[amc] FW: A Postcard and a Prayer from Mennonite Women USA
- From: Lee Lever <leelever@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: AustinMC freelists <amc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 14 May 2013 16:14:37 -0500
Nancy Halder, Parnell, Iowa, is a member and teacher at First Mennonite in Iowa
City. She is also a part-time seminary (AMBS) student, and an educator with
Iowa County Parents as Teachers. Compassionate God of women in all places and
ages,
We give thanks for the women who birth us biologically and spiritually.
We remember those mothers who struggle to nourish their babies
to provide food for their toddlers to keep their
children safeand ask that You through us bring shelter from the storms into
their
physical and spiritual bodies.
Your holy scriptures name You, God, as A Mother eagle
A Woman in labor An attentive Mother A mother
Bear protecting her cubs A Hen gathering her chicks
A Woman searching what is lost Wisdomand we relish those
images of women who look just like us.
Nurture us, support us, and empower us to live Spirit-filled lives.
Amen.
Lee Lever
Date: Tue, 14 May 2013 13:32:05 -0400
From: bernik@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: leelever@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: A Postcard and a Prayer from Mennonite Women USA
May
2013
Mennonite Women USA
A Postcard and a Prayer
'Tis springtime
'Tis springtime,'Tis springtime
Cold winter is past
Warm breezes are blowing
And May's here at last.
The birds are returning,
Their songs fill the air,
And meadows are smiling
With blossoms so fair.
(Anonymous)
From the hands of your earth
And the lap of your sky,
your gifts are poured on us each day.
Your arms surround us with your care;
accept our love and thanks we pray.
Amen, amen, amen. HWB #97
In This Issue
In TimbrelTimbrel Sister Question I am a Mennonite WomanMWUSA at
Phoenix 2013Mennonite Women mediaSister Care Seminar in MexicoUpcoming Sister
Care SeminarsRhoda's visitsGive to Mennonite Women USA Honoring and
RememberingChatter, Chow and Cheerful ServiceFranconia women's gathering:
Beauty for brokennessLorraine Eby, The Kitchen Table Our Untold Stories by
Rachel HalderCompassionate God of Women
In Timbrel- Hands
Help welcome the newest board member, Hyacinth Stevens, Bronx, NY. She comes
to Mennonite Women USA through the African American Mennonite Association. She
was a pastor's kid and is now a pastor herself in addition to raising 4
children. Find out her favorite Bible verse--the one that helps her listen to
God's plan for her life.
More coverage of Hyacinth is in the spring 2013 issue of Timbrel.
Timbrel Sister Question
The summer issue of Timbrel focuses on "Hands." Continue the conversation on
Facebook by posting your response to this question.
Have you ever experienced the gut-wrenching reality of how much you rely on
your hands? Ever broken a finger or wrist? Burned a palm or lost a nail? How
has that experience made you appreciate your hands and all they do?
"I am a Mennonite Woman" tee shirt
At the Mennonite Women USA booth at Mennonite Church USA Convention in
Phoenix, AZ July 1-6, you will have an opportunity to subscribe to Timbrel and
get an "I am a Mennonite Woman" tee shirt.
A tee shirt quilt, made by Marie Harnish, MWUSA board secretary, will be
raffled throughout the week and the winner will be announced Friday noon.
Tee shirts, Timbrel, quilt and more will be available at the MW booth!
Phoenix 2013
Mennonite Church USA Convention will be held in Phoenix, AZ July 1-6.
Mennonite Women USA invites you to stop by our booth, say hello, meet the
staff, and learn more about the organization.
Register for the dinner as soon as possible because seating is limited to
200. In addition to a lovely dinner, you will hear from the MW USA staff,
board chair, guest speakers Jennifer Davis Sensenig (top right) and Carolyn
Heggen (lower right), and musician Mariell (left).
Can't wait to see you in Phoenix.
Mennonite Women media
Gift a woman you admire with a subscription to Timbrel.
It is a simple, eloquent gift...better than a trinket to gather dust on a
shelf...better than a card written by Hallmark.
Plus Timbrel is a gift that continues to give--it keeps arriving faithfully in
the mailbox and holds cherished words, reflections and challenges from
Mennonite women around the world.
To subscribe to Timbrel, send $15 for one year or $13 per person for a group of
10 or more to Mennonite Women USA, 718 N Main St., Newton, KS 67114. You can
also email or call 866.866.2872, ext. 34396. We'll start your subscription and
send you a bill.
Swipe your iPads, flip open your laptops, charge up your smart phones, because
Mennonite Women USA can be found on all your favorite social media apps and
websites.
Check out why to like us, follow us, watch us, pin us:
for pictures, updates, conversations and who's who
for relevant tweets about trending topics for women and updates
for videos from Sister Care seminars, interviews, and music
for theme-related boards, world's women, women in art and more
Visit our website mwusa.org to meet the staff and learn about our ministries.
Sister Care in California and Ohio
Sister Care in April traveled to the beautiful Oak Glen Retreat Center in
Yucaipa, California and to First Mennonite Church in Bluffton, Ohio. In
California the seminar brought together women from Reedley, Los Angeles, and
Phoenix. A Belizean worship dance concluded the seminar.
"This is life giving work that will have untold impact on women - perhaps
even for generations to come," commented one participant of the Ohio Sister
Care, Bluffton, Ohio. Women from both Central District and Ohio Conferences
were in attendance. Another woman commented, "I will use the ideas as a guide
to helping me define my life in the next decade."
