November 18, 2018 "Becoming Missional Christians" Following Children's Time the children are dismissed for Jr. Church.

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1 Beech Mennonite Church Easton St., Louisville, OH Website: November 18, 2018 "Becoming Missional Christians" WE GATHER TO STUDY 9:30 am Children classes are located: Gr. K-2 (downstairs - classroom on the left), 3-5 (downstairs - classroom on the right) Youth class, Gr (main floor, south wing, last door on the right) Adult classes: Combined class (Fellowship Hall) WE GATHER TO WORSHIP 10:30 am Gathering Welcome and Announcements Prelude: Give Thanks - Henry Smith, arr. by Roger House Call to Worship Opening Prayer Offering and Praise Praise Team Our Finances Offertory: Kanon by Johann Pachelbel Violin/Piano Duet - Amy Glick and Connie Bancroft Joys and Concerns Prayers Hymn: HWB#91 - Praise to God, immortal praise HWB#98 - Sing to the Lord of harvest Hearing God's Word Children's Time Following Children's Time the children are dismissed for Jr. Church. Scripture: John 3:1-6, 16; Acts 2:42-47 Message: The Balanced Christian - Pastor Matt Reed Hymn: HWB#478 - Sent forth by God s blessing Blessing and Sending One Another Postlude ******************************************************************** Church Office Hours: M-Th, 8 am 2 pm If you need Pastoral assistance, please contact Pastor Matt at (419) or beechchurchpastor@gmail.com. Please note: Judy will be in the office Monday and Tuesday this week from 8 am - 2 pm. For emergency assistance after office hours, please contact Pastor Matt, otherwise leave a message on the church phone and we will be happy to return your call the next business day. ******************************************************************** VISITORS: Welcome! We pray that you will be blessed in worshipping with us. Please fill out the green cards in the pew pockets with your contact information and place them in the offering plate. Thank you. ALL: If you have a prayer need or praise in seeing God at work, please fill them in the offering plate. ****************************************************************** You are invited to join the Prayer Group, meeting every Sunday, at 9 am in the room by the Pastor's office. Everyone is welcome. If you would like to place flowers on the altar in November, please see Jean Burdett.

2 UPCOMING EVENTS November 22 nd Office closed - Happy Thanksgiving! November 27 th November 29 th YOUTH TODAY December 2 nd Ladies Night Out, 7:30 pm, Panera- Alliance Worship Comm. Mtg., 2 pm Activity after Worship w/pastor Matt & Brendan VERSES Hartzler s, 6:30-8 pm December 16 th Youth Christmas Party after church w/pastor Matt and Brendan ******************************************************************* SAVE THE DATES: December 23 rd Christmas Breakfast, details to follow December 24 th Christmas Eve Service, 6:30 pm Missional Conference will be held on March 7-8, 2019 and the Annual Conference Assembly will be March 8-9, Both will be held at the Salem Mennonite Church in Kidron. Hilda needs plastic grocery bags to make mats for the homeless. If you have any bags she would really appreciate them. Please place them in the tote in the copy room. Thank you. ********************************************************************** If you know someone who could use a Thanksgiving basket, please let one of the Mission & Service Commission members (Cliff, Jama, Doreen or Charlie) know so that one can be prepared for them. Missions & Service Commission is collecting items for the Thanksgiving baskets. Please place all items on the table in the lobby so the baskets can be prepared in time for the holiday. Thank you in advance for your generosity. Please remember to keep the following in your prayers Lucille Maurer, Helen Sanders, Jean Block, June Reese, Katherine Mottice, Dale Burdett, Bill Williams (Altercare), John Schmucker (Betty s son -Fairlawn Rehab & Nursing Care), Charlie McNatt, Jenny Rigdon, Dorothy Schmucker (Southwest General Hospital - Middleburg Heights, Rm E431), Betty Schmucker, Cliff Brubaker, Galen Sommers Ohio Conference Leaders & Congregation governmental leaders local, state, national our Mission Partners Galen & Bonnie Stutzman Shepherd's Gate Childcare Center those affected by the fires in California Blake Hershberger - blakehershberger.worldpress.com Please keep Blake and the children who heard the peace program they presented in the local schools in your thoughts and prayers. The above website offers you A Daily Ritual with Blake. **If you have a prayer request or praise, please contact the church office, at , or beechchurchsecretary@gmail.com. ***************************************************************** If you would like to order a poinsettia for the Christmas season, the order forms will be available in the lobby, Sunday, November 25 th. Cost is $10. Please see Sandy Simon with questions.

