THIS WEEK @ FMC – August 24-30, 2022

As the new school year gets underway it’s a great time to remember the work and ministry of Salthawk Community Support.  The mission of Salthawk Community Support (SCS) is to work together to remove barriers to education for students in need at Hutchinson High School and HMS 8.  Pastor Tonya serves on the administrative board of SCS and was part of the creation of this non-profit (housed at Trinity United Methodist Church) in 2017.  For several years, Communities in Schools of Mid-America had funded a designated staff person, Nikkee Byard, at Hutchison High School to help students in need.  Due to cuts in state funding, CIS terminated this program from Hutchinson High School in June of 2017.  A group of local churches, civic organizations and dedicated individuals banded together to form Salthawk Community Support in an effort to continue the vital work being done through this program.  Fundraising efforts raised enough to cover salary and program expenses for the 2017-18 school year and beyond.  Nikkee Byard continues to lead this program, providing social, emotional, and academic support to students. 

One way our congregation has contributed to this ministry is by donating items for The Closet at Hutchinson High School.  We welcome donations of clothes and shoes (gently used and appropriate for teens) and toiletries (shampoo, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, etc.).  You can leave your donations in the basket provided here at church, or take them directly to Trinity UMC. 

Mentors are a hugely important piece of Salthawk Community Support.  Unfortunately since COVID this ministry has really struggled as volunteers are slow to come back into the school.  If you’d be willing to spend 20 minutes or so a week with a student who needs a listening ear and supportive relationship from the community, please talk to Tonya and she’ll get you touch with Nikkee so you can receive training and get involved!!  There is also opportunity to serve as an afterschool tutor if that is more of an interest for you.

And, if you are able, this would be a great time to make a financial donation to the ongoing work of this ministry.  You can donate through First Mennonite (just put SCS on the memo line); send a check to Salthawk Community Support, 1602 N Main St, Hutchinson, KS 67501; or you can donate online on the Trinity United Methodist Church website HERE.

Thank you for your support of this ministry in our community.

Pastor Tonya

SUNDAY MORNING Worship In Person & Live Stream @ 9:30am

The link for Sunday morning worship (as well as archives of past worship services) is found on our website:  www.hutchfmc.org! Join at 9:25am to see the announcements! 

COVID-19 case increase prompts suggestions for safety for ourselves and others

CMT affirms these recommendations offered by the CDC:  Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines. Get tested if you have symptoms. Wear a mask if you have symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19. Wear a mask on public transportation. You may choose to wear a mask at any time as an additional precaution to protect yourself and others. If you are at high risk for severe illness, consider wearing a mask indoors in public and taking additional precautions.

FELLOWSHIP TIME is on hold for the month of August. 

We will return to regular fellowship time in September when our regular Sunday School schedule resumes (Sept 11).

SUNDAY, AUGUST 28:  Citizens of God’s Kingdom as Salt: How Christians Influence Societies

Isaiah 65:17-18; Matthew 5:13

“God is working in our world. As Jesus’ followers, our task is to do what he did: to discern where and how God is working and to join in God’s labor…”  (Cesar Garcia. What is God’s Kingdom and What Does Citizenship Look like?)

Preacher: Pastor Tonya Ramer Wenger

Worship Leader: Delon Martens

Children’s Time:  Ama Reimer

Scripture Reader: Alex Carvalho

Pianist: Shelley Kauffman

Ushers: Cheryl Warkentin & Marlene Thode

Nursery Attendant: TBA

Sound Tech: Murray Reimer

Live Stream Tech: Sadie Nisly

SHARING JOYS & CONCERNS

During each worship service, you are invited to text your prayer joys and concerns – usually to Pastor Tonya.  You are also invited to send prayer joys & concerns during the week. The recording of our worship service is public, so let us know if you’d prefer your request to only be shared via email during the week.  

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Announcements are scrolled Sunday mornings before (beginning around 9:25) and after the worship service.  There will be no spoken announcements unless there are pressing announcements that did not make it into the PowerPoint.  Please send any announcements you’d like to have included to the church office by Thursday each week. 

