April 9, 2023
Lent 2023 – Created in the Image of God, Shaped by Jesus
Easter Sunday
We gather as one people ….
Prelude
Carrying in the Christ light
Trumpet proclamation
Hymn: Christ the Lord is risen today VT 346
Call to worship
Hymn: Low in the Grave He Lay VT 333
….to proclaim our faith in the risen Christ ….
Affirmation of Faith VT 1026
Hymn: Christ Has Arisen, Alleluia! VT 341
Children’s Time
Gift of Music
Scripture: John 20: 1-18
Sermon “While it was still dark …”
… and respond with joy and gratitude.
Hymn: Now the Green Blade Rises VT 353
Faith Reflection
Congregational Prayer
Offering & Offertory
Announcements
Hymn: Lift Your Glad Voices VT 340
Benediction
Postlude
Leading us in worship:
Worship Leader/Prayer: Janessa Otto
Song Leader: Norma Iutzi
Trumpet: Steve Wagler
Children’s Time: Suzanne Bender
Prelude/Offertory/Postlude: Grant Movold
Gift of Music: Darryl Drudge, Elaine Finnie, Stephen Jantzi, Melissa Gingerich, Michael Gingerich, Steve Wagler
Scripture: Wendy Wagler, Samantha Wagler, Janessa Otto
Sermon: Pastor Louise Wideman
Faith Reflection: Ashley Drudge
A/V: Steve Kennel, Ron Roth & Steve Carter
An unsupervised nursery is available across from the washrooms for children ages 5 and under.
Kids Offering: Mennonite Central Committee’s Ukraine Emergency Response: https://bit.ly/3vMq9I1. On March 27, MCC thanked us for our most recent gift of $440. This does not include any direct online giving. Latest MCC Update: https://bit.ly/40rShxD
April Special Offering: Help a team of 18-21 youth and adults with travel costs to Glace Bay, NS, July 9-15 to help Mennonite Disaster Service restore homes damaged by the hurricane in September. Give to Steinmann Mennonite Church, designated “MDS Travel Fund.”
Today
No Sunday school or coffee time today.
Next Sunday April 16
9:45 a.m. – Livestream and in-person worship in the sanctuary.
Scripture: John 20:19-31
Speaker: Pastor Sara Erb
Congregational Life
April 11 (Tues) 4 – 5 p.m. & 6:30 p.m. Pickleball.
April 11 (Tues.) 7 p.m. Finance meeting, fireplace room
April 12 (Wed.) 7 p.m. VFT meeting
April 15 (Sat.) 9:00 a.m. Peace & Justice Community Breakfast. Inside Ukraine at Easter. Speaker: Bill Ball, ED of Slavic Gospel Association, Cambridge will just be back from an Easter visit to Ukraine. Please RSVP the church office by Tues., April 11.
MYF (Grades 9-12+)
April 13 (Thurs) 7-9 p.m. Service Night at Hidden Acres Mennonite Camp. Dress to be outdoors, bring work gloves and a rake.
Jr. Youth (Grades 5-8)
April 13 (Thur.) 6 p.m. Rock Climbing at Grand River Rocks. Meet there at 5:45 p.m.
KidsLIFE (Grades 1-5)
April 19 (Wed.) 6 – 7:30 p.m. A Visit to the Roth farm
Small Groups
April 11 (Tues.) 10 a.m. The Adult Bible Study led by Wes Leis will meet in the fireplace room at the church. Studying “The Uniqueness of Jesus”. Everyone is welcome.
April 13 (Thurs.) 10-11:30 a.m. – Women’s Bible study will be meeting in person and on Zoom. Studying “Expecting Emmanuel – Eight Women Who Prepared the Way”. Read pages 129-138. Questions – talk to Lynelle Drudge, Joy Wagler or Darlene Gingerich.
Wider Community
April 14 (Fri.) 7 p.m. New Hamburg Mennonite Relief Sale presents Comedy & Music Night at Waterloo North Mennonite Church, 100 Benjamin Rd, Waterloo. Come out and see the award-winning, family-friendly entertainer JP and enjoy the honey-sweet vocal harmonies of Mike and Diane. To buy your tickets, to https://nhmrs.com/.
April 17 (Mon.) 7:30 p.m. Annual Meeting of the members of Amish Mennonite Fire and Storm Aid Union will be held at Crosshill Mennonite Church. For more information contact Don Steinmann.
April 18 (Tues.) 7 p.m. Rockway Mennonite Collegiate – Opening of student art exhibition, Ephemeral: a moment in time.
