Newsletter
Berkey Avenue Mennonite Fellowship
November 15, 2009

Today

Fellowship meal followed by a congregational meeting.  (See agenda below.)

This Week
Tuesday - Mission Commission, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday - Elders, 6:00 a.m.
Wednesday - MYF Small Groups
Sunday - Youth/Parent Conversation Night, 6:30 p.m.

Upcoming Worship Services

November 22:  Gratitude and the connection between living and dying.

November 29:  The first Sunday of Advent with the theme, "Take heart!  God is coming to make things right."  The lectionary texts are Psalm 25:1-10; Jeremiah 33:14-16, Luke 21:25-36, and 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13.

December 6:  The second Sunday of Advent with the theme, "Get ready! God calls us to choose the path of peace."  The lectionary texts are Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 1:68-79; Luke 3:1-6; Philippians 1:3-11.

From the Elders

     The proposed agenda for today's Congregational Meeting includes:

1.   Approval of Minutes

2.   Update from the Stewardship and Finance Commission - year-end report and current update

3.   Bethany Plan Report

4.   Pastor/Congregation Relations Committee report on the congregational survey

5.   Action on a proposed addendum to our existing College Aid Plan (in your mailboxes)

6.   Opportunity for participation in the Congregational Accessibility Network

Our World (courtesy of Ron Good)

This week's question:

      I am known as a marginal sea.  It is generally cold here and I can only be navigated during August and September.  Political prisoners were sent to the land mass just south of me.  Today I am named after two Russian explorers with the same last name.  However, in the 16^th century I was called the Tatar Sea, in the 17^th century the Lena Sea, in the 18^th century the Siberian Sea, in the 19^th century the Icy Sea, and in 1893 I was named the Nordenskjold Sea.  The Lena River is one of my major tributaries with a great delta.  I have several gulfs along my coast; a couple are known as the Khatanga and the Olenyok Gulfs.  What body of water am I? 

     (The answer is hidden somewhere in this week's newsletter.)

Berkey Avenue Announcements

            Thank you to Berkey Avenue for the flowers that were sent to the funeral home to show your support to us at the time of my mother's death.  Seeing them there reminded us of the many friends we have here and was a tangible reminder of your love and prayers.
  -Armand and Ginny Martin

     Would you like to be part of a praying community during the Climate Change conversations happening in Copenhagen, December 7-18?  Jennifer Schrock is planning a prayer service and resources on this theme for Sunday, December 6.  Call or email her if you'd like to help or if you plan to come.

     Afghanistan needs a security strategy that builds sustainable peace, not more troops.  There are some handouts on the literature rack which examine alternative ways of thinking about security.  Pray for wisdom as United States policymakers deliberate how best to support Afghanistan.

          David and Wilma Shank were honored by the Association of Anabaptist Missiologists for their decades of cross-cultural missionary work in Europe and Africa as well as for David's scholarly exploration of the missiological task.  A collection of his seminal essays is being released early next year; if you're interested in pre-ordering a copy, fill out the flier on the literature rack and turn it in to Dan or Anita.  We'll be glad to pick the books up, then, to avoid shipping charges.

     The Gate : At our last congregational meeting a request was made for information about The Gate which we are supporting with $270 from our Mission Commission budget.  The Gate is a four-to-five-year-old, Anabaptist ministry for mostly post-high school young adults who are on the "fringe or edgy" and "who don't fit into a traditional Mennonite church."  Currently a group of 20 to 25 meet Sunday evenings at 6:30 p.m. at The Crossing in Goshen for a time of sharing and study.  Mike Lechlitner, a pastor at the former Communion Fellowship, leads the group in Goshen and is starting a new group in California.  Mike asked that we pray for The Gate in this time of transition as he is planning to move to California to work with the group there, and as he and The Gate's board are developing new leadership for the group here in Goshen.  The Gate would welcome a donation of a laptop computer so they can resume having joint worship services with the group in California via Skype.  Contact someone on the Mission Commission if you have a laptop to offer.

