Table of Contents
“In loving memory of those who have gone from us, whose hearts and hands have served in this
fellowship; with gratitude for all those whose faith and consecrated gifts make this house possible, for all who may share this spiritual adventure; and with hope for all who shall worship in this house in years to come…”
These words, from the 1959 First Mennonite Church Cornerstone Dedication Litany, are so beautiful. I especially love the vision of being part of the ‘all who may share this spiritual adventure.’ We ARE on a spiritual adventure and I’m so glad to be experiencing it with you.
I will carry with me forever just how much fun this past weekend was! Especially rewarding was so many coming together to make the weekend happen, down to the smallest details! We couldn’t have done it without each other, and I want to extend a big THANK YOU!!!
Amidst the joy of celebration, we as a congregation are also carrying the heaviness of sorrow with Jack, Star and now Frieda’s deaths. And with the Woelk family we also mourn the death of Marcie’s son, Bob, who grew up at First Mennonite. And so, we join those who gathered in 1959, to live ‘in loving memory of those who have gone from us.’
We have been blessed by so many, including many who came back to celebrate with us this weekend. And we continue on in the same faith, gratitude, commitment, trust, hope and transforming presence of God that has brought us this far.
On a lighter note, recognizing that sometimes church bulletin typos are the best, I want to end by sharing the typo we corrected in the quote above from the 1959 dedication litany:
“… with gratitude for all those whose faith and consecrated gifts make this hose possible…”
I have to wonder if the minister caught the mistake and corrected it in the moment, and how many shoulders were shaking with laughter as they finished up the litany that day! Either way, its nice to think about our cornerstone being dedicated by real people, whose mistakes added some laughter to the day.
Pastor Tonya
SUNDAY MORNING Worship at 9:30am
The link to join is on our website: www.hutchfmc.org Join 5 minutes early for announcements.
COVID-19 safety suggestions 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.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30: Solomon’s Wisdom
1 Kings 3:4-9, (10-15), 16-28
- Sermon: Pastor Tonya Ramer Wenger
- Worship Leader: Carol Moore
- Children’s Time: Julie Goering
- Scripture Reader: TBD
- Organist: Pauline Buller
- Ushers: Susan Combs, Joretta Martens
- Nursery Attendant: Joel & Hilda Iwashige
- 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 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 (except on special occasions), an offering box 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
- October 26 – Congregational Ministry Team (CMT) – 6:30pm
- October 31 – Halloween Donuts on the Lawn (help needed beginning at 4pm)
- November 8 – Faithful Community Coordination Team – 1:45pm
- November 16 – “We’ll Leave Our Lights On” Reno County non-perishable food drive
- November 19 – Faith and Life Pop-up Shop – 10:00am-2:00pm in our building
- November 26 – FMC serves at the Soup Kitchen
- December 4 – Budget and Annual Congregational Meeting
CENTENNIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
THANK YOU, everyone, for contributing to a wonderful weekend celebration!! If you brought items for the memorabilia museum, please pick them up from the basement at your earliest convenience.
FMC CENTENNIAL . . . Partner/Mentorship opportunities
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…
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.
No SUNDAY SCHOOL on October 30.
We return to our weekly Sunday School offerings for all ages on November 6.
UPPER ROOM and REJOICE! devotional magazines
REJOICE! and UPPER ROOM . . . new issues for November are available above the mailboxes. Please let us know if you would like a copy mailed to you.
LPC: Listening-Prayer-Conversation Groups BEGINNING January 2023
Pastor Tonya will be offering something new beginning January 2023 … an opportunity to participate in a monthly LPC group: Listening. Prayer. Conversation. The plan is for a once/month simply structured hour of listening to scripture and Spirit, praying with and without words, and conversation with God and others. More details and plans will be shared later in November.
STRENGTHENING Community Connections…
5th Sunday Extended Fellowship Time – October 30
Join us for coffee/tea/juice and donuts served in the Common Grounds room following worship on Sunday (there will be no Sunday School). Make this a time of connecting with others, sharing the “ups” and “downs” of the week and anticipating the fall events that bring us joy and hope.
HALLOWEEN DONUTS ON THE LAWN IS BACK!!!
After a COVID induced hiatus, we are planning to be back on the church lawn on Oct 31 serving homemade donuts to the hundreds of trick-or-treaters in the church neighborhood. If you’ve never helped before, perhaps this is the year to join the fun!! Costumes welcome but not required (and traditionally there’s opportunity for FMC kids and youth to go trick-or-treating as part of the evening!).
Jonathan Wenger will mix up enough dough for about 500 donuts. Helpers will be needed to: cut the donuts in the basement kitchen, carry donuts out to the lawn, fry donuts, and hand out donuts. We’ll also need help setting up and cleaning up. It takes many hands to make this operation run smoothly. If you can, please let Pastor Tonya or Jonathan know if you plan to come and help, or feel free to show up at the last minute!! Set up will begin at 4pm and we’ll start rolling and cutting donuts around 4:30pm. Come when you can!
