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
Thursday, March 23
- 7:00pm Bible Study (contact Anne for details on how to join Zoom)
Friday, March 24
- 7:00-9:00pm Beer and Hymn Sing at Patty Peebles house (see NSMC announcement below)
Sunday, March 26
- 9:30am CCMC Worship with Zoom connections (contact Anne for details on how to join)
- 10:45am Christian Formation
Patty Peebles is hosting another Beer and Hymn Sing on Friday, March 24, 7:00-9:00pm. Join the hymn sing at 1528 W. Farwell Ave, Chicago. Please bring beverages and snacks to share.
Mennonite Church USA hired Warren Yoder as the director of constituent engagement. In this new position, Yoder will help the denomination connect more fully with its member churches, organizations and individuals. Read more about his work here: mennoniteusa.org/news/director-of-constituent-engagement
Interested in volunteering at MennoCon23, Kansas City, Mo., July 3-6? Mennonite Church USA is seeking volunteers for special events, children’s and junior youth programming, and more! Fill out a form here: mennoniteusa.org/forms/mennocon-volunteer-interest
Mennonite Church USA will host a webinar for more information about what to expect during MennoCon23 on March 30, 2023 at 7 pm ET/4 pm CT. Stay up to date on the latest convention news by subscribing to Peace Mail, the denomination’s only news source here: mennoniteusa.org/peacemail
The word “home” is something that Christians talk about frequently. But what happens when someone is experiencing physical homelessness? Kyle Nye, author of “Grace Can Lead Us Home: A Christian Call to End Homelessness,” the current CommonRead selection for the denomination, discusses topics around how Christians can respond to this call: mennoniteusa.org/grace-can-lead-us-home
The March 2023 edition of the Mennonite Creation Care Network newsletter is available online. Their aim is to link people to each other, resources, and the Mennonite faith tradition.
In this issue, they provide several useful resources, such as prayer and carbon fasting for Lent and ways to guide a church discussion on creation care. There is also news about the Anabaptist Climate Directory with a request to provide input for this project.
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) U.S. National Peace and Justice Ministries has a special request for prayers March 19-21.
The Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery invites our community to join in prayer for Indigenous land justice with the Apache Stronghold on March 19th. On March 21st, a federal appeals court will hear a pivotal case about Apache religious freedom that centers around a proposed copper mine, which would destroy the Western Apache sacred site of Oak Flat, Chi’chil Biłdagoteel. Mennonite Church USA and Pacific Southwest Mennonite Conference signed onto an amicus brief (a letter to the court) in support of the Apache Stronghold, along with other religious groups. The Apache Stronghold are rallying all people of faith and conscience under the call of “One Drum, One Prayer, One Circle,” to seek unity in protection of Earth and in resistance to ongoing colonization. They will be dedicating March 19th to prayer before their court case and ask us to join them.
For more information, watch this short video. We ask that you walk or run your prayers at sunset on March 20, and sunrise on March 21.
The Anabaptist Climate Collaborative (formerly Sustainable Climate Solutions) has been issuing daily global Anabaptist stories on climate change called “The Climate Pollinator.” These stories highlight the experiences and responses of diverse communities in the face of environmental challenges. They also include notes on the effectiveness of solutions from expert sources and resources for digging deeper into the issues discussed. You can read the stories on their website or sign up to receive them
–from Creation Justice Ministries 52 Ways to Care for Creation
Write to Your Elected Officials
Write to your members of congress or local elected officials, asking them to support an environmental issue that you care about. How does the issue you’ve chosen relate to racial justice? Include this information in your letter or email.
–from Creation Justice Tips | United Methodist Church
The Biggest Hour for Earth
Join the Biggest Hour for Earth, March 25. Switch off your lights and spend 60 minutes to do something positive for the planet. Join people in 190 countries in raising awareness and making a difference. Invite family, friends, your Sunday school class, or congregation to participate, too.
Start an Inside Garden
With a hint of spring in the air, start a garden inside. If you can, involve children or grands in the endeavor, planting seeds in cups or pots. As you talk and work together, you will be growing not only food and flowers, but also a new generation that loves nature and wants to care for it—because you do! If need be, make showing your young gardeners the progress of the plants a part of a weekly Zoom call to those far away.
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 41 | Make a “use it first” box
Globally, we waste about 1.4 billion tons of food every year. That’s equivalent to 1.4 billion 1979 Volkswagen Beetles going into a landfill annually. So what can we do to get this number down?
This week, put a “use it first” box in your fridge. What is a “use it first” box? It’s a box or a designated spot in your fridge where you put items that will be expiring soon like produce, meat, or dairy products.
When you’re figuring out what to make for dinner, look at this box first so you know what needs to be used. This challenge will not only help reduce food waste, it’ll also extend your weekly food budget by helping you use everything you buy.
Kitchen Tip of the Week
–from The Washington Post
Turn scraps into cleaning solutions
If you’re not digging the broth, jams or pickles, then let’s transform your scraps into all natural disinfectant cleaning solutions. This is great for leftover citrus rinds and peels. Most of the necessary ingredients are readily accessible ― like baking soda and vinegar. Just combine these ingredients using the tips outlined here and voila ― homemade, all natural, low-waste cleaning solutions made from scraps.