OFFERINGS

We welcome, and are grateful for, your financial donations to our ministry here in Hutchinson.  Instead of collecting an offering during worship, an offering plate is placed at the back of the sanctuary for your Sunday morning donations.  You are also welcome to send a check to 52 Rambler Rd Hutchinson KS 67502. 

CALENDAR – LOOKING AHEAD

• August 28 – M&M Kick Off @ 11:00am, after worship
• September 4 – Sr. Youth fundraiser breakfast @ 9:00am; worship @ 10:00am
• September 7 – Congregational Ministry Team & Coordination Teams gathering, 7:00pm
• September 11 or 18 – Guess Who’s Coming to the Yard? – sign up sheet on the foyer table

WANTED: FMC MEMORABILIA . . . FMC CENTENNIAL MEMORY MUSEUM

As we prepare for our church’s 100-year celebration (Oct 22-23), we are wanting to set up a display of FMC Memorabilia. Please check your closets, bookshelves, filing cabinets, drawers, attics, etc. for items that highlight life at FMC over the years! Treasures may include (but are not limited to): caps, t-shirts, hymnals, pictorial directories, wedding attire (if you were married at FMC), bulletins, Sunday school materials, etc. We plan to have these items on display throughout the celebration weekend. Please contact Marlene Thode or Jean Gaeddert if you have items available for this Memory Museum display. Thank you. 

FMC CENTENNIAL . . . LightHouse Service Day and Giving Opportunities

The Centennial Committee of FMC hosted a service day at LightHouse on Saturday, August 13.  Thank you to those who came out on Saturday morning to work at LightHouse. Our plans changed a bit from what we had originally planned to do, but we got exterior painting and caulking accomplished. Thanks to Richard, Delon, Dohn, Allen, Calvin, Juliet, Jasper, Adam and Arlo for your help!

To date, the total raised for the LightHouse project is $26,875, which exceeds the goal we set of raising $22,000! Thank you for your tremendous generosity!  The $22,000 will be used for construction costs and furnishings for the apartments. But we are not finished! More dollars are needed for ongoing maintenance needs, so your donations are still very much appreciated from now until October and beyond.  As contractors complete their work, we anticipate inviting volunteers for painting, trim work, cabinet installation, floor work, etc.  Interfaith’s goal is to have the building finished by sometime this fall or winter.

REMINDER:  If you are last one out of the church building, be SURE the doors lock behind you when you leave.  Go out, watch the doors latch, give both door handles a tug, and make sure they are locked!  Thank you.

DEEPENING in Christ…

FACES OF OUR FAITH INVITATION for SEPTEMBER 11 FAITH FORMATION SUNDAY

As I read the names recently on the visual in the foyer, I felt a lot of curiosity about the stories behind those names as I’m sure each one has its own well of memory and meaning.   SO … I want to invite any of you to send me a sentence or two or three (or a couple paragraphs) telling more about how it is this person shaped your faith, describing the ‘face of faith’ they showed you.  If there are some willing to share stories, I’d like to include them (with your permission!) in our “Faith Formation” worship service in September.  This is the Sunday we bless our Sunday School teachers and dedicate Bibles for any kindergarteners, 3^rd graders, and 7^th graders in our congregation.   —  Pastor Tonya

AUGUST WORSHIP: LIVING AS CITIZENS OF GOD’S KINGDOM

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”  (Phil 3:20)  “You are the salt of the earth … You are the light of the world.”  (Mt 5:13a, 14a)

As we head into the last weeks of summer, and toward an election season, worship at FMC will center around questions of what it looks like to live as citizens in God’s Kingdom.  Pastor Tonya will be resourcing for her preaching a small book written by Cesar Garcia who is General Secretary of Mennonite World Conference.  The book is part of Menno Media’s The Jesus Way: Small Books of Radical Faith series and is titled: What is God’s Kingdom and What Does Citizenship Look Like?   

