Newsweekly for Sunday, March 25, 2018

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Worship this Sunday, March 25, 2018

LENT VI: Surprised by God’s promises

Worship Leader: Andrea Wenger

Song Leader: Jeremy Nafziger

Preacher: Dayna Olson-Getty

Scripture Readers: Zach Bauman, Malia Bauman

Children’s Time: Greg Yoder

Pastoral Prayer: Jennifer Davis Sensenig

Prelude/Offertory: CMC Choir

Scripture: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29; John 12:12-16

Bulletin: 032518-Bulletin.docx

 

Upcoming CMC Events

Sun, Mar 25                  Palm Sunday Peace Parade, begin at Immanuel Mennonite Church

(400 Kelly St.), 1 pm

Tue, Mar 27                  Lenten Prayers, 7:15-7:45 am, Fellowship Hall

Wed, Mar 28                 Kids’ Club, 6-7 pm, basement

Thurs, Mar 29               Maundy Thursday Meal and Footwashing, Fellowship Hall, 6 pm,

(please bring soup or bread to share)

Fri, Mar 30                    Ecumenical Stations of the Cross, 12 noon to 1 pm. This walk begins at

Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church (154 N. Main)

Fri, Mar 30                    Good Friday Service, CMC Sanctuary, 7 pm

Sat, Mar 31                   Easter Vigil, joint service at Park View Mennonite Church

(1600 College Ave.),10 pm-midnight

Sun, Apr 1, Easter        Easter breads at 8:30 am, Worship at 10 am (no Sunday school)

Fri, Apr 6                      Venture Club Lock-In, begins at 6:30 pm, Fellowship Hall

 

 

CMC Events and Announcements

Palm Sunday Peace Parade. Join the Palm Sunday Peace Parade on Sunday, March 25 from 1-2 pm. Meet at Immanuel Mennonite Church (400 Kelly Street). Bring your drums, kids, strollers, dogs and donkeys. Bring your faith and wear it on your sleeve (or your T-shirt). Bring your palm leaves from worship, and a banner to wave. We will begin at Immanuel Mennonite Church and will make our way to Court Square. Jointly sponsored by CMC, Immanuel Mennonite Church, Bethel AME Church and Early Church.

Maundy Thursday. All are welcome to participate in the Maundy Thursday meal and footwashing at 6 pm on Thursday, March 29 in the CMC Fellowship Hall. Please bring soup and/or bread to share.

Good Friday Service. All are welcome to attend CMC’s Good Friday service on Friday, March 30 at 7 pm in the CMC Sanctuary.

The 31st annual Harrisonburg downtown ecumenical Good Friday prayer walk, based on the "Stations of the Cross," will be held Friday, March 30, from noon to 1:00. The walk begins at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, and ends at St. Stephens United Church of Christ, stopping at a total of 10 downtown churches and public buildings. Led by someone carrying a large cross, we will stop at each station, where a member of the local "Biblical Storytellers Guild" will tell the passage from the Gospel of Mark and a local church leader will lead in a prayer. We will then move on to the next station. This is a contemplative, communal, and spiritual practice of shared ecumenical worship and witness that has been going on every year in downtown Harrisonburg for 31 years. Please join us! The walking route is accessible for wheelchairs and strollers.

Easter Vigil, Saturday, March 31, 10:00 p.m. to midnight. For the 23rd year, Park View Mennonite Church and Community Mennonite Church are holding an Easter Vigil together, with the rest of the community invited. This dramatic worship service consists of extensive readings of scripture, congregational hymn singing, special vocal and instrumental pieces, a candlelight vigil, a renewal of baptismal vows, the Lord’s Supper, and a feast of sight and sound at the moment Easter morning arrives. At 10:00 p.m., we will gather outside around a fire, weather permitting, on the lawn north of the Park View church building, where the service will begin, and then continue with a procession into the sanctuary. The service concludes at midnight. All are welcome. Invite a friend.

Easter Breads on Easter Sunday Morning. On Easter Sunday, April 1, we will gather in the CMC Fellowship Hall to share Easter breads at 8:30 am (please bring brunch items to share – sweet breads, fruit, egg dishes, etc). Worship will begin at 10 am. There will be no Sunday school.

Lenten Prayer on Tuesday Mornings at CMC. During the 6 weeks of Lent, all CMCers are invited to a time of contemplative prayer. We will gather every Tuesday morning during Lent from 7:15 – 7:45 am in the Fellowship Hall. 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 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. Keaton Shenk, Kathy Hochstedler and Jane Peifer

CMC Kids’ Club. Children ages 4-grade 5 are invited to come to Kids’ Club on Wednesdays at 6 pm. If you are interested in helping out as a volunteer, please contact Pastor Jason at Jason.Gerlach@cmcva.org or 540-433-2148.

