Announcements

Jan. 17 - 25, 2025
OUR CHURCH FAMILY
SUNDAY (19th) is a busy day in the Fellowship Hall!
  • 10:45 AM Middler Class Bake Sale: Zuly Palante, Elsa Rochford, Willa Showalter, Ruby Goertz, Avery Hershberger, Ira Swartzendruber, and Watson Unruh are providing baked goods to raise money for our Refugee Fund. Come hungry!
  • 11 AM Leadership Council Forum: Join us during Sunday School hour for another Town House Forum. The format will be like past forums with time for small group discussion and Leadership Council members listening to think through how we can continue to grow as a church!  
  • 3:30ish PM watch the Iowa women play Oregon on the “big screen.” Pizza and beverages will be provided and if you want to bring any finger foods to share, please do. The game starts at 4 PM so come a little earlier to get settled in and cheer on the Hawks with your church family. 
 
Upcoming Church Events: 
  • Community Coffee! Thursday mornings from 9-10:30 in the Fellowship Hall. Please park in the lower lot. Coffee and Tea provided, all ages welcome! 
  • GAME NIGHT:  5:30-7:30 PM, Fridays through February 26 – Come for fun, fellowship, & bring a musical instrument if you’d like to make music together. You’re always welcome to bring finger foods to share!
 
Every other year, Hillcrest Academy students participate in SALT (Service and Learning Term). Natalie Meganathan and Seth Ours are planning to be part of a SALT group traveling to Guatemala in March. They will be hosting a fundraiser meal after church on Sunday, February 2 to help with the costs of the trip. We'll begin serving at 11 AM so those with Iowa Women's basketball tickets or anyone wishing to watch it at home can have plenty of time to make it to the game. We hope you can join them in a time of food and fellowship.

COMMUNITY & CONFERENCE NEWS
​​Monday, January 20 – Everyone is cordially invited to the Joint Bethel AME/East Union worship service in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 2 PM at 411 S. Governor St., Iowa City. Reverend Orlando Ray Dial and Pastor Joel Beachy will co-lead the service; music will be provided by both church choirs. Dr. Venise Berry, University of Iowa School of Journalism/Mass Communication will bring the message. Fellowship time and refreshments will follow. Please consider joining together to celebrate with our brothers and sisters at Bethel AME - all are welcome!
 
Anabaptism at 500!:
  • Beginning on Saturday, January 18, the Anabaptism at 500 Read-a-thon in which 500 voices from around the world (including several from FMC) have joined together to read through the entire Bible in multiple languages. will be available to stream online, and will conclude on Tuesday, January 21 with a live-streamed worship/celebration in Goshen, IN (see below) as we read together the passage from Revelations and celebrate the launch of the Anabaptist Community Bible. Tune in to the MennoMedia  and Anabaptism at 500  Facebook pages to watch the livestream!
  • Whether in person or virtually online, you’re invited to join the Worship Service Celebration of the Anabaptist Movement at 500 from 6-7:30 PM (CST), Tuesday, January 21 at Goshen Mennonite Church, Goshen, IN. The evening will feature worship, singing, and reflections on the centrality of Scripture in the Anabaptist tradition and in the life of the church today. Contributions from college choirs Vox Profundi, Voices of the Earth, and the Chamber Choir will be part of the service, and a variety of historical Anabaptist Bibles from the Mennonite Historical Library collection on campus will be on display. A reception will follow with food, music, and conversation. Streaming information is forthcoming.
 
From Hillcrest Academy:
  • Open Gym - On Sunday, Jan. 19, 3 - 4:30 PM, 4th-8th graders will participate in activities including: basketball, volleyball, matball, dodgeball, etc. Beau Risley (our PE teacher) will head up these events. Please bring a water bottle and wear clean running shoes. Sign up at hillcrestravens.org/4-8events to join the fun!
  • Visit Day - See what it's like to be a student at Hillcrest! On Monday, Jan. 20 8 AM - 3:15 PM, prospective students in 6th -11th grade are welcome to visit Hillcrest Academy for the day. 6th-8th graders will shadow a student a grade above them and 9th-11th will follow a student in their grade. Lunch will be provided. Please sign up at hillcrestravens.org/4-8events by Jan. 16. Incoming 6th graders will have a special visit day in the spring.
  • Open House - On Thursday, Jan. 23 from 6:30 – 8:30 PM, prospective students and families can enjoy school tours at 7 and 7:30 PM or come and go as they please. Meet our amazing middle and high school teachers and chat with the administration about the ESA, 504s, or any other school-related questions. Grab a treat to eat at any time. It’s a wonderful chance to experience life as a Raven! Please RSVP at hillcrestravens.org/4-8events. 
 
From Mennonite organizations:  
From Pleasantview:
  • Please pray for Pleasantview as we seek to fill numerous staff openings. We are looking for cooks and other kitchen personnel, housekeeping staff, and especially nurses and nurse aides. Pray that God would nudge a few quality individuals to help care for the senior saints at Pleasantview. Interested individuals can apply online at https://pvkalona.com/careers/ or pick up an application in our lobby.
Birthdays   (Jan. 17 - 25)    
Saturday      Ruby Goertz 
Monday        Siva Annapureddy        Wednesday   Steve Valenta
Thursday      Gerry Peterson     
Upcoming Church Events 
​(Jan. 17- 26)   
Fri, Jan 17   5:30-7:30 PM Game Night – Fellowship Hall
Sun, Jan 19    9:30 AM Worship & Communion, Anabaptist Fellowship Sunday
10:45 AM Middler Class Bake Sale – Fellowship Hall
10:45 AM Leadership Council Forum – Fellowship Hall
10:45 AM Christian Formation hour for Primary classes
3:30 PM IOWA Women’s Basketball game viewing party – Fellowship Hall
5:30 – 7:30 PM Community MYF – bowling @ Spare Me
Mon, Jan 20  Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Thur, Jan 23  9 - 10:30 AM Community Coffee – Fellowship Hall
Fri, Jan 24     5:30 – 7:30 PM Game Night – Fellowship Hall
Sun, Jan 26   9:30 AM Worship, Marc Schlegel-Preheim, proclaimer
10:45 AM Christian Formation hour
2024 Children's Christmas Program, Dec. 15
PRIDE parade & Festival 2024
All Church Putt Putt Golf Outing, September 2023
LIBRARY
See WHAT'S NEW in the LIBRARY for Spring 2024. (Click Spring above) or LIBRARY under the WELCOME tab.
Search the FMC library catalog HERE. (No password required)
Images from Virtual Services 2020 - 2021
First Mennonite Church of Iowa City
405 Myrtle Ave  Iowa City, Iowa  52246
319-338-0302  [email protected]