ARMS WIDE OPEN – FMC’s history book
The amazing story of First Mennonite Church’s 100 years is told in the history book prepared for our centennial celebration. Copies of the book are available for $25.00 (cash or check). Check with the church office.
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 8:00am-5:30pm
- “In 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:
OCTOBER: Let’s see if we can collect 100 cans of soup by the end of October in honor of our 100th anniversary!! We currently have 63, so we need 37 more!
NOVEMBER: Canned Fruit
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.
TWO LOCAL THANKSGIVING DONATION OPPORTUNITIES COMING UP!!
**WE’LL LEAVE OUR LIGHTS ON – NOVEMBER 16 5-7PM
We will again ‘leave our lights on’ Wednesday evening November 16 from 5-7pm for anyone to drop off items for the Food Bank. This is a partnership with many area churches who will also leave their lights on that evening. Plan to bring donations to our church, or to a participating church closer to your home (a poster with a list of participating locations will be up soon at church).
**THANKSGIVING DINNER BASKETS FOR LOCAL FAMILIES – BRING DONATIONS BY NOV 19
We will also be collecting donations to contribute to “Thanksgiving Dinner Baskets” coordinated by Living Hope FWB Church, NAACP Religious Affairs and Hutch in Harmony. This idea has emerged out of awareness of how hard the past couple of years have been for local families with COVID and recent inflation. We have been invited to help bring a little light to our local families in need. Please have your donations at the church by Friday November 18 (a basket in the foyer will be designated for this project). There is not a specific donation list at this point, but for now think about nonperishable items appropriate for a Thanksgiving meal, and we will get a list of suggestions to you if that becomes available. The plan is to gather food items, package them and hand them out the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving, and the hope is to reach 50 families. If you are interested in helping that Saturday, let Pastor Tonya know and she can get you the contact information.
COLLECTING BIBLES for missions
Zoar Mennonite Brethren Church (Inman) is collecting Bibles not being used anymore to take to missions. Let’s not just let the gospel decorate our shelves but put what we don’t use anymore to good use. Diane Ziemer has provided a box in the foyer into which you may put your old/unused Bibles, and will deliver them for us. Bible collection continues through October 30.
INTERFAITH HOUSING & COMMUNITY SERVICES, INC.
Home for the Holidays Open House & Tree Auction will be held Saturday, November 19, 11:30am-2:30pm. Check their website for details https://www.interfaithks.org/
MENNONITE CENTRAL COMMITTEE announcements
The MCC Meat Canner will be in Newton November 2 and 3. They are asking for volunteers from FMC on Wednesday, November 2, 6:30am-12:30pm. Please let Pastor Tonya know ASAP if you can help. Meals are provided, volunteers are asked to bring snacks.
MCC Buckets of Thanks: This Thanksgiving season, show your gratitude and provide hope to those in need by collecting relief supplies for MCC. The supplies you donate will fill a Bucket of Thanks (aka an MCC relief kit) for people affected by conflict or disaster around the world. For more information, including supply lists and a ready-to-use curriculum for children, visit: mccbuckets.org.
MENNONITE FRIENDSHIP COMMUNITIES (mfc) . . . Mollie B & SqueezeBox with Ted Lange
This benefit event for mfc will be held Saturday, October 29, at 6:30pm at Journey @ Yoder, 3605 East Longview Rd (1 mile north of Yoder on Yoder Road). Suggested admission is $15 adults, $7 children and $50 family. Mollie B is well-known as host of the “Mollie B Polka Party” & PBS’s “Polka!” documentary. Ted Lange is a 2-time GRAMMY nominee. They have been featured in the 2018 Warner Brothers Movie, “The Mule,” starring Clint Eastwood; named male and female vocalists of the year; and inducted into the International Polka Hall of Fame. Everyone is welcome!
FIRST MENNONITE CHURCH – HALSTEAD . . . Mission Supper, November 12, 5-7pm
First Mennonite in Halstead announces their annual mission supper, served in person this year on Saturday, November 12, 5:00-7:00pm. Menu: German sausage, chicken borscht, fried potatoes, green beans, sauerkraut, zwiebach and pie. Donations for the meal benefit Care Portal and missionaries Dave & Rebekka Stutzman (Germany) and Joseph & Rachel Givens (France). The church is located at 427 W. 4th, Halstead.
FAITH & LIFE BOOKSTORE Christmas Pop-up shop – Saturday, November 19
Faith & Life Bookstore in Newton will be set up in our building on Saturday, November 19, 10:00am-2:00pm. This is a great opportunity to shop for Christmas, birthdays, and all occasions – books, inspirational materials, and so much more for all ages. This is open to the community, so plan to bring your friends and neighbors. Our church library benefits by hosting this event.
CAMP MENNOSCAH announcements
On Saturday, November 12, we will be playing in the dirt at Camp Mennoscah! It’s the last step (we think) in finishing up the newly renovated amphitheater. Dirt needs to be moved by hand between the rows of limestone seating. We’ll start at 9am and work until the last tablespoon of dirt is in place. Stay for as long as you are able. Bring your water bottle, weather appropriate gear and we’ll provide a lunch. (Call us at 620-297-3290 and let us know of any dietary considerations.)