Thank you, CMCers!  Recently, Pastoral Team asked CMCers to help meet a few needs shared with us by a woman who had limited material resources and had only recently found safer housing.  If you donated a bed, or sheets, or a shelf, or arranged for pick-up, or lent your pick-up, or delivered the goods, or served as an interpreter, thank you so much.  We received a heartfelt message of gratitude from her and wanted to pass that on to you.  One item even arrived in her favorite color!  She shares our faith in Jesus Christ and is actively ministering in a Spanish-speaking community.  "For the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God." –Paul, to the Corinthians

Meals for the Harnish Family. Rachael, Michael and Madelyn Harnish welcomed August into their family on March 9. They would appreciate some meals as they adjust to life with a new little one. Please go to this link https://takethemameal.com/QCVL3459 to sign up to provide a meal for the family.

Updating CMC Online Directory and Church Mailboxes. The church office is in the process of updating information for CMC’s online directory, and will soon be updating church mailboxes. Please complete the information form in your mailbox, and return to the church office (or you can put it in Joyce Lind’s mailbox), or email updated information to the church office at cmc_office@cmcva.org. If you do not yet have a church mailbox, you can find a form on the table in the back of the sanctuary.

Notice to CMC parents of EMS and Mennonite college/university students: It’s time to make applications for church matching grants for the 2018-2019 school year. Blank forms are in the boxes of likely students. Find extra forms in the wall rack near the boxes. Turn in completed forms to Shannon Sneary Alabanza by Sunday, March 25.

CMC Seniors, Tuesday, April 3. The CMC Seniors’ next meeting is Tuesday, April 3 at 7:00 pm in the CMC Fellowship Hall. Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed will be our guest speaker. She will share her vison for Harrisonburg and how people of faith can be involved in our community.

Venture Club Lock-in. The annual Venture Club Lock-in will take place on Friday, April 6th through Saturday, April 7th for 3rd-5th graders.  Friday drop off is in the Fellowship Hall at 6:30 pm.  Saturday pick up is in the Fellowship Hall at 9:00 am.  While we're together there will be group games (including large Dutch Blitz), a movie with popcorn, and a service component.  A lite breakfast will be served Saturday morning.  Please pack a sleeping bag, mat and pillow.

Requests for Cash on Sundays. From time to time CMC attenders are asked for money from guests to meet urgent financial needs. We appreciate the welcome that CMCers provide to guests and the openness to conversation and relationship.  We request that before giving cash to persons, you invite a pastor into the conversation. Sometimes pastors have had previous experience with these guests.  Often pastors and office staff will be the persons to follow-up with requests during the week and make referrals to our network of local resources.  A listing of local resources is available in the Fellowship Hall near the mailboxes. We appreciate working together in this way.  Council and Pastoral Team

 

On Tuesday, March 13, Dorothy Jean Weaver spoke in Eastern Mennonite Seminary’s chapel and offered a presentation titled, “I Always Knew That I Would Be a Teacher.” Follow the link below to listen to the podcast or to read a transcript of her presentation.

https://emu.edu/now/news/2018/03/retiring-seminary-professor-dorothy-jean-weaver-on-why-i-always-wanted-to-be-a-teacher/

 

Sunday School Connection. Below is a weekly note for families of children (age 4 and up) who use the Shine curriculum. Each Sunday you will find faith nurture ideas that coordinate with the weekly Sunday school session plans.

Mark 14:32–15:47: “Jesus’ arrest and death” Here are some ways to nurture faith at home based on this week’s story. (1) Read Mark 14:22–24. Why do you think Jesus used bread and drink to represent his body and blood? (2) When you pray, use Jesus’ prayer:  “ . . . not what I want, but what you want.” (3) Read Mark 15:40–41. Which of Jesus’ friends were there when he died?
Did you know? The original “Last Supper” painting by Leonardo daVinci was 15 ft /4.5 m x 29 ft /8.8 m!
Prayer for the week: Loving God, in times of grief and sadness, we know you are with us. May we sense your presence each day. Amen.

