March 22, 2009 – Opportunities of the Week

“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness ….” (Matthew 6:33)

We continue to Grow Our Faith as we head toward Easter. Our Amaryllis bulb is showing a few signs of life. Will it make it? We hope so. More importantly, we need to ask if our faith shows a few signs of life.
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. Finally, we need to give God the glory for the growth we see.
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 up on a high mountain and tempted him with worldly power (Mt. 4:8-9). Jesus could have this if he bowed down and submitted himself to the devil.
Jesus could have ruled the world, but he didn’t want to worship Satan’s to do it. Jesus chose to give all his devotion to God the Father. “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only” (Mt 4:10). The world has a lot to offer: wealth, power, prestige. Do you give all of your devotion to God?

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. See Eric N or Nelson S to sign-up today!

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

The YOUTH MULCH SALE is underway. Triple ground premium mulch and black mulch is for sale by the youth group members. Delivery is Saturday, April 4. See a youth group member or Matt & Laura no later than March 25 to place your order. Proceeds from the sale are for the July trip to the Youth Convention.

BIBLE QUIZZING continues. The regular season ended last week (3/15); Abbie Weaver quizzed out. This week (Mar 22) is the regional tournament at Lancaster Mennonite School starting at 1:00 pm. Each team will quiz from 1 to 5 pm and the finals will follow. Come cheer on our teams! Jeff & Rhonda Stoltzfus and Erin Metzler are coaches. March 27 to 29 is the Tournament in Ohio. 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 Merv Stoltzfus, Conference Youth Minister.

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

The RED HAT / PINK HAT LADIES will meet on Friday, March 27, 6:00 pm at Naomi King’s. Participants need to bring a side dish, salad or dessert to share.

PRECEPTS FOR WOMEN
A 3 week study on the Book of Titus is 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 at 7:00 pm. They are meeting at the home of Sue Eby.

The SEWING CIRCLE is collecting for MCC Newborn Kits. 6000 of these kits were sent to Iraq for families displaced by the war. More kits are needed. Find more information and a list of items needed at http://www.mcc.org/kits/newborn/.

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.

There will be a 100TH ANNIVERSARY SUNDAY EVENING SERVICE on April 5 at 6:30 pm. Mike King will lead in singing and Elvin Kennel, Principal of West Fallowfield Christian School will speak about the joint history of Maple Grove and WFCS (complete with photos) and bring us up to date on the ministry of WFCS today. MG / SFCS alumni are invited to bring photos to share during a time of fellowship following the service.

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

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.

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.

The Church Secretary has organized a church photo directory. Photos will be taken June 8-10. Mark your calendars; more information will soon be available.

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