Newsweekly for Sunday, December 16, 2018

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Worship this Sunday, December 16, 2018

Theme: Love Revealed – Advent 3: Rejoicing in God’s Justice

Worship Leader: Elena Histand Stuckey

Song Leaders: Matthew Hunsberger and Jeremy Nafziger

Advent Candle Lighter: Aliese Gingerich

Song Leaders: Jeremy Nafziger and Matthew Hunsberger

Children’s Time: Dayna Olson-Getty

Pastoral Prayer: Dayna Olson-Getty

Scripture: Zephaniah 3:14-20; Luke 3:7-18

Bulletin: 121618-Bulletin.docx

 

Upcoming CMC Events

Sat, Dec 15          CMC Advent Choir Rehearsal, 10 am, Sanctuary

Tues, Dec 18       Monthly Gathering and Taco Supper, 6-8 pm. $3 suggested donation.

All are welcome!

Sun, Dec 23         Worship at 10 am, No Sunday School

Sun, Dec 24         Christmas Eve Service, 6 pm, Sanctuary

Sun, Dec 30         Christmas Breads, 8:30 am, Worship at 10 am, No Sunday School

 

CMC Events and Announcements

Still time to sing in CMC’s Advent choir! Rehearsal is Saturday, Dec. 15 (10 a.m.) in the CMC sanctuary. We also practice before the service on Dec. 16. The music this year is from Navidad Nuestra, a nativity piece from Argentinian composer Ariel Ramirez. Everyone is welcome to come and sing. Email Katie Derstine (katiederstine@gmail.com) with your voice part, and we will send you some music (soon). –Jeremy Nafziger

Racial Equity & the Church. Our first session of this adult ed class referred to an implicit bias test based on continuous research at Harvard University.  Take a test here:

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html (Links to an external site.) Everyone is welcome to join us for the Dec sessions of this class. In Jan-Feb we're asking for a commitment to attend 6 of 8 sessions.  –Pastor Jennifer

Pastor Jennifer is on Retreat. Each Advent Pastor Jennifer devotes a week to a prayerful retreat.  After 10 years at Holy Cross Abbey (and since there were no vacancies!) she will be at The Benedictine Pastoral Center December 17-21.

Monthly Gathering on Tuesday, December 18. All are welcome to attend the CMC monthly gathering on Tuesday, December 18 which will include a taco supper at 6 pm ($3 suggested donation/person) and an intergenerational Advent and Christmas hymn sing from 7-8 pm. Childcare will be available.

Christmas Breads on December 30. Join us for Christmas Breads on Sunday, Dec. 30 at 8:30 – 9:30 am.  Please bring breakfast treats, leftover Christmas cookies, fruit, or egg dishes to share.  Coffee and tea will be provided.  –Hospitality Committee

January First Friday and CMC Piano Dedication. January's First Friday (January 4) will feature our congregation's young artists, as well as a dedication for our new piano. If you are a pianist who is willing to perform, or a child or teen artist who would like to contribute some artwork, please contact Aili Huber or Matt Carlson. –Aili Huber, Council Chair

Free Range Hymns Interactive Concert and Hymn Sing with Sopa Sol and Ken Nafziger:  On Sunday, January 6 at 3:00 pm, Community Mennonite Church, Ken Nafziger—longtime music director at EMU and beloved song leader—will lead singing accompanied by Sopa Sol: Daryl Snider, Frances Miller and Nathan Bontrager. Sopa Sol will also perform selections from the Free Range Hymns album released in 2017: re-imagined hymns featuring their unique instrumental and vocal combinations. Sopa Sol “skillfully employ an extensive cache of classical and global folk instruments in this… meditation on the gifts of communal song," Bradley Kauffman, The Mennonite. CDs will be available. All are welcome to enjoy the evening. Entry is free, with donations appreciated. Website: sopasol.com/events – Email: contact@sopasol.com

An update and prayer letter from David and Sophie Lapp Jost has been posted on the bulletin board in the fellowship hall.  David and Sophie appreciate prayers and support from CMCers as they work at Nazareth Village and Nazareth Hospital.  Sophie says that anyone is welcome to email their lappjost@gmail.com address, and when people do they will respond by sending both of their letters so far, plus any new ones. For more information about the ministries of Nazareth Village & Hospital visit:  www.nazarethtrust.org  –Keaton Shenk