 

"Learn the Facts" about Child Sexual Abuse

Do You Know the month of April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month? In 2014, when this congregation became more aware of child sexual abuse and began work to implement Safe Church practices, we learned the shocking statistics*:

  • 1 in 10 children will be a victim of child sexual abuse before age 18 (1 in 7 girls and 1 in 25 boys according to a 2014 study).
  • 90% of abused children know their abusers. "Stranger danger" is a myth, and children and their families are often "groomed" by the abuser.
  • About one-third of child sexual abuse incidents/cases are identified, and even fewer are reported.
  • There are 42 million survivors in the US, and they can often face physical and mental health issues in adulthood as a consequence of this childhood abuse.

These numbers tell us we know a child who is being or has been abused, and we know adult survivors whose journeys keep us mindful of our task and offer us hope. For survivors at CMC, please consider attending the annual Safe Church Survivors Retreat on Saturday, April 28, from 9:30am-3pm. A flyer is attached which includes more information plus registration details. For those wanting to learn more about the journeys of survivors abused within faith settings, consider viewing the Netflix documentary series The Keepers or reading accounts from the Survivors Standing Tall website. (A note of caution: the Netflix series and the blog postings can be triggering.)

Stay tuned to the Newsweeklys in April — we'll review practical ways we can help reduce child sexual abuse as we review the "5 Steps to Protecting Our Children" from the website Darkness to Light. Let's continue to make a difference in our homes, our schools, our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and in our church!   –Marsha Thomas, for the Child Protection Committee.

*Source: Darkness to Light website, a non-profit organization committed to empowering adults to prevent child sexual abuse. https://www.d2l.org/wpcontent/uploads/2017/01/all_statistics_20150619.pdf

Compassion Funds. Financial hardships in our congregation arise for a variety of reasons:  medical bills, job loss, unexpected major expenses, counseling/therapy. CMCers generously support the Compassion Fund for mutual aid among members, so that we can ease these hardships among our households.  If you or a CMCer you know has a financial need, Grants Committee will review your need through a brief application available on our website. CMC households are eligible for up to $600 twice annually in Compassion Funds as administered through the Grants Committee, which maintains confidentiality. In situations of higher need the process includes a recommendation from Grants Committee to Council.  Please contact Grant Committee Chair, currently Shannon Sneary (swsneary@gmail.com), with any procedural questions.  –Pastoral Team

Looking for a Small Group? The CMC Small Group Committee has created a small group opportunity called the Open Circle. It will meet monthly on Second Saturdays at 6 pm in room 109 of the church. This group invites folks who are looking for a way to connect with others in the church through fellowship, discussion and mutual support. So if you are new to the congregation, new to the idea of small groups, or are not currently in a small group and are looking for a way to connect, you are invited. The circle is always open! Children are welcome and there will be snacks. Contact Adam Yoder for more information at yodera@yahoo.com or 540-810-3376.

Keith and Linda Gnagey look forward to family visiting from New York (3 couples plus Linda’s mom) June 23-27 (4 nights). If any church folks will be on vacation and willing to sublet their home for a few days (especially if it’s located in or near the Park View area), please contact Linda: 540-433-1832. gnagey22@aol.com.

Apartment needed. A pastoral couple from Brazil will be attending EMU's Summer Peacebuilding Institute and are seeking an apartment to rent for one month.  Please contact the CMC office if you might have a fitting situation for them please contact the church office (cmc_office@cmcva.org).

House for Sale. 3 BR 2 BA brick ranch about 1 block from EMU. Bonus room upstairs, small garage, TONS of storage and a fish pond out back.  Please contact Carmen Wyse at 540-246-9935 or at family@waynegehman.com for more info (this is my parents’ house).

March Forth. And the Lent-to-Easter photos keep on comin' with a new collage of worship and other activities just posted on the "CMC Today" bulletin board on the west wall of the fellowship hall. To its right, some Lenten/Easter reflections, an invitation to participate in the 11th annual Walk/Run for Autism coming up Apr. 21, information on a New Zealand tour led by former CMCers Ross and Allison Collingwood – take it from me, it will be unforgettable – a photo-caption from an Easter Sunday celebration when CMC was located on Green Street and other low-cal food for thought.     Jim Bishop

Wonder Where Lent Went? . . . Then look no further than the "CMC: Yesterday" bulletin board on the east wall of the fellowship hall for two archival posters with photo collages with Lent-Easter activities from April 2010 and Palm Sunday-Easter Sunday 2015. Seems like only yesterday . . .      Jim Bishop

Greening CMC: Educating ourselves. Are you in need of some hopeful news about the earth?  Come on Wed., March 28 at 4 pm to EMU for the Suter seminar “Awakening the Sleeping Giant: Natural Climate Solutions”Bronson Griscom from The Nature Conservancy will address the question “How can nature help us solve climate change?”

