WESTERN DISTRICT CONFERENCE

SPROUTS

 September 13, 2016

A weekly communication for:

WDC Churches and Pastors

WDC Executive Board, Commission, Committee and Task Force members

Any content may be used in bulletins and newsletters and

 forwarded to congregational leaders and members.

WDC Sprouts is also available at:  www.mennowdc.org (Publications)

IN THIS ISSUE:

*Pastoral Openings

*Announcements

Pastoral Openings
Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church, Goessel, KS – Pastor
Eden Mennonite Church, Moundridge, KS – Associate Pastor
Faith Mennonite Church, Newton, KS – Associate Pastor
First Mennonite Church, Halstead, KS – Pastor
Hoffnungsau Mennonite Church, Inman, KS – Pastor
Iglesia Menonita Aposento Alto, Wichita, KS (Church Planter-Pastor)
Shalom Mennonite Church, Newton, KS – Associate Pastor
WDC Announcements

  1. Festival de la Fraternidad Familiar /Family Fellowship Festival will be held on September 24 at Luz del Evangelio in Dallas, TX. This time of fellowship and local outreach is for all WDC congregations, especially those from Texas.  There will be games, food, music, and open spaces for those with talents to share.  For more information, contact Sandra Martinez, sandram@mennowdc.org, 214-907-6309.

    2.  Fall Story Hour (ages 3-5) begins Thursday, September 29 at 10:00am at the Western District Conference Resource Library.  Story Hour will run through Thursday, November 17.  Come join Carol Flickinger for stories, activities, and lots of fun.  Please let us know if you’re planning to attend at https://goo.gl/forms/qo6YEhOux4gZKNsj2 or (316)283-6300.  (Central Kansas churches, please consider putting the Fall Story Hour announcement in your bulletin, as well as print and post the attached poster with details.  Thanks.)

  1. Western District Conference Fall Reference Council – Held Together in Mission: Being Church in the Urban Context

Saturday, October 22, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.at Iglesia Luz del Evangelio (Light of the Gospel), 1524 Dowdy Ferry Road, Dallas, TX 75217

All WDC church members, pastors, Executive Board and commission/committee members are invited! Come learn about other congregations and members of WDC, and explore how God is at work in our diverse contexts.

  • Scripture reflections by Lois Barrett, Professor of Theology and Anabaptist Studies at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary
  • Storytelling from urban congregations in WDC.
  • Table conversation:  How do you define ‘urban?’ How is your congregation and WDC impacted by urban realities? Where is God at work in the city? What is your vision for the urban church? What gifts do urban congregations offer to WDC and the wider church? How can urban and rural congregations learn from each other as partners in God’s mission
  • Lunch included, with freewill contribution encouraged help cover expenses

Please RSVP to wdc@mennowdc.org or 316-283-6300. Contact WDC for carpooling and motel information.  (Churches – Please post the attached poster to publicize this event – thank you!)

Fall Reference Council complements WDC’s Spring Reference Council which took place in Beatrice, NE on “…Being Church in the Rural Context”.

4.  Everyone invited!  Come for the whole day!  Camp Mennoscah’s Annual Meeting is September 18 at 5:30pm.  You and all your friends are invited to come out for a meal and hear about the upcoming kitchen renovations and thoughts from Michael Unruh, new executive director.  We will have a worship service at 10am with lunch following and free time to enjoy the campgrounds before the annual meeting.  Please let us know if you will be joining us for the whole day.  Give us a call at 620-297-3290 or email office@campmennoscah.org!  Donations for meals and kitchen renovations welcomed.

5.  Hey, wonderful Camp Mennoscah folks!  We know that this is a busy time of year–which also makes it a great time of year to escape to Camp Mennoscah!  Join us for Work & Play Camp on September 16-20 or for any part of those days.  Register online at www.campmennoscah.org or call us at 620-297-3290.  There is no charge for this retreat.  Donations welcomed.  Be part of our camping ministry as we play together and work together to make the camp grounds sparkle!

6.  Scrapbook and Crafts Retreats are filling up!  Camp Mennoscah’s Scrapbook and Crafts retreats are beginning to fill up.  We can’t wait to see all the scrappers and crafters on October 28-30 and November 4-6!  It’s an absolute blast to create and chat with all these nifty folks.  Register online at www.campmennoscah.org or call us at 620-297-3290.  It’s a great way to relax, be crafty, and enjoy new and long-time friends!

7.  Think of this as a teaser trailer.  Camp Mennoscah will have a booth at Bethel College’s Fall Festival on October 1.  Details are not yet available, but we’re definitely sure that it will be amazing and exciting and something to put on your calendar.  We’ll be there decked out in our Camp Mennoscah garb.  Stop by and say howdy!
Mennonite Church Announcements

  1. MennoTalks at Orlando 2017: Not quite TED, and not exactly Pecha Kucha, MennoTalks will explore a different topic each day, featuring seven speakers from diverse perspectives.  We’ll hear about celebrating women (the 100-year anniversary of Mennonite Women USA); race, religion and justice; and global and local peacemaking.  The 20×20 presentation format – 20 slides for 20 seconds each – facilitates presentations that are dynamic, fast-paced and concise.  If you would like to be considered for MennoTalks, complete the form on this webpage (convention.mennoniteusa.org/mennotalks/) and submit a 2-3 minute video (YouTube preferred) of your presentation by October 1, 2016.  Submissions without video will not be considered. 

  2. Kairos Palestine webinar with Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac October 13 – Want to learn more about Palestinian Christians? Curious to hear what Kairos Palestine is all about? Join us for a webinar on Thursday, October 13 at 12pm EST to meet and learn from Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, Academic Dean at Bethlehem Bible College. Rev. Munther also serves as one of the pastors at Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem and director of the influential Christ at the Checkpoint conference. If you’ve been on a learning tour to Palestine and Israel, you may have heard him speak about a Palestinian Christian response to Christian Zionism. Rev. Munther is also the author of From Land to Lands, from Eden to the Renewed Earth: A Christ-Centered Biblical Theology of the Promised Land. Munther will speak about the Kairos Palestine document, the experience of Christians in Palestine, and what the Palestinian church hopes for from international church bodies such as Mennonite Church USA. Please join us, and invite your friends and congregants as well! Please click here to RSVP online.
  1. AMBS webinar – “Congregational Leadership and Ministry in the Face of Sexual Abuse” – Moderated by David B. Miller, DMin, with Nancy Kauffmann and Regina Shands Stoltzfus, members of the Mennonite Church USA Panel on Sexual Abuse Prevention, Thursday, September 15, 2:00-3:30 pm EDT. More info and register at: https://www.ambs.edu/churchleadershipcenter/Webinars.cfm

Western District Conference

2517 North Main, PO Box 306

North Newton KS  67117

316-283-6300; FAX:  316-283-0620

Email:  wdc@mennowdc.org

Website:  www.mennowdc.org