Care Teams at CMC. CMC has a network of small groups and other relational networks that provide mutual care and support for our congregation.  For some long-term or acute situations, we also offer Care Teams.  These teams, led by a pastor, are usually made up 4-5 CMCers who are selected by the individual or household seeking support and the pastor, and who agree to provide confidential spiritual and emotional support, as well as practical care.  Those who might benefit from a Care Team include: individuals or families facing serious physical or mental illness and their caregivers, families facing challenging parenting circumstances, household discerning a job transition or other major life decision.  To discuss whether a Care Team might be helpful in a particular situation, contact one of the CMC Pastors.   –Pastoral Team

Help Moving the Old CMC Piano. We are ready to move our old piano out of the sanctuary and into Room 109. If you are willing to participate in a crew to get it down the steps, please contact Kathryn Schmidt at kathrynnschmidt@gmail.com.  –Aili Huber, Council Chair

Still wondering where to send your 2018 year-end gifts? Please consider a cash contribution to the Patchwork Pantry. Since 1992, the pantry has provided a three-day supply of basic foods once per month to Harrisonburg and Rockingham County residents who are in need.  Your gift will help support this essential service. The pantry, staffed entirely by volunteers and supported by a coalition of faith communities, operates at Community Mennonite Church (CMC), 70 S. High St., Harrisonburg, 22801. Food is distributed to clients Wednesday nights from 7 – 8 p.m., with church doors opening at 6 p.m. For more information, see www.PatchworkPantry.org or contact “Patchwork Pantry” on Facebook. – Jan Jenner

Looking for Home Rental for One Year. Our older son Geoffrey, his wife Alyson, and their family hope to spend the coming academic year here in the Harrisonburg area. They are a family of five looking to rent a 2-3 bedroom home, preferably furnished, in or near Harrisonburg for the 2019-2020 academic year. Please contact them at campbell.alyson.l@gmail.com if you know of something that might be suitable.  –Kathie Kurtz

Jordan Luther is Looking for Housing. It is with great satisfaction to report that I have graduated from divinity school! I’m looking forward to continuing the candidate process for MC USA over the next several months. During this interim period, I would like to move back to Harrisonburg. I am interested in a flexible housing situation where I can rent on a month-to-month basis starting at the end of January or beginning of February. If anyone has any leads, or a spare room in their home, please contact me at jordan.luther93@gmail.com.

Looking to Borrow a Car Seat. We are looking for a child car seat to borrow from Christmas day until Jan. 4. We could use either a high-backed booster seat or a convertible (forward/back-facing seat for up to 40 lbs.). Our son and family can bring one seat with them and will need a second to use while they are here. They want it to be one that hasn’t expired or been in an accident. If you have one we can borrow, please contact Kathie Kurtz at kathiekurtz@verizon.net.

LESSONS LEARNED? The latest photo collage up and running on the "CMC Today" bulletin board captures scenes from November's "Lessons from Jesus" worship series along with kids listening, learning and singing – sometimes all three at once – in Sunday school. Also posted — several vintage "Bishop's Mantle" and "Virginia Ham" Advent-flavored columns and, at no additional charge, a 'congregational report' for Sept.-Oct. from the 11/19/18 issue of Mennonite World Review. Please pause and ponder. Bless you!     Jim Bishop

ADVENT-TAGEOUS ADVENT-URE CONTINUES – Allow your wandering, wondering and pondering to move you to the east side of the fellowship hall and cast a wondrous gaze upon the "CMC Yesterday" bulletin board, filled with scenes from the 2017 Advent worship series. Can it be a year already? Guess we'll "Let It Be," speaking words of wisdom through photographs. Picture that!         Jim Bishop

Greening CMC : Educating ourselves.  You may remember when you were young driving through a “moth snowstorm”, and having to clean the bugs off your windshield.  How often does that happen to you now? Probably less often, reflecting the increasing awareness of a global Insect Apocalypse, which mirrors the large decrease in populations recently reported for vertebratesHelp reverse this trend by creating inviting habitats for wildlife.  –CMC Green Congregation Committee

 

Announcements from Virginia Mennonite Conference, Harrisonburg area and beyond

From the MC USA Archives: Listen to interviews with Louise Fisher and Priscilla Wero, two Native American Mennonite women interviewed as part of the 2002 Mennonite Women of Color Oral History Project at mennoniteusa.org/oralhistoryproject.

