Newsweekly for Sunday, April 14, 2019

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Worship this Sunday, April 14, 2019

Theme: Lent 6: Palm Sunday

Worship Leader: Sue Swartz                                                                    

Song Leader: Greg Yoder

Musicians: Danny King, Ben Bailey, Eric Saner, Kathryn Schmidt

Scripture Reader: Ted Swartz

Children’s Time: Dayna Olson-Getty

Reflections: Zach Pennington, Ali Zuercher, Lee Snyder

Pastoral Prayer: Jason Gerlach

Scripture: Luke 19:28-40

Bulletin:  041419-Bulletin.docx

 

Upcoming CMC Events

Fri, Apr 12                            Venture Club, 6-10 pm, Fellowship Hall

Sat, Apr 13                          Open Circle Small Group, 6 pm, Room 109. All are welcome!

Wed, Apr 17                       Women’s Bible Study, 8:30 am, Room 109

Kids’ Club, 6 pm, Basement

Thurs, Apr 18                      Lent Contemplative Prayer, 8-8:30 am, Fellowship Hall

Maundy Thursday Meal, 6 pm, Fellowship Hall

Fri, Apr 19                            Good Friday Service, 7 pm, Sanctuary

Sun, Apr 21                         Easter Breads, 8:30 am, Fellowship Hall

Worship at 10 am, no Sunday School or Adult Ed.

 

CMC Events and Announcements

You are welcome to join the Contemplative Worship Service weekly on Sunday at 8 pm at CMC. This service is an invitation to deepening our everyday connection to God, ourselves and the community through healing, action and contemplation for the sake of the world. The service will be a time for contemplative silence, embodied practice and a space that welcomes and affirms everyone. Please note children are welcome, however, there will be no childcare provided during the service. Contact Adam Yoder (yodera@yahoo.com) on behalf of the Contemplative Service Discernment Group for additional information.

Lent Contemplative Prayer. Join others in a time of contemplative prayer, Thursday mornings from 8-8:30 am in the Fellowship Hall of CMC (through April 18).  Consider this an opportunity to begin your day by listening and consenting to the Spirit of God within you in the company and presence of brothers and sisters. We will begin by listening to one of the Lenten scripture texts, followed by 15-20 minutes of silence. Instruction will be included for those who are new to Centering prayer. Please join us – entering by the ramp door on the North side of the building. Jane Peifer (from Shalom) and Keaton Shenk (from CMC) will share leadership.

Easter Vigil. Each year Community Mennonite Church collaborates with Park View Mennonite Church to sponsor an Easter Vigil–a rich service that begins at an outdoor fire, includes scriptures of our sacred history, offers an opportunity to renew our baptismal covenant and leads to a joyful transformation of the visual environment in celebration of resurrection.  If you would like to participate this year as a scripture reader or in some other way (vigil begins at 10pm on Sat, April 20) please contact Pastor Jennifer.  jennifer.davis.sensenig@cmcva.org

Mennonite Higher Education Fund. Thank you for your contributions to the Mennonite Higher Education Fund. To date we have received $3,853. Please consider making a donation to help us reach our goal of $10,000.

Faith and Finances (Adult Ed Class). This week, the Faith and Finances for All Ages and Stages class will hear from Teresa Boshart Yoder and Lana Miller about “Savings, Debt and Credit.“ Please feel free to join us in Room 109!

LAST SUNDAY TO FILL THE BOXES! April 14 will be the last day to fill the boxes for the post-high, young adults in the Fellowship Hall.  Please consider putting some little treats, snacks, messages, office supplies, etc., in the boxes to remind them how much CMC cares and prays for them.  The 5 years after high school are a very important time in our young adults’ lives!  There are 28 boxes this year! Thank you!  –Sheri Smucker

Support Faith in Action. On Wednesday, April 17 please support the ongoing work of Faith in Action by donating during the Great Community Give.  Here is the direct donation link (bit.ly/2HLrxn1).  If Faith in Action receives the most donations during the 1:00-2:00 hour it will receive an extra $1,000.  Your support will sustain the current campaign on the local criminal justice reform and support the ongoing training on racial equity and leadership development.  –Art Stoltzfus