3 Check out these new books in the Library The Road to Christmas will be presented on Christmas Eve, December 24 th, at 6:30 pm, by our Beech Church children. Please invite your family and friends to join us for this wonderful gift. Practices: December 2 nd - pizza, relish tray, apples Read through play day December 9 th - hot dogs, relishes, apples Practice entire program December 23 rd - sloppy joes, hot chicken sandwiches, relishes, apples Dress rehearsal Please encourage the children to come to the fellowship hall immediately after church. Our goal is to finish in an hour. Please let Amy Glick or Rachel Witmer know if your children are able to participate. Everyone is welcome, no matter what age, and there will be a part for all participants. We encourage attendance at all practices, however, if they are not able to attend all of them, please try to make it to as many as they can, especially dress rehearsal. If your child has food allergies/preferences, please bring appropriate food for them. If you would like to provide a side dish to go with our menu, it would be greatly appreciated! What a privilege to have your children involved in the carols, drama, poetry and scripture of this program! Amy Glick Rachel Witmer Reference: 1. Love Undocumented by Sarah Quezada 2. Bearing Witness Edited by Charles E. Moore and Timothy Keiderling 3. Circles of Sisterhood by Anita Hooley Yoder 4. Equipped for Every Good Work by Dan R. Dick and Barbara Miller 5. Anabaptist Essentials by Palmer Becker 6. The Naked Anabaptist by Stuart Murray 7. The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal 8. A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and a Great War by Joseph Loconte Adult Fiction: 1. The Forgotten Recipe by Amy Clipston 2. Angel Song by Sheila Walsh and Kathryn Cushman 3. Pewter Angels by Henry K. Ripplinger Junior Fiction: 1. Sara s Trek by Florence Schloneger Children Fiction: 1. Sleep in Peace by Ingrid Hess 2. Twas the Evening of Christmas by Gladys Nellist, Illustrated by Elena Selivanova 3. Waiting by Kevin Henkes There are also several CDs/DVDs, reference materials and lots of books in the library available for your use. Feel free to check something out or take a moment to sit in the library. Please see a Librarian for assistance if you can t locate something, they will be happy to assist you. If they are unavailable, please leave them a note on the desk in the library.

4 Lighthouse Ministries is in need of cookies and gifts for their annual giving to families in need. Cookies may be homemade or packaged. There is a bbd in the lobby with tags on it, please consider helping them in their quest. All items need to be returned to Beech by Sunday, December 2 nd so they can be delivered in time for this event. Thank you in advance for your assistance with this project and helping to bring some sunshine to those in need. Please see Sandy Roth with any questions. Ohio Conference invites you to be in prayer for Miriam Zehr, Dottie Hathaway and Leiah Abshear. This group is planning for the worship services that will be held at the upcoming Annual Conference Assembly in March. Pray that they would feel the Spirit s leading and direction as they plan two worship services based around the themes from Acts 11: Dorothy Schmucker has been admitted to Southwest General Hospital in Middleburg Heights, Rm. E432. Her direct phone number is Please note: She may be transferred to a skilled nursing rehab facility in a few days, we will continue to update you as we receive information. Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Today (Nov. 18) Next Sunday (Nov. 25) Worship Leader: Matt Hartzler Rachel Witmer Song Leader: Amy Glick Barry Hershberger Organist: Connie Bancroft Sheila Hostetler Greeters: Mickie R. & Eunice S. Vern R. & Kay R. Nursery: Nancy S. & Anya W, Gladys V. & Emily M. Jr. Church: Tanya Hershberger Krista Helmuth Head Usher: Dennis Kapper Dennis Kapper Sound: Jarrod Mottice Melissa Rearick Sun. (Nov. 11th) Attendance: 98 November 11, 2018 General Receipts $ 2, Designations: $ 0.00 Total Offering Received: $ 2, As the winter weather approaches please be careful in the parking lot and sidewalks. Ice can happen so quickly. Try to wear appropriate shoes and if you can, please leave the parking spots in front of the main entrance for those who may have difficulty walking or need assistance. If you or someone you know needs assistance, please see one of the ushers and they will be happy to lend a hand. If you would like an Advent Worship guide to share with your family, here is the link:

5 INSPIRATIONAL NOTES FROM TODAY'S MESSAGE John 3:1-6, 16; Acts 2:42-47 I. Over-emphasis on Community Faith a. Religion (faith) is about going to church b. Faith is more about my duty to go to church on Sunday (the act of going to church takes precedent over the heart of going) c. Church and faith become more about social events and less about seeking Christ and becoming like him II. Over-emphasis on personal faith a. Has become more common in recent years i. The me generation ii. Rise in the evangelical movement b. Partially a result of our ultra-individualistic culture i. Anti-authoritarian c. I don t need others to dictate my faith, it s just about me and Jesus d. Faith becomes more about personal fulfillment than personal transformation A Third Way for the Balanced Christian III. Recognizing the Importance of Personal Faith (John 3:1-16) a. We are all individually responsible before God (John 3:16-21) i. There will be church goers who call themselves Christians who will not spend eternity with God (Matt. 7:21-23) b. The whole is only as good as the individual parts i. If people in the church are not seeking to grow personally, the church will suffer c. Personal experience is biblical (read the Psalms) d. Personal transformation is part of biblical faith (Romans 12:1-2) e. Therefore: do not be just a bench warming church goer! IV. We Also Need to have a Public Faith a. God never intended Christians to be lone rangers b. Jesus taught in the synagogues and even the temple (John 8:2, Matthew 9:35) c. The early Christians met frequently (Acts 2:42-47) i. Notice personal conversions are connected with being part of the community d. Hebrews 10:24-25 e. Personal transformation happens most in community (Proverbs 27:17) V. What is the church? (I.e. What is true Christian community?) a. The people of God coming together to worship b. A place where believers support one another and encourage one another to grow c. A place where people use their God-given gifts to bless one another d. Watching church on TV is not community; Listening to sermon podcasts online is not community ********************************************************** If you would like to hear our Sunday Sermons, they are available online at or go to the website; click "Publications/Audio" then click "Sermons". ************************************************************ Next Sunday: Making Preparations - Pastor Matt Reed Malachi 4:1-6