Called to be Servants of Christ in Our Community

Transcription

1 Called to be Servants of Christ in Our Community Niagara United Mennonite Church September 6 th, 2015 Worship Service 10:00 a.m. Gathering Call to Worship Worship in Song God of Our Strength HWB #36 O Glorious Love Santo(Holy) StJ #15 Congregational Life & Announcements Offering Focus- MCC I Stood Outside the Gate Proclamation Seek ye first the kingdom of God HWB #324 Scripture: Proverbs 2:1-11, pew Bible pg. 617 Proverbs 24:30-34, pew Bible pg. 639 Proverbs 26:13-16, pew Bible pg. 641 Lord, I Thank You Sending Heav nly Father, We Beseech Thee Kathy Rempel Steve Cox Steve Cox Mary Pries John Tiessen ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Called to be Servants of Christ in Our Community expresses our desire to share our faith and love of Jesus Christ with all we meet. We welcome you and hope that your time with us will be enjoyable and enlightening. Families with children are invited to worship together with us in the service. For children 5 yrs old or younger who are not able to sit through the church service, there is a nursery downstairs, or a glassed-in room behind the sanctuary where you may sit with your baby and still follow the service. If you feel a sense of belonging, you are most welcome to be with us. Talk to us about how you can participate. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Live Streaming Privacy Notice Our church services are live streamed over the internet, capturing the stage and up to the front half of the church in the picture that is transmitted. We encourage all ages to sit towards the front of the church to showcase our lively and active congregation! Thanks for your support. JOYS & CONCERNS: Ed and Marlene Borzychowski are thrilled to announce the births of two new granddaughters. Norah Esther, born to Robert Borzychowski and Claudia Perez (Montreal) and Sophia Mary Grace, born to Angela Borzychowski and Adrian Lowden (Zurich). Great grandchildren for the late Paul and Margarete Rempel. WITHIN NIAGARA UM CHURCH: Senior s Tea! The first Senior s Tea of the season is approaching! Mark Sunday, September 13 th at 3:00 pm on your calendars, Seniors! Audrey Dau will be hosting and Rudy & Sharon will lead another conversation on Aging with Grace.

2 Looking to get more out of your time at church on Sundays? All adults are welcome to attend the Interactive Sermons which take place prior to the Worship Service at 10:00am, usually in the gym (double check on the whiteboard each week). Here, various individuals gather together to discuss ideas and themes with the preacher that will be addressed in the sermon. The Interactive Sermon schedule resumes from the summer break next week, on September 13 th. These discussions run most Sundays, but please verify the schedule prior to coming to church early to avoid expecting it on weeks where it is not offered. You can verify this by reviewing the This week at a glance section of the prior week s bulletin, on by accessing the church website s calendar. Come on out- we hope to see you there! The Ladies Bible Study will be studying Esther by Beth Moore. We will begin on Monday September 14 7pm in The Meeting Room. The cost of the workbook will be $ If you are interested in joining us, please contact Sue Fast or Debbie Fast. The workbooks will need to be ordered, so please let us know as soon as possible. Men s Canoe Trip 2015 The annual men s canoe trip is in the works again and is planned for September 18 to 20 in Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park. This is a fun and non-technical trip, so don t be afraid. We already have a number of committed participants, so come join us this year. If you are interested please contact Joachim Dau. The Education Committee is excited to invite you to our 2 nd annual Ice Cream Social! Please join us on the front lawn after the service for an ice cream cone and fellowship on Sunday September 27 th. We noticed last year it was a little chilly, so if the weather doesn't permit, we will meet in the Gym instead. The September Church calendar is available at the Welcome Centre. All events are also listed online on the church website s calendar. Please note there have been a few updates to the calendar since last week. Upper Room Update: The September/October issue of the Upper Room is delayed due to an administrative error on their end. It has all been sorted out now and is expected to arrive sometime between Sept th. So sorry for this delay! An update on the NUMC Life With Us newsletter: Several changes have been undertaken to make the production of the newsletter more work efficient, and less time consuming. We will be printing bimonthly instead of monthly issues; the calendar will be printed separately and placed at the Welcome Centre for each month; most formatting of the newsletter will take place outside of the church office so that it does not interfere with daily office tasks. The next issue will be out in the next week or two. For further details please contact Lani Gade or Kathy Rempel by or phone. Over the last number of months MCEC and MCC have started to work on how we can respond to the Syrian Refugee crisis. At this time the Mission and Service committee, along with Church council are discussing our response. Look for more info on this in the coming weeks. If you have any questions please contact the Missions and Service Committee. "Mennonite Church Eastern Canada and MCC want to work with you to be the compassionate presence of Christ in a hurting and broken world. We are inviting you to engage in a collaborative response to the desperate need in Syria and Iraq. The congregations of MCEC have proven in the past that they are capable of responding with deep compassion and support in the midst of a refugee crisis. As a Church, we are being presented with a new opportunity to welcome refugees into our communities." Thank-you so much to all of the wonderful folks who help out at the Welcome Centre! These people offer their bright smiles and cheerful dispositions each Sunday morning to truly make Niagara UM as welcoming as possible for newcomers and long-term members alike. Thanks for being point people on Sunday mornings to help convey information from the office and the Pastoral Team and for passing along any congregational issues or questions that arise on a Sunday. As we approach the end of the current Welcome Centre Volunteer schedule, we highlight this as an opportunity for others to try out this role.

