From: Laura Pauls-Thomas, MCC East Coast <EastCoast@mcc.org>
Date: Thu, Aug 16, 2018, 2:14 PM
Subject: August Church Announcements from MCC
To: info@gehmanmennonitechurch.org <info@gehmanmennonitechurch.org>
| August 2018 Church Announcements No Images? Click here  New Bulletin Announcements Annual Storytelling Night "Stories touch us deeply. Listening to someone else's stories reminds us powerfully that we are not alone," says Phyllis Pellman Good, moderator of the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society's Annual Storytelling Night. On Monday, September 10 at 7:00 p.m., hear life stories from Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz and Donald Kraybill at Landisville Mennonite Church (3320 Bowman Rd., Landisville, Pa.). Amstutz is MCC's restorative justice program coordinator, while Kraybill is Senior Fellow Emeritus from the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College. For more information, visit lmhs.org. Download and share the event flyer!  "Voices of Conscience" Exhibit at Landis Homes As Americans commemorate the anniversary of World War I (1914-1918), will they remember those whose peace witness challenged the call to war? "Voices of Conscience: Peace Witness in the Great War" is a traveling exhibit developed by Kauffman Museum, North Newton, Kansas, which remembers the stories of people of faith who opposed the war. The exhibit examines key questions such as: Who speaks for peace in times of war? What am I willing to fight for? Is paying for war participating in war? and Who are the voices of conscience today? This exhibit will be held in the Crossings Meeting Room at Landis Homes (1001 East Oregon Rd, Lititz, PA) from August 19 to September 26 from 2:00-7:00 p.m. daily, with an opening reception on August 19 at 2:00 p.m. For more information, visit lmhs.org. Ongoing Bulletin Announcements URGENT: Canner Operators Needed! Are you interested in an exciting opportunity to travel across the U.S. and Canada canning meat for those in need all over the world? Consider serving with MCC as a canner operator! Canner operators travel with the mobile meat cannery to 30 different locations, canning beef, turkey, chicken and pork. Canners are responsible for all aspects of the project including: operating steam and pressure vessels, coordinating volunteers, maintaining and communicating USDA regulations and the maintenance of all machinery in the process. Potential applicants should be male, single, at least 21 years old with CDL eligibility and possess mechanical aptitude. Student loan assistance available. Visit mcc.org/canning for more information! Download and share the flyer.  "Piecing Together Tradition" Quilting Fest Join MCC and the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society for a day of learning, quilting and connecting on Saturday, November 3, 2018. from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the MCC Material Resources Center (517 West Trout Run Road, Ephrata, Pa. 17522). Kyra Hicks, an expert on African American quilting, and Janneken Smucker, an authority on Mennonite and Amish quilting, will introduce the history and culture of the two groups. Attendees are invited to tell the story of one of their quilts. Enjoy fellowship over soup with a dessert potluck. The quilts will be auctioned at relief sales to support MCC's ministries. Please register for this event ($15) by October 3 by visiting lmhs.org or calling (717) 393-9745. Download and share the event flyer.  Migration Learning Tour to Honduras and Guatemala Why are so many women and children in Central America leaving their homes? What would make you decide to leave your home forever? When did someone in your family last cross a border for work, school or love? Join us for this insightful learning tour to Honduras and Guatemala on November 7-17, 2018 and learn from our partners about the realities of migration in this region. For more information, contact Chris Landes at ChrisLandes@mcc.org. Download the "Migration is complex" poster.  Volunteer groups needed this fall at the MRC! Is your church group looking for a way to get involved and make a difference in the world? Consider volunteering your time at the MCC Material Resources Center (MRC) in Ephrata, Pa., this fall. During the months of September through December, volunteer numbers at the MRC are low and we need groups to help with baling, book cutting, quilting and sewing, among other tasks. Children ages 11 and up are welcome to serve alongside adults! Contact David Miller-Glick at DavidMillerGlick@mcc.org or call the MRC at (717) 733-2847 to get started. Thank you for serving in the name of Christ!  Sewing kits needed Calling all crafters! Help Mennonite Central Committee empower individuals in countries like Haiti, Kenya and Ukraine by donating new sewing items. MCC sewing kits provide the essential items needed to make and mend clothing and create craft items. For instructions and a detailed list of sewing kit contents, visit mcc.org/kits.  Palestine and Israel Learning Tour MCC invites participants to join a learning tour on March 1-13, 2019 to Palestine and Israel. Come, see and learn from MCC partners in Palestine and Israel who work for peace and justice. To learn more, visit mcc.org/events or contact Curtis Book, MCC East Coast peace and justice coordinator, at CurtisBook@mcc.org. Download and share the flyer.  