Notes to Pastors

Mennonite World Fellowship Sunday

On January 21, 1525, the first Anabaptist baptism took place in Zurich, Switzerland. For some years, our global faith family has observed World Fellowship Sunday on a Sunday close to January 21, usually the fourth Sunday in January, remembering our common roots and celebrating our worldwide koinonia. We invite you to join your brothers and sisters in five continental regions in marking World Fellowship Sunday on January 27, 2008.

Each year, Mennonites from different continental regions prepare material for this celebration. The theme chosen this year is “Worship and serve the Lord your God.”

Please visit the MWC home page (www.mwc-cmm.org) to find materials including suggestions for worship, prayer requests from around the world, a map, and sermon prompts. We hope these materials will help you plan World Fellowship Sunday in your own national conference and local churches and that they will provide a way of entering more fully into fellowship, intercession, and thanksgiving with and for your global faith family.

This is a reminder to RSVP for the Pastor Appreciation Breakfast at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School by Tuesday, November 27! The breakfast is scheduled for Tuesday, December 4 from 8 – 10 a.m., co-sponsored by the Eastern District and Franconia Conferences of Mennonite Church USA. RSVP by emailing office@mosaicmennonites.org or calling 215-723-5513.

Many in Franconia Conference remember Henry Paul and Mildred Yoder. Last week Mildred passed away following a short illness. There will be a memorial service for family and friends here in the East on Sunday, November 25 at Boyertown Mennonite Church at 4:00 p.m.

Prayers and Petitions: A Call for Advent Prayer and Action
From Susan Mark Landis, Mennonite Church USA peace advocate and Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach, director, MCC Washington Office

“Our hearts ache as we continue to long for peace. Whether you are reminded of this longing by listening to news of increasing violence in our world or the approaching Advent of Christ, let us join together in praying and acting for peace this Christmas. Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Central Committee Washington Office invite you to make visible your yearning for peace by joining with Mennonite Church USA congregations across the country, praying and petitioning for peace on Dec. 2, 2007.”

Visit www.MennoniteUSA.org/peace to find a letter with more complete information, a congregational litany, and a petition for peace between the United States and Iran.

Mennonite global missions expert, David W. Shenk, will be at a pastor’s luncheon at Camp Men-O-Lan on Wednesday, November 28 from 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. David will speak about Christians Sharing Faith with Muslim Neighbors. Please RSVP to Sheila Ruth at 215-679-5144, ext. 21 or email sruth@menolan.org. by Wednesday, November 21, if you plan to attend.

Pastors, the year 2008 is right around the corner! As you plan your preaching themes, consider participating along with the regional church of Southeastern Pa in 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting during Lent. The purpose of this initiative is to unite the church to deepen our love for God, for our neighbors and to elicit reform in the Church. For more information about the many ways your congregation can participate, contact Pastor Scott Landes or Sandy Landes, Prayer Coordinator, Franconia Mennonite Conference.

Conference Assembly Highlights DVD
A 3-5 minute DVD summary of this year’s Franconia Conference Assembly will be mailed to each congregation next week. You are encouraged to use this in a Sunday morning worship service with a brief report from a conference delegate.

Pastor Appreciation Breakfast
A Pastors Appreciation Breakfast is planned for Tuesday, December 4, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. held at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School. Chaplains, other active ministers, and spouses of each of the above are also invited to attend. This event is co-sponsored by the Eastern District and Franconia Conferences of Mennonite Church USA. Please reserve this date on your calendar. More information will be coming by mail.

Pastor Appreciation Breakfast
A Pastors Appreciation Breakfast is planned for Tuesday, December 4, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. held at Christopher Dock Mennonite High School. Chaplains, other active ministers, and spouses of each of the above are also invited to attend. This event is co-sponsored by the Eastern District and Franconia Conferences of Mennonite Church USA. Please reserve this date on your calendar. More information will be coming by mail.

40 Days of Prayer and Fasting
Franconia Mennonite Conference invites you and your congregation to join in a region-wide prayer and fasting event in early 2008. Churches from a variety of Christian denominations throughout southeastern PA will unite in Christ through 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting from Ash Wednesday (February 6) through Good Friday (March 21), 2008. The purpose of this region-wide 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting is for the Church of Jesus Christ in this region to unite together to:

* deepen our love for God
* deepen our love for our neighbors
* elicit reform in the Church and revival in our communities

An informational meeting for pastors and prayer leaders with Pastor Scott Landes of Frederick Mennonite Church; Pastor Curt Malizzi, Hopewell Fellowship, Telford; and Noel Santiago, Executive Minister, Franconia Mennonite Conference, about the 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting will be held on Thursday, November 1 from 8 – 10 a.m. at the Franconia Conference Center
(Continental breakfast and fellowship will be from 8-8:30 a.m.).