     Bethany Swope, Coordinator of Church Relations at Goshen College, thanks Berkey Avenue for hosting Parables in September.  She writes, "The group felt welcomed and affirmed by the congregation, especially in their first experience of leading worship this year.  They appreciated the congregation's expressions of blessing for the year."

     The first book, following has been purchased for the library and the rest have been donated by Stan Liechty:

*   Empowering the Patient:  How to reduce the cost of healthcare and improve its quality by Glen E. Miller, M.D., Goshen College graduate and primary care physician and administrator for more than four decades.

*   So You're Adopted: A Book About the Experience of Being Adopted by Fred Powledge - Thoughts about the notion that adopted people do have some special feelings that nonadopted people don't have.

*   Ragman and Other Cries of Faith by Walter Wangerin, Jr. - The experiences of a remarkable inner-city pastor shared so generously that we feel our own lives more deeply.

*   Money, Sex & Power by Richard J. Foster - An examination of the three issues "of supreme importance in modern society" to help us decide how Christians can make ethical choices faced almost daily.

 *  Blood Brothers by Elias Chacour - A Palestinian struggles for reconciliation in the Middle East.

*   I'm Lonely, Lord -How Long? by Marva J. Dawn - A warm and insightful book of comfort and inspiration for all lonely, depressed, restless, and seeking people in the world today.

Our Schools  

     The Goshen Schools Music Department is having their annual fruit sale now through November 18.  There are a variety of options for oranges, grapefruit, and apples.  Please see one of our Goshen High School or Middle School music students to order; we have many in our congregation!  Large box oranges (56-88) are $28; large box grapefruit (32-48) are $27; small box oranges (28-44) are $18; small box grapefruit (16-24) are $18. Oranges/grapefruit mixed (23-32) are $21.  

     Today at 4:00 p.m ., Goshen College's Community School of the Arts Showcase Concert will be presented in Sauder Concert Hall.  Two children's choirs, a strings orchestra of players aged eight-80 and a featured young pianist will present songs, anthems, works by Bach, Vivaldi, Chopin and more. Tickets are $7 regular / $5 students and seniors, available at the door. 

          The Curious Savage , a heartwarming comedy for all ages, will be presented November 20-22 by Bethany Christian High School.  The Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m. and the Sunday performance is at 3:00 p.m.  Call 534-2567 to reserve tickets-$8 for adults and $6 for students.  See bethanycs.net/curious_savage for more information.  Those from Berkey Avenue with a role in the comedy are:  Emily Grimes, Ben Mast, J.D. Nafziger, and David Nussbaum. 

     The Voices-n-Harmony Gospel Choir from Goshen College will present a free concert at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 22 at St. James A.M.E. Church in Elkhart.

     Goshen College presents its sixth annual A Festival of Carols , ushering in this sacred season with music by singers and instrumentalists, and with gathered audience participation in traditional carols.  Join us for this festive occasion, presented in the Music Center's Sauder Concert Hall on Friday, December 4 and Saturday, December 5 at 7:30 p.m., and on Sunday, December 6 at 4 p.m.  Reserved seating tickets ($14) are available now at the GC Welcome Center (535-7566).

Community Announcements

     On Tuesday, November 17 Goshen College Assistant Professor of Peace, Justice and Conflict Studies Regina Shands Stoltzfus will be giving a public lecture sponsored by the Mennonite Historical Society on "‘As Purple is to Lavender': African-American Women in North American Mennonite Affiliated Churches, 1948-1968."  The presentation, based on on-going doctoral research, will begin at 7:00 p.m. in Goshen College's Newcomer Center, Room 17.

