Newsweekly for Sunday, March 31, 2019

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Worship this Sunday, March 31, 2019

Theme: Lent 4: Blessed Hunger, Holy Feast                  

Worship Leader: Brendon Derstine                                                       

Song Leader: Jeremy Nafziger

Prelude/Offertory: Danny King

Scripture: Jason Gerlach, Jennifer Davis Sensenig, Hannah Hall

Children’s Time: Dayna Olson-Getty

Preacher: Lydia Haggard, Pastoral Intern

Pastoral Prayer: Jennifer Davis Sensenig

Scripture: Luke 15:1-3; 11b-32; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Bulletin:   033119-Bulletin.docx

 

 

Upcoming CMC Events

Fri, Mar 29                           CMC Seniors host the MYF, with meal provided, 6 pm, Fellowship Hall

Sun, Mar 31                        Contemplative Worship Service, 8 pm, Sanctuary

Wed, Apr 3                         Women’s Bible Study, 8:30 am, Room 109

Kids’ Club, 6 pm, Basement

Thurs, Apr 4                        Lent Contemplative Prayer, 8-8:30 am, Fellowship Hall

Fri-Sat, Apr 12-13             Venture Club Lock-in, Fellowship Hall

Thurs, Apr 18                    Maundy Thursday Meal, 6 pm, Fellowship Hall

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

 

 

CMC Events and Announcements

Fifth Sunday Offering on Sunday, March 31. On Sunday, March 31, the first Fifth Sunday offering of 2019 will go toward grants for tuition at Mennonite colleges. Last year, church council asked a task force to review CMC's support for Mennonite education, and the task force recommended increasing the grants for both college and Eastern Mennonite School students. They noted that CMC had not changed its financial support for Mennonite college students in 25 years. This year, council intends to double the grants to students at Mennonite colleges to $1,000 per semester, and to fund this in part through a special offering and additional contributions–the goal is $10,000. Plans are to add additional support for EMS students in 2020. Please consider making a contribution to this education fund at next week's special offering.  –Jeremy Nafziger, Council Vice Chair

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.

Saturday Night 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

Faith and Finances (Adult Ed Class). This week, the Faith and Finances for All Ages and Stages class will hear from Larry Miller about “Social Security and Retirement.“ Please feel free to join us in Room 109!

TIME TO FILL THE BOXES! On March 31, April 7 and April 14 we will have boxes to fill 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 27 boxes this year! Thank you!  –Sheri Smucker

ATTENTION CMC Seniors and MYFers:  This is the year that the CMC seniors host our MYF for an evening of food, music, and fun.

TIME:  Friday, March 29, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.

PLACE: CMC Fellowship Hall

BRING:  An appetite (do not eat before you come) and an appetite for fun.

 

Children’s Faith Formation Workshop. Youth Commission invites you to take part in an interactive workshop focusing on children’s faith formation on Tuesday, April 9 at 7 pm at CMC. Joyce Peachey Lind will provide input about faith development and guide discussion to help us think creatively about ways to welcome children into the life of the congregation and nurture their spiritual lives.  Joyce is pursuing an M.Div. in Christian Faith Formation at AMBS, and this workshop is part of a ministry practicum. Following the workshop, dessert will be served! Childcare provided.

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.

Conference Affiliation Discernment Survey. The Leadership Taskforce requests input from CMC members and regular attenders on our conference affiliation discernment. Please use this link to take a brief survey. The survey will close April 24. –Aili Huber, Council Chair

Congregational Sharing. Last September we decided to stop committing staff time to transcribing Sunday morning congregational sharing and distributing it via email to the congregation.  Some CMCers (fewer than 3% of adults) have noticed and shared their disappointment with pastors or the church administrator.  We want to encourage a rich community life and upholding one another in prayer throughout the week, yet at this time we don't see staff time as the most fitting response to this need.  For those who wish to remember prayer concerns throughout the week a couple ideas are:  build your commitment to pray by recording requests on a bulletin or prayer card as you listen during worship; build relationships by asking a friend to do this and share it with you when you're away. There may be CMCers who are willing and available to consistently take on this responsibility.  If you are among them, please be in touch with the church office.  –Pastor Jennifer

