The 2016 Goessel Area Harvest Giving Walk took place Sunday afternoon October 9 at Tabor Mennonite Church. Participants completed a route between 2 and 6 miles and included 35 walkers and runners, 2 young ones on bikes, and a dog! Funds raised for the day’s event were $5,720 and will be dispersed to MCC’s food projects and the Tabor Church Food Pantry. Additionally 49 non-perishable items for the Tabor Food Pantry were donated. Thank you for your support of this community event – by walking, donating money or food pantry items, providing cookies, and praying for us!
~Kevin & Yvette Nickel, area coordinators
Congregational Announcements
Annual Chicken BBQ: Tabor Mennonite Church, Thursday, November 3 from 5-7pm. Special secret recipe BBQ plus the best baked beans, coleslaw, roll and ice cream you have ever tasted. Donations go to Mission Partners Smith-Derksen Family, Africa, and Tabor Facilities Fund. Come for a great evening of food and fellowship.
Men: Please sign up on the bulletin board in the foyer to help out in the area and shift that works best for you.
Congregational Meeting: Plan to stay at church after the worship service and after Faith Formation on November 6! The Mennonite College Task Force will host a fundraising meal at noon, followed by our Annual Congregational Meeting. During this meeting, we will affirm people to serve through the ministries of the church commissions, we will discuss and approve a budget for 2017, and we will receive an update from the Finance Task Force. The Tabor Trading Post will also kick-off at that time (please see display in foyer for more information).
Everyone please bring your appetite & generous donation to the Mennonite College scholarship fund raiser meal at noon, Nov. 6. Our current students at Mennonite colleges are Sarah Booth (Hesston College) Reece Hiebert and Luke Unruh (Bethel College).
Meat Canning this year will be on November 7 and 8 at the MCC Center in North Newton. Sign up on the bulletin board to volunteer. Donations are welcome. Checks can be made out to Tabor Mennonite Church, earmarked “MCC meat canning”, and placed in the truck in the foyer. Contact Kenton Nickel with any questions.
Community Announcements
The Goessel Ministerial Alliance is excited to announce that the Christmas Giving Tree project will be happening again this year. The tree will be at the Citizen’s State Bank. Watch your mailbox for details on how you can help make it a great Christmas for children in our community.
Bethesda Pillars Banquet: November 6 at Crosswind Conference Center, Hesston. 5:30 punch bowl, 6:00 dinner, and 7:00 entertainment. Recommended contribution $150 per person. First time attendees $75. College age and younger $35. Reservation deadline noon 10/31. Call (620) 367-2291 to make your reservation or contact Bethesda board members Bonnie Janzen, Eileen Schmidt, or Jason Unruh. All contributions go toward our annual Medicaid shortfall. Your support means a lot to the Bethesda ministry.
It is only two more weeks until the Goessel Community Thanksgiving meal on Sunday, November 13, 5:00-6:30 p.m. Please consider signing up to bring a salad, bread or dessert, or a harm or turkey. The deadline to sign up is Sunday, November 6. Bring your turkey or ham to the church kitchen and put it in the refrigerator on November 6. Salads, breads and desserts may be brought to the church kitchen by noon on Sunday, November 13 or to the Goessel Elementary school by 4:00 p.m. on that day. If you have questions, please contact a member of the Meal Planning team: Keith and Barb Banman, Linda Peters, Kim Voth, Becky Wedel, Lynette Duerksen.
Monetary donations are welcome to help cover expenses. Write your check out to “Goessel Ministerial Alliance” and give it to the church office. At the event, you will have opportunity to give a donation to the Goessel Ministerial Alliance (GMA) so we can continue to help families in our community. Thank you, everyone, for helping to make this event possible for our community.
Invite your friends and neighbors to join us!
Conference Announcements
Prayer Requests:
« Western District Conference: Pray for wisdom and courage for WDC congregations giving witness to God’s love, peace, and justice during this election season.
« Mennonite Mission Network: Delicia Bravo and Peter Wigginton of MMN use their gifts in music, education, and children’s and youth ministries in the programs of the Mennonite churches in Ecuador. Pray for them as they also serve as coordinators for partnerships with churches in Colombia and the United States
« Mennonite Education Agency: Pray for Perry Bush, professor of history at Bluffton University, as he delivers three Menno Simons Lectures at Bethel College today and tomorrow.
« Mennonite World Conference: On October 31 in Sweden, the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church will jointly hold a commemoration of the Reformation, in anticipation of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Praise God for this joint worship by two world communions. As general secretary César García participates on behalf of Mennonite World Conference, pray that God continues to work on the reconciliation of his church for a better witness to Christ in the world.
