Friday, March 10 – Sunday, March 12
- Anne, Shane, and Suzanne will be at AMBS in Elkhart, Indiana. Shane will begin the Journey program for potential pastors to explore their calling.
Saturday, March 11
- Illinois Mennonite Conference, Sonido de Alabanza, 5540 W 25th St., Cicero. All are welcome.
- Open House at the Schaumburg Islamic Center
Sunday, March 12
- DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME BEGINS: Clocks move ahead one hour–don’t be late for church!
- 9:30am CCMC Worship with Zoom connections (contact Anne for details on how to join)
- Speaker: Suzanne
- 10:45am Christian Formation
Tuesday, March 14
- 7:00pm ARCC meeting
- The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
- There have been five great die-offs in history. This time, the cataclysm is us.
- The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
Thursday, March 16
- 7:00pm Bible Study with Shane (contact Anne for details on how to join Zoom)
Friday, March 17
- 7:00pm Ted & Company theater group at Reba Place Church
- Led by veteran actor and playwright, Ted Swartz, Ted & Company TheaterWorks “uses humor and professional storytelling to talk about issues of faith and social justice through live shows.” Their team of dynamic actors and musicians are “passionate about creating art that provokes both laughter and reflection, as all good comedy does.” They will be presenting a 2-person show entitled We Own This Now that looks at love of land, loss of land, and what it means to “own” something. You can learn more about the company and the show on their website.
Saturday, March 18
- 3:00pm Ted & Company theater group at Reba Place Church (see description above)
Sunday, March 19
- 9:30am NSMC Hybrid Worship at Civic Center and Zoom (contact Anne for details on how to join Zoom)
- 10:45am Christian Formation
Mennonite Church USA has hired a climate justice intern, Sarah Werner, as part of an effort to provide a continual emphasis on creation care. This internship is funded by a Schowalter Foundation charitable funding distribution awarded to MC USA in late 2021. Read more about her work here: mennoniteusa.org/news/climate-justice-intern
“What time is it in the Mennonite Church?” Keynote speaker Frank Scoffield Sánchez posed this question at Mennonite Church USA’s 10th Hope for the Future conference on Feb. 3-5. More than 70 Black, Indigenous and people of color gathered for “Such a Time as This,” which was the weekend’s theme. Read more about the conference here: mennoniteusa.org/news/hope-for-the-future Read more about the honorees here: mennoniteusa.org/news/hope-for-the-future-honorees
Mennonite Church USA is proud to acknowledge Clara Weybright’s peacebuilding work with the 2022 #BringthePeace Young Peacemaker award, sponsored by the denomination’s Church Peace Tax Fund. Clara is a graduate of Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, where she studied environmental science. She is currently a Juris Doctor candidate at Temple University Beasley School of Law, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. See her interview here: mennoniteusa.org/menno-snapshots/clara-weybright
As one of the two keynote speakers for the Pastors and Leaders Conference: Reimagining Ministry, that took place on Feb. 13-16, 2023, April Yamasaki is imagining a way forward for ministry in the church. Her congregation was challenged by the many adaptations of living during a pandemic, and she reflects on what she learned through their unimagined time of change. Read more of her thoughts here: mennoniteusa.org/reimagining-ministry
–from Creation Justice Ministries 52 Ways to Care for Creation
First Day of Spring
This is the season of rebirth. Pay attention as buds appear on the trees, seedlings sprout, and animals are born. When you come across these signs of spring, say a blessing (aloud or silently) for God’s new creation.
–from Creation Justice Tips | United Methodist Church
Don’t Pre-Wash Your Dishes
Fill your dishwasher full and don’t “pre-wash” with running water. A good scraping—preferably into a compost bucket—or just a splash of water is plenty. Or soak the worst in a sink or bowl to conserve water.
Turn That Water Off
If you brush your teeth with the water running, the cost to the earth’s water supply is six gallons. Brush your teeth with the water off (except to rinse) costs only 0.25–0.5 gallons. Similarly, lather your hands first and then do just a quick rinse to save water.
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 40 | New Year’s Eve party tips
Editor’s Note: Please excuse the timing of this challenge. It was several weeks into the series before I found out about it. Learn from these ideas and put them to use next New Year’s Eve.
Happy (almost) new year Thrifty 50 Challenge peeps! You’ve made it to week 40 of this 50-week challenge. We’re in the home stretch!
This time of year can be a time when many people set out to make changes in their daily habits. The good news? You’ve already been making changes just by being a part of this challenge.
So let’s celebrate this New Year’s Eve, the eco-friendly way!
Here are just a few simple entertaining ideas to help keep this sustainability train rolling into the new year:
- Use reusable dinnerware that you can find at your local MCC Thrift shop.
- Go zero-waste with your party invitations and send them out electronically.
- Reduce food waste by making just enough food for your party guests.
Kitchen Tip of the Week
–from The Washington Post
Pickle or jam fruits and veggies
Many peels are edible in a pickle or jam — raw mango or raw lemon/lime with the rinds on can be pickled with tempered spices, sugar, salt and oil to make a spicy Indian pickle eaten as a condiment. And here’s a great low-waste recipe for watermelon rind pickle. Alternatively, peels/rinds can be turned into a marmalade or jam. Orange rinds simply simmered with sugar and water makes for a delicious marmalade. Great tips on how to store and use peels/rinds can be found here (behind a paywall–contact Becky for a PDF copy).