THIS WEEK @ FMC – June 8-14, 2022 - First Mennonite Church

Table of Contents

“There are many heroes of the faith, people we admire and wish to be. However, there are even more ordinary people of faith—those doing what they can with what they have to make a difference. This summer [guided by a worship series created by A Sanctified Art] we’ll dig deep into the bold and untold stories of those often overlooked in our biblical narratives, hoping these characters remind us that we all play a role in shaping God’s story of redemption and grace.” (A Sanctified Art)

We’ll also invite you to remember, reflect on and name in an interactive visual in the foyer those who are the ‘faces’ of your faith … the ordinary and extraordinary ones who have shaped your faith understanding and growing over the years. And, we’ll tell stories of ‘faces of faith’ throughout our church’s history.

One ‘face’ of my faith who comes immediately to mind is a woman named Elsie Miller who was part of my home church in Ohio (Oak Grove Mennonite). She was an ordinary person of faith who lived with a courage and clarity I admire. When I participated in the Ministry Inquiry Program at Oak Grove one summer during college, I had opportunity to visit her in her home where she was caring for her mother. Elsie had been ordained at Oak Grove and also served as pastor at Lorraine Ave in Wichita before coming back home to Ohio to care for her mother. In her later years she found worship and community with an Episcopal Church nearby in Wooster, and eventually returned to Oak Grove. She captured my imagination with her authentic way of being and expressing faith in the world. I was impressed with her large book collection, beautiful flower garden, gracious hospitality, gentle encouragement, courageous faith choices, and committed care of her mother. Her way of being left an impression of hope, faith and courage on me.

Who is a ‘face’ in your faith journey and story? Someone who did what they could with what they had to speak of faith and point toward God-with-us in our daily, ordinary living?

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!

FELLOWSHIP TIME is back with coffee/tea/juice between Worship and Sunday School!!

A signup sheet is posted for you to sign up to host this social time.

SUNDAY, June 12: Faces of Our Faith: The Ethiopian Eunuch

Acts 8:26-40

Preacher: Tonya Ramer Wenger
Worship Leader: Maggie Pounds
Scripture Reader: Calvin Buller
Children’s Time: Hilda Iwashige
Pianist: Peggy Stucky
Ushers: Dennis & Jennalee Boggs
Nursery attendant: Susan Combs
Sound Tech: Earl Ediger & Allen Yoder
Live Stream Tech: Joel Iwashige

SHARING JOYS & CONCERNS

During each worship service, you are invited to text your prayer joys and concerns – usually to Pastor Tonya. You are also welcome 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 by Thursday each week.

CALENDAR – LOOKING AHEAD

June 19 – FMC worship @ Camp Mennoscah (no service at the church and no livestream)
June 15-July 12 – Pastor Tonya on vacation and at Mennonite World Conference
July 5-10 – Mennonite World Conference in Indonesia

PASTOR JIM UNRUH’S return from extended leave of absence

The Congregational Ministry Team is announcing that Pastor Jim is returning to his position as Minister of Community Outreach with FMC beginning June 1. Jim is excited about the many opportunities to reach out to others in our community and we look forward to the vision and leadership he brings. Initially, his focus will be on the LightHouse and this ministry to young adults seeking to find stability and connections. Pastor Jim’s term of service is for one year. During the coming year FMC will participate in a congregation/pastor review, and the discernment of FMC’s vision and priorities will be a part of the continuing pastoral leadership.

FMC CENTENNIAL . . . LightHouse Giving Opportunity

To date, the total raised for the LightHouse project is $26,875, which exceeds the goal we set of raising $22,000! The Centennial Committee really believes that this speaks to the tremendous generosity of you all and we would like to thank you for your gifts. 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.

Presently, electricians are working on installing wires throughout the building. Exterior siding has already been installed, a concrete parking lot has been poured and the ramp addition for the ADA apartment has been completed on the south side. In the coming weeks, the sprinkler system and the HVAC system will be installed. After that comes the drywall installation, along with taping, mudding and texturing. In the final stages, they will be looking for volunteers for painting, trim work, cabinet installation, floor work, etc. Hopefully we can help with some of that work at some point in the future. Interfaith’s goal is to have the building finished by sometime this fall or winter.

As for the furnishings, Interfaith is looking to secure special pricing to purchase new items so that the apartments can be more or less identical with each other. These furnishings will include beds, side tables, dressers, sofas, tables, chairs, microwaves, stoves and refrigerators. There will be two shared laundry rooms for the eight apartments. Welcome baskets for the residents will include a variety of kitchen utensils, towels, sheets, bathroom and laundry cleaning supplies.

