Bulletins - Cincinnati Mennonite Fellowship

This Year's Bulletins Please click on date below to show file

Most Recent Bulletin

Cincinnati Mennonite Fellowship
August 29, 2010

GATHERING

Gathering Hymns

Welcome
(Visitors are invited to fill out a welcome card and place it in the offering basket.)

Passing of the Peace

Call to Worship
Leader: God said, ``Let there be light.''
People: And there was light.
Leader: Jesus said, ``I am the light of the world.''
People: And the light shone in the darkness.
Leader: Jesus said, `` You are the light of the world.''
All: And the light shall not be quenched.

Opening Prayer

PRAISING

Hymn

Scripture Psalm 112

Offering

HEARING

Scripture Matthew 5:1-20

Children's Story

Hymn

Sermon Living with the text Interview of John K. by Pastor Joel M.

RESPONDING

Response Hymn Blessed are they STS 41

Sharing Joys, Concerns and Reflections and Introduction of Visitors

Prayers of the Community

SENDING

Benediction

Hymn

We warmly welcome all who are visiting with us today!

We hope you will join us for fellowship time after the service and give us an opportunity to get to know you. Please fill out a visitor card from the pew rack and place it in the offering basket.

We offer the following activities for children:

A supervised nursery, located next to the main entrance, for newborns through age 3
Children's Circle, which meets in the basement during the second half of the worship service, for children ages 3 through 7

A N N O U N C E M E N T S

Please send your announcements to the office by Friday AM to be included in the bulletin. Speak with Pastor Joel before the Sunday service if you wish to voice your announcement at the end of worship.

TODAY

Sunday, August 29 Safe Sanctuaries training , after church (see NOTES for details)
Sunday, August 29 HCATF fitness activity Meet at Morgan's Canoe rental, 5701 St Rd 350, Ft Ancient at 2:30pm for canoeing on Sunday. Let Jean S. know if you are coming.

New City Presbyterian continues their weekly 5pm worship services in our building on Sunday evenings. To aid in the process of leaving the church in a clean and orderly condition for them , please set in order the books in your pew and remove bulletins and any stray items from the worship area. Thank you.

THIS WEEK

Wednesday, September 1 City Gospel Mission

NEXT WEEK

Sunday, September 5 Sunday School starts at 9am

COMING UP

Sunday, September 12 Brown Bag Lunch and Bible study
Tuesday, September 14 Community Meal (5-7pm)
Tuesday, September 14 SLT (7pm)
Sunday, September 19 Annual Congregational Meeting, after service. P lease plan to attend.

Pastor Joel's Whereabouts
Beyond congregational duties, below are some of Pastor Joel's present activities:

Upcoming
Tuesdays this fall - Auditing class at Hebrew Union College, "Faith and Suffering
Sunday, Sept. 5 - Saying farewell and thank you to New City Presbyterian
Thursday, Sept. 9 - Ohio Conference Pastor Peer meeting - West Liberty, Ohio.
Mondays are a Sabbath

NOTES

Next Sunday, September 5th, will be the final Sunday that New City Presbyterian will be worshiping in our building in the evening. They have appreciated the space, but wish to begin worshiping in the morning and will be moving to John P. Parker elementary school in Madisonville.

During the Sundays of September our education hour and our worship will be dedicated to the theme of sexuality. Sunday school will begin at 9:00am and be focused on same-sex orientation, led by the Dialogue and Discernment team. Worship will address all of us as sexual beings under the theme Body and Soul: Healthy Sexuality and the people of God . See the bulletin insert for details and weekly topics.
Please continue to pray for CMF and for the Dialogue and Discernment team so that we can continue to listen to each other's voices, and be guided by the Spirit.

TODAY, August 29 All CMF volunteers who work with children are urged to attend a Safe Sanctuaries training after church. This training is mandated by CMF's newly adopted Safe Sanctuaries Policy and will include discussion of child abuse prevention in our church setting.
Sunday School teachers and helpers, youth sponsors, nursery volunteers including teens, and parents are invited. Following the training, volunteers will be asked to sign a "Memo of Understanding" to signify their commitment to following SS guidelines. Christian Ed hopes that teachers can also use this time for coordinating plans for the school year.