Walking together in Prayer – “The Mennonite World Conference prayer network is a wonderful opportunity to walk alongside other churches in compassion,” says César García, MWC General Secretary. “ Many things can be transformed in this way, starting with our own hearts. Let’s walk with God in prayer – together!” Join the MWC prayer network today at: http://mwc-cmm.org/prayernetwork
KIPCOR : “Managing Differences within Faith Communities”, January 25-26. The polarization and division in our world often seeps into our congregations, but we don’t have to remain stuck in disagreement. This two-day course will offer skills and insights to help transform conflict into spiritual and community renewal. Consider coming as a team from your congregation. Registration and details available online: http://kipcor.org/Registration/Faith-Communities-2017/
Camp Mennoscah
Summer Youth Camp Volunteer Christmas! We’re telling you now, folks, so you can get it on your calendar. All volunteers (from summer staff to counselors to cooks to nurses and program staff) and their families are invited to come to Camp Mennoscah on December 17 at 2:30pm-ish for a time of fun and gathering. We’ll have cookies and hot drinks for you with a white elephant gift exchange for those interested. Just grab something from the back of your closet or garage and wrap it up! Bring snacks to share and camp pictures to show off, if you would like.
Volunteers needed! Camp Mennoscah is looking for volunteers for various projects, including the kitchen/dining hall renovations. If interested in volunteering, please send your name, email address, and information about skills you have to office. You will be added to a volunteer database and contacted as needs arise. Thank you for being a volunteer!
Information for all of the above or to register:
Online at www.campmennoscah.org Telephone: 620-297-3290.
Email: office.
Contact: olivia.bartel.
Mark your calendars! Online registration for the 2017 programs at Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp will open on November 1st. Log in to register for Summer Youth Camps, Young Adult Snow Camp, Men’s Retreat, Quilters Retreats, and Work & Play Retreats. For the summer Wilderness and Resident Youth Camps, register before March 1st to receive the “Best Rate,” a $40 savings. Go to www.rmmc.org and click on “Register Online.” Any questions, give us a call – 719-687-9506. Hope to see you at camp soon!
Mennonite Church USA: Registration for “Beyond Buried Treasure: Turning Hidden Resources into Assets” is open as of Oct. 17. This second joint MHS Mennonite Health Assembly and Mennonite Education Agency Education Leaders Gathering takes place March 9-12 in Jacksonville, Florida. For more information or to register, visit mhaelgconference.wordpress.com.
Bethel College
-Bethel College Philharmonia concert, Sun., Oct. 30, 7 p.m., Memorial Hall
-Menno Simons Lectures with Perry Bush: Sun., Oct. 30, 8pm: “Grasping the Hand of Politics: Mennonites and the Common Good”; Mon., Oct. 31, 11 am: “Saying Yes and No to the State: Mennonites, History and Social Responsibility”; 7 pm: “Guy Hershberger, Unions and the Challenge of Kermit Eby.” All lectures in Krehbiel Auditorium, Luyken Fine Arts Center at Bethel College
-Kauffman Museum First-Saturday Bird Walk Sat., Nov. 5, 8 am. Join birders Gregg Friesen and Rod Wedel at in the museum parking lot for a walk of 1 to 1.5 hours. Please be aware this is mostly on an unpaved trail and the terrain is sometimes sloping or steep.
-Bethel College Sings, featuring Women’s Chorus, Men’s Ensemble, Woven, Open Road and Concert Choir, Sun., Nov. 6, 3 pm, Bethel College Mennonite Church
Newton Et Cetera Shop is seeking your clean hand-me-downs! We accept all kinds of clothing and shoes–even your old t-shirts and your “unmentionables.”
Don’t let embarrassment get in the way of supporting Mennonite Central Committee and our local service organizations! Let us sort what gets recycled, what becomes a rug, and what ends up on our sales floor. The only things we turn away are smoky or moldy items. We keep your treasures from becoming trash, and upcycle your trash into treasures!
THIRD ANNUAL TEN THOUSAND VILLAGE FAIR TRADE
INTERNATIONAL GIFT FESTIVAL
WHEN: Friday-Saturday, November 25-26
Friday-Saturday, December 2-3
Friday-Saturday, December 9-10
HOURS: 10 A.M. TO 6 P.M.
WHERE: Western District Conference Office Complex
2500 North Main Street, North Newton, Kansas
Mark you calendars! Invite a friend! Prepare your Fair Trade Holiday Gift List!
Oct. 30 announcements
