Announcements

Sunday, July 25, 2021

OUR CHURCH FAMILY
The church parking lot lines will be painted on Saturday, July 24.

Please note that beginning Sunday, the slides of Joy with music will be played as pre-service from 9:55 – 10:00 AM. Sunday’s background music is provided by the Hawkeye Threshold Singers, a group of nine women who provide comfort, hope, and peace to others through song. We offer calming a cappella melodies to those on the threshold of life or experiencing fear, grief, pain, or illness. We serve persons needing comfort in their lives. Threshold songs are simple harmonious songs, rounds, and chants. If you are interested in joining the HTS or need some comfort through songs in your life and would like to have the Singers visit you, contact Susan Gingerich, Linda Yutzy, Dianne Brenneman, or Carol Miller.

Thank-you for your patience as we live into hybrid worship. There will be a limited number of print bulletins available on Sunday on the Narthex table. Also, the far right section of pews as you enter the sanctuary will continue to have marked off benches for socially distanced seating for households with children and others who may require distancing.

5 PM SUNDAY on the lower lawn- Intergenerational Worship in Creation: Karen will lead in a beginning group gathering time, there will be time to explore God’s creation on our church grounds (this can also be adapted and done from a chair or blanket), and then we will end with a group gathering time.
Please remember to bring a chair or blanket for seating and a water bottle.

Mark your calendars for the following summer worship gatherings:

August 8 -- 5 PM Intergenerational Worship in Creation; outdoor worship experiences which are contemplative and will involve moving about to explore God’s Creation on our own church grounds. We’ll meet on the lawn area of the lower parking lot. Feel free to bring a blanket or lawn chair for the group gathering times.
August 15 -- 6 PM Outdoor hymn sing using Voices Together
August 22 -- 10 AM Outdoor worship and baptism service: If you wish to be baptized, having decided to follow the way of Christ in your life in partnership with those gathered as FMC Iowa City, please text/phone Terry at 319-512-8625.

The evening outdoor services will not be recorded. The regular morning worship service in the sanctuary and via Zoom will continue to be offered those days.

Bible School Registration is Now Open - Ages 3 through those who just finished 5th grade are invited to explore God's Great Big Beautiful World on Saturday, August 21 from 8:45 - 11:45 AM. Register now at https://tinyurl.com/firstmennoniteVBS.

The Missions Commission has made the decision to support the Iowa City Pride Event this October 1 & 2. We’ll have a vendor booth and will need volunteers to staff the booth; and ideas for helping the community know about First Mennonite Iowa City and our welcome statement. If you have ideas and would like to help, contact David Sickles, Lee Turnbull, or Circe Stumbo of the Missions Comm.

Help yourself to any of the Hymnal Worship Book, Sing the Story, Sing the Journey, or the red Mennonite Hymnals on the narthex credenza. We are keeping a number of each copy for future use/reference.

Erica (Yoder) Morantes, who grew up at FMC and shared her gifts of music and drama, currently lives near New York City and has requested withdrawal of her membership.

Please remember to keep sending your pictures that represent joy for our summer worship series Joy Ride. Please send your picture(s)/video to Mary in the church office or via text (319-430-1296) by WEDNESDAY NOON each week.

CONFERENCE & COMMUNITY NEWS
JPOG (Just Peace Outreach Group) invites you to hear Adam Fleming describe his activities helping people in Syria and Egypt rebuild their families, businesses, and churches after a variety of disruptions in civil society. Training groups bring Armenian Orthodox and Catholic Christians together around a curriculum designed to help non-profit groups coach their leaders in rebuilding their organizations. Join us at West Union Mennonite Church, 3253 305th Street, Parnell, on Sunday, August 1, at 6 PM for a finger food potluck (please BYO table service) and conversation, or at 7 PM for Adam’s presentation. Questions? Contact Roger Farmer (319-653-2547) or Jane Yoder-Short at wilmajane17@gmail.com.

Gardeners often have extra of easily grown vegetables such as peppers, summer squash, zucchini, or tomatoes-- rather than letting this excess go to waste, Table to Table is asking gardeners to donate. We have been using the Fresh Foods Connect app to coordinate our individual gardeners, drop off times, and locations. We’re only in our second year of this new program and we need more gardeners! Will you consider signing-up as a T2T garden donor so that whenever you have an abundance, we won’t let it go to waste? Any questions about this initiative can be directed to gardenrecovery@table2table.org.

From the Iowa Mennonite Relief Sale Committee (MCC):

At the annual Iowa Mennonite Relief Sale meeting on Tuesday, attendees voted to send $100,000 to MCC from this year’s Sale proceeds. The online auction raised $39,690; meals $10,815; My Coins Count $3,212; and general donations were $47,863. The Board solicited ideas for the 2022 Relief Sale. Thank you to FMCers who donated $827.44 for the My Coins Count project and $5,570 for MCC and the Iowa Mennonite Relief Sale. If you are interested in helping plan the 2022 Relief Sale, contact FMC’s rep Susan Gingerich.

From Mennonite Church USA (MCUSA):

Glen Guyton, executive director of Mennonite Church USA, discusses his new book, “Reawakened” and provides eight keys to help congregations develop the abilities they need to bring hope and healing to their communities. Watch the recorded webinar here.
Menno Snapshots: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mennonite Worship and Song Committee released the Voices Together hymnal and many resources for in-person and virtual worship. Committee member Katie Graber looks at how we have been “Sharing in God’s story through our voices, together” through the last year. Read more here.
Menno Snapshots: In his blog, “Church cash reserves: How much is enough or too much?” Beryl Jantzi of Everence explains why churches should consider building cash reserves for financial emergencies. https://www.mennoniteusa.org/church-cash-reserves
Menno Snapshots: In the face of difficulty, is silence your natural response? Should it be? In June Mears Driedger’s blog, “Directed silence,” she shares her experience with the healing power of silence: https://www.mennoniteusa.org/directed-silence.
Menno Snapshots: Overall, Sunday morning worship attendance has been slowly declining over the past few decades. How do we fix this problem, or do we even need to? Michele Hershberger discusses this topic in her blog, “There’s an elephant in the sanctuary.”

From Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS):

The July edition of On the Level is now available from Mennonite Disaster Service. In our current issue: MDS volunteers celebrate creativity during the pandemic, how the Covid Relief Fund kept church doors open, and what hope looks like in small town Texas. Click on this link to read more: https://conta.cc/3emcUFF

From MennoMedia:

Staying Connected: Read the latest from MennoMedia here.

From Mennonite Mission Network (MMN):

Read a reflection about Mandela Day, and find out more about the video series, Stir Up Peace, where you’ll learn the nonviolent direct-action tools to seek positive change in your community, and more here.

Birthdays (July 25 - 31)

Sunday Marian Schwabbauer
Monday Marilyn Rose
Friday Dennis Bricker
Saturday Amelia Flaming, Eric Rumsey

Events for the coming week
(July 25 - August 1)
Sunday 10 AM Hybrid Worship
2 PM Torre Fuerte worship
5 PM Intergenerational Worship in Creation
Sunday 10 AM Hybrid Worship
2 PM Torre Fuerte worship

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