CMC Seniors. The CMC seniors group is meeting on Friday, April 26 at 7:00 p.m. in the church fellowship hall.  Wayne and Kathy Hochstedler and Duane and Joan Kauffman will share their SOOP experiences they had in 2018. Wayne and Kathy were working in N.M. with the Navajo Nation.  Duane and Joan were engaged in Festival Sales out of Petitcodiac, New Brunswick.  Bring finger foods to share.  Coffee and hot tea will be available. –Joan Kauffman

Pastoral Gifts?  Do you know someone who is spiritually sensitive and demonstrates good discernment in their lives?  Do you know CMCers who care about the life of our congregation and have leadership gifts?  Gifts discernment is receiving names of members who might serve on Pastoral Team beginning in 2020.  Our continuing pastoral elders are Veva Mumaw and Matthew Hunsberger, so please consider CMCer's who might serve well in a 3-year term on our team of pastors and pastoral elders. A job description for the pastoral elder can be found on the CMC website. Please share names with Brendon Derstine, chair of gifts discernment committee.  brendon.derstine@gmail.com

An update and prayer letter from David and Sophie Lapp Jost has been posted on the bulletin board in the fellowship hall.  David and Sophie appreciate prayers and support from CMCers as they serve with Mennonite Mission Network at Nazareth Village and Nazareth Hospital.   Their email address is lappjost@gmail.com.  If you'd like to receive the Lapp Jost prayer letters and updates, they will be happy to send them to you.  For more information about the ministries of Nazareth Village & Hospital visit:  www.nazarethtrust.org  –Keaton and Betty Shenk

New or Gently Used Children’s Books Wanted for Kids’ Club. Most Wednesday evenings children who attend Kids’ Club are given the chance to choose a book to take home to keep. If you have new or gently used quality children’s books that need a new home, please consider donating them to the CMC Kids’ Club. Books may be dropped off at the church office or contact Hannah Hall at hannahdmhall@gmail.com.

Meals for Kids’ Club. Thank you so much to all of the small groups who have brought food to Kids’ Club so far! We are in need of more simple Wednesday meals for the spring if it works for your small group or family. Generally we have 10-15 kids a week (sometimes more). Please email Hannah Hall, hannahdmhall@gmail.com if there’s a Wednesday that works for you!

The Mennonite Subscription. CMCers can subscribe to a print copy of The Mennonite magazine at a discounted group rate of $37/year. If you would like to subscribe, please contact Joyce in the church office (cmc_office@cmcva.org) by Monday, April 15.

PREPARING FOR THE EASTER FEAST – A new photo collage on the "CMC Today" bulletin board at the south end of the fellowship hall is featuring worship services and other activities from March to early April on the Lenten series theme, "Blessed Hunger, Holy Feast." To the right, you'll find a Lenten reflection from the 3/26/2019 Daily News-Record, a "Bishop's Mantle" column, "Resurrecting Easter Memories With a Passion" from the 3/3/2010 Daily News- Record and a 'congregational report' for Jan.-Feb. 2019 from the 3/18/19 MWR. Stop and savor!    Jim Bishop

A PASSION FOR EASTER –  Then, do an about face and cast ye corporate gaze eastward to the "CMC Yesterday" bulletin board on the east wall of the fellowship hall. There you'll find a double photo collage fraught with Lent-to Easter images from the Easter season 2016 worship series, "Turning Toward Grace."  Check 'em out!     Jim Bishop

Greening CMC : Educating ourselves.  The proposed Green New Deal has generated plenty of discussion, much of it centering around whether its broad approach is too ambitious, or is a needed combination of ideas.  For good analyses on both sides, read the case for the Green New Deal as the only way to move forward in the current situation, and the alternative case for scaling it back to focus only on climate.

 

Announcements from Virginia Mennonite Conference, Harrisonburg area and beyond

The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, provides free summer experiences for children from low-income New York City neighborhoods. Sign up today to host a child! Trip dates for this summer are July 8-15, July 8-22, and July 24-31. For more information call Jennifer Murch at 833-4161, or Shannon Sneary at 209-1234.

