Friday-Sunday, February 3-5 Church Retreat
- Zoom will be available for the learning sessions on Saturday and the worship service on Sunday.
- No worship service at the Civic Center
Tuesday, February 7
- 7:30pm MCC and MC USA Beyond Incarceration Webinar Series, #1 (more detail in the MC USA announcements below)
- Proclaim: How do we develop an historical/systemic understanding of mass incarceration and what is our Christian mandate to respond?
- To register: mcc.org/beyond-incarceration-webinars
Thursday, February 9
- 7:00pm Bible Study on Genesis with Shane (contact Anne for details on how to join Zoom)
Sunday, February 12
- 9:30am CCMC Worship with Zoom connections (contact Anne for details on how to join)
- 10:45am Sermon Discussion
Church Retreat at Menno Haven Camp & Retreat Center
Some members from CCMC and NSMC will attend the retreat there from Friday, February 3 through Sunday, February 5. The topic for the sessions will be The Five Life Standards first offered by Doris Janzen Longacre in her book, Living More With Less. They are: “Do justice. Learn from the world community. Nurture people. Cherish the natural order. Nonconform freely.” The retreat learning sessions will be live via Zoom on Saturday, from 9:00am to 2:00pm with pauses for break at 10:30-10:45am and for lunch from 12:00pm to 1:00pm.
Worship on Sunday, February 5 will be led by North Suburban Mennonite Church from Camp Menno Haven via Zoom. Ric Hudgens, former co-pastor of North Suburban, will be speaking. The worship Zoom link will be used for the Saturday morning sessions as well as worship on Sunday. Look for the Zoom link and worship plan in your email on Friday, February 3. Both the retreat learning sessions with Ric and the worship on Sunday morning will be recorded. Let Anne know if you are interested in seeing the recording.
It is with great sadness that Mennonite Church USA announces the passing of James (“Jim”) Frederick Schrag, 78, pastor, leader and first executive director of the denomination, on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023, in North Newton, Kansas. Read more about his life of service here: mennoniteusa.org/news/mourns-first-executive
February is Black History Month. Be sure to check out Mennonite Church USA’s timeline honoring “Black History in the Mennonite Church.” mennoniteusa.org/resource/black-history
Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Central Committee are partnering in a new, four-part webinar series on mass incarceration, beginning Feb. 7 at 7:30 ET/4:30 PT. Join us to learn about the ways the faith community is actively understanding and working against these complex systems of confinement. Learn more and register here: mcc.org/beyond-incarceration-webinars
Registration for MennoCon23 will open on March 1. Mennocon23 will be held in Kansas City, Mo., July 3-6, immediately followed by the Mennonite Church USA Delegate Assembly and the new Youth and Young Adult Climate Summit. Subscribe to MC USA’s PeaceMail weekly newsletter for the latest updates. Mennoniteusa.org/peacemail View a slide for PeaceMail: mennoniteusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/PeaceMail-slide.pptx View a MennoCon23 slide: mennoniteusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/MennoCon23.pptx
–from Creation Justice Ministries
Read Books by Black Authors
It’s Black History Month! Enjoy books written by black authors, theologians, and ecologists. Check out The Intersectional Environmentalist by Leah Thomas and Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals by Alexis Pauline Gumbs.
–from Creation Justice Tips | United Methodist Church
Where Have You Made Thoughtful Changes?
Identify in your home or workplace ways you have made thoughtful changes in the past year because of your love for creation. Are you printing less or on two sides? Have you cut down on food waste or started composting? Make a list or tally mark of your actions and celebrate. Then talk about the exercise with someone. Find out what they are doing. Encourage each other.
Time to Write Letters
The new congressional year has started. Write a letter or email to your representative and senators. Talk about your desire for action that addresses your concern for creation justice. Indicate you are both a constituent and a person of faith. Policy makers pay more attention to letters from individuals, and they need a broader religious perspective than they often expect.
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 35 | An eco-friendly dinner party
If you are hosting or attending a gathering sometime soon, it can be a challenge to make a dinner party both eco-friendly and beautiful.
This week, let’s learn how to set a sustainable table for our guests.
- Plates, cups and utensils: Think secondhand and long-term instead of disposable with your dinnerware. With this tip, you’ll keep a whackload of disposable plates, cups and utensils out of the landfill, extend the life of your secondhand finds, save money AND have a one-of-a-kind decorated dinner table. Plus, your guests will thank you when they can cut through their main entrée without the annoying bend and landfill waste of a plastic knife. Looking for some inspiration? Check out the 150 plates project: Claire’s wedding for a glimpse at a thrifted table setting.
- Napkins: Invest in a set of cloth napkins from your local MCC Thrift shop either through a lucky find of ready-made napkins or by making your own with fabric or a tablecloth.
Kitchen Tip of the Week
–from The Washington Post
Read labels on everything
While this may sound like a lot of effort, it is one of the most overlooked aspects of shopping for your kitchen. I read labels on everything from jarred salsa to cleaning solutions. I want to make sure that I am doing my due diligence with every purchase, keeping the environment in mind. A lot of items, especially cleaning products, have fine print that may reveal ingredients and materials that can be harmful to the environment. Plus, with anything food related, I want to ensure I am aware of everything I’m putting into my body.