Nov. 26 announcements

Congregational Announcements

Christmas in Ecuador: The program that Karina Brandt is working with this year in Ecuador is hoping to receive some financial donations to go toward the purchase of toys for children of refugee families and other children connected to the local church. Please consider giving money for this purpose. November 26 is the third and last Sunday we will be collecting donations during the worship service. Make checks payable to Tabor Mennonite Church, with Ecuador on the memo line, and place in the Christmas gift bags during the offering.

Are you looking for delicious dessert options for your Sunday meals or to satisfy your sweet tooth? If so, the Tabor Mennonite Youth Group will be selling homemade desserts on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of every month to help raise money for our summer service trip to Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp in 2018. Suggested donations for the desserts are $10. Thank you, as always, for your support, prayers, and encouragement for our youth group!

Is Nun Ist Sie Erschienen one of your heart songs? If yes, and if you are willing to share briefly about it during church on a Sunday morning in December, please let Pastor Phil and Pastor Katherine know! We would like to have at least one person share about this hymn each Sunday of Advent before we sing it together. Also, if you have other Advent or Christmas heart songs, please fill out another heart song sheet and return to Pastor Katherine’s church mailbox or simply send her an email. Thanks!

1st Sunday Potluck will not take place on December 3, but will resume on January 7. Details to follow.

Parsonage Open House: Come join us at the church parsonage on December 3 anytime between 3:30 and 5:30pm. There will be snacks, drinks, and plenty of good fellowship. We look forward to seeing you then! ~Phil, Mary, Ethan, Noah, and Doodle

You are invited to come out to a Christmas Hymn Sing at Tabor on December 3 at 6:30 p.m. Please bring cookies for the social to follow.

The Tabor Trading Post is Back! Some of you will create something wonderful to sell, and hopefully all of you will come buy! (Think Christmas). The Trading Post will be open for business Sunday, Dec. 3 after church, and then after Cynthia’s piano recital and during the parsonage open house. Sellers collect the money for their products and then give a minimum of 50% to the building fund. Contact Carol Duerksen if you will be participating as a seller and if you have questions.

Women and Girls Christmas Breakfast: The Christmas Breakfast is Saturday December 9 at 9:00 am. Karen Andres & Marcene Entz will bring the program. Please sign up for the breakfast. A sign up sheet can be found on the bulletin board in the foyer.

Tags for the Goessel Ministerial Alliance Christmas Giving Tree project will be available on the tree at the Crossroads Credit Union beginning on Tuesday, November 28. Gifts should be wrapped and brought back to the Credit Union by Friday, December 15.

Brass Christmas: Come join us at Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church on Sunday, December 10 at 6:30pm for an evening filled with Christmas music! The evening will feature the McPherson Brass Choir under the direction of Jerry Toews along with the Elbiata Singers from Goessel High School under the direction of Andrew Voth. A freewill offering will be received to support the ministries of the Goessel Ministerial Alliance. We hope to see you there!

~Goessel Ministerial Alliance

Night in the Barn: Please note that TMYF will be taking a year off from Night in the Barn this year due to poor weather and attendance last year as well as the busyness of the season. If you have questions or concerns about this, please speak with Pastor Katherine. We will then reevaluate and seek to discern whether or not to host this event in 2018.

Our “Getting to Know Each Other” project has been extended until the end of November, so please join the people who have already shared a little bit about themselves. When we put the booklet together, we will give copies to those who sent in responses or others who request it, and there will be another copy in the library available for everyone to read. You received a list of questions regarding this project. When you’ve completed your answers, return them to Diana Schmidt’s mailbox (or email to her at jd77schmidt).

Rejoice is a daily devotional made available by our Christian Ed Commission to anyone who would like one. Dec.– Feb. issue is now available on the table in the foyer or on north mailbox shelf. Please feel free to take one for your personal use.

Yes! Let it Be! Advent At-Home 2017 is a booklet made available to families through MennoMedia. Copies for families with children were placed in mailboxes. Additional copies are available on the table in the foyer.

Annual reports are due in December. If you are responsible for submitting a report, please do so in December. Send to: kfunk. Thanks!

Conference Announcements

Prayer Requests:

« Western District Conference: Thank God for the many ways WDC congregations support and join God’s work of mission in local communities and around the world.

