Sunday, August 28
- 9:30am Zoom Worship (contact Anne for details on how to join Zoom)
- Speaker: Suzanne will continue her series on Ezekiel
- 10:30am NSMC Pastoral Search Update
Thursday, September 1
- 7:00pm Bible Study on Revelation led by Shane (contact Anne for details on how to join)
Sunday, September 4
- 9:30am Hybrid Worship (Civic Center and Zoom; contact Anne for details on how to join Zoom)
- Speaker: Anne
- Communion, but no potluck (see below for the good reason)
- 11:00am Invitation to Worship and Harvest in Creation with families from the Cool Learning Experience
- Worship
- Pizza and apple lunch followed by apple harvesting
- Gather on the Edible Landscape across from Linda’s home
Mennonite Church USA sent three representatives to the Mennonite World Conference General Council and global Assembly last month. Read about the event here: mennoniteusa.org/news/mc-usa-attend-mwc
Mennonite World Conference (MWC) Assemblies bring Anabaptists from around the world together to worship in one place, crossing the boundaries of culture, language and geography. César García, general secretary of MWC, reflects on how this plays into the recent Assembly’s theme, “Following Jesus Together Across Barriers” in his blog by the same name. Read it here: mennoniteusa.org/following-jesus-together
The words we use when worshiping together help form the way we think about God and others. Darrin W. Snyder Belousek of Salem Mennonite Church in Elida, Ohio, shares six criteria for how he thinks we should choose our worship words, in his blog “O Lord, open our lips: Some thoughts about words for worship.” Read it here: mennoniteusa.org/open-our-lips
Are you interested in writing a blog for Mennonite Church USA (MC USA)? Menno Snapshots are blogs from diverse voices across MC USA. They include stories about peacemaking, experiencing God’s presence and ways that people are living out their faith. Read the guidelines and submit a blog for consideration here: mennoniteusa.org/blog-guidelines
–from Creation Justice Tips | United Methodist Church
“We are people who…”
- Divest: Get rid of “stuff.” Shed the burden of the consumerism mentality. Pull out of investments in fossil fuels. Choose simplicity and what’s good for the planet.
- Teach: Children observe continuously. Teaching younger generations through words, expectations, and especially by example to care for God’s creation and to seek justice is a special legacy. “Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray” (Proverbs 22:6).
–from 10 Steps You Can Take to Lower Your Carbon Footprint | Washington Post
Shop Sustainably by Buying Less
Here’s the thing about sustainable shopping: There are very few things you can purchase that are actively beneficial for the climate. Unless you’re buying a tree that will suck carbon from the air, most products require land, water and fossil fuels to produce, use and transport. New stuff — clothes, appliances, bath products, toys, etc. — inherently comes at an environmental cost.
In many situations, the “greenest” product you can buy is … nothing. Unless your purchase represents a significant upgrade from what you already own — say, swapping out your old gas-guzzling car for an electric vehicle — you are better off trying to refurbish or repurpose existing items than acquiring more stuff. Instead of buying paper towels, tear up old T-shirts to use as rags. Give your family’s discarded books and toys to younger children in your neighborhood. Build your own “circular economy” in your community and your home.
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.
Week 12 | Learn how climate change is impacting lives around the world
Kitchen Tip of the Week
Buy local when you can. There are perks to living in such a connected world, but the energy it takes to get products from all over the globe onto your plate is not one of them. The fuel required to get an item from where it is made to where it is purchased or consumed has a cost, and the greater that distance, the greater the carbon emissions. Look into local farmers markets and community-supported agriculture (CSA) — vendors may be more likely to grow and raise food organically and humanely, and the proximity of their farms reduces the cost of transporting it.
A little bit of humor from actual church signs, courtesy of Jim—
When you throw mud, you lose ground.