Community Mennonite Church is hiring a Church Administrator. Office and building administration, church communication duties, and pastoral and church council support, requiring computer skills, writing and proofreading, office management, initiative, and the call to sustain the ministry of the church through interaction with the public, congregation, and pastors. 30 hours per week, competitive salary with benefits including health insurance, paid vacation and sick leave, and retirement contributions. See the job posting on the CMC website for more information and application instructions. Applications will close on April 5, with the job to start around April 24. Questions? Email Jeremy Nafziger at councilvicechair@cmcva.org.

Invitation to Attend the Gemeinschaft Home Spring Fundraising Banquet. You are invited to attend the annual spring banquet for Gemeinschaft Home.  The banquet will feature many of our residents and our 2020 Visions for the Future. It will take place on Friday, April 5 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Park View Mennonite Church.  RSVP by Monday, April 1 by calling 540-434-1690 or sending an email to execassistant@gemeinschafthome.org. The support of CMC for the Gemeinschaft mission is deeply appreciated

On March 14, Outreach Commission voted to give $1,000 in discretionary funds to Shalom Mennonite Fellowship in Tucson, Arizona, for the purpose of helping with the detention bond for Imelda Cano Perez.  Imelda is a Nicaraguan pastora and University professor, who had been jailed and tortured by the Nicaraguan government, and fled to the U.S.  She passed her credible fear interview and is being held at the Eloy detention center on a $12,500 detention bond.  The goal is for 12 congregations to each give $1,000 toward her bail.  For more details, see the letter from Melissa Florer-Bixler on the “CMCers in Mission" bulletin board in the fellowship hall. –Dennis Showalter, Chair of Outreach Commission

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 April 15.

Place to stay during SPI. My friend Laura Loewen, from Abbottsford, BC, is trying to help their associate pastor, Chris Lenshyn, find an inexpensive place to stay near EMU campus while he is here for SPI from May 12-June 1. He will take care of his own meals.  If open, please contact Nancy Heisey at 540-421-5941. Thanks!

It is time for Community Preschool’s Spring Flower Fundraiser.  If you want to order flowers in hanging baskets, the signup board will be in the fellowship hall starting March 22nd.  Baskets are $16 and orders are due by April 10th. Pick up flowers at CMC on April 17th after 11:00.  They will be located in the memory garden lawn.  Please pay for flowers when you place order.  Thank You!

Single Bed Needed. An elderly neighbor of our church is in need of a single bed — with frame, boxed springs, and good mattress.  Contact Keaton Shenk if you know of one that can be donated:  540.908.1657 (call or text) or kwshenk@gmail.com

Is God calling you into mission or service? CMC encourages people of all ages to be ready to respond to God’s call into mission and service assignments—both short and long-term.  We set aside funds annually to support CMCers in this way.  If you are considering an assignment domestically or abroad, be in touch with the chair of Outreach Commission, currently Dennis Showalter, or Pastor Jason, who works with this commission.  They can talk with you about funding that may be available.  –Pastoral Team

Compassion Funds. Financial hardships in our congregation arise for a variety of reasons:  medical bills, job loss, unexpected major expenses, counseling/therapy.  CMCers generously support the Compassion Fund for mutual aid among members, so that we can ease these hardships among our households.  If you or a CMCer you know has a financial need, Grants Committee will review your need through a brief application available on our website.  CMC households are eligible for up to $600 twice annually in compassion funds as administered through the Grants Committee, which maintains confidentiality.  In situations of higher need the process includes a recommendation from Grants Committee to Council.   Please contact Grant Committee Chair, currently Shannon Sneary at swsneary@gmail.com with any procedural questions.  –Pastoral Team

LAUNCH-ING INTO LENT – The latest photo collage on the "CMC Today" bulletin board at the south end of the fellowship hall is featuring worship services and other activities from mid-February (theme: "Beauty in Brokenness") to the start of the Lenten series, "Blessed Hunger, Holy Feast."

