April 5, 2009 – Opportunities of the Week

“Praise the Lord. Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.” (Psalm 149:1)

Let’s Grow Our Faith as we head toward Easter. Will our amaryllis bulb bloom for Easter? There is always hope! Hope for the best and the preparation for discouragement seem to go together. The week from Palm Sunday to Easter was an emotional rollercoaster. It began with great hope and joy as Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem. The week continued through the Upper Room, to the Garden of Gethsemane, to Jesus’ trial, to the cross, the tomb … and wonderfully to the resurrection. Our faith grows, through good and bad times, when we maintain a close relationship with God and with other followers of Jesus.

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.

WORSHIP AND MUSIC OPPORTUNITIES

APRIL 5 WORSHIP SERVICE, 10:30 am. Pastor Steve will preach on “The Communion of The Saints” based on Acts 2:42-47. We will celebrate holy communion and foot washing.

X-TREME WORSHIP is Tuesday, April 7. Audible Truth will lead in worship and Merv Stoltzfus, Youth Minister for the Atlantic Coast Conference, will speak.

GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE, April 10, 7:00 pm. Join us as we gather to reflect on the seven words (phrases) of Jesus from the Cross.

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; 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.

“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

There will be a BIBLE VERSE MEMORY REWARD LUNCHEON on Sunday, April 5 at 12:00 noon for Sunday School children who completed the requirements of the program.

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.

YOUTH MININSTRY OPPORTUNITIES

BIBLE QUIZZING ended last weekend with the Ohio Invitational Tournament in Archbold, Ohio. Dillon King and Denver Grof quizzed out once, and Abbie Weaver quizzed out in 4 matches. We thank 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. This week the youth will have a service project at Pastor Steve’s home.

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

RENEWAL SERVICES will be held in September. Pray for renewal at Maple Grove.

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 will be closed for Easter Break, April 9 – 14. Classes will resume on April 15.

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.

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]