« Mennonite Mission Network: Kendra Selzer serves through MMN’s Mennonite Voluntary Service in Puerto Rico. Pray for her and the Academia Menonita Betania in Aibonito, where she works with pre-kindergarten – grade 10 students and also helps with community clean-up after the September hurricanes.

« Mennonite Education Agency: Instituto Bíblico Anabautista (IBA) Pray for energy and stamina for both students and tutors participating in the many IBA study centers across the country.

Camp Mennoscah:

—Christmas Gathering at Camp Mennoscah! December 16 at 2:30pm-ish for conversation, games (indoor or outdoor), and cookies!

—We need your help! Camp Mennoscah is seeking volunteers to help prepare the kitchen for renovations beginning Saturday, December 2, and continuing Mon.-Sat. Dec. 4-9 until the kitchen is completely gutted. Both women and men are welcome to come out and help, and we will have a variety of tasks to complete. All work will be inside, so don’t worry about cold temperatures! If you wish to volunteer multiple days, that’s great! We can arrange lodging and meals for you. Carpooling to camp may be available on some or all of the days. If you have questions or are interested in volunteering, please contact Jim Yoder at 316-284-3890 (call or text), jdyoder, or Camp Mennoscah. Bring a friend, or bring multiple friends! Thank you for considering this opportunity!

—Looking for fun and caring staffers filled with God’s love for others! Online applications for Camp Mennoscah summer staff positions will be accepted beginning December 1. Positions are naturalist, crafts leader, lifeguard, grounds/maintenance, music leader, office, and all-round/media. These positions receive a stipend, as well as meals and lodging. We also are looking for someone to catalogue the species of snakes at Camp Mennoscah. This summer-long position receives meals and lodging and requires the same paperwork and background check as all camp staff. Apply online at campmennoscah.org/application!

Information for all events at Camp Mennoscah or to register:

Online at www.campmennoscah.org Telephone: 620-297-3290.

Email: office.

Contact: olivia.bartel.

Spread cozy, colorful warmth around the world! All you have to do is tie knots! Mennonite Central Committee has a generous number of comforter tops, and now we need your help tying them! MCC has paired tops and backs that are ready to be tied, and we are inviting you or your church group to pick some up (or we can ship them to you)! If you are interested, please either stop by the MCC Material Resources Center in N. Newton, or contact Kate Mast at katemast, or 316-283-2720. We ask that you provide the batting and the crochet tying thread if possible. Thank you in advance for helping to spread warmth and love to our brothers and sisters around the world!

Many people do their Christmas shopping at the Newton Et Cetera Shop! Please bring us your clean, gently-used toys, shoes, jewelry and children’s coats. Your donated items might end up as cherished gifts under someone’s Christmas tree! Support MCC Thrift Shops because you care . . . about your family, your community, and beyond. Thank you!

Ten Thousand Village/Fair Trade International Gift Festival is coming to Newton at the Mezzanine above Prairie Harvest, 601 N Main. It will be open on

November 24-25, December 1-3, 8-10, 15-17. Hours on Fridays and Saturdays: 10 am-5 pm. Hours on Sundays: 1-4 pm.

Hesston College—Are you looking to do “something different” this holiday season? Consider opening your heart and home to an International Student! Hesston College has several students from other countries who need someplace to stay when the dorms are closed for Christmas break. This is a fun way to get to know international student(s) who are part of the Hesston College family…and to share your holiday traditions with them. Host families are needed from Dec. 15 through Jan. 9. Even if your family is only available part of the time, you may still be able to help. Contact Carlota Ponds, Director of International Student Support, at 620-327-8210 or carlota.ponds.

Bethel College:

—“Jerry Holsopple: 7×7: Lament for an Age of Sexualized Power” is in the Regier Art Gallery in Luyken Fine Arts Center through Dec. 7; hours: Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun., 2-4 p.m.; closed Nov. 22-24 and Nov. 26 for Thanksgiving break

—Sat., Dec. 2 – Five Places of Christmas, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Bethel College Women’s Association offers the rare chance to see the decorated main floor of Goerz House, traditionally the president’s residence, with baked goods, home-made candy (by the pound) and Bethel gift items for sale. Kauffman Museum offers free admission (including the special exhibit “Voices of Conscience: Peace Witness in the Great War”), refreshments, sale items in the museum store, and Karen Bauman Schlabaugh playing Christmas music at 3 p.m. on the historic Teschemacher-Deknatel-van der Smissen parlor organ.

