“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Jesus, Revelation 3:20)
We continue to be challenged to Grow Our Faith as we head toward Easter. Our Amaryllis bulb is growing; there is a bud! Will it bloom? How about our faith? It’s great to see signs of growth. Do you ever encourage others to grow in their relationship with God? Our relationship with others can help our faith grow our faith in God.
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. We give God the thanks for the growth we see, realizing it’s nothing we have done. Finally, we need to encourage each other as we see their faith growing.
APRIL 5 IS COMMUNION
Communion is a time to renew our commitment to love God and love others. We remember and receive the symbols of Jesus’ death to help renew our spiritual lives and we wash each other’s feet because Jesus washed his disciples and as a reminder that we are called to a humble community of faith.
How can you prepare your hearts and minds? The scripture tells us that we should receive communion in a worthy manner and each person should “examine himself” (1 Cor 11:27-28).
* Spend some time each day this week reading Scripture, praying and evaluating your life.
* Ask forgiveness for the things you thought and did, that offended God.
* If you have offended or hurt another person, seek them out and ask forgiveness and offer to make it good.
CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
Our quarterly congregational meeting was held on Wednesday, March 25. CD recordings or MP3 downloads of the meeting are available from the church secretary.
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. This week is the final episode.
FAMILY LIFE OPPORTUNITIES
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 to place your order. Proceeds from the sale are for the July trip to the Youth Convention.
BIBLE QUIZZING ends this weekend with the invitational tournament in Archbold, Ohio. The regional tournament was at Lancaster Mennonite School last weekend. Abbie Weaver, Taylor Fritz, Denver Groff and Kaitlyn Nafziger all “quizzed out.” Abbie Weaver was recognized as being among the top quizzers of the ACC. Jeff & Rhonda Stoltzfus and Erin Metzler are coaches. 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 for projects of peace, relief and development. Go to www.pennypower.org for more information about Penny Power and to http://www.pareliefsale.org/ for info about the Relief Sale.
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 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]
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