Gardener God, you have planted and protected us by your faithful hand. Send us the sap of your grace from Christ, the true Vine and make us blossom and bear the fruit of love as a sign of your life in us. Let the sweet fragrance of the shoots you have planted give you praise forever and ever. Amen. A prayer adapted from a quote attributed to Pilgram Marpeck*. September 3, 2017
Gathering Welcome (Visitors are invited to fill out a welcome card and place it in the offering basket.) Sharing Announcements in the Life of the Congregation Gathering Song Here in this place HWB 6 Invitation to Worship Praising Song Lord Jesus, you shall be my song STJ 14 Call to Worship Leader: O God, who called all life into being, All: the earth, sea and sky are yours. Leader: Your presence is all around us; All: every atom is full of your energy. Leader: Your Spirit enlivens all who walk the earth All: with her we yearn for justice to be done. Leader: for creation to be freed from bondage, All: for the hungry to be fed, Leader: for captives to be released, All: for your kingdom of peace to come on earth! (from STJ 133) Offering Prayer Offering Judy Vander Henst and Carol Monson Hearing Scripture John 15:1-5 Children s Story (Children ages 3 through 7 are excused to Children s Circle) Song Teach me, O Lord HWB 487 Meditation You can t tape on fruit Pastor Renee Kanagy 2
Responding Song of Response Long before my journey s start STJ 36 Sharing of Joys, Sorrows, Sermon Response, and Introduction of Guests Prayers of the Community Sending Sending Song Go, my friends, in grace STS 57 Benediction On the cover: *"Marpeck was a mining engineer with the Tyrolean government who became an Anabaptist. One of the few early leaders to escape a martyr's death, he was persecuted and forced to leave him home. After he escaped to Strasbourg in 1528, he helped to organize new communities of faith and also wrote extensively about his beliefs and convictions." -Praying with the Anabaptist: The Secret of Bearing Fruit 3
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. Children are welcome in worship and community life. We also offer the following activities for children during worship: A supervised nursery for newborns through age 3, located next to the main entrance; Children's Circle for children ages 3 through 7, which meets in the basement during the second half of the worship service. Music Key: HWB = Hymnal: A Worship Book (blue hard cover book) STJ = Sing The Journey (green soft cover book) STS= Sing The Story (purple soft cover book) ANNOUNCEMENTS Please send your announcements to the office before 11:00am-Friday to be printed in the bulletin...today..this WEEK Saturday, September 9 Sorting it Out Retreat (see NOTES for details)..next WEEK Sunday, September 10 Sunday, September 10 Tuesday, September 12 FIRST DAY OF Faith Formation CLASSES, 9:30am CMF Picnic, after church (see NOTES for details) Community Meal (5-7pm); all are welcome!..coming UP Sunday, September 17 Sunday, September 17 Sunday, October 1 Sunday, October 8 HOPE Completion Celebration Service Annual Congregation Meeting, after church Jaimi and Neil s Baby Shower, after church Congregational Discernment meeting (Sanctuary Coalition discernment, after church) Check out the EVENTS page on our website for more calendar information. 4
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. 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 Pledge forms are due TODAY, Sunday, September 3. Extra hardcopy forms are available on the round table in the foyer. If you have not responded yet, please either place your completed pledge form in Steve H's mail folder or send him an email with your pledge information. Thank you. One of the community meal guests, Anthony, experienced a house fire a few weeks ago. He is starting over in putting a household together and is looking for comforters and pillows. Have some to donate? Contact Pastor Renee reneekanagy@cincinnatimennonite.org. Save the dates for two upcoming congregational meetings! September 17 after the worship service will be our annual business meeting at which the budget and committee slate for our upcoming fiscal year are presented for approval. The CMF fiscal year begins October 1 and ends September 30. There will also be an announcement made about how we intend to resume and continue the conversation about the Sanctuary Coalition. October 8 there will be a time after lunch for the congregation to meet together to continue conversation about the Sanctuary Coalition. There will be more details coming about how Council envisions this work of consensus building. For now, please save the date. ~Thank you, Naomi Goertz, Council Chair 5