The LightHouse tenant leases, the residents’ handbook and case management procedures are all in the process of being drafted.

LightHouse aims to provide young people with safe, stable, temporary housing, with supportive connections and with access to resources for long-term success. Thank you again for your support in empowering young people in our community!

ANABAPTIST WORLD magazine . . . join our group subscription now

Anabaptist World is your source for news of the global Anabaptist movement. Through timely news reporting and insightful commentary, Anabaptist World seeks to inform and inspire Mennonites and anyone interested in Anabaptism. Review copies of this publication are available on the table in the sitting area in the foyer. Check this link to read examples of stories in the May 27 issue: https://anabaptistworld.org/tag/issue-20220527/

Anabaptist World began in 2020 as the outgrowth of long-time publications – The Mennonite and Mennonite World Review. It publishes 16 issues per year (essentially every 3 weeks). The group subscription rate is a 28% savings over individual subscriptions, but each issue is delivered directly to your home. To subscribe, please call or email the church office or complete the form on the table in the foyer no later than June 23. Payment of $39 is due by July 26, checks made out to FMC with AW subscription in the memo.

MENNONITE CHURCH USA delegate action at the assembly May 27-30 in KC

Delegates at Mennonite Church USA’s Special Session of the Delegate Assembly, May 27-30, passed three resolutions that help to remove barriers for LGBTQ people and those with disabilities and adopted a fourth resolution, “For Justice in the Criminal Legal System,” for denominational study.

Support for the resolutions varied. Delegates unanimously approved the “MC USA Accessibility Resolution,” which calls the church to “recognize and seek to remove the barriers to belonging … that prevent individuals with disabilities from participating in church life.”

“A Resolution for Repentance and Transformation,” which calls the church to repent for harm done to LGBTQ people and calls for broader inclusion of LGBTQ people, passed with a thinner majority at 55.7% (267 yes, 212 no, 9 abstentions).

Both are “church statement resolutions” which are not binding on congregations or conferences, but provide an opportunity for discernment, education and advocacy, while still acknowledging dissenting voices, according to the denomination’s Guidelines for Developing Resolutions.

Clarification on Mennonite Church USA Polity and the Role of the Membership Guidelines of Mennonite Church USA,” an “organizational resolution” that directly impacts church polity, was approved by 82.8%* of the delegates (404 yes, 84 no, 3 abstentions). This resolution retires the denomination’s Membership Guidelines, which, among other things, prohibits pastors from performing same-sex covenant ceremonies. It also calls the church to “commit to the difficult work of being church together amidst our differences, working at biblical justice and reconciliation where there is conflict.”

“This weekend, we did the demanding work of struggling together as the body of Christ,” said MC USA Executive Director Glen Guyton. “We will continue to live into our Renewed Commitments of following Jesus, witnessing to God’s peace and helping those we encounter to experience the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.”

Delegates from FMC anticipate sharing more information at a gathering later this summer. If you have questions or would like to talk about the resolutions, feel free to contact any one of FMC’s participants – Pastor Tonya, Pauline Buller, Micah Wenger, Magdalena Wenger or Delon Martens.

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…

SUMMER 2022 WORSHIP – FACES OF OUR FAITH

Created by A Sanctified Art, our summer worship series will explore ordinary people of faith – those doing what they can with what they have to make a difference. The worship series invited us into stories of those often overlooked in our Biblical narratives. Using visual art and prompts for reflection (study journal pages are available for each character explored), we hope to dig deep into the worlds of these characters, entering their stories with curiosity and openness to what they might teach us. As we journey with these characters, may they remind us that we all play a role in shaping God’s story of redemption and grace. May they awaken us to the faces of our faith in our world today. And may they encourage us to know that no action is ever too small to make a difference.

As part of the series, we will invite you to think about and name the faces of your own faith and how they have impacted you. You might wish to name friends, family members, mentors, pastors, public figures, strangers, authors, musicians, or artists … anyone and everyone who has made a lasting impact on your faith. There will be an interactive visual display in the foyer where you can add names that come to your mind (as many as you wish!) at any point in the summer.

UPCOMING WORSHIP SCHEDULE:

June 12 – The Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26-40) Pastor Tonya preaching
June 19 – Lydia (Acts 16:11-15, 40) @ Camp Mennoscah 10:00am (no worship in the church building)
June 26 – Shiprah and Puah (Exodus 1:8-22) Anita Kehr preaching
July 3 – Eutychus (Acts 20:1-12) Pastor Jim preaching

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.

SUNDAY SCHOOL @ 11:00am (TWO SUNDAYS A MONTH – SEE DATES BELOW)

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.

