April 12, 2009 – Opportunities of the Week

HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY! (aka EASTER)

“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

We Grow Our Faith when we live every day as Easter Sunday. Did our amaryllis bulb bloom for Easter? Maybe it’s a late bloomer. More important than any flower is the growth of our faith in Jesus. Today we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. It is what we’ve been waiting for; it’s what the whole world has been waiting for. Jesus carried our sins on the cross and into the tomb. When he rose from the dead he proclaimed his victory over sin and death. Our faith in Jesus helps us to have victory over sin every day. The resurrection of Jesus helps us have confidence that we too will have victory over death when we join him in heaven. We are called to be resurrection people. Every day!

WORSHIP AND MUSIC OPPORTUNITIES

EASTER EARLY SERVICE, April 12, 8:00 am. Join us as we gather to reflect on the resurrection of our Lord. Chelsey King, Bret Davis, and Jesse Koehn will lead music; Morgan Umble will read and pray; Nicole Eby will bring the message. A brunch will follow from 8:30 to 9:15 am.

EASTER SUNDAY SERVICE, April 12, 10:30 am. Pastor Steve will preach on “A Demonstration of Love” based on Romans 5:1-8; 6:6-11.

X-TREME WORSHIP is Tuesday, May 5.

MAPLE GROVE CONCERT SERIES
Sunday, April 26, 6:30 pm – Zion’s Cry and In Harmony Vocal Band will be at Maple Grove.

“MUSIC IN THE MEADOW” will be held July 12. Your help is needed for this fun and inspirational event. The next organizational meeting is April 26. Contact Ken Umble for more information.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES

PARENTING YOUR TEENAGER is a Sunday School Elective that will begin in May. Watch for details.

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.” Copies will be available soon for purchase. A study guide for “Monday Marriage” is available at http://www.heraldpress.com/studygds/MondayMarriageSG.pdf.

“If we’re really serious about saving marriage we need to discover what we can do for our marriage, not what we can get from it. That means honoring our covenant by changing both our attitudes and our actions.”
—Gerald and Marlene Kaufman, Monday Marriage: Celebrating the Ordinary

YOUTH MININSTRY OPPORTUNITIES

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. This week the youth will have a service project the MCC Country Gift & Thrift Shop.

EVANGELISM AND SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

RELAY FOR LIFE is June 30. There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board. Walkers and sponsors are needed. See Tammie Bromley, Rana Watterson, or Amy Umble for more information.

RENEWAL SERVICES will be held September 20 - 23. Pray for renewal at Maple Grove.

PENNY POWER collected $724.26 from Maple Grove. The over 40 age group collected the most ($500.02). In total over $50k was collected at the MCC Relief Sale for relief projects around the world.

WOMEN’S MINISTRIES OPPORTUNITIES

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 PRESCHOOL

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

The Preschool is closed for Easter Break, April 9 – 14. Classes will resume on April 15.

IDENT-A-KID cards will be available at the preschool on April 15 & 16. This is an ID card for your child, like the ones provided by the public schools. Cost is $7 per card. See www.ident-a-kid.com for a complete description.

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.

THE WIDER BODY OF CHRIST
(More information for most of these items is available on the bulletin board in the foyer)

12TH ANNUAL “MESSIAH” SING-A-LONG
Friday, April 17, 7:00 pm at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2151 Oregon Pike (Rt. 272), Lancaster, PA. Get more information at www.messiahsingalong.com.

GOOD WORKS MINISTRY
As Good Works begins its 21st year of repairing homes in Coatesville, they have never forgotten and are always joyful of God's faithful provisions for this ministry. They have had the privilege of serving many homeowners who have needed repairs on their homes, but did not have the finances to make them. In these hard economic times, they want to make homeowners in the community aware of Good Works and the help that is available. If you know any homeowners who need assistance, please ask them to contact the Good Works office at 610-383-6311 to request an application.

GOOD WORKS Application Coordinator Position available
Position Summary: Coordinate and manage the homeowner application process, maintain the Web site, provide and coordinate technical assistance, and assist with promotional materials. If you are interested in applying for this position, please mail your resume and references to: Good Works, Inc., P.O. Box 1441, Coatesville, PA 19320, Or fax it to: 610-380-9795, Or email it to: office@goodworksinc.org.

TEL HAI will hold “A Day in the Country” on Saturday, May 9 at the Retirement Community, from 12 noon to 4 pm. Events will include food, pie auction, campus tours. See Dorothy King for more information.

TEL HAI CAMP will have a Spring Celebration at Shady Maple Banquet on April 20 at 6:30 pm. Call 610-273-3969 for more information or to register.

MISCELLANEOUS

CD recordings of our Sunday morning worship services, evening services, and congregational meetings 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.

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]