To the right, you'll find a report on the local (in)famous Groundhog Day celebration from the 2/18/19 issue of Mennonite World Review, a Lenten reflection from the 3/26/19 Daily News-Record and a 'congregational report' for Jan.-Feb. 2019 from the 3/18/19 MWR. Stop and savor!    Jim Bishop

SPRING-ING TOWARD EASTER –  Turn back the hands of time and cast ye corporate gaze eastward to the "CMC Yesterday" bulletin board on the east wall of the fellowship hall. There you'll find photo collages fraught with Lenten-to Easter images from March-April 2012 and from the Easter season 2016 worship series, "Standing at the Crossroads."  Check 'em out!     Jim Bishop

Greening CMC : Getting personal.  As spring slowly arrives, the Easter narrative of resurrection is mirrored in our local forests.  Forests may look like they’re still in winter, but early spring is a good time to appreciate the unique denizens such as the beautiful but short-lived flowers of spring ephemeral plants which you can see on a JMU arboretum wildflower walk.  Look for salamanders who are especially active now, and in April watch for spring warblers to start migrating through.

 

Announcements from Virginia Mennonite Conference, Harrisonburg area and beyond

Is there such a thing as a Mennonite song? Read a series of reflections from committee members of the Voices Together new hymnal project on the Menno Snapshots blog: mennoniteusa.org/tag/voices-together.

Pray for the MC USA Executive Board as they meet March 31-April 2 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Pray for New York Mennonite Conference as they meet for their Spring Delegate Assembly on April 7 in Rochester, New York.

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.

Mennonite Disaster Service is beginning to schedule their spring and summer projects! If you are considering becoming an MDS volunteer visit mds.mennonite.net/volunteer/current-needs to see a list of project locations.

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.

Make Medicare an easy step. Gain confidence about moving to Medicare with guidance from Everence®, a faith-based organization that partners with our church. Attend this workshop on April 4, 2019, at 6 p.m. at The Gathering Place, 841 Mount Clinton Pike, Harrisonburg. Learn about your key steps to get Medicare, how to move from current coverage and enrollment details and deadlines. Reserve spots for you, friends and family members at (540) 437-7422 or harrisonburg@everence.com.

The EMU Orchestra will present its spring concert at 7 p.m. Friday, April 5, in Lehman Auditorium. Admissions is free, with donations welcomed for EMU's music scholarship fund. Includes the winners of the 2019 Concerto/Aria Competition. For more info, visit emu.edu/music.

The next ACRS Meeting is on April 8th 7:30 am, at Park View Mennonite Church.  Speaker: Nancy Heisey, Associate Dean Professor, Seminary, Bible & Religion Department, “Usable History.”  “I’ve always felt that my primary calling is teaching, although it took me a long time to get to it.”  Heisey is former president of Mennonite World Conference and spent 15 years in leadership at Mennonite Central Committee. She also served three years as undergraduate dean at EMU.

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.

 

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 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.

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.

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

Eastern Mennonite University is seeking applicants for two Residence Director positions. Residence Directors are responsible for: participation in and contribution to the work of the professional staff; supervision of community advisors; programming to meet students’ needs; conduct and conflict awareness, intervention, and referral; crisis intervention; and general administration of the residence hall. Familiarity with restorative justice practices and processes is preferred. Works with other residence life professional staff as well as the Assistant Director of Housing and Residence Life and the Director of Residence Life, Student Accountability and Restorative Justice in a team approach to residence life. Bachelor’s degree required, master’s in progress preferred. 9.5 month (August 1- May 15), live-in position. Selected candidate will be a person of high integrity who is committed to and supportive of the mission and policies of Eastern Mennonite University. Submit application, résumé and three references to: hr@emu.edu. For more information visit our website at www.emu.edu/humanresources. EMU is an equal opportunity employer, committed to enhancing diversity across the institution. EMU conducts criminal background investigations as part of the hiring process.

 

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