—Sun., Dec. 3 – Bethel College Steel Drum Band Christmas concert, 3 p.m., Mem. Hall

Bethel College Women’s Association is hosting “5 Places of Christmas” at the historic Goerz House in North Newton on Dec. 2, and has an urgent need for donations of baked items. These may be dropped off at Goerz House, 2512 College Ave., Sat., Dec. 2, before 10 a.m. All proceeds from the bake sale are used to benefit Bethel College students, faculty and staff. Questions: contact Cindy Erb, cindy.l.erb.

Nov. 26 annc.pdf

Nov. 19 announcements

Notes of Thanks

We would like to thank everyone who joined us for the Community Thanksgiving Meal on Nov. 12. Attendance was near 425 and the largest ever in the five years we have gathered together. Much gratitude for all the food and monetary donations for the meal. A special “thank you” to the Food Planning Team: Keith and Barb Banman, Lynette Duerksen, Linda Peters, Kim Voth and Becky Wedel. We enjoyed beautiful decorations provided by Tabor Mennonite Church. We are so grateful for all who set up tables, served the meal and helped clean up afterward. Wonderful things happen when we all work together! Donations received for the ongoing care and support of our community was $2,439.05. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Thank you so much! ~ Goessel Ministerial Alliance

Congregational Announcements

Christmas in Ecuador: The program that Karina Brandt is working with this year in Ecuador is hoping to receive some financial donations to go toward the purchase of toys for children of refugee families and other children connected to the local church. Please consider giving money for this purpose during one of our special offerings that will be collected on Sunday mornings, November 12, 19, and 26. Make checks payable to Tabor Mennonite Church, with Ecuador on the memo line, and place in the Christmas gift bags during the offering.

Tabor Thanksgiving Meal and Service: Plan to join us on Wednesday evening, November 22 for a Thanksgiving meal provided by the Reception Committee followed by a Thanksgiving service in which we will share and sing heart songs and receive a special offering to support our Mennonite Mission Network Mission Partners, Dan and Kathryn, John-Clair, and Jacob Smith Derksen. (Please make checks payable to Tabor Mennonite Church with ‘mission partners’ on the memo line). The meal will be in the Fellowship hall beginning at 5:45 p.m. and the service will be up in the sanctuary following the meal. Everyone is welcome!

A coffee bar is coming to church on Sunday, November 26 between worship and faith formation. In addition to offering coffee, we will have some non-coffee drinks and baked goods for sale. Proceeds from the coffee bar will go towards the building fund. Please bring your own mug and come check it out!

Is Nun Ist Sie Erschienen one of your heart songs? If yes, and if you are willing to share briefly about it during church on a Sunday morning in December, please let Pastor Phil and Pastor Katherine know! We would like to have at least one person share about this hymn each Sunday of Advent before we sing it together. Also, if you have other Advent or Christmas heart songs, please fill out another heart song sheet and return to Pastor Katherine’s church mailbox or simply send her an email. Thanks!

Parsonage Open House: Come join us at the church parsonage on December 3 anytime between 3:30 and 5:30pm. There will be snacks, drinks, and plenty of good fellowship. We look forward to seeing you then! ~Phil, Mary, Ethan, Noah, and Doodle

You are invited to come out to a Christmas Hymn Sing at Tabor on December 3 at 6:30 p.m. Please bring cookies for the social to follow.

The Tabor Trading Post is Back! Some of you will create something wonderful to sell, and hopefully all of you will come buy! (Think Christmas). The Trading Post will be open for business Sunday, Dec. 3 after church, and then after Cynthia’s piano recital and during the parsonage open house. Sellers collect the money for their products and then give a minimum of 50% to the building fund. Contact Carol Duerksen if you will be participating as a seller and if you have questions.

Are you looking for delicious dessert options for your Sunday meals or to satisfy your sweet tooth? If so, the Tabor Mennonite Youth Group will be selling homemade desserts on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of every month to help raise money for our summer service trip to Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp in 2018. Suggested donations for the desserts are $10. Thank you, as always, for your support, prayers, and encouragement for our youth group!

Night in the Barn: Please note that TMYF will be taking a year off from Night in the Barn this year due to poor weather and attendance last year as well as the busyness of the season. If you have questions or concerns about this, please speak with Pastor Katherine. We will then reevaluate and seek to discern whether or not to host this event in 2018.

