers in the Shenandoah Valley. The Cargill Nine group was arrested while attempting to deliver a petition to Cargill management in support of workers who had been fired by Cargill for trying to organize a union. The trailer for the film can be accessed here at https://vimeo.com/271563668.
NewBridges Immigrant Resource Center invites you to attend the 13th annual Taste of the World, on Saturday, March 30th at First Presbyterian Church on Court Square! The evening will highlight the unique food, music and décor from this year’s theme country, Guatemala, as well as offerings from many other cultures. Single tickets are $65; a table of 8 is $480. Please RSVP by March 20th by purchasing tickets online at https://squareup.com/store/newbridgesIRC or sending a check made out to NewBridges Immigrant Resource Center to our office address: 64 W. Water Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22801. We hope to see you there!
Make Medicare an easy step. Gain confidence about moving to Medicare with guidance from Everence®, a faith-based organization that partners with our church. Attend this workshop on April 4, 2019, at 6 p.m. at The Gathering Place, 841 Mount Clinton Pike, Harrisonburg. Learn about your key steps to get Medicare, how to move from current coverage and enrollment details and deadlines. Reserve spots for you, friends and family members at (540) 437-7422 or harrisonburg@everence.com.
Music Faculty Artist Series: Terra Voce – The EMU Department of Music is proud to present Terra Voce (Elizabeth Brightbill, flute, and Andrew Gabbert, cello) in concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 12 in Martin Chapel. Admission is free, with donations accepted for EMU's music scholarship fund. Guest artists include pianist David Berry and violinist David McCormick. For more info, visit emu.edu/music.
The Shenandoah Valley Choral Society, under the direction of Curtis Nolley, will present its 49th annual spring concert titled "Spiritual Songs" on Friday, April 12th at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 14th at 3:00 p.m. at Bridgewater Church of the Brethren. The concert will feature Antonin Dvorak's Mass in D in the first half, followed by contemporary and traditional arrangements of African American Spirituals. CMC members in the SVCS are Dave and Sue Cockley and Dorothy Jean Weaver. Tickets are available at the door, Red Front Supermarket(Harrisonburg), Bridgewater Foods (Bridgewater), and on-line at www.singshenandoah.org. Admission is $15 for adults/$12 for seniors and students.
The Harrisonburg-Rockingham County NAACP Branch 7132 is encouraging attendance at the forum "Let's Talk…Race" on Monday, April 15 from 6:00 -8:00 pm. at Simms School. The forum will be facilitated by Chanda McGuffin and Sharon Fitz, co-founders of "RISE", a dynamic organization from Staunton, VA, that has held many successful racial conversations within the Shenandoah Valley. She will focus on the recognition of racial friction in our area. Many Valley residents do not understand how past and continuing racism hinder honest communication among peoples of different backgrounds. McGuffin has a unique way of bridging that gap. Her workshops are packed with difficult but honest conversations that acknowledge an array of emotions. People leave with a sense of being overpowered yet also empowered, tired yet revived, and with a plan in hand to change the inequality in our communities. As McGuffin says, “You may even be frustrated or uncomfortable but if you're not, then you're not growing and this process is designed to promote growth in the knowledge of racism.”
Pleasant View Homes is participating in the #GREATCOMMUNITYGIVE Community Giving Day on Wednesday, April 17 from sunrise to sunset (6:30am to 8:30pm) with many other area nonprofits. If you want to give to Pleasant View or any other participating organization go to https://hrgcg.givebig.org/c/HRGCG/a/50118 for more information.
The Shenandoah Valley Scholars Latino Initiative (SLI) is a Harrisonburg-based nonprofit organization that creates college opportunities for first-generation Latino high school students through rigorous academic challenge, leadership development, supportive mentorships and scholarship awards. SLI has served more than 80 scholars since 2012 at Harrisonburg High School and John Handley High School in Winchester, awarding $116,000 in SLI college scholarship awards and $24,000 in SLI computer awards. It has also paid more than $9,000 in tuition support for students to enroll in college dual enrollment courses while in high school. For more information, please visit www.svsli.org or contact Christopher Clymer Kurtz (director of development) at christopher@svsli.org or 434-299-2549.
Join Eastern Mennonite School Discovery this summer! Students currently in 10th, 11th or 12th grade who are interested in a month-long, cross-country group learning experience about land and water resources are invited to apply to join the 2019 Eastern Mennonite High School Discovery trip June 4 to 29. Led by Lee Good, science teacher, and other faculty and staff, participants will travel by bus coach, sleep in tents, eat, laugh, learn, play and pray together. Contact goodl@easternmennonite.org for more info or to apply. Details at emhs.net/about/applicants-for-discovery/
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
Eastern Mennonite School is seeking candidates for fifth grade teacher, kindergarten assistant, peacebuilding curriculum teacher, Dining Hall team manager and Athletics Director. Go to easternmennonite.org/about/employment.cfm for details.
Eastern Mennonite University is seeking applicants for two Residence Director positions. Residence Directors are responsible for: participation in and contribution to the work of the professional staff; supervision of community advisors; programming to meet students’ needs; conduct and conflict awareness, intervention, and referral; crisis intervention; and general administration of the residence hall. Familiarity with restorative justice practices and processes is preferred. Works with other residence life professional staff as well as the Assistant Director of Housing and Residence Life and the Director of Residence Life, Student Accountability and Restorative Justice in a team approach to residence life. Bachelor’s degree required, master’s in progress preferred. 9.5 month (August 1- May 15), live-in position. Selected candidate will be a person of high integrity who is committed to and supportive of the mission and policies of Eastern Mennonite University. Submit application, résumé and three references to: hr@emu.edu. For more information visit our website at www.emu.edu/humanresources. EMU is an equal opportunity employer, committed to enhancing diversity across the institution. EMU conducts criminal background investigations as part of the hiring process.
Park View Mennonite Church Office Manager. Part-time, estimated 30 hours per week, paid vacation and sick leave, hourly wage commensurate with experience. Strong administrative, computer, and communication skills are required. Full qualification and duties are outlined in detail on the job description. See www.pvmchurch.org/job-opening.html. Applications due March 22. To apply, please email a letter of interest and a current resume to Pastor Phil Kniss at job-opening@pvmchurch.org or mail hard copy to 1600 College Ave, Harrisonburg, VA 22802. If you know of someone else who seems to be a potential fit for this important role, please refer them to the website above.
VMMissions has one or two office spaces for rent. One is 213 sq. ft. and the other is 133 sq. ft. If you are interested, please contact Dianna Lehman at dianna.lehman@vmmissions.org.