MEDITATION ON BALANCING ACTION AND FREEDOM

Transcription

1 MEDITATION ON BALANCING ACTION AND FREEDOM Have you over-given and become drained? Are you too defensive in ways that maybe used to protect you, but now only serve to shut you away from love and other people away from loving you fully? Where can you hug in more effectively in ways that contain your energy and help you stay vital, fulfilled, and with enough to give out--without burning out? Where can you give your energy in ways that don't enable, or take over for people when it's not working? January 15, 2017

2 Gathering Welcome (Visitors are invited to fill out a welcome card and place it in the offering basket.) Sharing in the Life of the Church* Gathering Song Many and great, O God HWB 35 Invitation to Worship Call to Worship Leader: Come let us worship our God Congregation: We come with thanks for God s creation Leader: Come, let us hear a new story of salvation Congregation: We come with our ears ready to listen Leader: Come, let us envision a world of justice and peace Congregation: We come with eyes open to see the potential of all Leader: Come, ready to sing praise to the One who frees us from our sin Congregation: We come with voices ready to be raised in praise. All: Come let us worship our God. Passing the Peace of Christ Praising Songs of Praise Somos pueblo que camina STJ 8 Will you come and follow me STS 39 Offering Prayer Offering Hearing Scripture Reading Luke 4:14-30 Children s Story (Children ages 3 through 7 are excused to Children s Circle) Song We will follow STS 40 Meditation On ways of knowing Pastor Renee Kanagy 2

3 Responding Song of Response Firstborn of Mary STS 37 Sharing joys and sorrows, sermon response, and introduction of guests Prayers of the Community Sending Sending Song Arise, your light is come! STS 30 Benediction *Near the beginning of our worship, we will have a time for sharing events of the life of the church. Bulletin announcements will be highlighted by the Worship Leader, followed by an opportunity to offer additional sharing. Please be mindful of the limited time we have to worship together on Sunday mornings. --Worship Committee We warmly welcome all who are visiting with us today! We hope you will join us for fellowship time after the service and give us an opportunity to get to know you. Please fill out a visitor card from the pew rack and place it in the offering basket. Listening assistance devices are available through the sound technician at the rear of the sanctuary. 3

4 We offer the following activities for children: A supervised nursery for newborns through age 3, located next to the main entr ance; Children's Circle for children ages 3 through 7, which currently meets in the Quiet Room (located to the left of the coat r ack) dur ing the second half of the worship service. In preparation for next week s service, you may wish to read Luke 5:1-11. ANNOUNCEMENTS Please send your announcements to the office before 11:00am-Friday to be printed in the bulletin...today Sunday, January 15 Second Sunday after the Epiphany..THIS WEEK..NEXT WEEK Tuesday, January 24 Saturday, January 28..COMING UP Tuesday, February 7 Wednesday, March 1 Community Meal (5-7pm); all are welcome! Council Retreat (10am-2pm) Worship Committee (7pm, tentative, at home of Pastor Renee) Ash Wednesday; services to be held at CMF, more information TBA Check out the EVENTS page on our website for more calendar information. In the event of inclement weather, notification of cancellation of church service will be sent by by and posted on Facebook. CMF Welcome Statement Cincinnati Mennonite Fellowship is a Christ-centered, welcoming and inclusive church community committed to peace and justice. We acknowledge and affirm the image of God in persons of every race, ability, class, gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation. We celebrate an open communion in which all who seek a closer journey with God are welcome to participate. We invite all who covenant with us to join in the full life of the congregation. 4

5 CMF Vision Statement As a Mennonite community, seeking to follow Jesus Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we will be embracing, engaging, growing. NOTES Kroger has a program called Kroger Community Rewards. This program will give money to the CMF Youth Group every quarter and it works by linking your Kroger Plus card to the CMF Youth Group. If you don't have a Kroger Plus card, you can easily sign up at any Kroger or fill out a form with Scott and Allison. Kroger Plus cards are free and often get you discounts on goods sold in the store. Enrolling your card does NOT affect your fuel rewards or other individual rewards. It is easy and only takes a minute. Linking the card must be done every year it does not carry over. If you would like to link your card to the CMF Youth Group, here is what you need to do: Go to You will be prompted to create an account or sign in to a current account. If you need to create an account, follow the instructions. (You do not have an account just because you have a Kroger Plus card. If you have never made an online account, you can link your card to it after you sign up.) If you already have an account click, My Account. This will take you to your account summary. Scroll to the bottom. Look for Community Rewards. Click Enroll. Under the section Find Your Organization you will need to enter our number: Cincinnati Mennonite Fellowship Youth Group should appear as your choice. Click the circle on the left and then click Enroll. You should see a message thanking you for your participation. You can then sign out of your account. Thanks for your support! Scott, Allison, and the CMF Youth Group 5

