Worship this Sunday, November 25, 2018
Theme: Lessons from Jesus: Dead or Alive?
Worship Leader: Sue Cockley
Song Leader: Matt Carlson
Prelude/Offertory: Monica Carlson
Preacher: Jennifer Davis Sensenig
Pastoral Prayer: Dayna Olson-Getty
Scripture: John 18:33-37; Revelation 1:4b-8; Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14; Psalm 93
Bulletin: 112518-Bulletin.docx
Upcoming CMC Events
Thurs-Fri, Nov 22-23 CMC Office Closed for Thanksgiving
Wed, Nov 28 Women’s Bible Study, 8:30 am, Room 109
Sun, Dec 2 Congregational Meal and Congregational Meeting, 12 noon,
Fellowship Hall and Sanctuary
Sun, Dec 2 Winter Sunday School Quarter begins
Thur, Dec 6 CMC Seniors Christmas Potluck and Singing, 6 pm, Fellowship Hall
CMC Events and Announcements
2019 Financial Pledges. It is the time of year when we as a congregation are finalizing a church budget for Jan-Dec 2019. Knowing your household's intentions for giving (your financial pledge for the next year) allows us to make wise financial plans and decisions.
In addition to ministries you already value, CMC has dreams for the new year including early payment (and thus savings) on the new Mennonite hymnal (coming in 2020) for our worship life, increasing our financial aid support for CMC students pursuing Mennonite higher education and possibly funding a solar array on the Dean House. If you are able, we encourage you to consider a 5-8% increase in giving for 2019.
We are grateful for your gifts of service and finances, so that we can fulfill our calling as a congregation. Please return the pledge form to the church office by the end of November. The form can also be completed online at https://goo.gl/forms/S72UTcavDdCbD7pv1 The Finance Committee and Church Council will use those pledges as the final 2019 budget is developed.
If we don’t hear from you by the end of November, we will use your giving rate for last 12 months as a pledge for next year in our budgeting process. – Finance Committee and Church Council
Congregational Meal on Sunday, December 2. The annual congregational meeting is Sunday, Dec. 2 after Sunday school. For the meal Hospitality Committee is asking the congregation to supply soup and cookies. We are asking people to sign up using Perfect Potluck. You can link to it here: www.PerfectPotluck.com/VJAU6914 The password is cmcmeal.
We will offer two kinds of soup: chili with meat and a veggie soup with no pasta or meat (it could have beans). We also need about 22 dozen cookies. Please be sure to either sign up on multiple lines or tell us how many you are making. We do need some cookies that are Gluten free or dairy free or nut free. There are spots to sign up for clean up as well.
Please bring your own bowls and plates and silverware if possible, since that will help with clean up. Thank you! – Hospitality Committee
CMC Women's Bible Study. Please join us Wednesday mornings 8:30-9:45 am from Nov. 28-Dec 5. Pastor Jennifer will lead us as we focus on scriptures from the previous Sunday's worship service, enjoy coffee/tea, and share in conversation and prayer. Feel free to invite a friend. Childcare will be provided.
CMC SENIORS CHRISTMAS POTLUCK: Thursday, December 6 at 6:00 p.m. at the church fellowship hall. Meat, bread, beverage and all table service will be provided. First letter of your last name is between A and O bring a vegetable or salad, last name between P and Z bring a dessert. We will enjoy singing Christmas singing after dinner.
Becoming a CMC Member. CMC welcomes regular attenders to consider membership with CMC. If you’re interested in joining CMC, please talk with one of our pastors. The next dates for our membership ritual is Sunday, December 2. You are invited to read CMC’s Membership Covenant Litany on the CMC website. –Pastoral Team.
Ministry Opportunity. Community Mennonite Church has been approached to join in a ministry opportunity. RISE congregation is sponsoring a Saturday program, WITH. RISE is across from the jail and is opening their doors to be a warm place for families to wait before their time to visit with a family member in jail arrives. The program is on Saturday mornings from 7:30 am until 10:30 am, and RISE is looking for partners to help be with these families as they wait for their allotted time to visit. If you are interested in volunteering for a Saturday morning please let Dennis Showalter (sdshowalt@gmail.com) or Jeff Mumaw (jamumaw@yahoo.com) know.
