[amc] AMC Update 2014Oct14
- From: Austin Mennonite <austinmennonite@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "amc@freelists org" <amc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 18:10:47 -0500
Last Friday Terri and I drove to Newton, Kansas where I attended a six
hour meeting of the Western District Conference Discernment Task Force on
Saturday. We met with WDC leadership to plan for the Nov 15 Reference
Council gathering. The Reference Council, all the committees and leaders
of WDC, meets twice a year and gives helpful feedback to the life and
direction of the conference. The task force will lead a discussion at the
Reference Council relating to how to process a pending resolution
<http://mennowdc.org/conference-life/annual-assembly/#2014> from Rainbow
Mennonite Church, Kansas City. The resolution reads:
“that pastors, in consultation with their congregations, consistent with
Mennonite polity, and without fear of censure, may officiate or refuse to
officiate ceremonies that consecrate before God monogamous, life-long
unions, regardless of the sexual orientation of those being united.”
This resolution and other related events across Mennonite Church USA
<http://www.mennoniteusa.org/> have caught the polarities of the church.
Some are adamantly opposed to the church accepting sexual minorities, some
are equally passionate about being inclusive. Congregations have left the
denomination and others are threatening to leave. Area conferences are
reconsidering affiliation. Denominational leadership is strategizing about
what kind of polity recommendations to bring to the denominational
convention next summer in Kansas City, June 30-July 5, 2015. It should be
interesting to be a delegate to the convention.
On the way to Newton we stopped and spent a little time with our daughter
who lives in Wichita, Kansas. We stayed a night with Jim and Judy Schrag.
We took our jackets along! Terri and I enjoyed conversation and times of
silence as we rolled along Interstate 35. There were hints of the fall
season in the tinge of color on trees and across the grasslands. I had
forgotten the beauty of winter wheat in the fall and was renewed by the
vivid green blankets of young wheat plants emerging from the dark soil.
I was a little surprised by a Saturday evening call from Master Burglar
Alarm telling me about a fire alarm triggered at the church. We were in
Norman, Oklahoma. It made me wonder a bit about the CDC benefit concert
happening at the time. A couple of phone calls later I received assurance
that all was well. Evidently someone was trying to tap a tune on the alarm
keypad at the church and triggered a call to the fire department. The fire
station is just a couple of blocks from the church and they got there
quick, lights and all!
__________________________________________________________________________________________
*Calendar:*
- *Oct 16, THU, 7p - *Women's Group meets a Janice Friesen's, 1011 Olive
Street.
- *Oct 18, SAT, 8am-Noon *- AMC workday.
- *Oct 19, SUN, 9:30a/11a/Noon* - Sunday school, worship, young adult
pasta lunch at De Jong's.
- *Oct 24, FRI, 7p* – Menno Night. *Waging Peace: Muslim and Christian
Alternatives, a documentary about overcoming mistrust, hatred and violence.*
A look at the history of peacemaking in both Christian and Muslim
traditions, plus stories of how these faith groups work for peace.
Conversation with Muslim neighbors. Sheikh Islam -
http://www.namcc.org/about/imam/ - has agreed to attend. Dessert.
- *Oct 25, **SAT**, 9a* – Coordinating Council.
- *Oct 26, **SUN**, 6:30p – *Men’s group.
- *Nov 8, **SAT** - *Texas Mennonite Relief Sale Houston
http://www.texasreliefsale.org/houston.php. This event is a fundraiser
for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), a worldwide relief, development
and peacemaking organization.
________________________________________________________________
Please take time to pray:
- Peace in many places - in our own lives, with families, within the
church, among the nations of the earth.
- All impacted by the ebola virus.
- George recovering at home after a mild heart attack.
- Victoria Everet and her daughter Savana, settling into life in Texas
after moving here from Idaho a couple of months ago.
Peace,
*Lee Lever, Pastor*
*Austin Mennonite Church*
AustinMennonite.org
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