     George Veith will be speaking about the work that he and his wife, Tobia, are doing in Macau on November 18, 9:00 a.m., at the Greencroft Senior Center, Goshen.  Macau, a former Portuguese colony at the mouth of the Canton River in southern China, is known as the Las Vegas of the East. George and Tobia are part of a team of mission and local workers that lead the Macau Mennonite Church in various types of ministry including children's tutoring, English classes, visitation, small groups, outreach, pastoral care, and prayer counseling.  The new casino construction boom in Macau has brought new affluence to some, but to many more it has brought a high price: disruption of family life (due to shift work at casino-related jobs) and loss of quality of life.  The church ministers to these families, sharing Jesus' healing and hope.  The public is invited to this meeting sponsored by Mennonite Mission Network Auxiliary.  (Laptera Sea)

     Emerge Ministries will be participating in this year's Box City event hosted by the Elkhart Homeless Coalition on Friday, November 20, 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.  The all-day event focuses on raising awareness and educating the public about homelessness in Elkhart.  Local area organizations will have decorated boxes (demonstrating how homeless persons may live) on the plaza.  This year's theme is "Have a Heart...Make Change."  At 7:00 p.m., "The Soloist," a movie focusing on the social problem of homelessness in the United States, will be shown at Life Community Church located at 210 South Main Street.  It you are interested, admission will be a donation of a winter warmth item or canned goods.

     The Goshen Community Thanksgiving Service will be held at the First English Lutheran Church, 5^th and Madison on Wednesday, November 25, at 6:30 p.m.  Pumpkin pie and fellowship follow the service.  Everyone is welcome!

     "Long Road Back:  Ex-offenders Struggle for Acceptance," produced by Mennonite Media, is scheduled to air on Thanksgiving at 5:00 p.m. on NBC.  With the highest incarceration rate in the world, the United States holds over two million souls in its prisons each year.  More than a half million ex-offenders are released back into society annually.  When released, many are given only $25 and a one-way bus ticket.  Often released with an addiction and no place to call home, these people struggle to find a way through the protective net society has cast around itself to ward off such people. In this program, we experience their stories of struggle, and occasionally, victory.

     MDC Goldenrod is presently taking applications for: 

·      Someone to fill a 30-35 hr. per week Human Resource position with back-up for specific accounting duties.  Starting date:   January 1, 2010. 

·       Immediate part-time caregiving positions for dedicated, flexible people who want to make a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities. 

If interested in either position, apply at 1514 College Avenue, Goshen or on the company website at goldenrodonline.org.

     The Depot MCC Thrift Shops has a staff position open for a part-time assistant warehouse manager.  Qualified candidates will be organized, physically fit, and have good interpersonal skills.  Hours are somewhat flexible.  Pick up an application at the Depot MCC Thrift Shops office.  Applications are due by November 20.  Interviews will take place in late November/early December.  Starting date is December 7.  For more information, please call Missy Schrock at 534-1828 or e-mail at       Mennonite Central Committee seeks a Location Coordinator for its Appalachia SWAP (Sharing With Appalachian People) program.  This position coordinates week-long service opportunities for young people and adults to provide housing repair for low-income families.  The Location Coordinator will plan and direct all aspects of the SWAP ministry in Hindman, Kentucky.  This is a three-to-five-year service worker position, ideal for a married couple, to begin May 2010.  To see a job description, go to mcc.org.  For additional information contact Mary Ann Weber at mwebermcc.org or 534-4133.
Our Church

Office Hours:     Tuesday - Friday
                                     8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
                            12:00 noon - 2:00 p.m.

Statistical Report for November 8, 2009

     Attendance:   180
          
Today, November 15, 2009

     Greeters:    Dick and Nancy Yoder

     Bulletins:   Morgan Short  

     Nursery:    Lori and Ron Good     

     Offering Counters:   Lowell Nafziger                   

                                      Denise Risser

     Audio/Visual:  David Nussbaum

 

Next Sunday, November 22, 2009

     Greeters:    Dick and Nancy Yoder

     Bulletins:   Allen Garboden

     Nursery:    Beverly and David Krabill

     Offering Counters:   Steve Garboden

                                      Dick Ramer

     Audio/Visual:  David Nussbaum

___________________________________________

Pastors:  Anita Kehr, Dan Schrock

Youth Coordinator:  Lois Mast

Elders:  Evan Bontrager, David Heusinkveld, Dan Nafziger, Laverne Nafziger, Trish Shenk, and Renae Yoder

Called to be Christ's loving, healing, caring presence