MC USA relies on your support as we seek to follow Jesus, witness to God's peace and help our communities experience transformation. Consider making a year-end, tax-deductible donation to support the ministries of MC USA at mennoniteusa.org/give.

Winchester Musica Viva, a chamber group directed by Ken Nafziger, will perform a concert at 7:00 pm on Saturday, December 15 at Park View Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg. Learn more about the group at winchestermusicaviva.org/

Good Company and Willow Run Band invite you to their shared Christmas concert on Sunday, December 16 at 7:00 p.m. at Park View Mennonite Church. This festive event will feature a wide variety of seasonal favorites and a light reception will follow. Admission by donation ($10/person suggested). For more information about these groups, visit goodcompanyacappella.com and facebook.com/willowrunband.

"A Walk Through Bethlehem" (an outdoor live Nativity) will be Saturday and Sunday, December 15-16, from 6:00 PM until 7:30 PM at Weavers Mennonite Church. Stroll on the streets of Bethlehem the day Jesus was born: meet the wise men, shepherds, animals, townspeople, craftsmen, Mary & Joseph, and baby Jesus in a manger! Finally, end your experience in the Bethlehem Cafe with a hot drink and cookies. Invite your friends and neighbors.

Men’s Chorus Opportunity. Shenandoah Valley Men’s Chorus announces the beginning of the 2019 season of men’s sacred choral music, directed by Jared Stutzman. If you enjoy singing men’s a cappella music, you are invited to join this group. Our diverse sacred music repertoire includes hymns, gospel songs, anthems, spirituals, and contemporary songs. We ask that you participate consistently in the practice sessions, and be available to sing in the February 24 and March 3 concerts. Regular Sunday afternoon practices will be in January and February at Eastern Mennonite School. First rehearsal is January 6, 2019 at 2 pm. Invite your singing friends! Questions or comments? Contact one of the SVMC Committee members: Rick Bell (433-7233), Chad Beery (908-1438), David Martin (289-5567), Roman Miller (383-0281), Elwood Schrock (908-6396).

The 50th annual School for Leadership Training at Eastern Mennonite University, “Thriving in the Stormy Seas of Change” is January 14-16, 2019. Pastors and church leaders are well aware of the tumultuous seas in which we serve. Significant changes and conflicts in contemporary politics, churches and denominations and in our personal lives present challenges and opportunities for preaching and leading the church today. Church leaders riding these waves of change yearn for deep communion with God’s Spirit and for inspiring worship with other leaders in order to thrive in ministry. School for Leadership Training 2019 will provide this worshipful and renewing encounter through the narrative of Jesus’ crossing the stormy sea with his disciples in Mark 4:35-41. Keynote speakers are Sue Park-Hur, John Pavlovitz and David Evans. For more information and to register https://emu.edu/seminary/slt/

Glen Guyton: "My Journey, My Ideal" The new Executive Director of Mennonite Church USA will give a free 35-40 minute lecture with a time for questions from the audience. Join us Thursday, January 24, 7:00 PM at Lindale Mennonite Church, 6255 Jesse Bennett Way, Linville, Va. Glen has over a quarter of a century of experience serving in the denomination at various levels. After the completion of four years as an officer in the United States Air Force, Glen felt the call to ministry, which was in large part due to the peace ministry of Mennonites in Virginia Mennonite Conference. After leaving the military, Glen worked for Mennonite Mutual Aid (now Everence), and on the ministry staff of Calvary Community Church (C3) in Hampton, Va. Glen and his wife, Cyndi, live in San Antonio, Texas. In addition to the lecture, Glen will speak to Eastern Mennonite School students on January 24 and 25. Everyone is invited to his two chapels, 9:30-9:49 AM each morning in the school auditorium.

Virginia Mennonite Conference is seeking a quarter-time bookkeeper. It is an hourly position with flexible work schedule. Experience with QuickBooks essential. Key tasks include accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll. Immediate hire is possible. Contact Executive Conference Minister Clyde Kratz to indicate your interest and secure a job description at clyde.kratz@virginiaconference.org or 540-434-9727.

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