From Mary Jo Bowman:  A movie worth seeing. As a Lenten exercise of open minds/open hearts, I recommend going to see Unplanned, a film based on the story of former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson. She made national news 10 years ago when she became a pro-life advocate. At Regal in Harrisonburg now through Thurs, April 18 (maybe longer–it's been drawing large audiences). Rated R for "some disturbing/bloody images.” If you can't see the movie, check out interviews with Johnson online. Or read her book unPLANNED (2011). She writes: “I have friends on both sides of this polarizing debate. We all long for a story that shows that ‘our’ side is right and good, don’t we? But I testify that there is good and right and wrong on both sides of the fence.” –Mary Jo Bowman

The Shenandoah Valley Autism Partnership will host the 12th annual 5K Walk/Run for Autism on Saturday morning, Apr. 20, at Eastern Mennonite University. This event is being sponsored by community organizations around the Shenandoah Valley to help support the ever-growing number of families affected by autism. The event has chip timing and has drawn more than 1,000 participants in the past. All funds raised are used locally. CMC's Jim Bishop will again emcee and deejay. Would love to have more CMC people participate! Register on line to walk or run at: https://valleyautism.wordpress.com/

Eastern Mennonite University's Black Student Union and Art Club present Black Box: Beats for Mozambique on April 25th from 7-10pm in the Studio Theater. This intimate evening will be a benefit art show for Mennonite Central Committee’s relief efforts in Mozambique for Cyclone Idai featuring an opening address on climate change and humanitarian aid in Mozambique by Dr. Wayne Teel, JMU professor of environmental science, who has worked for MCC in Mozambique. Millions have been affected by this tropical cyclone that made landfall on March 14th which has caused flooding, cholera, food shortages, and thousands of deaths. We invite students, faculty, staff, and community members to support the relief efforts in Mozambique by making a donation at the event or directly at https://donate.mcc.org/cause/cyclone-idai-response

Costa Rica Trip for High School Students. Eliana Tejedor and David Shenk will be facilitating a cross-cultural experience for high school students this summer in Costa Rica and are still looking for 2 or 3 more students to join the trip. The dates of the trip are from June 10th to 29th and the total cost is $1,600. Please contact David or Eliana asap if you know of any interested families with rising 9th graders or high schoolers! 540-383-9011 or 540-208-4541. davehshenk@gmail.com

Music Faculty Artist Series: Terra Voce – The EMU Department of Music is proud to present Terra Voce (Elizabeth Brightbill, flute, and Andrew Gabbert, cello) in concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 12 in Martin Chapel. Admission is free, with donations accepted for EMU's music scholarship fund. Guest artists include pianist David Berry and violinist David McCormick. For more info, visit emu.edu/music.

The Shenandoah Valley Choral Society, under the direction of Curtis Nolley, will present its 49th annual spring concert titled "Spiritual Songs" on Friday, April 12th at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 14th at 3:00 p.m. at Bridgewater Church of the Brethren. The concert will feature Antonin Dvorak's Mass in D in the first half, followed by contemporary and traditional arrangements of African American Spirituals.  CMC members in the SVCS are Dave and Sue Cockley and Dorothy Jean Weaver.  Tickets are available at the door, Red Front Supermarket(Harrisonburg), Bridgewater Foods (Bridgewater), and on-line at www.singshenandoah.org. Admission is $15 for adults/$12 for seniors and students.