Camp Mennoscah merch . . . make a purchase to support camp! The Camp Mennoscah online store has been refreshed and is ready for you to fill your need for that newest Camp Mennoscah tee shirt or water bottle. Plan ahead for Christmas gift-giving! Click here: http://camp-mennoscah-store.square.site/
There are a great many things for volunteers to do–come be one! Any of the following are great options for groups of one or more: cutting firewood, cleaning after groups, weekend hosting, being a committee member, mowing or other maintenance/grounds tasks, making a meal for a volunteer group, or recruiting people to volunteer at camp. These are just some of the possibilities! Call us at 620-297-3290 for more information.
BETHEL COLLEGE announcements
Thurs., Oct. 20 – The inaugural Senses & Aging Symposium, 6-8:30 p.m., Krehbiel Auditorium in Luyken Fine Arts Center at Bethel College, with Karen Kendrick speaking on “Hearing Loss and Fall Prevention” and Angela Loucks Alexander presenting from Australia on “Auditory Processing Disorder in Adults.” The symposium is free but registration is requested at www.bethelks.edu/academics/convocation-lectures/senses-aging-symposium
Nov. 4-5, “The Contemporary Relevance of Erasmus for Today: A Symposium,” with a keynote address by Dr. Greta Kroeker, University of Waterloo, Ontario, on Nov. 4, at Bethel College.
Registration is now open for “Joining Voices Together,” Bethel College’s Worship and the Arts Symposium, Sat., Nov. 12, on campus, featuring resource people Bradley Kauffman, Rachel Epp Buller, Katie Graber, SaeJin Lee, Cynthia Neufeld Smith, Adam Tice and Isaac Villegas. Register at https://www.bethelks.edu/worship-arts-registration-2022; discount for 3 or more people from the same congregation. In addition, the public is invited to a Community Evensong service, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. in Memorial Hall, which will consist entirely of congregational singing from the Voices Together hymnal, arranged around the 12 artworks found in the hymnal.
WDC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Multiple performances of the play “We Own This Now” written by Allison Brookins and performed by Ted & Co. are coming up in early November:
- Wednesday November 2 at 7:30pm at Tabor College
- Thursday November 3 at 7:00pm at McPherson Church of the Brethren
- Saturday November 5 at 3pm at Hope Mennonite in Wichita
$20 adults/$10 students/indigenous people get in free.
Freewill offering to support Kanza Heritage Society at the show.
What does it mean to “own” something? What is the relationship between “owning” and “taking” — and what is the relationship between “ownership” and (taking) responsibility? … Chris has farmed the land his grandmother found as a home in Kansas after fleeing Russia almost 100 years ago. His daughter Riley is learning more about the people who were on that land before her Oma arrived, and the jarring connections she has to the fate of those people. Chris and Riley navigate their changing relationship to each other, the land they’ve been living on, and the stories they tell. Historical documents, absurd situations, and extended metaphors accompany Riley and Chris’s journey. They — and the audience — learn how the Doctrine of Discovery (the legal framework that justifies theft of land and oppression of Indigenous Peoples) is still being used and causing harm today.
GENERAL ELECTION – NOVEMBER 8, 2022 . . . Voter information
Advance voting is now open. To vote by mail, you may request a ballot online at www.ksvotes.org. Mail ballots with a postmark on November 8th will be accepted through Monday, November 14. There is also a drop box, available 24 hours a day, located in front of the Reno County Annex .
Early in-person voting at the Reno County Annex is open through noon on November 7 according to the following schedule:
- Monday – Friday 8am-5pm
- Wednesdays – 8am-7pm
- Saturday, November 5 – 9am-1pm
You can preview your ballot at https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org and also look up your voting location.
KANSAS MENNONITE RELIEF SALE – QUILTER’S CORNER accepting donations
Quilter’s Corner is gladly accepting donations for the MCC sale which is April 14 and 15, 2023. Bring your fabric, notions, quilts and quilting supplies to the MCC Center in North Newton clearly labeled for Quilter’s Corner. If questions, contact Ann Yoder Smith at 919-604-3282.
KANSAS MENNONITE DISASTER SERVICE (MDS) . . . Learning and Service trip
The Kansas MDS (Mennonite Disaster Service) Unit is sponsoring a Learning and Service trip to Jennings, Louisiana, January 28-February 4, 2023. Participants will leave on Saturday traveling to New Orleans, staying overnight, learning about long term recovery from disasters and visiting Laura Plantation on Sunday. Your cost will be one night lodging, two tours we will take and meals on the days we travel. MDS is covering the transportation, meals and lodging while on the MDS project in Jennings. We will be rebuilding homes with MDS from Monday through Friday. To make your reservations or for more information contact Cleo Koop at cleohkoop@gmail.com or call 316-282-0797.