6 Recycle items for Dec/Jan will be empty scotch tape dispensers, and the inner circles the tape is actually on, including the refill tapes. Look for a box in January. Thanks! ATTENDANCE LAST WEEK 91 with 3 visitors FAITH TALK Matthew 3:13 17: Jesus is baptized Here are some ways to nurture faith at home based on this week s Bible story. With preschool children, also use ideas from the For families section on the Early Childhood leaflet. (1) Read Matthew 3: What do you think the voice from heaven sounded like? (2) Search for a dove template online. Print it out on white card stock paper. Decorate it and hang from the ceiling. (3) Write an acrostic poem of affirmation for each person in the family using the word beloved. Did you know? Who helped Andrea del Verrochio finish his famous painting The Baptism of Christ around 1472? (His apprentice Leonardo da Vinci) Prayer for the week: (name), you are God s beloved child. You are precious, and God loves you. Black, Brown, and Mennonite: Lessons from the Chicana/o, Puerto Rican, and Black Freedom Movements for the Mennonite Church March 30 April 1, 2017 Greencroft Community Center, Goshen, Indiana The work of the Minority Ministries Council (MMC) in the 1960s and 1970s was cutting edge and in many ways ahead of the rest of the Mennonite church during the civil rights era. But since the group disbanded in 1973, the denomination and its primary storytellers, historians, and church leaders have for the most part ignored this important story. We hope you will join us for this historic event as we honor the essential work of Black and Brown leaders who during the civil rights era marched, struggled, imagined, and believed that another church an anti-racist church was indeed possible. More information, including registration materials, will be available soon. Event Sponsors: Schowalter Foundation, Everence, Mennonite Mission Network, Mennonite Central Committee, Goshen College, College Mennonite Church, Greencroft Retirement Community Women's March for Mennonite Women If you plan to come to the Women's March on Washington and you would like to walk with Mennonite women, please join the Facebook group "Mennonites at the Women's March on Washington." We can coordinate our plans and post our location in real time so that we can find each other at the event. Everyone welcome. --Wendy Chappell- Dick 6

7 Abounding in Love...Abiding in Grace 2017 Regional Gatherings Plan to attend a regional gathering Three regional gatherings for CDC members are set for early 2017: February 25: at Southside Fellowship (Lambright Center, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, Ind.) March 4: First Mennonite Church, Urbana, Ill. March 11: First Mennonite Church, Wadsworth, Ohio Regional gatherings are opportunities to hear the latest developments and work in progress and to learn to know others who share your interest in the conference. They are intended for any and all in the conference not only leaders in congregations or the conference. Available for Order Human Sexuality in Biblical Perspective is now available for you to order through Amazon or Cascadia Publishing. The book sells for $ If you would like to order in bulk, please contact Cascadia Publishing at contact@cascadiapublishinghouse.com. The CDC office will make copies available at Pastor Peer meetings, regional gatherings, and the annual meeting. If you would like a Spanish translation of the book, please contact the conference office at office@mcusacdc.org. If you are looking for biblical footing amidst changing understandings of sexuality and intimacy, this book is a resource for conversation and discernment. Thanks to the many CDC folks who gave of their time and talents to create this study guide for Central District Conference. Mennonite Church USA Convention Registration for the Mennonite Church USA Convention 2017 opens Jan. 17. The convention takes place July 4-8 in Orlando, Florida, with the theme Love is a Verb. Enjoy fellowship, worship and activities with Mennonites from around the country while enjoying the attractions of the Orlando area. Learn more at convention.mennoniteusa.org/registration/. 7

8 PRAYERS FOR FAITH AND LEARNING Pray for the Hesston College community this week as they honor Martin Luther King, Jr s, legacy. May King s life and teachings inspire each of us to work for justice..prayers FOR THE MENNONITE MISSION NETWORK School groups are celebrating the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday with DOOR Atlanta and DOOR Miami this weekend. Mennonite Mission Network requests prayer for participants as they return to their home communities tomorrow and begin to share what they learned about civil rights history and current social injustices, and how their faith calls them to respond. Book Club will meet on Sunday, January 22 after church at the home of Steve and Judy H. The book to be discussed is "Chocolate Wars" by Deborah Cadbury. Please bring a dish to share. Journey Groups Contact information available through the office for all facilitators. Women s Spiritual Journey : Contact Facilitator Judy H with interest Women s Group: Group Facilitator Kristen L; please contact her to be added to list or with questions. Playdates Coordinator: Becca S we have a regular play group for babies & preschool-aged kids that meets at Jane P's house on the 1st and 3rd Monday of every month from 9am - 11:30am. Questions? Contact Becca or Jane. Men s Group: Meets every third Saturday of each month--all men are welcome. Coordinator: Jim M. If interested and not on Jim s list, please ask to be added. Watch for location. Jim would appreciate a headcount midweek prior to the Breakfast. Time is 7:30am -??? Youth Group: coordinators: Scott and Allison T 4229 Brownway Avenue Cincinnati, OH office@cincinnatimennonite.org Renee Kanagy, Pastor (cell) reneekanagy@cincinnatimennonite.org Office hours: Tuesday - Friday 9 to 4 unless something prevents Violet Sears, Office Administrator, is in the office, 9am-3pm on Tuesdays and Fridays unless something prevents or the work is done Church office located in Peace House at 3046 Minot Avenue, First Floor Services are recorded and available to be checked out; Sermons are posted online 8