News and Views. First Mennonite Church, McPherson Dec 2014 In This Issue Announcements pg 2-3 Prayer Requests...pg 3 Looking Back..

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1 News and Views First Mennonite Church, McPherson Dec 2014 In This Issue Announcements pg 2-3 Prayer Requests...pg 3 Looking Back.. pg 4-7 Pastoral Ponderings: Making Space for Christ This Advent I was having a cup of coffee with a dear friend recently when she asked me a precious question, What are your most meaningful advent traditions? Note carefully the question. What are my advent traditions those things that draw me and those dear to me into a spirit of attentive waiting on God before we celebrate the in-breaking of Christ into the world? So, I reflected out loud. When I was growing up, my family always lit the candles of the advent wreath and prayed on the Sunday afternoons before Christmas. With cats in our home, lit candles haven't seemed like a safe idea for us. Perhaps we should consider those electric ones. I often get my hands on a new advent devotional. Whether daily or weekly, these brief meditations are the adult equivalent to opening another window on the children's advent calendar (which I also did as a child). They help me recognize the passing of time and how God is at work in me and around me as we wait to celebrate the birth of God's Son. For several years, an important advent tradition has been singing the Holden Evening Prayer, a beautiful, simple time of sung and spoken prayer with friends. Holden focuses on the bible texts of Elizabeth, Zachariah, Mary and Joseph as they anticipate Jesus' birth. Lastly, I don't know if it's fair to call something a tradition if one has only experienced it once, but I'd like it to become one of my advent traditions. It's called the Longest Night worship. It falls on the literal longest night of the year. Since my sister moved so far North, I'm more attuned to the changing of the seasons and just how dark it is in winter in some parts of the world and how this affects many people. This leads me to pray for those who suffer from depression literally because of lack of sunlight this time of year. The Longest Night worship is a time of prayer specifically on behalf of those who struggle with sadness and despair, and we trust the scriptural promise: The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. If you'd be blessed by such an opportunity, please let me know. In the meantime, I invite you to ponder my friend's question, too: What are your most meaningful advent traditions? Is it taking a prayer walk around the pasture, gazing at the stars? Is it helping your child or grandchild open up the windows of an advent calendar and talking about Jesus? Or is it some other way that God calls you into deeper relationship? How do you prepare your heart and mind for the in-dwelling Christ whose coming we celebrate? However you are called to do it, make space for Him this advent. --Pastor Kathy News & Views Schedule: Items for the Jan newsletter must be given to Laura by Dec 5.

2 Announcements Refrigerator Fund: The women are pleased to announce enough has been raised to purchase an industrial refrigerator. The purchase will be made soon. Technology Updates: Worship/Music Committee is pleased to announce the fundraising goal has been met! The projector will be ceiling mounted soon. David Kaufman, metal artist, will design our projection screens. We look forward to presenting the eternal message of God s love in visual ways. First Wednesday Bible Study and Fellowship Meal: Join us at 4:00 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month for a look at the journeys of Paul. Come for Bible Study, stay for the Fellowship Meal at 5:00 p.m. This month s Bible Study/Meal will be Dec 3. Next month there will not be a Bible Study due to Pastor Kathy s sabbatical, but the meal will still be held Jan 7. Put these on your calendar! 36 th Annual Community Christmas Carol-Along: Dec 4, 6:00 p.m. McPherson Opera House. Come join your friends and neighbors in singing beloved Christmas songs in a come-& go, informal atmosphere. Some local groups will also perform, and Santa is scheduled to visit. Pastor Kathy, LaVon Ediger, & Laura Hale will be among the songleaders helping to keep things rolling. Sponsored by Home State Bank, a part of Citizens State Bank. Israel-Palestine Conflict Webinar. Dec 4, 7 pm. Do you wish you knew more about the Israel-Palestine conflict, but don't know where to start? Jesus Weeps is a free one-hour webinar sponsored by the Peace & Justice Support Network of Mennonite Church USA that will give you an overview of the basic history & current situation. Register online now! German Supper: Dec 6, 5-7 p.m. The menu includes Verenike with ham gravy, Bohne Beroggi, German Sausage, Borscht, Green Beans, Zwiebach, and Cherry Moos. There will also be Ten Thousand Villages Fair Trade items and baked goods for sale, including peppernuts. Invite friends! Christmas Banquet: Dec 16, 6 p.m., First Mennonite Church Fellowship Hall. RoJean Loucks, professional harpist, of Lindsborg, KS, will provide dinner music for our catered Christmas banquet, as well as a mini concert after the meal. Please invite friends. This is a congregational event. No one who wants to come is excluded. Therefore, the suggested donation for the evening is $10 per person ($5 for kids 10 & under), but donate what makes sense for your family. The Fellowship Events fund will make up the difference.

