 A Postcard and a Prayer | |
| Mennonite Women USA | April 2010
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 "We have all that we need
around us and within us to live a life of gratitude.
"Living a life of gratitude does not equal living a life of happiness."
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Megan Ramer, Chicago, speaker at "Women in Conversation: Living a Life of
Gratitude" retreat at Laurelville
Mennonite Church
Center, April 9-11, 2010
(Photos by Brian Paff) 
Women
participating in the Humor as a Spiritual Discipline (and that's no
joke!) workshop.
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Women in Conversation coming to Kansas next
 Women in the Midwest will gather at Cross Wind Retreat Center, Hesston, Kan.,
April 30-May 2 for the second Women in Conversation retreat. "I'm one of the
fortunate few who is able to attend both of these retreats," says Rhoda Keener.
The
four retreat sessions focus on Gratitude Abundant, Gratitude Grounded,
Gratitude Wrestled, and Gratitude Begotten.
Spanish
translation will be available at Cross Wind with workshops given in
Spanish and English. An
additional workshop has been added: Women
in Leadership: Discussing empowerment in Mennonite Church USA led by Joanna
Shenk and Hilary Scarsella. For more pictures of the Laurelville Retreat, check Facebook.
Women in Conversation retreats are jointly sponsored by Laurelville Mennonite Church Center, Mt Pleasant, Pa and Mennonite Women USA.
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Your gifts are needed
We hope
you will support Mennonite Women USA's ministry this spring with a financial
gift. You are invited to send a gift in honor of or in memory of an important
woman in your life. Mennonite Women USA is solely supported by gifts from
individuals and groups.
You can contribute to Mennonite Women through online. Or send a gift by regular mail to: Mennonite
Women USA, 722 N. Main St.,
Newton, KS 67114. Gifts are tax deductible. You can also make a pledgeon our website.
Every gift make a difference. Thank you for your support.
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Coming in timbrel
Look for
the May/June issue of timbrel coming
to your home soon! This issue focuses on
Honoring Our Mothers and Jean Kilheffer Hess writes about ways we can honor our
mothers by listening to their stories.
Rosalyn Troiano, Tuscarora, writes about the way her mother rallied the
family to help Rosalyn raise the money she needed to continue her education.
Mothers are life giving, whether they are biological mothers or other kinds of
mothers: spiritual, emotional, or intellectual.
They can be younger than we are, older, or the same age. But they all give us life in some area of our
being.
In
preparation for the July/August issue of timbrel, which will focus on Human Trafficking,
consider:
In what way does
"modern day slavery" intersect with
my life?
Send responses to Patty by May 1. If there is a woman in your life that you
would
like to honor for her life-giving gifts to you, consider giving her a
subscription to timbrel: women in
conversation together with God.
To subscribe to timbrel, send $15 for one year or $13 per person for a group of 10 or more to Mennonite Women USA, 722 N Main St., Newton, KS 67114. You can also e-mail or call 800-794-5101, ext. 227. We'll start your subscription and send you a bill.
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Mennonite Women USA invites persons to share financially to support this
ministry. Individuals are invited to give in honor of, or in remembrance of, a
significant woman in their lives. We
recognize that each gift honors or remembers a relationship.
Gifts
given by:
Cheryl Ramer in
memory of Emma Ramer.
Elaine Sommers Rich
in memory of Tillie Yoder Nauraine.
Adella Kanagy in
memory of Thelma Groff.
West Philadelphia
Women's Group in memory of
Miriam Hershberger and Debbie Syzdek.
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Sister Care seminar May 14-15 in Ohio
Register
now for the Ohio Sister Care to be held May 14-15 (7-9 p.m. on Friday and 8:30
a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Saturday) at Kidron Mennonite Church,
Kidron, Ohio. Sister Care provides training for effective lay
caring in the congregation. To register, contact Hannah Lehman.
Sessions include:
Claiming My Identity as God's Beloved, Caring for Self and Others, Compassionate
Listening, and Transforming Loss and Grief.
Sister Care is a program of Mennonite Women USA. The revised manual is written by Ruth
Lapp Guengerich, Carolyn Holderread Heggen, and Rhoda Keener. Ruth and Rhoda
will co-present at the Ohio
event.
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The Kitchen TableMarch 2010 by Lorraine
Eby Franklin Conference Sister Care Coordinator
Telling our story can be a powerful tool for
sister-care. As we hear the story of
another, we find ourselves somewhere in the story. I recently learned that the women at Pleasant
View Mennonite had formed a Sister-Care group and the agenda centered around
sharing personal stories. With their
permission, here is their story...