June 12 and 26
July 10 and 24
August 14 and 28

The children’s group will gather in the fellowship hall from 11-Noon on the dates listed above. Plans for Jr/Sr Youth are TBD – stay tuned!!

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.

UPPER ROOM and REJOICE! devotional magazines

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

STRENGTHENING Community Connections…

FMC WEEKEND @ CAMP MENNOSCAH (June 19)

Thanks for your donations to help pay for our church’s weekend at camp the third weekend in June!

The SIGN UP SHEET to attend our weekend at camp is now available on the table in the foyer. Those interested in staying overnight on Saturday June 18 in cabins are welcome to do so (will need to plan/provide your own food for Saturday evening and breakfast Sunday morning – there is a kitchen available).

Sunday morning will include worship and lunch at Camp Mennoscah (there is NO worship in the church building in Hutchinson and there will be NO livestream):

10:00am WORSHIP
11:00-Noon SWIMMING
12:15 LUNCH – bring a side dish or dessert to share (main dish provided)

The cost for this event is not covered by our general budget, but is instead funded by donations from the congregation each year. Additional contributions are appreciated – checks in the offering designated for FMC Sunday at Camp. We appreciate your generosity in supporting Camp Mennoscah through our ongoing rental commitment, and in supporting the opportunity for those who wish to spend time together at Camp that weekend!

FMC DELEGATES NEEDED TO PARTICIPATE IN WESTERN DISTRICT CONFERENCE ASSEMBLY ON JULY 29-31, 2022

Details about the upcoming WDC assembly in Denton TX are below in the STRETCHING section. If you are interested in serving as a delegate for First Mennonite at the assembly, please talk with Pastor Tonya or Delon Martens.

FMC YOUNG ADULTS PARTICIPATING IN MISSION NETWORK SERVICE PROGRAMS (FALL 2022)

This fall both Michaela Esau and Micah Wenger are participating in Mennonite Mission Network voluntary service programs. Michaela will be with Mennonite Voluntary Service (MVS) in Tucson AZ. Micah will be with Service Adventure in Colorado Springs, CO. We are asked as a congregation to provide various kinds of support for Michaela and Micah, including prayer and financial support. Each are asked to raise $4000 to help cover the costs of participation. If you would like to donate to either Michaela or Micah (or both!), you can:

send a check to the church (note in the memo line who the donation is for),
send a check to Mennonite Mission Network (718 N Main Street, Newton, KS 67114 … for Michaela put MVS and her name in the memo line; for Micah put SA and his name)
or donate on their personal fundraising pages:

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

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

2022 FMC DIRECTORIES . . . pick up your copy in the foyer.

If you would like an electronic version, please let the church office know.

NEW VIDEO BLOG (VLOG) FROM PASTOR JIM

Check out Pastor Jim’s new Video Blog (also known as a Vlog) on our church website: https://hutchfmc.org/ (scroll all the way down to the bottom of the home page!).

You’ll also find past episodes of “Beautiful Salt City Podcast” in which Pastor Jim talks with people in our community to learn their life stories and to dream together for a future story for our beautiful salt city.

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS

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

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)

Pastor Tonya’s upcoming travel schedule:

June 15-29 visiting Kallyne (Kelly) Silva in Brazil (our former MCC IVEP’er)
June 30-July 11 in Indonesia at Mennonite World Conference

STRETCHING to Serve as Christ Served…

SUNDAY MORNING DONATIONS FOR RENO COUNTY FOOD BANK – ITEM OF THE MONTH FOR JUNE

DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE we invite your donations of CRACKERS!

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.

ANABAPTIST DISABILITIES NETWORK offers webinar

“Dementia and Congregational Care” – Thursday, June 16, 1 pm ET, noon CT, 10 am PT

Dementia affects individuals, their family members and the congregation. Many times, we want to offer support but we do not know where to start. We often back off because we don’t want to do the wrong thing. This webinar will help you understand basics of dementia and learn how to reach out. We will offer communication tips and practical ways to stay connected.

This webinar will be led by Heddie Sumner, RN, BSN, and co-hosted by Church of the Brethren Discipleship Ministries and Anabaptist Disabilities Network. Visit our website to register and learn more at this link:
https://www.anabaptistdisabilitiesnetwork.org/Resources/Webinars/Pages/Dementia-and-Congregational-Care.aspx

WESTERN DISTRICT CONFERENCE announcements

WDC annual assembly will be July 29-31! We invite WDC delegates, friends, and their families to gather with us at Camp Copass, Denton, TX. There will be lots of time for recreation for all ages, as well as sharing around tables about faith issues in our conference, congregations, and in our lives. Join us! More details coming soon.