Gifts Discernment Survey. The Gifts Discernment Committee of CMC is asking you to take a few minutes to complete a Gifts Discernment Survey. The intention of the survey is to identify ways CMCers of all ages are willing to use their gifts within the life of the church. Just because you indicate that you are interested in doing something on the survey does not sign you up for doing that thing, nor does it ensure that you will be asked right away. If you are interested in getting involved with the work of a Church Commission now, we encourage you to seek out the chair of that commission. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Brendon Derstine or another member of the Gifts Discernment Committee: Elaine Stoltzfus or Kelly McDonald. Please take a few minutes to complete the Gifts Discernment Survey by clicking this link.
Is your black crock pot insert not fitting quite right? Ours isn't… Which means we got the wrong one after a potluck in Sept. or Oct. It's heavy black ceramic with a wide lip (now too wide to fit the clip on handles on our bottom part). Thanks for checking! –Andrea Wenger
SAINTS BE PRAISED – A double-poster photo collage on the "CMC Today" bulletin board on the south wall of the fellowship hall features scenes from the "Lessons from Jesus" fall worship series; people listening and learning in Sunday school classes and remembering CMC people who have gone before in an "All Saints Day" ritual. Also posted – a Thanksgiving (knows no season) reflection, "Blessings of Life Cost Little," a vintage Virginia Ham column, "Say 'Thank You,' If You Please," and 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 AWAITS – Aaaaaaaww . . . . ever wonder as you wander how CMC celebrated the Advent season seven years ago (2011)? Likely not, but the answer, my friends, is not blowin' in the wind. Simply cast a wondrous gaze upon the "CMC Yesterday" bulletin board on the east side of the fellowship hall. Jim Bishop
Greening CMC : Getting personal. Although attempts at a national carbon tax in the US have not been widely embraced, carbon taxes been enacted by numerous countries, regions, and municipalities around the world as a way to put a true cost to our carbon-intensive activities. Estimate your carbon impact using the online voluntary gas tax calculator, as part of the CMC Green Congregation Committee initiative to become aware of our true carbon impacts.
Announcements from Virginia Mennonite Conference, Harrisonburg area and beyond
All are welcome to the annual area Thanksgiving Day Service, Nov. 22 at Trissels. Fellowship and refreshments at 9:30am. Service at 10am includes many hymns of thanksgiving led by Hannah Wenger, brief meditation by Clyde Kratz, and time of open sharing of thanks. Offering will be for the Community Food Pantry hosted in Grace Mennonite's building.
All are invited to gather at EMU for a Christmas Lessons and Carols service featuring EMU choir ensembles and readers from Campus Ministries. This service takes place on Monday, December 10 at 7 p.m. in Lehman Auditorium. A free-will offering for the compassion fund will be collected.
Kitchen Coordinater Wanted. Our Community Place is hiring a full-time Kitchen Coordinator! The mission of OCP is to build a safe, loving community of restoration and hope for all, especially those facing homelessness and other adverse experiences. The Kitchen Coordinator oversees all food-related systems, and the ideal candidate will have experience in food service, business management and entrepreneurship, and must be able to work closely with socially, economically, and culturally diverse populations. For more information visit ourcommunityplace.org.
Looking to serve in a mentoring role to young adults? Service Adventure is seeking leaders for its unit location in beautiful Anchorage, Alaska. This is a unique opportunity to serve as a mentor and to foster community with a household of young adults through faith formation, daily living, and house activities. For more information, contact Susan Nisly at Mennonite Mission Network: susann@mennonitemission.net.
Apartment Wanted. A woman who attends church at Stephens City Mennonite Church is working in Harrisonburg and is looking for an apartment. She is looking for a room or small apartment to rent for $550 a month or less. If you know of an apartment that is available, please contact Joan Kulp at jjkulp@gmail.com.
Housing Wanted. My name is Joy Kreider and I'm looking for housing for four weeks over the summer. I will be working with CJP's STAR program doing some teaching to become an accredited instructor. I am 52, from Mennonite background, have a PhD in Neuroscience, training and experience in trauma work and have done some teaching in Cambodia and the U.S. about the neuroscience and cognitive and emotional impact of trauma, it's effects and what can be done to help those who have been traumatized. I have served with InnerCHANGE for the last nine years living among and serving the poor in San Francisco CA and Phnom Penh Cambodia. If you have a small apartment I could rent, please contact me, kreider05@gmail.com