WESTERN DISTRICT CONFERENCE

SPROUTS

September 8, 2020

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)

We invite your continuing support for WDC! Contributions may be made HERE.

IN THIS ISSUE:

*Ministry openings

*Pastoral news & transitions

*Announcements

Ministry Openings

Turpin Mennonite Church, OK – Pastor

WDC Associate Conference Minister (Texas-Based)

News and Transitions

Our sympathy to Moses Mast, retired WDC pastor, upon the death of his wife, Sadie Mast on August 22 in Oklahoma.

WDC announcements

  1. WDC Church offices:  In an effort to distribute WDC Sproutsmore widely, we ask that this issue be forwarded to all members in your congregation.  Anyone can sign up for a free email subscription to WDC Sprouts here:  https://mennowdc.org/email-sign-up-form/. 
  1. The WDC GardenSeptember/October/November 2020 issue is now available for viewing at: https://mennowdc.org/wdc-garden-september-october-november-2020/.  Learn about WDC connections and collaboration during this time of Covid-19, hear reflections on the first-ever virtual Assembly, read a testimony about how the WDC Hope Fund blessed a church, and more!
  1. Youth Ministry Conversation:  Do you work with youth in your congregation?  Put 4 pm on Sunday, September 20 on your calendar for a Zoom conversation on doing Youth Group/Mennonite Youth Fellowship in the time of Covid.  We’ll have some input from some youth pastors of things that seem to work for them; we’ll give everyone a chance to share their best ideas; and we’ll talk a little about Safe Sanctuaries in these different times.  We even hope to have snacks!   For any questions or for information to join the Zoom meeting, email dwightr@mennowdc.org.  –Dwight Regier, Youth Ministry Network Team Leader
  1. WDC Credentialed Persons:  Your Mennonite Church USA credential record, which includes your personal contact and congregational information, ministry history and continuing education, is kept up to date by WDC.  Contact us (wdc@mennowdc.org, 316-283-6300) with updates to any of these items as they occur.
  1. From the WDC Historical Committee: Anabaptist History Today, a collaborative storytelling web site, invites individuals, congregations, schools and organizations to tell their stories of living during the remarkable historical, biological and social events of 2020. Contributors may share their experiences through a variety of media, including videos, audio recordings, photos, journal entries, artwork, poetry and personal reflections. An online form guides contributors through the process. Created by Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) Archives and Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, AHT is the first large-scale, collaborative digital project of its kind in the Anabaptist community. The Mennonite Library and Archives at Bethel College is one of 16 participating Anabaptist archives and history organizations.  Please visit the web site to learn more. https://aht.libraryhost.com/s/archive/page/Welcome
  1. Office space availablefor rent in WDC’s building on North Main in North Newton, KS.   Contact John at:  316-258-5389.

Camp Mennoscah announcements

  1. A few openings for Scrapbook and Crafts Retreats!  Camp Mennoscah’s retreats with limited numbers are October 30-Nov. 1 and Nov. 6-8.  Participants will stay in the Retreat Center with their own bathroom and scrapbook/crafts tables will be set up in the dining hall to provide more space and better ventilation.  Register at campmennoscah.org!  Call 620-297-3290 for more information.
  1. Camp Mennoscah’s annual meeting is September 27.  Details regarding the meeting will be shared as soon as possible.
  1. The weather is great!  Where are you?  Camp Mennoscah’s facilities are open to guests/groups for overnight stays and day visits.  Spend time on the trails, go canoeing, have a campfire cookout, and enjoy the open spaces of the tallgrass prairie and the Ninnescah River!  Contact Camp Mennoscah at 620-297-3290 to make a reservation and to inquire about use of facilities.  We can’t wait to see you!

Mennonite church announcements

  1. Curious about church planting or re-planting? Join the next Sent Network cohort and learn how to explore, equip, and be sent to spread the word of God! Visit MennoniteMission.net/SentNetworkto learn more and save your spot! The new cohort begins Sept. 21.
  2. During September, Mennonite Church USA invites you to focus your attention on what it means to offer hospitality to immigrants by engaging in its new “Learn, Pray, Join” initiative – Immigration Justice: Radical Hospitality. https://www.mennoniteusa.org/immigration/
  3. Join Mennonites across Mennonite Church USA in a “Common Read,” a shared reading experiencefocused on specific books written to nurture Christian faith in this cultural moment. Signs of Life: Resurrecting Hope Out of Ordinary Losses by Stephanie Lobdell is the Common Read book chosen for September. Learn more: https://www.mennoniteusa.org/news/common-read/
  4. MenoTicias is a new Spanish-language digital newsletterof MC USA and Hispanic Ministries of Mennonite Education Agency, formerly Meno Acontecer, launching this month. Subscribe: http://eepurl.com/hb2FGT
  5. Please pray for the Executive Board of Mennonite Church USAwho are meeting virtually on September 11 and 12.
  6. Have you ever wished you could participate in the KIPCOR Film Series at Bethel College(KIPCOR is the Kansas Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution), but live at a distance? Well, this fall you can, at least for the first film. On Sunday, Sept. 13, 2 p.m., KIPCOR will screen Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot — a 40-minute documentary about courageous students, teachers and activists who fought a nonviolent battle to win voting rights for African Americans in the South — and host a talk-back session with Larry Burks Sr., president of the Wichita branch of the NAACP— all via Zoom. See attached poster. In order to get the Zoom link, you must register at  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdlM5YgCTFf7_7RPl5o7vdN_t50STw4TZ4KV2eZ9aLK2O26MA/viewform?embedded=true (or go to kipcor.org, click the Film Series link and scroll down to the REGISTER HERE button).

WDC Sprouts announcement guidelines:  Announcements pertain to Western District Conference (WDC) ministries and churches, institutions with which WDC has formal relationships, and Mennonite Church USA agencies and ministries.  

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