3 We have a great team which we d love to expand to include some new faces- like yours! Please contact April in the church office asap if you d like to volunteer or for any questions about the role. We are proceeding with the elevator retrofit and have been granted an extension to our deadline and therefore the elevator is still operational. Capital fund donations to date are $5,905, but we still need around $9,000 for the elevator project. Please help support this, by marking your envelopes elevator or capital fund. NIAGARA UM CHURCH VOLUNTEER CORNER: We joyously welcome Linda Pankratz to her new role of Sunday School Superintendent! Thank-you so much for stepping in to this important role in our church. We pray for God s continued blessing upon you as you serve our teachers & children and that you be richly rewarded through your new role! A Grade 2/3 Sunday School Teacher is required immediately for our September 13 th Sunday School year start. Please consider if God is calling you to this very meaningful role in our children s lives. Please kindly connect with Linda Pankratz if you d like more information or to volunteer: Nursery Helpers Needed! I will be making up a new 3-month schedule for helping in the Church nursery (Oct.-Dec.), and have 2 vacant Sundays. Wondered if anyone is yet desiring to be put on that list? If so, please phone Laurene Nickel (905) , or karlhnickel@yahoo.com. Many thanks! CHILDREN, YOUTH & STUDENTS: Youth Kick-Off Night! All students in high school, grades 9-12, are invited to participate in our church s fun and active Youth Group! Join us this coming Friday night, Sept. 11 th at 7:30 pm as we meet at Danielle Redekopp s home: 1536 Four Mile Creek Road. Please feel welcome to come out and join us as we engage in some icebreaker games, eat BBQ and freezies, enjoy the pool & hot tub, meet the new sponsors and each other s wonderful company after a long summer apart! All friends are welcome, so bring them as well! Jr Youth - Kickoff Bonfire! To start our new year off the Jr Youth will be having a bonfire at the Froese's Friday Sept. 25 th from 7-9pm. All grade 6, 7 and 8's are invited! Parents please drop off/pick up at 2222 Four Mile Creek Rd. Stay Connected! Any young adults who are moving away to school are invited to stay connected by way of receiving the Canadian Mennonite while away at school. Please contact April in the church office for further details. Offering of August 30 th : $7, Budget $5, Christian Witness $ Capital Fund $ Attendance on August 30 th: Worship Service-192 MCC General $ MCC Food $100.00

4 Today: John & Kathy Rempel will be sharing their musical leadership with us as they lead the congregation in special music during our worship service. * * * * * A big thank-you goes out to all of the folks who shared their gifts with us through this summer for our Summer Worship services! We appreciate both the wide variety of special music that was featured and the wide selection of children s moment leaders that participated in the service. What a blessing it was to have all of you involved in this way! Thanks also to the Music committee who organized all of these special treats for us!! Note: Next week, September 13 th, will be the first Sunday back on our Fall/Winter/Spring Schedule. The Worship service commences at 11:00 am and the German service commences at 10:00 am. Monday: Tuesday: Thursday: Friday: THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE (September 7 th September 13 th ) LABOUR DAY- OFFICE CLOSED 7:00 pm Church Council Meeting 8:00 pm Choir Practice 7:30 pm Youth Danielle s Home Next Sunday, September 13 th 9:30 am Primary & Junior Singing on the 1 st and 3 rd Floors 10:00 am German Service- Message by Ramona Neufeld 10:00 am Interactive Sermon- in the gym 10:00 am Sunday Morning Youth in the Youth Room 10:00 am Sunday School on the 3 rd Floor 11:00 am Worship Service Message by Rudy Dirks 3:00 pm Senior s Tea in the gym *For a complete listing of church events, please see our online calendar on our church website.*