Our "Getting to Know Each Other" project has been extended until the end of November, so please join the 20 people who have already shared a little bit about themselves. When we put the booklet together, we will give copies to those who sent in responses or others who request it, and there will be another copy in the library available for everyone to read. You received a list of questions regarding this project. When you’ve completed your answers, return them to Diana Schmidt’s mailbox (or email to her at jd77schmidt).

Rejoice is a daily devotional made available by our Christian Ed Commission to anyone who would like one. Dec.– Feb. issue is now available on the table in the foyer or on north mailbox shelf. Please feel free to take one for your personal use.

Please Help: A Meal Train website has been set up for the Ben Davis family. Ben is a young father diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. He and his wife have four children in the Goessel schools. Tabor is encouraged to sign up for at least 3 meals: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/98omlo

Conference Announcements

Prayer Requests:

« Western District Conference: Pray that gratitude, wisdom and generosity would flow through WDC and its congregations, helping us to be faithful stewards of the spiritual gifts and financial resources God has entrusted to us.

« Mennonite Mission Network: Robin Gingerich of MMN has added helping Middle Eastern students adapt to life at LCC International University in Lithuania to her administrative and teaching load. Pray for Robin and the students as they study STAR (Strategies for Trauma, Awareness and Resilience) – English-learning through a curriculum of emotional healing.

« Mennonite Education Agency: Pray for Goshen College students, especially those who will celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday far away from their families.

Discovery: A Comic Lament: On November 19 at 7 pm, Faith Mennonite Church, Newton, KS, in partnership with Western District Conference, MCC Central States, and Bethel College, is sponsoring the Kansas premier production of "Discovery: A Comic Lament" produced by Ted & Co. TheaterWorks. The production will take place in Krehbiel Auditorium on Bethel College Campus. Tickets are $10.

Register now for the Year of Evangelism Kick Off: Anabaptist Witness, January 19-20, 2018. Reconnect ancient spiritual practices, social justice, and authentic Anabaptist evangelism for today. You’ll find a poster, schedule and online registration about this exciting workshop for church groups and individuals at: http://mennowdc.org/year-of-evangelism/.

Camp Mennoscah:

—Christmas Gathering at Camp Mennoscah! December 16 at 2:30pm-ish for conversation, games (indoor or outdoor), and cookies!

—We need your help! Camp Mennoscah is seeking volunteers to help prepare the kitchen for renovations beginning Saturday, December 2, and continuing Mon.-Sat. Dec. 4-9 until the kitchen is completely gutted. Both women and men are welcome to come out and help, and we will have a variety of tasks to complete. All work will be inside, so don’t worry about cold temperatures! If you wish to volunteer multiple days, that’s great! We can arrange lodging and meals for you. Carpooling to camp may be available on some or all of the days. If you have questions or are interested in volunteering, please contact Jim Yoder at jdyoder, or Camp Mennoscah. Bring a friend, or bring multiple friends! Thank you for considering this opportunity!

Information for all events at Camp Mennoscah or to register:

Online at www.campmennoscah.org

Telephone: 620-297-3290.

Email: office.

Contact: olivia.bartel.

Spread cozy, colorful warmth around the world! All you have to do is tie knots! Mennonite Central Committee has a generous number of comforter tops, and now we need your help tying them! MCC has paired tops and backs that are ready to be tied, and we are inviting you or your church group to pick some up (or we can ship them to you)! If you are interested, please either stop by the MCC Material Resources Center in N. Newton, or contact Kate Mast at katemast, or 316-283-2720. We ask that you provide the batting and the crochet tying thread if possible. Thank you in advance for helping to spread warmth and love to our brothers and sisters around the world!

Many people do their Christmas shopping at the Newton Et Cetera Shop! Please bring us your clean, gently-used toys, shoes, jewelry and children’s coats. Your donated items might end up as cherished gifts under someone’s Christmas tree! Support MCC Thrift Shops because you care . . . about your family, your community, and beyond. Thank you!

Ten Thousand Village/Fair Trade International Gift Festival is coming to Newton at the Mezzanine above Prairie Harvest, 601 N Main. It will be open on

November 24-25, December 1-3, 8-10, 15-17. Hours on Fridays and Saturdays: 10 am-5 pm. Hours on Sundays: 1-4 pm.