The Annual Meeting will take place after worship on September 19. This is a relatively short meeting with two significant agenda items: Approval of the Budget and the Committee Slate for the coming year.
Please plan to remain after the worship service on September 19 to carry out this annual business of the congregation.
--Church Council

Book Club will meet on Sunday, Sept. 26 after church at Ault Park. Please bring a side dish to share. The book to be discussed is "Peace Like a River" by Leif Enger.

Women!!!! Come gather together at Camp Friedenswald for Women's Retreat September 17-19. Join us for a relaxing weekend or take advantage of the many activities that will be available such as crafts, kayaking, spa treatments, canoeing, floral arrangement 101, hiking, choir, pontoon rides and much more.Marilyn Rossiter and Ruth Detweiler will be bringing the message for the worship services focusing on "Bring one, Give one" (BOGO).Cost for this retreat with lodging is $120.Arrival is at 7:00 p.m. on Friday with departure at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. For more information or to register online go to www.friedenswald.org , or call 269-476-9744. Information may also be found in the CMF foyer.

Camp Luz Father Son Retreat on September 10-11.This retreat is geared for sons who are 9-15 years old, though all ages of fathers and sons are invited (grandfathers too!)We will be staying in cabins, but doing outdoor activities most of the time, weather permitting.
Also on September 11 , E3 Youth Worker Training will be holding "Shaped by the Story", which is intended for those who work with youth. Guest speaker for the day is Michael Novelli. This event is at Camp Luz, however for more information please contact Joe Troyer at jtroyer2gmail.com

September 23 at 5:30pm, there will be a free showing of the film "Fresh" at John Parker School on the corner of Madison and Redbank Roads . The School is working hard to raise awareness of nutritional eating habits as almost all of its students are on free lunches and living in poverty or near poverty level families. Madisonville does not have a grocery store for families with limited transportation to buy food. The school has provided a community garden and is looking for support in empowering its families toward healthy eating. For information on the movie go to http://www.freshthemovie.com/about/ .

Worship Arts Training at Laurelville Mennonite Church Center, Mt. Pleasant, Pa., Sept 24-26. Explore various elements of worship and learn how to tie all of them together, so that worship reflects both God's oneness and diversity more faithfully. Groups of four or more save $35 per person. Visit www.Laurelville.org/worship_arts_training.html or call 800-839-1021 to sign up today. Brian Paff, director of communications, Laurelville Mennonite Church Center

If you have yet to have your new photo taken for the directory, please contact Violet and arrangements will be made. Thank you.

Work and Hope: Finding Christ in the Church ( www.emu.edu/blog/work-and-hope ) is a blog and e-zine dedicated to the experiences and perspectives of young Anabaptists in their twenties and thirties. The blog was created by two Eastern Mennonite University alumni, Jeremy Yoder and Laura Lehman Amstutz, to provide a forum for young adults who are committed to staying in the institutional church but want to discuss what that means. Their blog and quarterly online magazine will attempt to bring together various young adult perspectives about the church.
Yoder came up with the motto ``Work and Hope'' from the inscription to The Martyrs Mirror , which speaks about the perseverance and faithfulness inherent in the Anabaptist tradition. He writes that ``Finding Christ in the Church'' signals the ambivalence many young persons feel about denomination and church structures. ``Ultimately, we believe that our work here is a sign of hope for the church.''
The first issue of the magazine was launched July 20 and focused on the theme, ``Why am I [still] Mennonite.'' They intend to put out an ``issue'' every quarter that will feature a range of perspectives by young Anabaptists on a particular topic. The next issue will come out in October asking the question ``What is Church?'' If you are interested in writing for future issues of Work and Hope, you may contact the editors at workandhope at emu.edu

Stay connected to MCC Great Lakes through quarterly e-newsletter. MCC Great Lakes now offers a quarterly e-newsletter, with news and information delivered right to your e-mail inbox. In our mission to care for creation, we hope this will be an efficient way to keep you informed about MCC in our area. Sign up on our website at www.greatlakes.mcc.org

Lend a HandMake a School Kit, August 1-September 1
As a service project, the volunteers of Ten Thousand Villages of Cincinnati
are launching their 4 ^th annual kit drive through Mennonite Central
Committee (MCC). This year we are collecting school kitsMCC's most requested item. Every year more than 100,000 school-aged children whose lives have been interrupted by war, disaster and poverty receive a draw-string bag filled with new school supplies. These kits are sent all over the world and to poorly funded schools in Canada and the United States.