 

Events and Announcements from the Broader Community       

Getting ready to retire? “Retiring Soon? An Introduction to Medicare and Social Security,” will be presented on April 5, 2018 at 6 p.m. at the Gathering Place. Chan Gingerich, LUTCF, Health Insurance Specialist from the Everence office in Harrisonburg, Virginia, will speak on Medicare and Social Security, provide instructions on how to enroll, how continuing to work affects your benefits, and answer related questions. Reserve spots for you, friends and family members at (540) 437-7422 or harrisonburg@everence.com.

Lynchburg Revival. Progressive Christians from Harrisonburg have been invited by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and Shane Caliborne (Red Letter Christians) to attend the coming Lynchburg Revival on April 6 (eve) and 7. The program includes hearing from Rev. Dr. William J. Barber ll, the visionary behind the new Poor People's Campaign. I'm hoping to have a group of students from EMU going and we would be happy for CMC folks to join us. We might find a church for overnight lodging. Check it out at these links. –Brian Martin Burkholder

https://www.redletterchristians.org/christian-group-plans-revival-to-protest-toxic-evangelicalism/

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/red-letter-revival-lynchburg-tickets-43188905178

The CWS Refugee Resettlement Linking Communities training will be held on Saturday, April 14 from 9 am-12:30 at Park View Mennonite Church, 1600 College Ave, Harrisonburg. Linking Communities is a CWS initiative that partners local families with newly arrived refugee families.  Its goal is to form connections and strengthen the fabric of understanding, acceptance and integration across our community. Linking Communities allows individual families or small groups who might not have the resources to provide a full-refugee sponsorship, the opportunity to reach out to newly arrived refugees in friendship and support at whatever level they can. Local individuals/groups interested in partnering with a refugee family go through a 3 hour training. The training covers, program expectations, background about refugee resettlement, refugees sharing their experiences, L.C. families talking about joys and challenges, and scenarios for discussion.  People interested in learning more are welcome to come to the training and then decide if they would like to sign up for Linking Communities Program. For more information, contact Laura Douglass at linkingharrisonburg@cwsglobal.org

The Shenandoah Valley Choral Society, under the direction of Curtis Nolley, will present its 48th annual spring concert at Bridgewater Church of the Brethren on Friday, April 13th at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 15th at 3:00 p.m.  The "Hayden Fest" concert will present choral and instrumental works by the classical giant, Franz Josef Haydn.  Featured works include Te Deum #2 in C, Trumpet Concerto in E flat, Symphony #2 in C, and Mass in E Flat (Great Organ Mass).  The SVCS choir will be accompanied by the SVCS chamber orchestra and guest soloists.  CMC members in the SVCS are Dave and Sue Cockley, Ray Horst, Sam Miller, Dorothy Jean Weaver, and Rick Yoder. Tickets are available locally from Choral Society members, at Red Front Supermarket (Harrisonburg), Bridgewater Foods (Bridgewater), on-line at www.singshenandoah.org, and at the door. Admission is $15 for adults/$12 for seniors and students.

Pleasant View, Inc., will be participating in the #GREATCOMMUNITYGIVE, an online community giving day, through The Community Foundation on April 18. If you want to connect with us to have your own Pleasant View fundraiser on that day or learn how to give on the day, please contact Pam Miller at pmiller@pleasantviewinc.org or visit www.greatcommunitygive.org. Take a look at all of the community nonprofits you can support. Pam Miller can get you started on being a fundraiser for Pleasant View.

Soulence Retreat. Every spring, we are reminded that all that is needed to bring forth the life-producing blossoms of flowers and trees has been there all along. The earth teaches us to respond to the light and warmth stirring inside of us, to open, and to embody our sacredness. Join Soulence for a day retreat at Starry Meadows in Singers Glen, VA on Saturday, April 21, 9 am-3 pm, cost: $40. To register, contact Chris Hoover Seidel at 717-602-0871 or Christi.hoover.seidel@gmail.com

The Shenandoah Valley Autism Partnership will hold its 11th annual 5K Run/Walk for Autism on Saturday morning, April 21 at Eastern Mennonite University. The event is sponsored by community organizations around the Shenandoah Valley to help support the many families touched by the ever-growing epidemic of autism. The event has chip timing and has drawn more than 1,000 participants in the past. Jim Bishop will once again be emcee and deejay. You can register online at www.valleyautism.org; you are welcome to join Team Jacob Hummel. Questions, contact Jenny Hummel, 540-246-8925.