August 28 – Citizens of God’s Kingdom as Salt: How Christians Influence Societies

PRAYER GROUPS

• A Prayer group meets Thursday mornings from 10-11am in the Prayer Room.  All are welcome. 
• A small ecumenical Centering Prayer group meets on Thursdays (in person @ FMC) from 12:30-1:30pm.  If you’d like to learn more, contact Pastor Tonya.     

WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL @ 11:00am FOR ALL AGES will resume on SEPTEMBER 11!

If you are interested in teaching Sunday School, please sign up at the church on the “Sign Up” bulletin board!  We could use a few more teachers for the Preschool and Grade School groups!  If you sign up you’ll be part of a rotation in which you can pick Sundays that work for you, and as many/few as you are able to do.  Thanks!!

SUMMER SUNDAY SCHOOL SCHEDULE

Sunday School will be offered for children (preschool-6^th grade) on the SECOND and FOURTH Sundays during the summer from 11:00-Noon.  The Younger Adults Class will meet at the same time as the children.

            August 28

The children’s group will gather in the fellowship hall from 11-Noon on the dates listed above.  Senior Youth, check with Jonathan Wenger or Tanya Martin Nisly for youth group plans on these Sundays.

The two Adult Bible Study groups will take a break during the summer and begin again in the fall when weekly Sunday School for all ages will also resume ON SEPTEMBER 11!!  The class meeting in the Prayer Room (basement) will continue using the Salt & Light study guide.  Copies are available on the table in the foyer. Please pick one up if you plan to join this class. On September 11 we will study Unit 1.

UPPER ROOM and REJOICE! devotional magazines

REJOICE! and UPPER ROOM . . . new issues for September are available above the mailboxes.  Please let us know if you would like a copy mailed to you.                                                                                                                                                                    

STRENGTHENING Community Connections…

BREAKFAST FUNDRAISER SEPTEMBER 4 @ 9:00AM (WORSHIP AT 10:00)

Plan to come for a fun time of fellowship and good food provided by the youth group on Sunday, September 4 at 9:00am.  Then stay for worship, beginning at 10:00am that morning.

GUESS WHO’S COMING TO THE YARD? – SEPT 11 OR 18, 2022

You are invited to join a small group for a social gathering . . . we call it “Guess Who’s Coming to the Yard?” These events will be September 11 and September 18, at 5:30pm. You choose one evening and sign up to be either a guest or a host (for a group of 6-8 people). Sign up in advance on the sheet on the table in the foyer – and please indicate whether you would like to be a guest or a host. Signup deadline is August 28. Then you will receive information about your group and location. This is such a wonderful way to get to know others in our FMC family . . . you don’t want to miss it!!

SERVICE TERMS for MICAH and MICHAELA

Micah Wenger (in Colorado Springs) and Michaela Esau (Tucson) are spending a year in service.  Continue to keep them in your prayers. To make a financial contribution for their support, designate your check in the church offering or access their fundraising pages:

            Micah    https://igfn.us/vf/SAColorado/MicahWenger 

            Michaela    https://igfn.us/vf/MVSTucson/MichaelaEsau

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS

• Tuesday and Thursday 9:00am – 2:00pm  
• Wednesday – 10:00am – 1:00pm

PASTOR TONYA’S HOURS/SCHEDULE

• Monday: Sabbath Day
• Tuesday-Friday: generally working 9:00am-5:30pm  
• Office Hours:  9-2 Tuesday and Thursday; 10-1 on Wednesday
• Available other times by appointment.
• Available evenings and weekends (cell phone is most reliable)

STRETCHING to Serve as Christ Served…

SUNDAY MORNING DONATIONS FOR RENO COUNTY FOOD BANK – AUGUST  . . . Peanut Butter.

Personal care/hygiene items such as these are appreciated anytime: toilet paper, laundry detergent, bath soap, Kleenex, deodorant, disposable razors, paper towels, shampoo, dish soap, hand/body lotion, tooth paste and tooth brushes.  Travel size – new & unopened – are desirable.

WESTERN DISTRICT CONFERENCE announcements

Women and Girls Retreat is Sept. 10-11 at Camp Mennoscah. Theme is “Women’s Voices.” Registration information is on the table in the foyer or at WDC website https://mennowdc.org/wdwm-women-and-girls-retreat/.  This event is planned by WDC Women in Mission.