5 Sermon Series: Wisdom: Skillful Living Information is increasing; knowledge is expanding; communication is growing. But you seldom hear about wisdom. And yet without wisdom the skill of understanding how to live increases in the rest of our capabilities just bring us into more trouble. Proverbs is part of the wisdom literature of the Bible. In this book, the famously wise king Solomon teaches wisdom through pithy, concise sayings, and wise teachings which transcend ages and cultures. In this sermon series we will explore Solomon and his teachings for the purpose of learning to live our own lives in the kind of wisdom that brings us a full life, no matter what the circumstances. September 6 Lord, I Thank You Proverbs 2:1-11, Proverbs 24:30-34 & Proverbs 26:13-16 (Further topics on Developing a Character of Wisdom will follow) MENNONITE CENTRAL COMMITTEE: Save the date for MCC Ontario's Fall Conference: At Peace and Unafraid. Learn how MCC is working for peace and justice around the world. Sat. Nov. 14 th, 9:00 am-3:30 pm, Bethany Community Church, 1388 Third Street, St. Catharines. Federal Election 2015 MCC has developed a resource containing info about key issues that are important to MCC and its partners. We invite you to use this resource to guide discussions and to share with family members, friends and colleagues. More info at mcccanada.ca/stories/2015-federal-election. MENNONITE CHURCH CANADA: All Mennonite Church Canada congregations are invited to support our Thailand ministry by joining the Ride for Refuge recreational family bike ride event on October 3 rd. Be a team captain, join a team, and ride in support of Tom and Christine Poovong s (Trinity Mennonite Church, Calgary) work with marginalized and vulnerable people. Rides occur in cities across Canada. See for details. Thank-you! OUR COMMUNITY AND BEYOND: Ladies, do you need a TIME OUT? See the poster on our community board for more information! Tabor Manor will be holding a memorial service on Thursday, September 7:00 pm. We will be remembering the lives of residents and tenants who died between October 20, 2014 and September 5, Please feel free to join us for this service in the Tabor Manor Great Room, which is in the new long term care building at 7 Tabor Drive. Men s Meat Retreat, September at Silver Lake Mennonite Camp. Join chef and wine sommelier Dave Lobe and resource person Chip Bender for a great weekend! Cost is $195. For more information (including photos from prior years) visit or call the camp office

6 Niagara Women on Mission with Jesus is inviting all women to their 3rd annual day retreat on Saturday, September 26 th at Glengate Alliance Church. Guest speaker Hilary Price will speak on it is possible to find our way home to him so that our distracted loneliness is replaced by peaceful belonging. For more information, view the poster on the foyer bulletin board. A request has come to us from Heidehof: They are looking for people willing to preach during their chapel time, on a rotating schedule of approximately 3-4 times per year. Please consider if this is something you are interested in and able to help them out with. They have a special interest in people who can speak German, however English sermons are very much appreciated. Please connect with Christina, Volunteer Coordinator at Heidehof: for further information and details. Peace it Together Conference: CMU will be hosting a national youth conference on the theme A Meeting Place: Hearing God in Indigenous Voices. Speakers include Sue Eagle, Vincent Solomon, Christy Anderson and Steve Heinrichs. The conference will take place Oct at CMU. For more information call , pit2015@cmu.ca, or visit cmu.ca/pit. Portable CMU: Canadian Mennonite University offers a variety of off-campus workshops to resource congregations in their local communities. Sessions offered include Practical Faith: Discipleship and the Letter of James by Sheila Klassen-Wiebe, Associate Professor of New Testament. For more information see cmu.ca/portable or call toll free NUMC Services & Sermons are available online. Individual Sermons or Sermon Series are available for purchase, formatted on CD or DVD. Please place your order through the church office.