Comforters and relief kits needed Relief kits and comforters provide valuable supplies to families whose lives have been disrupted by war or disaster. Last year, MCC shipped 63,841 comforters and 24,530 relief kits to people in need around the world. Will you give relief and hope to displaced families through donating relief kits and comforters? Visit mcc.org/kits for kit information, shipping information and drop-off locations. For more information, contact the MCC East Coast Material Resources Center at EastCoastMRC@mcc.org or call (717) 733-2847.  Open positions Donor Relations Administrative Director (Salaried): This position works in close consultation with the Director and Associate Director to manage primarily internal coordination necessary for the smooth functioning of the Donor Relations department and network. The position is the main Donor Relations liaison with the Program department, collaborates on policy development, and is responsible for the department budgeting process and strategic reporting. The position collaborates with the Communications department to develop fundraising content for communication with donors, and supervises the Project Discovery Positions. Seed Community Development Workers (Stipend): Join an inter-cultural group of five to seven participants for Seed Bolivia, a program for young adults (20-30 years old, single or married without children) in the highlands of Bolivia. Seed Bolivia will start its third cycle of participants in January 2019. Seed participants will serve with local partners working with issues such as food security, resource conservation, prevention of violence against children and women, among other areas. At the same time, Seed includes focused study and discussion relevant to this context and to the participants' service assignments. To learn more and to view more open positions, visit mcc.org/careers. Resources for Church Leaders ENERGY STAR Stewardship Tour Virtually every faith tradition teaches stewardship. Out of gratitude and appreciation for what we have been given, we are taught to make wise use of gifts and assets such as financial and natural resources, the time and talents of congregation members and the house of worship, itself, in ways that are responsible and accountable. However, like most U.S. commercial buildings, the typical worship facility wastes about 30% of the energy for which its congregants pay. On September 25 from 9:00-10:30 a.m., join interfaith leaders at MCC's Welcoming Place (21 South 12th Street, Akron, PA 17501) to learn how you and your congregation can steward your gifts and assets well. Opportunities are available after the event to tour the MCC Akron campus and/or the MCC East Coast Material Resources Center in Ephrata to see some of MCC's local sustainability initiatives. For more information on this event hosted by MCC, or to learn more about ENERGY STAR's national program that helps communities save energy, water and money, click here. To RSVP or if you have questions, contact Dennis Kready at DennisKready@mcc.org or 717-859-1151 x60332. Include the name of the church you're representing and how many people will be attending. Download and share the event flyer!  Who Cares About Climate Change? Pastor's Retreat Most of us do care about climate change, but we're busy with concerns that seem more pressing or we feel overwhelmed in the face of this complex problem. Denial and despair help us manage our feelings of guilt and helplessness. How does the Gospel of Jesus Christ move us toward hope and caring responses? Join other pastors September 17-19 at Camp Friedenswald in Cassopolis, MI, to discuss this topic. This event is FREE to Anabaptist pastors. (Other pastors pay $225.) For more information and to register, click here. This event is co-supported by Center for Sustainable Climate Solutions (a partnership between Eastern Mennonite University, Goshen College and Mennonite Central Committee) and Mennonite Creation Care Network.  My Coins Count 101 Coins add up. Each year, spare change collected by churches, children and families for MCC's My Coins Count program add up to more than $600,000 for MCC's work around the world. This video contains great ideas on how you can mobilize your church to collect coins to benefit MCC's work in food, water and education around the world.  Learn and respond with MCC to U.S. immigration issues MCC works with the issue of migration around the world and walks with people who migrate, people who struggle not to migrate and people who provide hospitality to migrants in many places. LEARN: Consider participating in the MCC Migration Learning Tour to Guatemala and Honduras on November 7-17, 2018. Or, read a story on MCC's immigration work here. PRAY: Pray for the migrants who made the difficult choice to leave their home communities in the hope of a better life, for the detained immigrants as they wait in detention and for the border patrol agents to execute their job justly and humanely. ADVOCATE: Contact your elected officials to express your desire for more humane immigration policies. GIVE: Donate money to MCC for ongoing work with issues surrounding immigration. For more information on how you can get involved, visit mcc.org/immigration.  NEW MCC kit cards now available! MCC carefully plans shipments of material resources in order to meet local needs, and we work hard to send high-quality items that can withstand the harsh conditions faced by the people who receive them. In light of recent evaluations, we have made a few changes to the kit supply lists. Updated kit cards are now available, so please discard (recycle, if possible) any outdated kit cards you may have. Download and print a bulletin insert. Download and print your own kit cards. To request copies of the new MCC kit cards for your church or group, email Resources@mcc.org. |