School kits help students and teachers provide much needed educational supplies while offering a sense of hope and encouragement. Each kit is packed in a hand-sewn fabric bag provided by MCC.

Please join us in making this our best year ever! Your kit(s) may be brought to church and placed in a bin by the coat rack or dropped off during store hours.

Ten Thousand Villages Hours: M-F 10am-6pm
2011 Madison Road Sat 10am-5pm
Cincinnati, OH 45208
513.871.5840

CREATE A KIT: Contents (New items)
4 spiral-bound notebooks (about 8.5'' x 10.5'' with 70-80 sheets)
4 unsharpened pencils
1 ruler (flat, flexible plastic; indicating both 30cm and 12in)
12 full-length colored pencils (in packaging)
1 large pencil eraser

Prayers for Faith and Learning:
This week brings a flurry of activity to the Goshen College campus as students move in and prepare for the start of classes. Please pray for the transitions
underway for students and parents. Remember especially new international students and first-generation college students as they begin a journey in a new culture.

Prayers for the Mennonite Mission Network:
Mennonite Church USA and the Mennonite churches in Congo have a 100-year history. Pray this relationship will continue to encourage and transform congregations on both continents.

Journey Groups

Art and Spirituality
September 19, 5:30pm @ home of Patti G.

Spiritual Journey
Adjourned for the summer.

Men's Group (Open)
TBA

Open Group
Adjourned for the summer.

March 14, 2010

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Cincinnati Mennonite Fellowship
March 14, 2010

GATHERING

Gathering Hymns I sing the might power of God HWB 46
I will come to you in the silence STS 49

Welcome
(Visitors are invited to fill out a welcome card and place it in the offering basket.)

Call to Worship
Leader: Brokenness and fear and narrowed our vision.
People: We yearn for true perspective.
Leader: Look. God shows us the path to walk,
People: in this we can rejoice.

HOLDING ON

Confession of Faith HWB 714

Hymn God of the Bible STJ 27

Scripture Joshua 5:9-12

Offering Prayer

Offering

HEARING

Three readings of
the Parable of the Prodigal Son Luke 15: 1-2; 11-32

Children's Story

Hymn Far, far away from my loving father HWB 139

Sermon Home

LETTING GO

Confession
Loving Father, Welcoming Mother, our quest to find ourselves
often leads to more harm than good.
We wonder in the wilderness, we stop looking for manna
and start laboring for produce of our own making.
(silence)
You bring us back into your wide embrace.
You give us a resting place of comfort and joy.

Response Hymn Love divine, all loves excelling HWB 592

Sharing Joys, Concerns and Reflections and Introduction of Visitors

Prayers of the Community

SENDING

Benediction
Leader: God created us and said it was good.
People: We accept this high calling.
Leader: God put the Spirit within us.
People: We cherish and listen to the Spirit.
Leader: Strengthened and healed,
All: we go now to serve a world that needs God.

Hymn The Lord lift you up STJ 73

We warmly welcome all who are visiting with us today!

We hope you will join us for fellowship time after the service and give us an opportunity to get to know you. Please fill out a visitor card from the pew rack and place it in the offering basket.
We offer the following activities for children:

A N N O U NC E M E N T S

TODAY

Sunday, March 14PJOS (8:30am, Peace House)
Sunday, March 14Safe Sanctuary Brown Bag Luncheon, after church
(second date, replaces Second Sunday Potluck for this month)

New City Presbyterian continues their weekly 5pm worship services in our building on Sunday evenings. To aid in the process of leaving the church in a clean and orderly condition for them , please set in order the books in your pew and remove bulletins and any stray items from the worship area. Thank you.