Hesston College—Are you looking to do "something different" this holiday season? Consider opening your heart and home to an International Student! Hesston College has several students from other countries who need someplace to stay when the dorms are closed for Christmas break. This is a fun way to get to know international student(s) who are part of the Hesston College family…and to share your holiday traditions with them. Host families are needed from Dec. 15 through Jan. 9. Even if your family is only available part of the time, you may still be able to help. Contact Carlota Ponds, Director of International Student Support, at carlota.ponds.

Bethel College:

—TODAY (Sun., Nov. 19) – Mid-Kansas Jazz Ensemble and Bethel College Jazz Combo I in concert, 4:30 p.m., featuring guest artists and student compositions, Memorial Hall

—“Jerry Holsopple: 7×7: Lament for an Age of Sexualized Power” is in the Regier Art Gallery in Luyken Fine Arts Center through Dec. 7; hours: Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun., 2-4 p.m.; closed Nov. 22-24 and Nov. 26 for Thanksgiving break

—Sat., Dec. 2 – Five Places of Christmas, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Bethel College Women’s Association offers the rare chance to see the decorated main floor of Goerz House, traditionally the president’s residence, with baked goods, home-made candy (by the pound) and Bethel gift items for sale. Kauffman Museum offers free admission (including the special exhibit “Voices of Conscience: Peace Witness in the Great War”), refreshments, sale items in the museum store, and Karen Bauman Schlabaugh playing Christmas music at 3 p.m. on the historic Teschemacher-Deknatel-van der Smissen parlor organ.

Bethel College Women’s Association is hosting “5 Places of Christmas” at the historic Goerz House in North Newton on Dec. 2, and has an urgent need for donations of baked items. These may be dropped off at Goerz House, 2512 College Ave., Sat., Dec. 2, before 10 a.m. All proceeds from the bake sale are used to benefit Bethel College students, faculty and staff. Questions: contact Cindy Erb, cindy.l.erb.

Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp’s 2018 camps and retreats are now open to register online! Log in to RMMC’s registration page (rmmc.campbrainregistration.com) to register for: Summer Youth Camps, Family Camps, Junior High Snow Camp, Senior High Snow Camp, Young Adult Snow Camp, Men’s Retreat, Quilters Retreats, Work & Play Retreats. For the summer Wilderness and Resident Youth Camps, remember to take advantage of the “Better” (register before May 15) and “Best” rates (register before March 1st). Registration for all programs will stay open until the week prior to each camp. Hope to see you at RMMC soon!

Nov. 19 annc.pdf

Nov. 12 announcements

Congregational Announcements

Bethesda Hymn Sing: Tabor will be leading a chapel service at Bethesda on Sunday morning, November 12 from 11-11:30 am. For this chapel service, Pastor Katherine will be leading a hymn sing with Bethesda residents, and we hope that others from Tabor will also head to Bethesda to join in this service! If you would like to participate in the hymn sing that morning, please plan to drive to Bethesda right after our morning worship service. Please let Pastor Phil or Pastor Katherine know if you have any questions and let Pastor Katherine know if you plan to attend.

Christmas in Ecuador: The program that Karina Brandt is working with this year in Ecuador is hoping to receive some financial donations to go toward the purchase of toys for children of refugee families and other children connected to the local church. Please consider giving money for this purpose during one of our special offerings that will be collected on Sunday mornings, November 12, 19, and 26. Make checks payable to Tabor Mennonite Church, with Ecuador on the memo line, and place in the Christmas gift bags during the offering.

Everyone is invited to join us for the Community Thanksgiving Meal this evening, at the Goessel Elementary Gymnasium. The meal is free. If you wish, you may give a donation to support the ministries of Goessel Ministerial Alliance. Thank you for sharing with us in this community event! ~Goessel Ministerial Alliance

Stories & Stuff: Come celebrate the season of Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 16, at 10:00 a.m. Bring a friend to share in the food and fellowship!

MCC Youth Group Event: BBQ, Beans and Bikes: Plan to meet at the church building on November 15 at 5:50 (or as close to this as possible) to travel together to attend MCC’s Youth event at their North Newton offices from 6-8pm. Pizza supper will be served. We will also pack school kits and hear from Alli and Ben Rudeen Kreider about their recent service experiences.