It's time for a baby shower! Please stay after church on October 1 to help celebrate with Neil and Jaimi W and "shower" them with our love and best wishes as they prepare for the arrival of their son! As we gather in the basement, we will have some simple snacks along with cake and punch. For gift ideas, you can find Neil and Jaimi registered at Baby's R Us. See you then! ~ The Social Committee It's a retreat! A place to linger amidst the pieces of beliefs and practices of faith that were once orderly and are now a messy pile. This is a time and a place to sort through the pile. Sarah Bessey's book Out of Sorts will be the spring board for conversation, contemplative reflection, a bit of quiet and laughter over coffee. Once upon a time you had it beautifully sorted out. Then you didn t. It s about loss and how we cope with change. It's about Jesus and why I love him and follow him. It's about church." - Sarah Bessey, Sorting it Out Sorting it Out Retreat facilitated by Renee Kanagy 9am- 2pm Saturday, September 9th The Peace House To register, contact Renee Kanagy at reneekanagy@cincinnatimennonite.org http://sarahbessey.com/new-book-out-of-sorts/ It's time for food and fun! Mark your calendars for an all CMF picnic right after church on Sunday, September 10, to celebrate the start of a new year of Faith Formation classes! Bring your own table service and a dish to share. We kindly ask that NO food be brought that contains nuts of any kind. Drinks will be provided. This year s location is Vorhees Park in Reading (smaller shelter). There is a grill for our use and lots of picnic tables. We have access to play equipment, swings, a walking/bike path, and restrooms. This smaller park comes with its own parking lot, too, and it is easily accessible off 75N at the Davis Street exit detailed directions will be provided closer to the date. If anyone has a cornhole beanbag yard game that we could borrow for the picnic, please contact Annie L or Heidi S. Thank you! Social Committee 6
Mark your calendars our new Christian formation year begins Sept. 10 at 9:30 am! Classes are offered for children, youth, and adults consider yourself invited! If you have questions, please contact a Christian Formation Committee member Jane P, Kamala R, or Suzanne Marie H. While you have your calendars out, note that classes will not meet on Nov. 26, Dec. 24, Dec. 31, Feb. 4, or April 1. The last class of the year will be May 20. It's school time again, so as you see the school supplies out for sale, please consider picking up supplies to make an MCC School Kit! Please place the following items in a plastic bag (as we are out of cloth bags), and place in the collection box in the lobby beginning on August 27 through September 17. Items include: 4 single subject notebooks, wide ruled; 8 unsharpened pencils; 1 flexible ruler (cm & inches); 12 colored pencils; and 1 large pink eraser. PS - If anyone is going to the Kidron area and would be willing to pick-up MORE school kit cloth bags for us to fill, that would be great! Thanks, Heidi Simones Attendance last week was 72 with 12 visitors Join us for Women's Retreat at Camp Friedenswald, September 15-17: Restoring our Soul: Cultivating Peace Within and Beyond. Our lives are often full, the world seems in turmoil - How can we be at peace? At this retreat we will pause to discover how we might cultivate peace within, restore ourselves, and make a difference in our world. Register today at friedenswald.org/retreats Cost: $160, under 25 free Want to learn more about Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary but can t make it to our Elkhart, Indiana, campus? Connect with us at the Seminary and Theological Graduate School Virtual Fair on Sept. 14 (11 a.m. to 6 p.m. EDT) a free online event where you can get answers to your questions about AMBS from faculty, students and Admissions staff. Register today! www.ambs.edu/admissions/visit PRAYERS FOR FAITH AND LEARNING Pray for all returning students, teachers, and administration as they begin the fall semester..prayers FOR THE MENNONITE MISSION NETWORK Janie and Neal Blough of Mennonite Mission Network have committed most of their adult lives to ministry in France. Pray for them as they continue to share the good news of Jesus through lectures, workshops, and in worshiping with their multicultural congregation, a visible witness to the healing of the nations. 7
Book Club will meet on Sunday, September 24 after church at Ault Park. The book to be discussed is "Hillbilly Elegy" by J.D. Vance. Please bring a dish to share. Join the Lunch Bunch to extend the conversation and fellowship after service each week. Sometimes we visit a local restaurant, sometimes we pack a lunch and dine here. Meet around the round table in the gathering area if interested. Journey Groups Contact information available through the office for all facilitators. Women s Spiritual Journey : Contact Facilitator Eleanor B with interest Women s Group: Group Facilitator Kristen L; please contact her to be added to email 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 email list, please ask to be added. Watch email 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 45209 871.0035 office@cincinnatimennonite.org Renee Kanagy, Pastor 513.884.2677 (cell) reneekanagy@cincinnatimennonite.org Working hours: Tuesday - Friday 9 to 4 unless something prevents Violet Sears, Office Administrator 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