Strengthen your connection between Christian spirituality and social change. Explore Christian spiritual formation practices to nurture and sustain community leadership, engaged ministry, and social activism. For more information about “Christian Spirituality and Social action” and other courses at the 2018 Summer Peacebuilding Institute this May and June, visit our website at emu.edu/spi and click the course link.

Announcements from Virginia Mennonite Conference. Please note that announcements from Virginia Mennonite Conference are now accessible on the Conference website at http://virginiaconference.org/news/current-bulletin-announcements/.

Register for Community Preschool. Registration is now open at Community Preschool for families of CMC members. Classes meet for 2 days in the morning, 3 days in the morning, or 3 days in the afternoon. Please contact Eliot Swartz (ekswartz@gmail.com) if you have any questions.

 

MEMORIES FOR A LIFETIME . . . Guaranteed, if you join a "New Zealand Discovery Tour," Mar. 5-20, 2019, for an incredibly relaxed and flexible taste of "the land of the long white cloud" led by New Zealand natives Ross and Allison Collingwood. Ross and Allison came to the states in the early 1970s to attend then-EMC and ended up getting deeply involved at Community Mennonite at its Green Street location. Ross served for a time as campus pastor at EMC and Allison was the church's first office administrator.  They left here in 1987 to move to Salem, Ore., where they still reside. For more information, go to www.newzealanddiscoverytour2019.com; email: newzealanddiscovery@gmail.com or call 503-362-8175 or 503-588-9077. Want to know more, up close and personal? Talk with any of these persons who went on the previous NZ trip – Duane and Joan Kauffman, Stuart and Shirley Showalter, Dale and Rita Lehman or Jim and Anna Bishop.   –Jim Bishop

 

Volunteer and Employment Opportunities

Bridge of Hope Harrisonburg Rockingham, a non-profit organization assisting families facing homelessness, is hiring for two part-time positions: Director and Neighborhood Resource Specialist. The director is responsible for directing a faith-based, non-profit organization in the following areas: implementing and evaluating program, financial management, administration, development and public relations as directed by the board of directors. The Neighborhood Resource Specialist is responsible to provide case management and support services for 4-6 families who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness and foster relationships with Neighboring Volunteers, engaging both parties throughout their 12-24 month participation in Bridge of Hope’s program. For a position summary and qualifications, and/or to submit a letter of application, resume and three (3) personal references, please contact the board of directors chair at: bridgeofhopestaffing@gmail.com

Highland Retreat is HIRING for a variety of summer roles: lifeguards, counselors, leadership staff, cooks, and more. Visit http://highlandretreat.org/summer-camp/employment/ for job descriptions and the online application, or call the office at 540-705-0554. We’re particularly looking for college-aged young people who want to experience the excitement of Highland Summer Camps as part of our staff!

Central Valley Habitat for Humanity, Inc., is seeking a qualified candidate for the position of Community Outreach Coordinator. This is a full time position with some benefits. Information is available at their website: https://centralvalleyhabitat.org/jobs, or contact David Wenger at 540-828-6288.

Volunteer with MDS. MDS has many urgent volunteer needs and several job opportunities. Please pray for those considering service with MDS and for the volunteers as they travel to and from locations, handle tools, repair and build homes and bring hope to disaster survivors. Consider being an MDS volunteer or applying for one of the job opportunities listed on the MDS website: https://mds.mennonite.net/

Lady Latte needs summer time volunteers!  A couple is needed to come to the beautiful rural town of Istog. Kosovo, from May 15 – September 1 (flexible) to give temporary oversight to a recently opened coffee shop just for women!  Responsibilities include baking American treats for the shop, simple daily bookkeeping, and connecting with three local employees who are operating the business.   These roles have flexibility and do not require you to speak Albanian (the language of Kosovo).  For more information, contact martin.rhodes@vmmissions.org

MCC service opportunity in Ethiopia. Serve with SALT. Not sure what to do after graduating from college? Tired of your current job? MCC's SALT positions for young, single adults (18-30 years) serving overseas are being filled. Come teach English in beautiful, rugged Northern Ethiopia and work on a team with MCC Ethiopia Reps Bruce Buckwalter and Rose Shenk, from this congregation. Submit your application today! Follow the links below for more information:

https://mcc.org/get-involved/serve/volunteer/salt or
https://mcc.org/get-involved/serve/openings/saltyamen-after-school-english-tutor-ethiopia

 

Community Mennonite Church
70 South High Street Harrisonburg, VA
office@cmcva.org
540-433-2148