NEXT WEEK

Sunday, March 23 Community Meal (5pm)
Thursday, March 25 Council (6pm)
Friday, March 26 HCATF Night Hike (6:30pm, Mt. Airy)

COMING UP

Sunday, March 28 Book Club (after church, see NOTES for details.)
Wednesday, March 31 Worship (7pm)

Pastor Joel's Whereabouts
Beyond congregational duties, below are some of Pastor Joel's present activities:
Recent:
Friday-Saturday, March 5th-6th -In Atlanta for consultant work with The Fund for Theological Education
Friday-Saturday March 12-13 - Ohio Conference Annual Conference Assembly, Archbold, OH
Upcoming:
Ongoing work with Healthy Sexuality resource through Mennonite Publishing Network
Sat-Sunday, March 20-21 - Quarterly Weekend Off.In Chicago with siblings
Wednesday, March 24 - Resource Day, at Columbus Mennonite Church
Friday, March 26 - Oakley Food Pantry Board Meeting
Mondays are a Sabbath.

NOTES

Our Lenten worship theme this year is "Holding on and letting go," a reminder to hold on to what is most imp ortant and let go of that which hinders our walk with God. This week's lectionary readings for meditation are: Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8.

In keeping with the spirit of Lent as a time of letting go , stripping our lives down to the bare essentials, we will be removing one item from the sanctuary platform each week of the season such that the Sunday before Easter it will be completely bare. We hope that the opening of the space can also lead to an opening of spiritual space as we worship.
-- worship committee

In accordance with our soon to be adopted Safe Sanctuary Plan's aspiration to protect our children/youth from sexual abuse in the church setting, we have installed a panic bar and peephole on the basement entrance. Beginning Sunday March 7 this door will be locked at 9:45 a.m. and folks who arrive later will need to enter via the Brownway Avenue entrance. The basement door will be able to be opened from the inside, in (for example) a fire emergency, by any child or adult. This door will be re-opened immediately following the worship service to allow for easy in/out access by those exiting the church, and will be re-locked by the Facilities person in charge of lock-up at the end of the morning.

Camp Luz Men's Retreat! March 19-21, 2010. Speaker: Andy Stoner, ``The Samson Syndrome: Looking at Male Sexuality, Spirituality and Relationships.'' Cost: $85 per person. See brochure at the bulletin boards area or visit www.campluz.com for a printable form.

HCATF would like to invite everyone to join in for their next two fitness activities. For Friday, March 26, a night hike at Mt. Airy is planned for 6:30pm. If the trails are too muddy the back-up plan is to do a downtown hike. (Eat out afterwards.) For Sunday, April 18 , right after church, we'll meet for a picnic at California Woods and then have a spring wildflower hike.

Book Club will meet on Sunday, March 28 after church at Dumesh Indian Restaurant at 944 Ludlow in Clifton. The book to be discussed is "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides.

Easter is fast approaching and with that comes the CMF Easter Brunch! A signup sheet is available in the foyer for anyone who wishes to bring a dish. The brunch will be served Sunday, April 4, at 9:30am.

See the fresh look of The Mennonite . Our group subscription plan to The Mennonite is renewing. If you are interested in joining our group plan or to continue your subscription, please contact Violet in the church office by April 7. You will begin receiving the 64 page, monthly magazine with the 2010 May issue.

Consider attending Beyond Borders conference on immigration to be held at Bluffton University March 19-21. The conference will focus on the reality of immigration in the US today and initiatives for immigration reform. Carroll Rodas, author of Christians at the Border:, the Church and the Bible provide the keynote address Friday evening as well as the message during the bilingual worship service Sunday morning. Velasquez, President of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, will deliver a Saturday noon keynote. Over 20 workshops will cover legal issues, immigrant stories, education, the border, the dream act and other pending legislation, as well as many other issues. Pablo Peregrina, singer/songwriter from Tuscon, AZ, will share a concert Saturday evening. Cost is $50 (or $20 for students and low income) and includes all Saturday meals and cultural event. registration and more info, go to www.bluffton.edu/beyondborders/ call Paul Neufeld Weaver 419-358-3327lodging in local homes is offered to all attendees. We are encouraging High School students to attend as we have a number of workshops appropriate for youth. evening and Sunday morning events are open to all, free of charge. If you want to attend Saturday events we ask you to register in advance.