Tabor Thanksgiving Meal and Service: Plan to join us on Wednesday evening, November 22 for a Thanksgiving meal provided by the Reception Committee followed by a Thanksgiving service in which we will share and sing heart songs and receive a special offering to support our Mennonite Mission Network Mission Partners, Dan and Kathryn, John-Clair, and Jacob Smith Derksen. The meal will be in the Fellowship hall beginning at 5:45pm and the service will be up in the sanctuary following the meal. Everyone is welcome!

You are invited to come out to a Christmas Hymn Sing at Tabor on December 3 at 6:30p.m. Please come out for an evening of singing and a cookie fellowship to follow. Any questions, please ask Elaine Unruh.

The Tabor Trading Post is Back! Some of you will create something wonderful to sell, and hopefully all of you will come buy! (Think Christmas). The Trading Post will be open for business Sunday Dec 3 after church, and then after Cynthia’s piano recital and during the parsonage open house. Sellers collect the money for their products and then give a minimum of 50% to the building fund. Contact Carol Duerksen if you will be participating as a seller and if you have questions.

Are you looking for delicious dessert options for your Sunday meals or to satisfy your sweet tooth? If so, the Tabor Mennonite Youth Group will be selling homemade desserts on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of every month to help raise money for our summer service trip to Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp in 2018. Suggested donations for the desserts are $10. Thank you, as always, for your support, prayers, and encouragement for our youth group!

Our “Getting to Know Each Other” project has been extended until the end of November, so please join the 20 people who have already shared a little bit about themselves. When we put the booklet together, we will give copies to those who sent in responses or others who request it, and there will be another copy in the library available for everyone to read. You received a list of questions regarding this project. When you’ve completed your answers, return them to Diana Schmidt’s mailbox (or email to her at jd77schmidt).

Please Help: A Meal Train website has been set up for the Ben Davis family. Ben is a young father diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. He and his wife have four children in the Goessel schools. Tabor is encouraged to sign up for at least 3 meals: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/98omlo

A Museum Christmas: Get “Red”ey for Christmas Open House on Saturday, November 18, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. We’re decked out in RED at the store. Come enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and receive a lesson from Fern on how to make a professional bow and take it home. Stop in and see what the store has to offer. Think about a museum membership for that person that has everything. Shop local first. Store open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 12 to 4 p.m. until December 16 (closed Thanksgiving Day) www.goesselmuseum.com

The Tabor Food Pantry needs your help! Groceries on the shelves are running low. When you do your grocery shopping, buy a little extra for the food pantry. Every item helps. There is a box under the table in the foyer where you may place your items, or simply place them in the food pantry room, 113. We also need non food items such as toilet paper, laundry soap and shampoo and paper grocery bags. Monetary donations are also welcome. Thanks for your continued support.

Conference Announcements

Prayer Requests:

« Western District Conference: Pray for the WDC Church Planting Commission as they meet next week, and in their support of church planters and emerging congregations in WDC.

« Mennonite Mission Network: For the past months, Connie and Dennis Byler have been visiting congregations in the United States. Pray for them as they return to Spain for the final weeks of their 45-year ministry through MMN and as they continue to share the gospel in “retirement” in Spain.

« Mennonite Education Agency: Give thanks for those who contributed to the development of a new free app for Take Our Moments and Our Days: An Anabaptist Prayer Book. Pray that this app would reach users worldwide with this resource for morning and evening prayer from AMBS’s Institute of Mennonite Studies.

Discovery: A Comic Lament: On November 19 at 7 pm, Faith Mennonite Church, Newton, KS, in partnership with Western District Conference, MCC Central States, and Bethel College, is sponsoring the Kansas premier production of “Discovery: A Comic Lament” produced by Ted & Co. TheaterWorks. The production will take place in Krehbiel Auditorium on Bethel College Campus. Tickets are $10, available from the Bethel College Bookstore, 316-283-2500.

Anabaptist Witness, the Year of Evangelism kick-off event, sponsored by the WDC Resource Commission, will be January 19-20, 2018 at the Alexanderwohl Church in Goessel. We’ll gather for this two-day event starting Friday evening for vibrant worship, inspiring teaching from Marvin Lorenzana and Heidi Roland Unruh, and practical workshops meant to equip your congregation for outreach. On Saturday, congregational leaders will have a chance to brainstorm outreach ideas with a coach so that they can return to their mission fields with a practical plan for sharing the good news. All of this great resourcing is only $30/person ($25/person for groups of 4 or more from the same congregation). To register, go to: http://mennowdc.org/year-of-evangelism/. Join us as we’re equipped to spread God’s healing and hope in the world!