International Dinner Fundraiser. As many of you know, our sheriff has an agreement with ICE or immigration, whereby an individual can end up being deported and separated from his/her family because of a minor traffic violation or other infraction.  The main organization fighting this locally is Virginia Organizing.  We also have defended DACA for those brought here as children, TPS to maintain legal status for refugees from El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti, Sudan, etc.  We won a battle to end 287(g) in Harrisonburg and Rockingham Co, which had authorized our police officers to act as immigration agents. We also won a policy change to create more diversity on the predominantly white police force, better reflecting the rich diversity of our city. We need funds to continue our work, so we are holding an INTERNATIONAL DINNER FUNDRAISER on Saturday, April 13, at Emmanuel Episcopal Church (660 S. Main St, H’burg) from 6-9:00 p.m. Share a night of fellowship with friends to support a good cause, and enjoy a dinner of international foods from local restaurants! Tickets are only $15 online or $20 at the door.  PLEASE COME and support this great cause!  What we REALLY NEED are VOLUNTEERS to help make this event a success—folks to pick up food from local restaurants, set up tables and chairs, set up food buffet, do some music, buffet line servers, help clean up afterwards (tables, chairs, dishes, whatever).  Volunteers pay only $10 for the dinner.  Sign up on line for tickets or to volunteer here: https://virginia-organizing.org/harrisonburg-international-dinner-fundraiser/ or contact Carol Snell-Feikema.  Thanks so much for every way you can help out this cause!

You are warmly invited to the Palm Sunday Worship: Creating Alfombras* for Jesus, on Sunday, April 14 from 7–8 p.m. Come to Thomas Plaza on EMU's campus (or Campus Center Greeting Hall in case of inclement weather). This is a family-friendly event. Families with young children can arrive at 6:30 p.m. for a head start on creating simple alfombras.*Alfombras (Spanish for "carpet") are created on the streets in many central-American countries to welcome Jesus during Holy Week. Learn more about alfombras here.

The Harrisonburg-Rockingham County NAACP Branch 7132 is encouraging attendance at the forum "Let's Talk…Race" on Monday, April 15 from 6:00 -8:00 pm. at Simms School.  The forum will be facilitated by Chanda McGuffin and Sharon Fitz, co-founders of "RISE", a dynamic organization from Staunton, VA, that has held many successful racial conversations within the Shenandoah Valley. She will focus on the recognition of racial friction in our area. Many Valley residents do not understand how past and continuing racism hinder honest communication among peoples of different backgrounds. McGuffin has a unique way of bridging that gap. Her workshops are packed with difficult but honest conversations that acknowledge an array of emotions.  People leave with a sense of being overpowered yet also empowered, tired yet revived, and with a plan in hand to change the inequality in our communities. As McGuffin says, “You may even be frustrated or uncomfortable but if you're not, then you're not growing and this process is designed to promote growth in the knowledge of racism.”

Pleasant View Homes is participating in the #GREATCOMMUNITYGIVE Community Giving Day on Wednesday, April 17 from sunrise to sunset (6:30am to 8:30pm) with many other area nonprofits.  If you want to give to Pleasant View or any other participating organization go to https://hrgcg.givebig.org/c/HRGCG/a/50118  for more information.

The 32nd annual Harrisonburg downtown ecumenical Good Friday prayer walk, based on the "Stations of the Cross," will be held Friday, April 19, from noon to 1:00. The walk begins at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, and ends at St. Stephens United Church of Christ, stopping at a total of 10 downtown churches and public buildings. Led by someone carrying a large cross, the group stops at each station where a member of the "Biblical Storytellers Guild" tells the appropriate passage from the Gospel of Luke and a local pastor responds with a prayer. This is a contemplative, communal, and spiritual practice of shared ecumenical worship and witness that has been going on every year in downtown Harrisonburg for 32 years. Please join us! The walking route is accessible for wheelchairs and strollers.

Next ACRS Meeting.  Brian Polkinghorne will present on  Ecology and Theology in Africa”  on Wednesday, April 24,  in the VMRC Village Hall at 6:30 PM.