3 Advent/Christmas Activities: Christmas Banquet: Dec 16, 6:00 pm, Fellowship Hall. During and following a catered ham dinner, we will be serenaded by Christmas music played on the harp by RoJean Loucks. Christmas Brunch: Dec 21, 9:30 am, Fellowship Hall. Bring a fruit or cheese plate, egg dish or other brunch items to share. Drinks provided. There will be no Sunday School. Christmas Pageant: Dec 21, 10:40 am, Sanctuary. Share a poem, story, song or short dramatic skit to celebrate Jesus birth. Let Pastor Kathy know if you want to be involved. Christmas Eve Worship and Communion: Dec 24, 7:00 pm, Sanctuary. Yearbook Reports must be turned in by Jan 2, so Laura has time to put the yearbook together and have it in boxes two weeks before the Annual Meeting. Prayer Requests Pray for the vision of the church; that we will look to God for how to be mission oriented in our ministries. Pray for friends & neighbors to know the love of Jesus. Pray for our shut-ins and those struggling with illness, grief or loneliness to experience God s love, especially during the holiday season. Jake Snow & Tucker Fletchall are both recovering from surgery. Luella Bartel is currently hospitalized for pneumonia. Pray for continued healing. Thank God for continued blessing of the ReUse it Center, so this ministry is able to bless others.

4 Looking Back Verenike Making October 4 brought out three generations of FMCers and friends. We made over 1600 dry-cottage cheese-filled pockets in one day for our December 6 German Supper. The process was like a well-oiled machine, and the pizza dough rolling machine helped it along. Thank you to every volunteer who made the day a success. Big thanks to Andrea Hundley for organizing the day and the German Supper preparations in general. Donna Zerger teaches the next generation how to make verenike Many hands make light work. Keri, Arnette & Kyle seal the verenike tight Lots of hands pinching closed the verenike & telling stories of dinners past

5 Peppernut Baking Times Two! October 31 was not enough fun for some peppernut fans, so Andrea organized a follow-up baking day. Expert peppernut makers baked over 160 pounds of the tiny spice cookies! Friends and community members are snapping them up by the ½ and full pound bags! Are we really going to use all this dough?! Preparing the peppernut dough for the peppernut gun Aaron, fastest peppernut maker in the West Into the oven they go. Thanks, Amber. Dayle expertly bags peppernuts

6 Bohnne Beroggi Making: November 1 was a busy day for some FMCers. With bohne beroggi making in the morning and the big half-off sale at ReUse It Center, some of us were as motivated as cats in a rocking chair factory. We made over 800 of the bean-filled pastries. Thank you to everyone who helped. It was a fun morning. Kathy has a good time with Donna, Cindy and Jan, learning from them. Kyle preps the Bohnne Beroggi for freezing. Bev and Janice get the Bohnne Beroggi filled. Yes, this goop turns into delicious Bohnne Beroggi filling.

7 Dunns Plus One Concert: November 7 Ann Dunn, Michael Dunn, Kathy Neufeld Dunn & Faith Wenger of Hesston (the plus one!) raised some funds for our visual technology project sponsored by Worship/Music Committee. We re delighted that the nearly $5000 goal was met between generous donations online, at the concert, and through designated memorial gifts. The evening was a diverse repertoire of bluegrass, gospel, hints of classical, jazz and Broadway tunes-- something for almost everyone. Thanks to all who attended and supported the project! Dunns Plus One enjoy making a fun evening of music together. Kathy & Michael have been making beautiful music together for almost 26 years. Ann Dunn can pluck with the best. No bow needed. Faith Wenger, an honorary Dunn for the evening, rocked the keyboard!