Upcoming Sister Care Seminars
Sister Care: Equipping Women for Caring Ministry
seminars validate women's gifts of caring and equip them to respond more
effectively and confidently to the needs of others in their lives and in the
congregation. Included in the seminar is a 64 page manual integrating biblical
truths with life experience and skills for caring and listening. Presenters:
Carolyn Heggen and Rhoda Keener.
Mexico May 24-24, 2013
Chihuahua, Mexico
(Pray for Ofelia Garcia and Olga Piedrasanta who will be leading
the Sister Care seminar. Linda Shelly from Mennonite Mission Network will
attend.)
Colombia August 7-10, 2013
Bogota, Colombia
(led by Carolyn Heggen and Elizabeth Soto Albrecht)
Fall Sister Care seminars will be held in
Colorado Springs, Co., New York City area, Johnstown, Pa. and Lancaster, Pa.
For more information or to register, check our website or contact the office.
See the complete list of upcoming seminars on our website. For information on
how to register, or to schedule a Sister Care seminar in your area, contact the
Mennonite Women USA office.
Friends in California and Ohio
While in California for the Sister Care seminar Rhoda Keener visited with
Ruby Brenneman from Ventura, California who lives near the Pacific Ocean. In
Reedley she met with women from First Mennonite. Four of the women are pictured
here: Louise Auernheimer, Bernice Isaak, Corinna Ruth and Lillian Dueck.
During her time with Sister Care in Ohio, Rhoda visited with women from the
Columbus Mennonite Church. "It's such a blessing to meet with women from around
the country," Rhoda says. "I'm thankful for the ways these women are making a
difference in their churches and communities."
Give to Mennonite Women USA
Thank you for the many contributions in response to our fall appeal.
Mennonite Women USA's ministries are possible through your generous donations.
Contribute online. Make a pledge on our website. Or mail your contribution to
the office at Mennonite Women USA, 718 N Main St., Newton, KS 67114-1819.
Please consider this ministry in your giving. Gifts are tax deductible.
Honoring and Remembering
Mennonite Women USA invites persons to share financially to support this
ministry. Individuals are invited to give in honor of, or in remembrance of,
significant people in their lives. We recognize that each gift honors or
remembers a relationship.
Gifts given by:
Marian Egli in memory of Grace Wenger and Ann Gingrich.
Elizabeth Goering in memory of Ruby Maria Schonewise Claassen.
Naomi Bontrager in memory of Ruth Hartman.
Susan Godshall in memory of Etta Weaver.
Esther Nafziger in memory of Leah Brubacher.
Gifts given by:
Phyllis Baumgartner in honor of Barbra, Jean, Joyce, Naomi and Tanya.
Chatter, Chow, and Cheerful Service
Women of all ages together gathered at the Mennonite Central Committee's
Material Resource Center, Ephrata, PA on Saturday, May 4. Twenty-three
congregations from Atlantic Coast and Lancaster Mennonite Conferences were
represented. A variety of service activities were offered including packing
relief supplies, processing recycle-able materials, quilting, and knotting
comforters. The morning work was followed by a community meal as each
participant contributed to the two large pots of soup.
Beyond contributing to global needs, folks were blessed by this community
fellowship and by networking one with another.
- Reported by Joanne Hess Siegrist, Bird In Hand PA
Franconia Conference women's gathering
An exciting opportunity to gather together as women is being planned for
Saturday, June 1st. "Beauty for Brokenness: Growing toward Wholeness" will be
presented at Salford Mennonite Church from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Find out more.
Kitchen Table
by Lorraine Eby
Franklin Conference
Burning Bush, May 2013
Almost every day I am reminded that I do certain things a specific way because
that is the way my mother taught me. Knowing there are others who learned from
their mother, I invited several women representing different generations to
share a learning story. Here are their stories.
Read more.
Used by permission of the Burning Bush, Franklin Conference newsletter.
From The Mennonite
Our stories untold
Uncovering sexualized violence in the Mennonite church
by Rachel Halder
Before I clicked the enter button of my public Facebook status, questions
plagued my mind: Was I really ready to talk about sex in a public space? Was I
prepared to delve into the dirty, murky waters of sexualized violence and abuse
against women and men, claiming that these things actually exist in the
Mennonite church? Could I handle potential negative vitriol? Did I really want
my personal story to be so exposed?
Read more...
Compassionate God of Women
Nancy Halder, Parnell, Iowa, is a member and teacher at First Mennonite in
Iowa City. She is also a part-time seminary (AMBS) student, and an educator
with Iowa County Parents as Teachers.
Compassionate God of women in all places and ages,
We give thanks for the women who birth us biologically and spiritually.
We remember those mothers who struggle
to nourish their babies
to provide food for their toddlers
to keep their children safe
and ask that You through us bring shelter from the storms into their
physical and spiritual bodies.
Your holy scriptures name You, God, as
A Mother eagle
A Woman in labor
An attentive Mother
A mother Bear protecting her cubs
A Hen gathering her chicks
A Woman searching what is lost
Wisdom
and we relish those images of women who look just like us.
Nurture us, support us, and empower us to live Spirit-filled lives.
Amen.
A Postcard and a Prayer is compiled by Mennonite Women USA staff
Ruth Lapp Guengerich, Rhoda Keener, Claire DeBerg, Berni Kaufman and Lois
Loflin.
Know of others who would like to receive "A Postcard and a Prayer" e-mails from
Mennonite Women USA? Have them send name, address, and e-mail to Berni.
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