Bulletin notes
Sunday, May 5 2024
If you have a bulletin announcement to share, email a succinct blurb to [email protected] by Wednesdays at noon.
Virginia Mennonite Conference
Employment. Virginia Conference is looking for an Administrative Assistant and Event Planner (0.5 FTE). The position is temporary (April-Aug 2024) with the potential to be permanent. Click the link for the job description. Email cover letter and resume to [email protected].
Updated! Early Registration open is open! Living Stones: 2024 Summer Delegate Assembly will be held at Harrisonburg Mennonite Church July 18-20. virginiaconference.org/events
Men’s Breakfast and Bible Study Join for fellowship, bible study, and worship Tuesday mornings at Park View Mennonite Church. Breakfast 6:45am, study 7:00am. Livestream of the event is available here.
Is your church “dementia friendly?” Join Valley Program for Aging Services (VPAS) for an informational session on beginning steps to make your congregation a safe and accessible place for those struggling with cognitive decline. Our session will be led by Joyce Nussbaum (member of Weavers Mennonite) who serves as VPAS’ Director of Senior Services. We will meet at Harrisonburg Mennonite Church in the Fellowship Hall, Wednesday May 22, 7:00-8:30. Questions call Carmen at 540/746-8845.
Opportunity for Parents and Caregivers
NEW! Conectere: Sharing faith and values with your children. Applications are now open through June 3 for Conectere cohorts, led by professors and graduate students at Eastern Mennonite University and Yale Divinity School. Starting this summer, parents and caregivers will meet monthly to strengthen secure relationships and grow in sharing faith with their children. Based on research that faith is best transmitted through secure relationships, Conectere is an attachment-based training program and peer learning opportunity to become more effective in sharing faith and values with children. Cohorts will meet in Harrisonburg, VA and online. Apply now or register your interest for a future session! https://emu.edu/seminary/shalom/conectere/interest-form
Mennonite Church USA
NEW! MC USA’s Climate Justice Ministry is hosting a webinar titled, “Faith, Food, Soil and Climate,” on Monday, May 13. 2024, at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. Five panelists will explore how growing and sharing food can provide nourishment for mind, body and spirit, while building healthy soils, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and creating more just and resilient communities. The webinar is part of MC USA’s current Learn, Pray, Join initiative, Climate Justice: Seeking Shalom. Register here: mennoniteusa.org/webinar/registration-climate-may13 View the PowerPoint slide here: mennoniteusa.org/slide/lpj-climate3 View the PDF here: mennoniteusa.org/pdf/lpj-climate3
Agencies
MAY 9TH HYMN SING FUNDRAISER for MCC Gazen internal refugees. Join us at Park View Mennonite Church’s sanctuary at 7 pm, under the direction of Dr. Benjamin Bergey, Musical Editor for Voices Together and an assistant professor of music at Eastern Mennonite University. Three anonymous donors are providing a dollar for dollar match up to $25,000. Organized by the Share Our Surplus committee of the Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale. Come ready to sing and to give!
NEW! Highland Celebration gathering on Saturday, May 18! Come for Highland Retreat’s largest gathering of the year, featuring a delicious lunch and an afternoon concert by The Walking Roots Band. Other special activities include guided hikes and bird watching, lots of fun games and challenges for kids, a new archery activity, and the first swim of the season in the Highland pool! Lunch, concert, and activities are by donation, and all donations support our summer camp ministry. Learn more and RSVP online at highlandretreat.org/celebration or by calling the Highland office at 540-705-0554.
UPDATED! The Shalom Collaboratory at Eastern Mennonite Seminary offers a variety of training programs for theologically informed conflict transformation skills. In these clinics, short courses, workshops, and webinars, participants learn how to implement an adaptive leadership approach to transform conflicts in the creative spirit of Godly imagination, incorporate strategies for trauma awareness and resilience into their ministry practices, and take up other practical approaches to the troubles our congregations routinely encounter. May 22, 2024 and June 13, 2024. https://emu.edu/seminary/training/
The Shenandoah Valley MDS unit has been investigating local projects. First is a house we plan to refurbish North of Harrisonburg. Secondly we are looking into building houses lost in forest fires in Virginia and West Virginia. If you would like to bless people financially mark your giving MDS and give through your local church. If you would like to help on the projects contact your church contact person or Woody Driver (Shenandoah Valley MDS chair) at 540-820-9676.
VMMissions events: Putt for Missions (May 18th): This fun mini-golf fundraiser is perfect for families, youth groups, and anyone who wants to enjoy a day of fellowship while supporting VMMissions. Motorcycle for Missions (May 31st – June 1st): Calling all motorcycle enthusiasts! Gear up for a scenic ride and weekend adventure, all for a worthy cause. Visit our website https://vmmissions.org/get-involved/events/ or follow us on social media for updates and registration information.
NEW! AMBS: Expand your leadership capacity through Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary’s Practical Leadership Training modules! Upcoming offerings include Practicing Resilience in Response to Trauma (webinar); Beyond Boring Bible Studies (online short course); Moving through Congregational Changes (online workshop); Living Outside the “Man Box” (online workshop); and more. CEUs available. Register for one or more modules! ambs.edu/plt
NEW! Employment! Mennonite Mission Network. Development Representative (F/T – In office, Hybrid or Remote in Elkhart or East Coast area) provides a role in developing, maintaining, and growing relationships with Mennonite Mission Network’s financial supporters, donors, and churches to ensure that organization continues to thrive and fulfill its goals.
Upcoming Events
May 7 Men’s Breakfast & Bible Study
Jul 18-20 2024 Summer Delegate Assembly
Feb 1, 25 2025 Winter Delegate Assembly