March 15, 2009 – Opportunities of the Week

“My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

We are Growing Our Faith as we head toward Easter. Our Amaryllis bulb isn’t doing very well. If it doesn’t grow or bloom, we’ll be a little sad. The more important question is, “How is your faith growing? If it doesn’t grow or bloom, it will be tragic. We plant the bulb of our faith when we make a commitment to Jesus. Our faith grows as we rely on God for daily nourishment. We need to trust that God is with us, even when things aren’t going well in our lives.
As we head toward Easter, you are invited you to walk with Jesus through the desert. Lent, the period leading up to Easter, commemorates the 40 days Jesus fasted in the desert and was tempted by the devil. The devil took Jesus to the highest point of the temple mount and dared him to jump, trusting that God would save him (Mt 4:5-6). The devil even quoted Scripture. Jesus could have jumped, but he didn’t want to give in to Satan’s challenge. Jesus chose to trust that God the Father was with him, without proving his presence. “Do not put the Lord your God to the test” (Mt 4:7). Do you trust in God’s presence at all times? Even during difficult moments?

CHILD DEDICATION
Children are a gift from the Lord. Mary and Joseph presented the infant Jesus to the Lord at the Temple (Luke 2:22). Children came to Jesus for prayer and a blessing. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:13-14). We continue to bring our children to the Lord.
On March 15 Matthew & Laura Ressler bring AUBREY LOUISE RESSLER and KAYLIE SUE RESSLER to present them to the Lord. In doing so, the parents, family and our congregation promise to do all they can to nurture Aubrey and Kaylie in the Christian faith.

CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
There will be a Congregational Meeting on Wednesday, March 25 at 7:00 pm. The Leadership Team continues to meet with Sunday School classes about church concerns, passionate spirituality and an associate pastor. Leadership will have a report of the findings from these meetings at this congregational meeting.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES

‘Money Talks” is a 5-week Sunday School elective that began on March 1. Each class is an independent unit. You can view a preview trailer on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NhpvGyJ6tE&feature=related, and episode 2 at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS1Fx8sLtdE.

FAMILY LIFE OPPORTUNITIES

The MEN’S RETREAT is March 27-29 at the Ponderosa Lodge. Larry Constable will be the speaker. Sign-up now!

A FAMILY LIFE CONFERENCE will be held on Sunday, May 3. Gerald and Marlene Kauffman will be our speakers. They are the authors of “Monday Marriage.”

YOUTH MININSTRY OPPORTUNITIES

BIBLE QUIZZING continues. This week (Mar 15) the competition for our team is at Lancaster Mennonite School at 6:30 pm. Come cheer on our teams! Jeff & Rhonda Stoltzfus and Erin Metzler are coaches. Last week (3/8) Taylor Fritz quizzed out. Get all the information at www.accquizzing.org.

MYF (Mennonite Youth Fellowship) meets on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 pm. This is a time of fun and spiritual growth for youth in grades 9 to 12.

Xtreme Worship on Tuesday, April 7 at 7:00 pm. Music by Audible Truth; message by a special guest.

FINANCE ANNOUNCEMENTS

“Money Talks” is a 5 week Sunday School elective, every Sunday in March, sponsored by the Finance Commission.

EVANGELISM AND SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

PENNY POWER is here. Bud Eby’s class is taking charge of Penny Power this year. There are two bottles in the foyer for your pennies. These will be taken to the MCC Relief Sale in April for projects of peace, relief and development. Go to www.pennypower.org for more information.

WORSHIP & MUSIC OPPORTUNITIES

“Music in the Meadow” will be held in July. The date is still being worked on. Your help is needed for this fun and inspirational event. The next organizational meeting is April 26. Contact Ken Umble for more information.

WOMEN’S MINISTRIES OPPORTUNITIES

PRECEPTS FOR WOMEN
A 3 week study on the Book of Titus will be held on Wednesday mornings (9:15 to 11:30 am) on March 18, 25 and April 1st. Titus will teach us how to develop character and integrity in the midst of a society which has lost respect for God. Childcare will be provided.

The Ladies Bible Study meets on the first and third Mondays of each month. They are meeting at the home of Sue Eby.

MAPLE GROVE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION YEAR 1909-2009
Reserve Sunday, August 16 for our Centennial Celebration. The 100th Anniversary Committee will meet on Sunday, April 19 at 12:00 noon. Anyone interested is invited to come and participate.

100 YEARS AGO, according to Joseph Kennel’s account, Edwin Walton was contracted to build the foundation wall. On Wednesday, March 17, 1909 the foundation was completed, 56 feet long and 40 feet wide. The mason work cost $117.15.

75 YEARS AGO on Sunday, March 18, 1934 M.S. Stoltzfus preached on 1 Samuel 21:8, the last clause” Because the King’s business requireth haste.” Joseph Kennel’s notes from the sermon stated, “When you know God’s will concerning you, do not delay doing it.” Leroy G. Lapp and Anna Mary Kauffman were married on March 3.

50 YEARS AGO on Sunday, march 15, 1959 Dwight Weibe spoke on “Christ, the Cross, in this 20th Century.” On Saturday, March 21 the youth watched the film “Contrary Winds” in Abner’s recreation room. The Youth Project Committee decided to plant one acre of tomatoes at Paul King’s that summer.

MAPLE GROVE PRESCHOOL
Registration for the 2009-2010 school year is open. Check out www.maplegrovepreschool.org for more information.

The Preschool is sponsoring a Joe Corbi Fundraiser. Pizza, Cookie dough, Calzones, and many other delicious items are for sale. Orders need to be in by April 3. Call the Preschool Office for more information.

MISCELLANEOUS

CD recordings of our Sunday morning worship services are available from the church office. MP3 downloads of the services are also available; give Chuck White your e-mail address and the date(s) of the services you want and he will send them to you.

Recycle Christian Literature
During the month of March a box is in the foyer (next to the mailboxes) for our Christian reading and study materials. These will be distributed to other English speaking countries.

DELEGATES TO MCUSA ARE NEEDED
Maple Grove is looking for delegates willing to attend The Mennonite Church USA Convention, June 30 to July 5 in Columbus, OH. Our church is allowed 3 delegates and we may be able to help with expenses. Delegates need to be registered by April 1. See www.mennoniteusa.org for more information. Contact Pastor Steve if you are willing to consider participating at the convention.

THE WIDER BODY OF CHRIST
(See the bulletin board in the foyer for more information and additional announcements)

The Parkesburg Point will hold its 3rd Annual Fundraising Banquet on Saturday, March 21, 5:00 to 8:30 pm, at West Fallowfield Christian School. See Laura Demastus or Dan Bruner for tickets or more information. Check it out at http://theparkesburgpoint.com/.

Bridge of Hope Lancaster & Chester Counties invites you to its 10th Chester County Garden Luncheon with award-winning author Jane Kirkland, Chester Springs, talking on “Backyard Sanctuaries for Birds and Butterflies.” This event, held at The Desmond Great Valley Hotel, Malvern, on Saturday, March 21, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., helps homeless families build better futures. To make reservations, call 610-380-1360 or visit www.bridgeofhopelcc.org.

[please contact Pastor Steve Crane, pastorscrane@epix.net, if you see anything that needs to be corrected on this page]