Used by permission of the Burning Bush, Franklin Conference newsletter.
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"Our Marvelous Bodies"
Regina
Shands Stoltzfus, Mennonite Women USA board member, writes about the mystery of
our bodies in the column "Our marvelous bodies, " originally printed
in The Mennonite:
"Human
bodies are marvelous; they are at once capable in astonishing ways of carrying
on any number of unseen, necessary functions for life. They can be strong and
powerful, yet they are fragile. Bodies move and breathe and bend and do. Bodies
tire and weaken and sicken and die. There is no guarantee about what the
package one is given will be able to do. We have a modicum of control but not
complete control. Somewhere in the space between, we do the best we
can..."
Read more.
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Resources for Child Abuse Prevention
April is child abuse prevention month. A bulletin
insert with resources for your congregation is available from Women's Advocacy of Mennonite Central Committee.
 The Dove's Nest Collaborative: Mennonites
Keeping Children Safe: Empowering and
equipping Mennonites to keep children safe in their homes, churches, and
communities.
"Let
the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God
belongs to those who are like these children." (Luke 18:16 NLT).
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Note from Patricia Rosero to Mennonite women
"I thank God for this circle of prayer that
has been woven around my life, my family and my church as well, because healing
has been evident in my body through prayer, which has also given me strength in
my life, and for my mother and my family to cope.
"I am deeply grateful to the sisters who are
praying because they are part of a network of love and solidarity that shows
the presence of God among us. Thanks for all the support they have given me so
patiently to study.
 "It is a very important part to be able to serve my
community, and of course work for the kingdom of heaven here, with a little
more clarity and preparation which has been received at the seminary. Once
again thank you and thank you. May the Lord continue to bless you and surround
you with his arms of love and tenderness." (Photos and translation by
Linda Shelly, Mennonite Mission Network)
Patricia Rosero experienced a serious accident while
traveling on a bus in Bogota, Colombia (see Postcard & Prayer, February 2010). Patricia is a
recipient of Mennonite Women USA's International Women's Fund scholarships and
has been relating in a Sister-Link with the King's Daughters Women's group from First Mennonite Church, Aberdeen, Idaho. |
Immigration Prayer Vigil May 1
As a body of Christians,
committed to the way of Jesus, Mennonite Church USA
passed a resolution on immigration in 2003. It stated, "We reject our country's
mistreatment of immigrants, repent of our silence, and commit ourselves to act
with and on behalf of our immigrant brothers and sisters, regardless of their
legal status."
Six
years later, in 2009, Mennonite Church
USA passed a
resolution, sponsored by Mennonite Women USA, on human trafficking in which we
committed ourselves "to
join with other Christian denominations in a united voice against the evil of human
trafficking.
The Task Force recognizes clear connections between modern slavery and
immigration and calls Mennonite Church
USA to become
educated about the intersecting issues.
One way to show visible support for
immigrant sisters and brothers is to join with other Mennonites, May 1, for a
prayer vigil on immigration. The purpose of the vigil is to strengthen
relationships between cultural groups and pray for change in our hearts toward
people different from us.Read more information on the May 1 prayer vigilat the Peace and Justice Resource Network
website.
Authored by members
of the MC USA Human Trafficking Task Force which includes Iglesia
Menonita Hispana, Mennonite Church USA Denominational Ministry and Executive
Leadership, Mennonite Women USA,
MMA, and MCC. |
A Prayer for the Journey
By Elizabeth Kunjam, India
MW USA
International Women's Fund
scholarship recipient in 2001-02
Lord, I
do not have answers
to the many questions that arise in my mind:
Why am I suppressed by injustice
in church as well as society?
Why do I not have equal opportunities
in Christian ministry as men do?
My mind will keep wondering.
Yet I believe that in your own time
you will make things clearer to me.
I know that wherever I go
and whenever there is opportunity
you will use me, a woman, for your glory.
Lord, my desire is to be led to the right place
in the right time to bring glory to your name.
Use me Lord, here I am.
"My time spent at Associated Mennonite Biblical
Seminary (AMBS) has been very formative in seeking direction about which way to
head in ministry. I am going to cherish this time the rest of my life. AMBS was possible for me because of some
generous Mennonite agencies like Mission Network, Mennonite Women and MCC India. May God
bless their ministries." - Elizabeth Kunjam, 2009
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A Postcard & a Prayer is compiled by Mennonite Women USA staff Rhoda Keener, Patricia Burdette, Berni Kaufman, and Lois Loflin. |
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Know of others who would like to receive "A Postcard & a Prayer" e-mails from Mennonite Women USA? Have them send name, address, and e-mail Berni. | |
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