Bicentennial Year Beginnings
January 28, 2024
Gathering to praise….
Prelude
Call to Worship
Hymn: Here in this place VT 10
Responsive Prayer VT 963
Hymn: There Are Many Gifts VT 374
…to listen for God’s Spirit….
Children’s Time
Hymn: Christ has no body here but ours VT 568
Scripture: Mark 1:14-20
Sermon: Becoming Who You Are
…..that transforms us ….
Hymn: God of Grace and God of Glory VT 716
Congregational Prayer
Offering & Offertory
….and sends us forth to be people of hope.
Announcements
Hymn of the month: We’ve Come This Far by Faith VT 599
Benediction
Postlude
An unsupervised nursery is available across from the washrooms for children ages 5 and under. Parents are expected to supervise their children while in the nursery.
Leading us in worship:
Prelude/Offertory/Postlude/Songleaders: Darryl Drudge, Joel Godfrey, Ben Winter
Worship Leader: Gladys Bender
Children’s Time: Paulette West
Scriptures: Jim Steckle, Neisha Marquis
Sermon: Pastor Louise Wideman
Congregational Prayer: Pastor Ben Cassels
A/V: Cliff Kennel, Paul Hammer
January 2024 Special Offerings are in support of LYNC (Love Your Neighbour Communities), building affordable housing in New Hamburg. For more information or to donate directly, please visit https://lyncommunities.com/donate/
Today
Following worship, we will gather in the Fellowship Hall at 11:00 a.m. In place of Sunday school, there will be a church history quiz, some colouring activities for children, and an introduction to plans for the bicentennial year. A church potluck will follow — bring food to share (enough for your household plus) and own dishes. Then get ready for an intergenerational life-sized Dutch Blitz game. You won’t want to miss this gathering.
Next Sunday February 4
9:45 a.m. Livestream and in-person worship .
Scripture: Luke 15:11-32
Speaker: Pastor Ben Cassels
11:00 a.m. Zoom Coffee Time.
This week at Steinmann MC
Pickleball:
Jan. 29 (Mon.) – not this week
Jan. 30 (Tues.) 3 – 5 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 31 (Wed.) 8 p.m. on Zoom Safe Church Training: Responding to Uncomfortable Situations – an opportunity for input and discussion. Open to everyone in the congregation; those working closely with children, youth, and vulnerable adults are strongly encouraged to attend. Second opportunities to connect via Zoom Thurs. February 22nd, 8 p.m.
Feb. 1 (Thurs.) 10:00 a.m. – Women’s Bible study group meeting
Feb. 1 (Thur.) 8 p.m.. MYF (Grades 9-12+) Bible Quizzing Study Night, read Luke 5 – 8 ahead of time.
Feb. 3 (Sat.) 9 a.m.—2 p.m. VFT Visioning retreat
Congregational Life
Pastor Sara will be away, Jan 27-28
Feb. 7 (Wed.) Morning & afternoon – All women invited to the church to knot comforters and/or quilt. Bring a bag lunch. Drinks provided.
Your help is needed. We are looking for a wooden box that is or was stored at the church, with some of the original church dishes (probably not used since before 2008). The box is currently in such a safe place that we cannot find it. If you have any memory of the box and where it might be please let Dawna in the church office know. Thanks for your help.
To save on snow clearing costs this winter, the lower north parking lot will be closed. Given the ongoing roof project, there will be limited access from the Nafziger entrance. ~Property Committee
MYF (Grades 9-12+)
Feb. 1 (Thur.) 8 p.m.. Bible Quizzing Study Night, read Luke 5-8 ahead of time.
Feb 9-11: Youth Retreat at Hidden Acres. Arrival 7pm Friday. Pick up 12-12:30pm Sunday.
Jr. Youth (Grades 5-8)
Feb 9-11: Youth Retreat at Hidden Acres. Arrival 7pm Friday. Pick up 12-12:30pm Sunday.
KidsLIFE (Grades 1-5)
Feb. 7 (Wed.), 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Small Groups
Feb. 1 (Thurs.) 10:00 a.m. – Women’s Bible study group meeting at the church in the Fireplace area. Read chapter 5 of “Let The Light In”. All women are welcome. Contact person – Darlene Gingerich.
Remember in Prayer
Congratulations to John Gruhl who is celebrating his 82nd birthday on Wednesday, January 31.
Thank you for your caring and kindness that was expressed through your prayers, food, visits, prayer shawls etc. We appreciate too the ongoing support and interest in her wellbeing with our dementia journey during the last several years. The family of Vernetta Steinman
Larry and Pat Wagler and family would appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers as Larry begins 18 months of Immunotherapy treatment for melanoma.
This week join Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC) in prayer for Erb St. Mennonite Church, Waterloo, ON.
Community
Jan. 30 (Tues) Beyond Housing’s Annual General Meeting – “Going Beyond” at Sprucelawn Apartment for Seniors 33 Front St. St. Jacobs. For more information www.beyondhousing.ca
Feb. 13 (Tues.) & 15 (Thur.) 42nd annual Ontario Mennonite Relief Livestock Sale, heifers, cull cows, sheep and goats are auctioned off in support of MCC. For more information, to sponsor or donate to the sale, visit mcc.org/events.
Feb. 24 (Sat.) The Coldest Night of the Year is a family-friendly walk to raise money for local charities serving people experiencing homelessness, hurt, and hunger. Join our Steinmann Team to help, fundraise, walk, and gather for good… because it’s cold out there. For more information please contact Jessie Gingerich at bjgingerich@gmail.com.
March 1 (Fri.) 7 p.m. The Registry Theatre, 122 Frederick St., Kitchener presents 2022 Canadian Screen Award winner My Tree, follows a Canadian, Jason Sherman, on an odyssey to find the tree planted in Israel to mark his bar mitzvah when he was 13. Join Jason and guests for a discussion and reception after the film. Tickets $20, available at: https://registrytheatre.com/event/my-tree/ Questions? Contact Karl Kessler: foh@registrytheatre.com
March 1 (Fri.) – March 3 (Sun.) Winter Camp for Grownups with PiE and Silver Lake Mennonite Camp. Registration and more information can be found at https://slmc.ca/retreats/retreats/.
SALT Applications and position placement descriptions now available Serving and Learning Together (SALT) is a year long service experience with one of MCC’s international partners. To explore SALT assignments, check https://mcc.org/salt-assignments
Silver Lake Mennonite Camp
- Retreats – Many fun retreats coming up this winter & spring! Detailed descriptions and to register for the weekends slmc.ca/retreats
- Summer Camp – Registration for overnight camp and day camp opens Feb. 1 at 7am. Visit slmc.ca/summer-camp for more details. Outtrip registration is already open – sign up before Feb. 1 to get $100 off!
Hidden Acres Mennonite Camp
- Free Family Day Open House Mon. Feb. 19th from 10:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. for more details https://bit.ly/4aSnqQn . RSVP to info@hiddenacres.ca.
- Summer Camp Registration 2024 opens Thursday, February 1st at 7 a.m.