Open House: Eastern Mennonite Elementary School, Thursday, April 26, 2019, 8:30 to 10 a.m.   Parents of students who are in preschool through 4th grade are invited to drop in to observe classrooms, and talk with parents and teachers. Questions or to RSVP, contact Marsha Thomas at 540-236-6021 or email thomasm@easternmennoniteschool.org

Eastern Mennonite Middle School presents the drama Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, April 26 and 27, 7 p.m. in the school auditorium. Based on the book by Roald Dahl and dramatized by Richard R. George, the comedic play follows young Charlie Bucket and his Grandpa Joe as they join a small group of contest winners who get to tour the magical factory of eccentric candy maker Willy Wonka. All involved discover the meaning of teamwork, self-confidence and self-esteem. General admission tickets: $7 adults, $5 students/senior citizens. Prospective students and families may receive a complimentary ticket. Purchase at the door, call 540-236-6025 or purchase online easternmennonite.org

The Shenandoah Valley Scholars Latino Initiative (SLI) is a Harrisonburg-based nonprofit organization that creates college opportunities for first-generation Latino high school students through rigorous academic challenge, leadership development, supportive mentorships and scholarship awards. SLI has served more than 80 scholars since 2012 at Harrisonburg High School and John Handley High School in Winchester, awarding $116,000 in SLI college scholarship awards and $24,000 in SLI computer awards. It has also paid more than $9,000 in tuition support for students to enroll in college dual enrollment courses while in high school. For more information, please visit www.svsli.org or contact Christopher Clymer Kurtz (director of development) at christopher@svsli.org or 434-299-2549.

Find special Holy Week worship activities to hold with your families in the Lent At Home resources: mennoniteusa.org/lent2019.

Meet some of the MennoCon19 worship band and hear music they are preparing for worship at mennoniteusa.org/worshipteam. And follow MC USA Convention on Facebook for the latest scoop on convention: www.facebook.com/MCUSA.Convention

Bridge of Hope Harrisonburg-Rockingham is currently looking for a Neighboring Volunteer group of 6-10 committed people that would like to walk alongside and encourage a family in our program.  Bridge of Hope works with single-parent families (children under 18) facing homelessness in our community.  The program lasts 12-24 months.  Initial training, ongoing relational support, and planned monthly gatherings will be provided.   If you have questions, you can ask any of CMC’s former neighboring group which included Sue Swartz, Andrea Wenger, and Shirley Showalter. Please contact Chris Hoover Seidel, Director, at director@hr.bridgeofhopeinc.org or cell: 717-602-0871 if you are interested.

Join Eastern Mennonite School Discovery this summer! Students currently in 10th, 11th or 12th grade who are interested in a month-long, cross-country group learning experience about land and water resources are invited to apply to join the 2019 Eastern Mennonite High School Discovery trip June 4 to 29. Led by Lee Good, science teacher, and other faculty and staff, participants will travel by bus coach, sleep in tents, eat, laugh, learn, play and pray together. Contact goodl@easternmennonite.org for more info or to apply. Details at emhs.net/about/applicants-for-discovery/

Eastern Mennonite School welcomes applications for a new Leadership Scholarship for students grades 9-12. Recipients will receive up to 50% off of the regular high school tuition rate. Applicants must be new students who have a GPA of 3.5 or higher, and who wish to develop their leadership skills through contributions to the school. An interview and essay are required. Contact Marsha Thomas at 540-236-6021 or go to emhs.net/admissions/leadership-scholarship.cfm

Love Crosses Borders: A Mennonite Men immersion experience with immigrants. Love is the greatest of all virtues. But what does love look like in times of cynicism and polarization? Borders are not only social constructs, they’re also spiritual ones. Who’s included? Who’s excluded? How do we reconcile God’s call to welcome the stranger with so much fear-filled rhetoric and policies? What can unwelcomed immigrants teach the Church about love? How can the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement inform and inspire us to a love that crosses borders? July 28 to August 3, Mennonite Men will provide a week-long immersion experience with immigrants to engage these issues. To register or for more information, visit MennoniteMen.org or contact Steve Thomas at SteveT@Mennonites.org.

Travel to Ethiopia and learn about the impact of MCC’s partnerships in the region that bring food security, watershed rehabilitation, conservation agriculture and peace to many communities. Included are stops at Blue Nile Falls, Lake Tana, and Lalibela, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This two week learning tour is scheduled for Jan or Feb 2020. See the flier on the bulletin board near the coat racks for more information.

Community Mennonite Church
70 South High Street Harrisonburg, VA
office@cmcva.org
540-433-2148