April 18 (Tues) 7 p.m. Rockway Mennonite Collegiate Grade 7&8 DISCOVER ROCKWAY. For more information https://bit.ly/3ESAfwO.
April 20 (Thur.) 7:30 a.m. MEDA breakfast meeting. Guest speakers Robert & Lisa Shuh from Shuh Orchards at RiverSong Banquet Hall, 623 Hawkesville Road, St. Jacobs. RSVP by April 14, http://bit.ly/3Kkula5
April 24 (Mon.) 6 p.m. New Hamburg Mennonite Relief Sale Promotion Dinner at Floradale Mennonite Church, 22 Florapine Rd, Floradale. Enjoy a delicious buffet-style dinner and hear an update on the stationary meat canner. Tickets are $25.00. Reservations must be made in advance by email to Justin Armitage at justinarmitage@mcco.ca or call 519-745-8458 ext. 262
April 26 (Wed.) 6 – 7 p.m. (CDT) CMU Virtual Open House. Receive a virtual campus tour, ask questions of our admissions team, and hear from faculty and current students—register at http://bit.ly/3zAD6Xe . Personal campus tours are available upon request by visiting http://bit.ly/414g2f5.
April 28-29 (Fri.- Sat.) – Mennonite Church Eastern Canada Annual Church Gathering at Rockway Mennonite Collegiate, Kitchener. “Transformed. Inspired. Called.” Hebrews 12:1-3. Free intercultural worship service, Friday, 7:00 p.m. Go to http://bit.ly/3zobNz6 for many details and registration. Anyone interested in being a delegate contact Pastor Steve or Gladys Bender.
May 1 (Mon.) Hidden Acres Spring Seniors Retreat 2023, Unlearning Loneliness: Relearning Community with Chip Bender & Cathi Watson. Join us as we reconnect and relearn how to live more fully as relational human beings created in God’s image. For more information:http://bit.ly/3yEjDEz.
May 9 – 30 (Tue.) 6 p.m.- 8 p.m. (4 meetings). Bereaved Families of Ontario (BFO) in partnership with Interfaith Counselling Centre (ICCC) is facilitating an in-person group at the ICC office. The group will offer general grief support and is free of charge to members of the community. Space is limited, register at 519-662-3092.
Menonite Central Committee:
What good does it do to plant one tree? (from dry Zimbabwe) http://bit.ly/3Gfn48W
Looking for hope in the earthquake’s aftermath (from Aleppo, Syria) http://bit.ly/3GfUJQ2
Rockway Mennonite Collegiate presents FROZEN JR. June 7th – 10th. Tickets now on sale at www.rockway.ca/frozen.
Join Hidden Acres Mennonite Camp Staff Team for Summer 2023! They are currently accepting applications for Cabin Leaders, Lifeguards, Cooks and more. For more information or to apply go to www.hiddenacres.ca or contact Emily Taylor at emily@hiddenacres.ca
Silver Lake Mennonite Camp:
- Indigenous Learning Retreat (April 26-27): Indigenous cultural awareness workshop with Diane Giroux. For more information and to register https://bit.ly/3ugT85T.
- Youth Camp (May 12-14): Click for more information and to book https://bit.ly/3ugT85T.
- Summer Camp Registration is now Open: for more information http://bit.ly/3okUkCA.
Erb Street Mennonite Church (ESMC) seeks a part-time Communications and Office Manager. This position is approximately 20 hours a week, with some fixed office hours. If you are interested in this position or would like more details please reach out to Sandra Schiedel, chair of Personnel Committee, personnel.chair@erbstchurch.ca.
Personal Notes
Pastor Sara will be on vacation April 17th – 30th, followed by Sabbatical May 1st – July 29th.
Congratulations to David Steinmann who is celebrating his 90th birthday on Tuesday, April 11 and Olive Campbell who is celebrating her 85th birthday on Wednesday, April 12.
Remember in Prayer
Let us pray for Steve Kennel who is scheduled for hip replacement surgery on Tuesday, April 11.
Pray for Anabaptist-Mennonites around the world – Mennonite World Conference:
- Those who have lost homes, church buildings (Ukraine, Myanmar, Ethiopia)
- Coexistence amid political differences (Brazil)
Mennonite World Conference calls for prayer:
- For people in Malawi and Mozambique where a cyclone created heavy rain and high winds for five weeks, washing away homes, roads and electricity, leading to crowded living conditions, lack of food and sanitation and cholera.
- Join the people of Ukraine, along with others who suffer violence, “Deliver us from evil.”
This week join Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC) in prayer for Westview Christian Fellowship, St. Catharines, ON.