 A Postcard and a Prayer | |
| Mennonite Women USA | September 2010
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"It is my hope that Mennonite women's groups become a Third Place...
- a place between home and
work where women choose to come to share informally,
- a place that women make a
priority."
- Sharon Kennel at PREP 2010, August 27 and 28 in Henderson, Nebraska. Sharon retired as Central Plains Conference Minister August 31.
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Leaders Meet in Nebraska
The PREP (Preparing, Resourcing, Encouraging, Praising) conference Mennonite
Women leaders' meeting brought 36
women from 12 conferences to Henderson,
Nebraska. Sharon Kennel provided input on "The Fields
Are Ripe: Focusing Our Mission." PREP attendees enjoyed networking, worshiping with the pipe organ, viewing quilt artistry by Kathryn Goertzen, and feasting on barbeque and corn on the cob.
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Disabilities and the Church
 Don't miss the September/October issue of timbrel which focuses on Disabilities
and the Church. Jayne Byler (right) writes about living with the "invisible
disability," mental illness, in her family.
She says, "I struggled with where to take the stress of these days. I
knew that I was growing increasingly tired and frayed. Could the church offer a
safe place of support?"
 Mennonite Women USA board
member and mother of a child with spina
bifida, Carol Roth (left), says, "It is important for timbrel to address the issue of disabilities and the church because
disabilities are commonly seen in our congregations today, and it is important
for our churches to be inclusive and welcoming to all God's children."
The
Sister Question for the November/December issue is:
How do I cultivate the spiritual discipline of gratitude?
Send
responses to Patty by September 24. Be sure to include your name and hometown.
Do you know a young woman in your church who is moving
to a college dorm or another location for work? Why not give her a gift issue
of timbrel to help her stay connected
to the women of all generations in the wider church? Such a small gift can do a
great deal to keep a young woman in touch with the issues that are of
importance to women in her church.
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 866-866-2872, ext. 34396. We'll start your
subscription and send you a bill.
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2010 Regional Fall Women's Events
Atlantic Coast (Oct. 22) at Forest Hills Mennonite Church, Leola, PA, a dinner with
Marlene Weaver and Anne W. Kaufman on the topic "Later Life Transitions"
Central District (Sept. 17-19) at Camp Friedenswald, Cassapolis, MI, a retreat with
Marilyn Rossiter and Ruth Detweiler on "Bring One, Give One"
Central Plains (Sept. 18-19) at Swan Lake Christian Camp, Viborg, SD, a retreat with
Ruth Entz Buller and Lynn Duerksen Stoneking on the theme "Giving and
Receiving"
(Nov. 5-6) at East Union Mennonite Church,
Kalona, IA, a Sister Care seminar with Ruth Lapp Guengerich and Rhoda Keener Franklin
(Nov. 6) at Cedar Street Mennonite Church, Chambersburg, PA, a retreat with
Barbara Borntrager on the theme "Thank You God for Making Me Me"
Gulf
(Sept. 3-6) at Pine Lake Camp, Meridian,
MS, a family camp planned by
Mennonite Women with various speakers on the theme "Remembering God's Faithfulness"
Illinois
(Oct. 23) at Mennonite Heritage Center between Metamora and GermantownHills,
IL, a Women's Brunch with Pam Gray on the topic "Going to the Bahamas Isn't
Always a Vacation"
Indiana-Michigan (Oct. 8-10) at Amigo Center, Sturgis,
MI, a retreat with speaker
Shannon Dycus on "Grieving Women in the Bible and God's Blessing"
Lancaster (Oct. 30) at Mt.
Joy Mennonite
Church, Mt. Joy, PA,
Fall Fellowship with Sandy Drescher-Lehman on "Restoring Our Souls, One
Boundary at a Time" (Oct. 18) at Strasburg Mennonite Church, Strasburg, PA, 33rd Annual Women & Preschool Assembly with Loice Robi Byler on "Mentoring: Naomi and Ruth." Childcare available. To register, contact Cheryl Weaver.
Ohio (Sept. 17-19) at Camp Luz, Dalton,
OH, a retreat with speaker Deb Horst
on "Journey with Jesus"
Pacific Northwest (Oct 8-9) at Evergreen Heights
Mennonite Church, Caldwell, ID, a Sister Care seminar with Carolyn Holderread
Heggen and Rhoda Keener
(Oct. 15-16) at Salem Mennonite
Church, Salem, OR, a
Sister Care seminar with Carolyn Holderread Heggen and Rhoda Keener
(Oct. 22-23) at Menno
Mennonite Church, Ritzville, WA, a Sister Care
seminar with Carolyn Holderread Heggen and Rhoda Keener
South Central and Western District (Sept. 10-12) at Camp Mennoscah, Murdock, KS, a
weekend retreat with Florence Schloneger on the theme "Women Uniquely Created
by God"
Southeast
(Oct. 16) at Ashton Community Fellowship, Sarasota,
FL, with multiple speakers on the
theme of "Harvest"
Virginia (Oct.