The WDC Israel Palestine Task Force is encouraging members across the Western District to show solidarity and support for one of our members, Esther Koontz, who has been denied employment by the State of Kansas because of her Anabaptist convictions. Find out more and support Esther at http://mennoniteusa.org/menno-snapshots/support-esther-koontz/.

Camp Mennoscah:

—Scrapbook and Crafts retreat, Nov. 17-19

—Christmas Gathering at Camp Mennoscah! December 16 at 2:30pm-ish for conversation, games (indoor or outdoor), and cookies!

—Remodeling of the Camp Mennoscah kitchen begins this December, and we will need volunteers! Contact Jim Yoder at 316-284-3890 (call or text), jdyoder.

Information for all events at Camp Mennoscah or to register:

Online at www.campmennoscah.org Telephone: 620-297-3290.

Email: office.

Contact: olivia.bartel.

The Mennonite Worship and Song Committee is developing a new collection designed to succeed Hymnal: A Worship Book, Sing the Journey, and Sing the Story. The Committee calls on authors (of worship resources and hymn texts), songwriters (who compose words and music as a unit), and composers (of hymn tunes) to submit original work intended to enhance congregational worship in Anabaptist-Mennonite faith communities. We welcome submissions for consideration in this new collection. We expect the submissions portal at http://www.Mennonite

WorshipAndSongCollection.org to be active throughout 2017. More information at: http://mennoniteworshipandsongcollection.org/. Contact Resonate@Menno

Media.org with questions.

Fundraiser for refugee resettlement! On Sunday, November 12, at 12 noon, there will be a lunch featuring Congolese food served at the Hesston Mennonite Church. All proceeds will benefit the Hesston Area Refugee Resettlement Committee and Episcopal Migration Ministries, our supporting organization.

Sexual Abuse Prevention Training at the MCC Center will be held on Nov. 16, at 6:30 p.m. Offenders in the Church: Who They Are and How They Operate. Charissa Sloan Dvorak, attorney and investigator for GRACE (Godly Response to Abuse in Christian Environments) will give a presentation based on her experience prosecuting abuse cases and her extensive knowledge of sexual offenders. For information about the workshop or to register call 316-587-7244 or email kathywiens59. This training is free and open to the public. Registration is helpful, but don’t let that stop you from coming.

Ten Thousand Village/Fair Trade International Gift Festival is coming to Newton at the Mezzanine above Prairie Harvest, 601 N Main. It will be open on

November 24-25, December 1-3, 8-10, 15-17. Hours on Fridays and Saturdays: 10 am-5 pm. Hours on Sundays: 1-4 pm.

Hesston College Talent Show on November 18 at 8 p.m. in the Hesston Mennonite Church sanctuary. Many of our students, and maybe even some faculty and staff, will showcase their talents, quirks and sense of humor. Join us before the show for cookies and refreshments in the church Community Center from 7:15 to 7:45. This event is free for the whole family.

The Hesston-Bethel Performing Arts series welcomes the internationally-acclaimed Vienna Boys Choir Thursday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. at Hesston Mennonite Church in the second performance of this season’s concert series. Tickets $25-$29, online tickets, 620-327-8158

Bethel College: Sun., Nov. 12

—The KIPCOR Film Series presents the Kansas premiere of Healing Justice, addressing the school-to-prison pipeline and the need for comprehensive criminal justice reform, 2 p.m., Krehbiel Auditorium in Luyken Fine Arts Center.

—“The Organ in Ensembles,” a recital with Karen Bauman Schlabaugh, organ, Richard Tirk, trumpet, Suzanne Tirk, clarinet, and Donna Hetrick, organ, 4:30 p.m., Administration Building chapel at Bethel College

German Supper: First Mennonite Church in McPherson will be hosting a German Supper December 2nd, 2017 from 4:30p – 7pm. This will be a free will donation dinner. We will be serving verenika with ham gravy, sausage, green beans, bohne beroggi, zweiback, and cherry moos. In addition to the dinner, we will be having a bake sale so you can get some goodies to enjoy after the dinner. We will have poppy seed rolls, and peppernuts, and a variety of other goodies for sale at the bake sale. First Mennonite Church in McPherson is located at 1161 E Ave A (Corner of Maxwell and Ave A).

Nov. 12 annc..pdf