Please RSVP to Sandy Landes, Franconia Mennonite Conference Prayer Coordinator, by Monday, October 29, if you plan to attend. If unable to attend please indicate your interest in receiving more information about how you and your congregation can participate in the 40 Days of Prayer/Fasting.

Nazareth Village Fund Raising Project
Nazareth Village is a re-creation of a first-century Jewish village under Roman occupation – the kind of place where Jesus grew up and spent 90% of his life. It is just 500 yards from the family home of Jesus – in Nazareth, Israel. Shirley Roth, the Executive Director of Nazareth Village is inviting churches to hold fundraising events to help support this project by selling the gifts they offer from their store at the Village. The product line includes gifts made of olive wood and other items such as Christmas cards and books about that particular region.

A catalogue of items will be available shortly and will be placed in church mailboxes at the Conference Center. For more information or to express interest in hosting a sale, please contact Bob Moyer at 215-766-0827 or bobpax70@verizon.net, or Karen Burkholder at the Mennonite Conference Center.

New Cassette Tapes Available
Souderton Mennonite Church has a supply of new cassette tapes and boxes available for a church that could use them. Souderton Mennonite Church is now recording CD’s and would like to offer these items to a church/organization. If interested, contact Sylvia Derstine, Administrative Assistant at 215-723-3088 or churchoffice@soudertonmennonite.org.

Fall Tune-Up Adjusted for Saturday
Mennonite Publishing Network has adjusted offerings for the Fall Tune-Up event scheduled at Souderton Mennonite Church, on Saturday, September 29. Due to a lack of registrations, youth and adult education tracks have been cancelled. The children and worship tracks will continue as planned.

2007 Annual Peacebuilding Seminar
“My peace I leave with you… Christians and handgun violence,” a seminar on Saturday, October 6, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., at the Philadelphia Mennonite High School. Anabaptist pastors and leaders from greater Philadelphia region will meet for a day apart to pray, learn, and prepare for action to reduce handgun violence. MCC East Coast is sponsoring the workshop. The Kingdom Builders Anabaptist Network of Greater Philadelphia is cooperating with planning and organization. For information, contact Grant Rissler, MCC East Coast–grissler@mcc.org or 888-563-4676 x358; or Fred Kauffman, MCC Philly–jfk@mcc.org or 215 913-8742.

Worship Teams Needed
Worship teams from Franconia Conference churches are invited and encouraged to participate in 24-Hour Worship during Conference Assembly on November 9 and 10. Continuous worship begins at 6 pm on Friday and ends at 6 pm on Saturday. Teams who would like to be involved in this time of corporate praise can sign up for a two-hour time slot. Please contact Joyce Moyer by October 1, at 610-306-1898 or email joycemoy@gmail.com.

Have you checked out the Fall Tune-Up?Help the teachers and worship leaders in your congregation to be ready for a new season of teaching and leading. Download brochures for more information for the upcoming event at Souderton Mennonite Church on September 29.

40 Days of Prayer and Fasting
You are invited to a planning meeting with other pastors and prayer leaders on Tuesday, September 25, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Frederick Mennonite Church, 526 Colonial Road, just off Rte. 73, for a Regional (Southeastern PA) 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting to take place January/February 2008. What are ways the churches in this region can pray together to seek God’s heart? How can your church be a part of this? How does God want to build unity in the church? Come and join together with other pastors and prayer leaders as we seek God and plan for 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting 2008. For more information, contact Scott Landes, Pastor, Frederick Mennonite Church,  or Sandy Landes, Prayer Coordinator, Franconia Mennonite Conference.

Will you help encourage prayers for Mennonite education?
Some of you may be familiar with Mennonite Education Agency’s “Prayers for Faith and Learning.” We trust you will find these requests helpful in guiding your prayers for the 40-plus preschools, elementary and secondary schools, colleges, universities and seminaries with whom MEA works, for the Racial/Ethnic Leadership Education programs of Mennonite Church USA and for the agency itself.  MEA gathers these requests with the help of volunteer Galen Johns of Goshen, Ind. They are distributed by e-mail to education leaders and to a small list of subscriber congregations and individuals. We would like to expand that list.

Will you please forward this e-mail message to your congregations, or include an invitation to subscribe to “Prayers” in your newsletter? Anyone may do so at no cost via e-mail. Prayer requests are sent about 10 days before the beginning of each month in a ready-to-copy format. MEA also provides a suggested bulletin announcement for each Sunday. If a congregation wishes to use another prayer request in its bulletin, it should feel free to do so. We encourage congregations to provide copies of the full prayers in church mailboxes, include them on their web sites and use them in other creative ways.

Congregations (or anyone who has interest) may subscribe by sending a message to info@MennoniteEducation.org (suggested subject line: “Prayers subscription”). Please include the congregation’s name, address and contact person’s name in the message.