Sunday, July 24
- 9:30am Zoom Worship (contact Anne for details on how to join Zoom)
- Speaker: Suzanne
Thursday, July 28
- 7:00pm Bible Study on Revelation led by Shane (contact Anne for details on how to join)
Sunday, July 31
- 9:30am Outdoor Worship with CCMC (Christ Community Mennonite Church) in Schaumburg (see Google map)
Tuesday, August 2
- 7:00pm ARCC meeting
- Two discussion topics
- Sharing recipes for cleaning products, soap, and detergents
- Sharing information on products we use for food storage instead of plastic bags, ziplocs
- Two discussion topics
As we move forward through the summer months, NSMC plans to have hybrid Sundays twice a month. Mark these hybrid dates on your calendar.
- August 7
- August 21
This week, please pray for Western District Conference congregations as they gather for their annual delegate assembly on July 29-31.
What if we celebrated our wounded bodies — scars, wrinkles, prosthetics and all? Erica Lea-Simka questions if we would look at Jesus, and ourselves, differently if we celebrated his wounds, abilities and disabilities. Her blog is part of Mennonite Church USA’s “Learn, Pray, Join: Welcoming EveryBODY” initiative. Read it here: mennoniteusa.org/bending-stretching
The effects of the Doctrine of Discovery (DoD) are far-reaching. Because of the DoD, Indigenous people’s lands have been stolen, polluted and destroyed for centuries. In her blog, “The land is not empty,” author Sarah Augustine calls on all of us in Mennonite Church USA to join her in fighting against the DoD. Read more here: mennoniteusa.org/not-empty
John L. Rush has a passion for justice and has spent most of his life working in prison ministry. Read why the “For Justice in the Criminal Legal System” resolution, which has been adopted for denominational study, is so important to him in his blog, “One response to the MC USA ‘For Justice’ Resolution.” mennoniteusa.org/response-justice-resolution
Show Some TLC
Water is life, yet many waterways are choking with pollution. One church’s men’s group worked with a local watershed association and removed 40 bags of trash and even discarded tires and bedsprings. They then planted 100 trees and bushes along the edge of the river. As a church or as individuals, plan a day to volunteer some TLC to a waterway nearby.
Know Your Water Footprint
Drought threatens the food supply for everyone. Conserving water is something all of us can do. Calculate your water footprint with this tool (watercalculator.org) so you have a baseline of usage. The calculator also gives practical tips for reducing use.
MCC Thrifty 50 Challenge
Do you want to help our planet but aren’t sure where to start? MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) Thrift is celebrating their 50th anniversary by issuing 50 challenges to help us be more equipped to care for our planet. We’ll include one challenge each week for the next 50 weeks.
Kitchen Tip of the Week
Embrace leftovers. While we all can appreciate a freshly cooked meal, dishes eaten a few days later can be just as good, and in some cases even better. (We’re talking about you, chili.) Eating leftovers not only helps reduce food waste, but it can help save time and money, too. Another benefit: Reheating last night’s dinner will probably consume less energy than cooking a new meal from scratch.
A little bit of humor from actual church signs, courtesy of Jim—
Acting perfect in church is like dressing up for an x-ray.