29-31) at Best Western Inn, Waynesboro, VA, a weekend retreat with speaker
Cindy Voth on "Encountering God in the Ordinary... Connecting, Celebrating and
Caring for Your Sisters of the Faith"
Eastern Pennsylvania 2010-2011 Women's Sabbath Retreats: Voice Lessons:
Mother-Daughter Challenges is the theme for the three-retreat series which
meets Saturdays 10-4 at Forest Hills Mennonite Church,
Leola, PA.
For more information contact Sharon Kraybill.
(Nov. 13) Marilyn Denlinger, Barbara
Longenecker, and Gwen Peachey on "Living with Sexual Diversity"
For information about events in your area, contact the Mennonite Women office. |
Pennsylvania-Ghana Partnership Helps Spread the Good News
Mennonite Mission Network news (9/9/10 to 9/16/10)
Emelia
Amexo's life has been transformed - as have the lives of many West African
students and the members of two Mennonite churches in Pennsylvania.
With a lot of hard work and support from Maple Grove
and University Mennonite churches in Pennsylvania
and Mennonite Women USA, Amexo has become the first Ghanaian Mennonite woman to
graduate from Good News Theological
College and Seminary, Accra, Ghana.
But there is even better news: she's not the only one.
Read the complete story.
Emilia Amexo received
scholarships in 2007-08 from MW USA's
International Women's Fund for church leadership training.
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 Give to Mennonite Women USA
Your
gifts make Mennonite Women USA's ministry possible. Contribute on-line.
Make a pledge on our website.
Or mail it to the office at Mennonite
Women USA,
722 N. Main St., Newton, KS 67114-1819.
Please
consider this ministry in your giving. Gifts are tax deductible.
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The Kitchen Table - "It was the first day of school..."
by Lorraine Eby
Franklin Conference Sister Care Coordinator Burning Bush, September 2010
"It
was the first day of school and the school bus had come and gone. There
had been other first days of school before, but this time our youngest child
was among the bus passengers. I thought I had prepared myself for the
event, was actually looking forward to it, but when the moment came I suddenly
felt anxiety. Life was about to change..." Read more Used by permission of the Burning Bush, Franklin Conference newsletter |
by Everett J. Thomas, editor of The Mennonite
September 2010
 As
a 30-something high school English teacher in the late 1970s, Marlene Kropf had
a revelation during a Sunday morning worship service that changed the
trajectory of her life. During the last three decades, it has also changed
worship practices in Mennonite congregations ...
Read the complete story.
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 "Prayer for the Seven Continents"
for World Communion Sunday, October 3
By Sonya Stauffer Kurtz, Rochester, New York (The last stanza is fromCelebrating
Community: Prayers and Songs for Unity, World Council of Churches, 1993.)
The litany can be used as a prayer
read by two readers with a candle lit for each of the seven continents.
Ruler
of the Universe
Creator of this world and beyond,
We light these candles in prayer-
the seven jewels in your earthly
crown.
For
Africa, with its deserts and savannah,
quiet villages, and crowded cities.
We remember your church in all its vibrant expression
Catholic, protestant, and
indigenous.
May the song and dance of the African
Church
celebrate your reign on earth.
For
Asia, land of contemplative spirituality
and blossoming technologies.
We remember your church as it steadfastly speaks of your reign
even amid persecution.
Hear the prayers of the church of the Asian continent
as they seek for your reign on
earth.
For
Antarctica, its snow and ice, penguins and
explorers.
We remember the wildness of your
creation
Whose mysteries scientists long to understand
For the creatures, the explorers,
and the weather
we can't control, we thank you.
May the wildness of Antarctica remind us that your reign
reaches beyond our control.
For
Australia,
with its Pacific islands,
coastal cities, and the quiet
outback.
We remember your church that seeks to understand native peoples
and sends missionaries to other
parts of the world.
May the church in Australia
witness
to your reign at home and abroad.
For
Europe, continent of old cathedrals,
and new immigrants.
We remember your church once the center of Western Christianity,
now faced with post-Christian
realities.
We ask a fresh outpouring of your Spirit to enliven the churches
so your church can proclaim your
reign amidst new realities.
For
our continent, North America,
its plains and cities, power and
resources.
We remember the many expressions of Christian faith,
and pray for unity and discernment
in the North American Church,
That our life in the reign of God may transform us
To freely share with and learn from
the global church.
For South America, its pampas and Andes,
Amazon and rainforest.
We remember your church which seeks
authentic expression of faith.
May the growth of the church in South America
Signal the spread of your reign on
earth.
All:
Uniting God, we pray that the church may
be one in Christ,
a true fellowship of the cloud of
witnesses
who know their oneness in you
and speak the word of healing to
this troubled world.
For the sake of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
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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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