MENNONITE FRIENDSHIP COMMUNITIES announcements

Invitation to support Family Fun Day! We are reaching out to all of our supporting churches asking for some assistance. We are planning a Family Fun Day for all staff and their families on September 25th, from 2p-5p. This will be full of excitement with a dunk tank, food trucks, yard games and a fishing contest. We thought it would be a great way to bring staff together for something other than work. We are planning to raffle off small gift baskets ($25-$40 value) and would like to know if your church would be interested in providing a basket. If so, please reach out to Stacey Frager, VP of Human Resources, at 620.560.6754. If you are willing to provide a basket, we would like to have them by September 8th. This will give employees who cannot make the event an opportunity to see the basket and buy a raffle ticket in advance.

Position openings on mfc staff:  nursing positions on all levels, maintenance technician, dietary aides. Apply at www.mennofriend.com or call 620-663-7175.

CAMP MENNOSCAH announcements

Camp Mennoscah Annual Meeting and Dedication of the Renovated Campfire Amphitheater

Will be held on September 18!  Join us for an evening of song, popcorn, and generic pop, as well as updates and information on the year at Camp Mennoscah.  Time is yet to be determined.  (It’s like a mini-Camp Sing! Bring your friends for a happy sing-along.)

Fall Scrapbook and Crafts Retreat on Oct. 28-30!   

Crafters and scrapbookers are all invited to come for a weekend of creativity and friends.  Lodging will be in the Retreat Center and cropping/crafting will be in the Main Camp dining hall.  Space heaters will be available for both areas since the repairs for the furnaces will not be completed.  Register here!

CROP Hunger Walk (Reno County), Sunday, September 25!

You are invited to support the Reno County CROP Hunger Walk!  One quarter of funds donated will be shared by The Reno County Food Bank and the Christian Soup Ministry. Last year, each agency received
$1080! Church World Service (CWS) will use the rest globally, helping people start small livestock farms or dig wells for their communities. CWS also assists refugees from Ukraine and other nations. 

We are hoping at least some of our Mentors & Mentees will be able to participate in the walk this year, and others are also welcome to join in!  Come to Rice Park at 2 p.m., Sunday, September 25, as we “Walk with the World”!  On-site registration starts at 1:30 p.m. You can also register on-line.

If you would like to support this effort with a financial donation, you can:

1. Write a check to “CWS/CROP” and put our church’s name on the memo line.  Either put it in our offering at church by September 25 or send it by October 1 to Emanuel Lutheran Church, 140 E. 39th Avenue, Hutchinson, KS 67502!
2. OR donate securely on-line at the Crop Hunger Walk website.  Click “donate,” then “General.”   https://events.crophungerwalk.org/2022/event/hutchinsonks

KANSAS COALITION AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY Do Justice.  Love Mercy.  

What’s Required to Abolish the Death Penalty?

September 10, 2022 – in person at Krehbiel Auditorium (Bethel College) or Zoom

10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Open to the public; no admission charge)

To register:  Email info@ksabolition.org and specify your attendance preference (in person or virtual) 

EVERENCE® FINANCIAL WEBINARS starting September 14

Four consecutive Wednesdays at 2 and 8 p.m. Eastern time

• Sept. 14: Women, Wealth, and Well-being. Hear how a “Financial Checkup” can help you achieve a balance of emotional, spiritual, and physical wellness around your money habits.
• Sept. 21: The Dynamic Story of Stewardship Investing. Learn how Everence® is making a positive impact by incorporating faith and values into our investment options.
• Sept. 28: How to “ACE” your Financial Plan. Hear how a financial plan can help you align your life purpose with decisions about money. Become more confident in your financial future and maximize your charitable giving.
• Oct. 5: Retirement Readiness: Understanding your Income Options. You’ll hear sound ideas for generating a retirement income stream that lasts, including when to begin taking Social Security.

For information and registration, email national@everence.com