Hyde Park Bethlehem United Methodist Church would like to invite you to their 57th annual Sauerkraut Dinner, March 20 , 5-7pm. Details are posted at the bulletin boards.

Save the date! The next Peace Church Brunch will be held at the Peaslee Neighborhood Center, 215 E. 14th St. Cincinnati, OH 45202 (free parking lot next to center) on Saturday, April 10 from 10am to 12pm.

Would you be willing to host people who are marching from New Orleans, LA to Detroit, MI with the group Poor Peoples Economic Human Rights Campaign ? Hosts would be expected to provide overnight accommodations, a meal and transportation to a meeting place in Cincinnati, so the group could continue marching. Please contact Rachel Smith if you are interested. For information about this effort please visit their website http://old.economichumanrights.org/index.shtml .

We are one of five Oakley congregations who support and help operate the Oakley Community Food Pantry which feeds 150+ people/month. These congregations will be collecting food throughout the year and focusing on particular items each month. March is cereal month. All donated items (cereal and other pantry items) can be placed on the desk top in the kitchen. Thanks for helping support the pantry and contributing to Oakley household food needs.

Ten Thousand Villages of Cincinnati is in need of more volunteers' hours. If you or anyone you know is interested in volunteering in the store, please contact Elizabeth Russ at tenthousandvillagesofCincinnatifuse.net phone: 513-871-5840.If you are already a volunteer and have some time to give the store, now is a great time to help out.

Austin Kocher of the Columbus Mennonite Church, Columbus, OH, is interested in gathering Resource Group to work on the immigration issue on a longer term basis . If you or someone in your c ongregation might be interested in being a part of this immigration work group, please contact Austin at ackochergmail.com or 614-406-5037.

When God calls someone to ministry, a journey begins. Perhaps you are on that journey. Perhaps you are looking for mentors and companions along the way. Central District Conference invites you to join Journey: A Conference-based Leadership Development Program. This program is for pastors and other congregational leaders who are called without specific training for ministry or who are exploring a call to pastoral ministry. The deadline to apply for fall 2010 is August 1. For more information visit www.journeyprogram.net or contact your pastor or Lois Johns Kaufmann at confmin@mcusacdc.org or at 574-534-1485.

Thinking about what's ahead this fall? Are you a young adult interested in discovering more about God, yourself and others? Would you like to be part of a team that invests a year serving and learning together in a cross-cultural setting? Are you someone who enjoys a challenge and takes initiative to build relationships? Radical Journey may be just what you're looking for! To learn more about Radical Journey, view location descriptions, or apply now for the 2010-2011 year, visit Service.MennoniteMission.net or e-mail KaySMennoniteMission.net .

Narrative: Rediscovering the Sacred (May 14-16 at Laurelville Mennonite Church Center) Learn how to enter into the stories of Scripture and share their truth with others through drama and Biblical retelling. Join Ted & Co. TheaterWorks for a weekend workshop filled with laughter, excitement, the sacred and profound. Come as a drama team or student group and receive a discount. 800.839.1021 or L aurelville.org .

God's creation will nurture you through canoe trips, cabins, yurt, and retreats at Wilderness Wind , a Mennonite camp based in Ely, Minnesota near the Boundary Waters. WW is taking reservations for summer 2010. Special retreats - Lakeside Writer's Retreat with Jeff Gundy and Julia Spicher Kasdorf, Quilter's retreat, Primitive Living Skills for those who want new challenges, and Fishing for smallmouth bass, walleye, and northern pike. Check www.wildernesswind.org or call 316-217-1129.

Prayers for Faith and Learning:
Praise God for the alumni of Mennonite elementary and secondary schools who are sharing God's love with others throughout our world.

Prayers for the Mennonite Mission Network:
Many college groups participate in DOOR (Discovering Opportunities for Outreach and Reflection) over spring break.for growth through their experiences both in the lives of the students and those they serve and the application of this new understanding in their lives.

Journey Groups

Art & Spirituality
March 21, 5:30pm @ home of Tiffany M.

Spiritual Journey
March 16, 6pm @ Peace House

Men's Group (Open)
TBA
Open Group (Open)

April 15, 7pm @ home o f Judy VH

Return