Building a Lasting Connection Relationship Retreat – Communication is key for a healthy and long-lasting relationship. During this 2-day retreat, couples will learn and practice skills together that promote healthy communication with one another in order to promote ways of effectively expressing hope, validating feelings, and navigating concerns together. While these skills are helpful for all people, this retreat will be geared toward couples who have been together for 10 years or under (married, engaged, or dating are all welcome). This retreat will be held at Camp Mennoscah and led by Katie Dyck (LCMFT) and Renee Reimer (WDC ordained pastor). For more info click here: https://mennowdc.org/building-a-lasting-connection-relationship-retreat/ A flier with more information is available on the table in the foyer.

CAMP MENNOSCAH announcements

‘Tis the Season for Mowers and String Trimmers! Camp Mennoscah is looking for people to help us keep the campgrounds trimmed and looking neat. Let us know when you would be able to mow or string trim! Call 620-297-3290 or email office@campmennoscah.org –we’ll get you scheduled!

MENNONITE CHURCH USA announcements

In times that “try our souls,” it is easy to be tempted into the narrative that there is a good and a bad side. In her Menno Snapshots blog, Carolyn E. Yoder wrestles with what it means to be an Anabaptist in times like these. “These are the times that try our nonresistant/nonviolent souls. May they also be the times that accelerate the rising consciousness of another way to meet evil in the world.” Read more here: https://www.mennoniteusa.org/times-that-try-our-souls

Mennonites Against Militarism – a collaboration of Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Central Committee, U.S. – is seeking to launch an initiative to counter military recruitment of U.S. youth, called Alternatives to Military Enlistment Network (AMEN). AMEN invites interested volunteers to complete a brief survey that identifies areas in which they may engage with AMEN, including administration, web and graphic design, publicity, budgeting, fundraising and guidance/career counseling. Learn more here: https://www.mennoniteusa.org/news/mennonites-against-militarism-seeks-volunteers/

Take the survey here: https://rb.gy/gbehlm

MENNONITE CENTRAL COMMITTEE (MCC) announcements

MCC in need of material resources – MCC is resuming shipments of material resources to Ukraine. Five containers of emergency supplies are being shipped to Ukraine in the next few months with more planned for later in the year. With this increase in demand for supplies for Ukraine and other countries around the world, MCC’s inventory of material resources is getting low. We need comforters, soap and towels as well as dignity, hygiene, infant care, relief, school and sewing kits. Your donations will provide relief and a tangible sign of hope to people in Ukraine and other difficult situations around the world. Go to mcc.org/kits for information on needed supplies and drop-off locations.

MCC U.S. NATIONAL PEACE & JUSTICE MINISTRIES – peace camps for young adults

Just Camp…for Justice at Camp Friedenswald, Michigan, July 25-29
This experience will combine the fun and community-building aspects of a week at camp with meaningful service and learning, focused on themes of immigration, transformative justice and healthy dialogue. Come experience the joys of living in a community of radical peacemakers. This camp experience offers the possibility of paying on a sliding scale, as you are able. Register here.

Peace for the weary at Camp Deerpark, New York, January 2-7, 2023
With rising violence in the U.S. and its pervasive systemic nature, our young adults are grappling with deep pain and trauma as they are simultaneously called to forge a different course ahead. This weeklong peace camp will offer spaces and strategies for personal healing, repairing harm, participating in nonviolent intervention, and finding hope when we feel surrounded by violence and destruction. Travel expenses will be covered and registration will cost $200. Watch the MCC U.S. Peace Camps website for more information.

MENNONITE WORLD CONFERENCE (MWC) ASSEMBLY – JULY 5-10, 2022

Pastor Tonya and her family will be attending MWC in Indonesia in person. But did you know that an online program is also available? Check this link to register and connect from home: https://mwc-cmm.org/stories/join-mwc-assembly-together-online

Whether or not you register for the Assembly, consider making a financial gift to help underwrite this global gathering of Anabaptists. To donate, go to go to https://mwc-cmm.org/donate-now or send a check to Mennonite World Conference, PO Box 5364, Lancaster, PA 17606-5364, and designate “Global Assembly: Indonesia 2022.” MWC represents the majority of the global family of Christian churches rooted in the 16^th century Radical Reformation in Europe. MWC includes 109 Mennonite and Brethren in Christ national churches from 58 countries, with around 1.47 million baptized believers in close to 10,000 congregations. More than 80% of baptized believers in MWC member churches are African, Asian or Latin American. MWC is a place for mutual sharing and learning among member churches and their members, and a way to strengthen our witness as a faith community in the world. The MWC Assembly is a reunion of the world-wide Anabaptist-Mennonite family that normally takes place every six years. After a pandemic delay, MWC members from around the world look forward to this gathering!