Announcements

Apr. 18 - 27, 2025

OUR CHURCH FAMILY
Easter Week (April 13-20) Church events:

We will enjoy Easter breakfast together in the Fellowship Hall from 8:00 to 8:45 on Easter morning. Bring a breakfast casserole, fruit, or pastry to share. Table service will be provided.
Easter Egg Hunt: Starting at 8:50 (after the Easter breakfast), kids and parents will meet under the awning outside the Fellowship Hall to go out and hunt eggs!
No Sip & Chat coffee, Primary Sunday School classes, or adult class The Story of the Bible and How it Came to Be on Easter Sunday.

Upcoming Church Events:

Women’s Walking Group: All are welcome to the first group walk on May 10. We'll join in on the NAMI walk that starts at 10 AM at Terry Trueblood. This is a 5k distance! Use this link to register: https://www.namiwalks.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=register.start&eventID=1770. You can register as an individual or you can register to be part of the same team as Margalea. The team she is a part of this year is called NAMI Needs a Hug, and you can join the team within the registration process.
Community Coffee! Thursday mornings from 9-10:30 in the Fellowship Hall. Coffee and Tea provided, all ages welcome!

Jr MYF (6th - 8th Grade): Join us for a FUN and impactful day of service on Saturday, April 26, from 10 AM - 2 PM at Crooked Creek Camp for a day full of deep-cleaning cabins, picking up sticks, and getting the camp ready for summer. Afterwards, we'll enjoy free time and pizza in the activity center. We will be carpooling as a group from Kalona. If you plan to attend, please contact Angie Lamb ASAP to coordinate transportation (we need to know how many vehicles will be needed so please contact Angie ahead of time). Angie can be reached at (319) 321-3245 or [email protected].

Next Sunday, April 27: Join us in the Fellowship Hall during the Sunday School hour to hear from Natalie Meganathan, Seth Ours, and Maria Portillo about their Hillcrest Academy SALT experiences. Come with questions!

COMMUNITY & CONFERENCE NEWS
All are invited to the Pulled Pork Dinner fundraiser, April 25, 11 AM – 7 PM jointly sponsored for the Kalona Historical Village and the IA Mennonite Museum and Archives. Drive-through, sit-down, or delivery (in the Kalona area) available. Call 319-656-3232. Freewill donation accepted towards our NEW Barn Project.

Palestine: Hope for Change Conference. SAT, APRIL 26, 8 AM- 5 PM, First United Methodist Church in Iowa City. Increase your awareness and understanding of the history and current struggles facing the Palestinian people. This event features an eyewitness account from Masafer Yatta, the community featured in the 2025 Oscar-winning documentary, No Other Land.

Cost: $25 registration (If you are unable to cover this cost, contact us)
Register at THIS LINK.
Contact: [email protected] or call/text 319-423-9675
Co-sponsored by: Iowans for Palestine, Peace Iowa, Jewish Voice for Peace, the HOPE foundation, Iowa City Action for Palestine, the First United Methodist Church, and Johnson County United Nations.

From Crooked Creek Christian Camp:

Join us on Sunday, May 4 at the pavilion from 11:30-2:00 for our 1st annual MUSH FRY! We will be serving mush, liverwurst, sausage, eggs, tomato gravy, and applesauce. Free will donation to benefit CCCC. Feel free to stay after for self-guided hikes, lawn games, and recreation at camp. We hope to see you all there!
Help give our summer camp cooks a head start by participating in one of our Summer Camp Food Prep Days. Join us Monday, May 12 to make cookies and cook ground beef. Sign up here.

From Crowded Closet:

You're invited to join us for the Spring Association meeting at Crowded Closet on Monday, April 21, at 6:15 PM. Hear exciting updates about everything that's been happening at Crowded Closet and connect with others in our community. We look forward to seeing you there!
Join us for a Crowded Closet Thrift Shop Founders' Tea! Crowded Closet founders and their guests are invited for scones, tea and coffee and fellowship on Monday, April 28 at 10 AM in the Pleasantview Friendship Center, Kalona. Volunteers and friends from Crowded Closet's first years are encouraged to join this special gathering. Please RSVP by Thursday, April 24 to Christine Maust Beachy at [email protected] or call 319-337-5924 x12.
Crowded Closet Thrift Shop is hiring for the position of Volunteer Manager (full-time), to lead our volunteer community. Manage our committed and engaged volunteer team of more than 400 active volunteers. Recruit volunteers and communicate with constituents and the community to power the thrift shop and our mission to share love and compassion in the name of Christ. Interested applicants should contact Amy Hospodarsky, Director, for more information, [email protected] or 319-337-5924. You're invited to join us to celebrate Christine Maust Beachy and send her off with our love and blessings at a reception in the Crowded Closet breakroom on Friday, April 25 from 2-4 PM.

From EVERENCE:

The Everence® Benefits Conference is fast approaching, and we are thrilled to share more details about this impactful event happening on June 4-5, from Noon to 3:30 PM CT on Zoom. Experience dynamic presentations from industry leaders: Dr. Rebecca Stoltzfus, Goshen College President; Dave Gautsche, President and CEO, Goodville Mutual Casualty Company; Leonard Dow, Vice President of Community and Church Development, Everence. These experts will provide actionable insights and innovative strategies to help your organization thrive. View all workshops and presenters at our website. Register HERE.

From Hillcrest Academy:

Kids Night at the Soccer Pitch - Join us Tue, April 22 at 4:30 PM for a double-header of Ravens soccer action! Watch our Middle School team play Holy Trinity and our High School boys take on Cedar Valley Christian. 4th-8th graders get in free with their passes (plus one guest); and we'll have exciting giveaways for kids of all ages. Plus, 4th-8th graders can enter to win some awesome larger prizes.
Touring Choir - The Hillcrest Academy Touring Choir is on its spring tour, bringing their musical talents to audiences across the Midwest. The next stop on their tour will be at Kalona Mennonite Church on Sun, April 27 at 6:00 PM. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Bus Drivers – We’re seeking dedicated bus drivers for the 2025-26 school year. With growing student numbers in Iowa City and Washington, we need reliable drivers to ensure safe transportation. We are also always in need of drivers for extracurricular activities. If you're interested in making a difference, please contact Rebecca Beachy Miller to learn what you need to do to become a driver.
Host Family – We’re also looking for a family to host a World Link foreign exchange student during the 2025-26 school year. Hosts can be single or married with young children, no children, teenagers, or grandchildren. Students are selected based on their leadership qualities and academic performance and the program provides the student's medical insurance, pays school fees and expenses, and gives the student a monthly allowance. Please contact the local coordinator Olivia Kahler for more information or contact Rebecca Beachy Miller at Hillcrest Academy.

From Mennonite Church USA (MCUSA):

There is incredible ministry happening across MC USA, and each congregation is invited to share how it is following Jesus in 2025 by submitting a 15-second video that will be shared at the MC USA Follow Jesus ‘25 national convention in Greensboro, North Carolina, July 8-12. Videos are due May 1. Learn more here: mennoniteusa.org/follow-jesus-video-submissions
MC USA's Women in Leadership is hosting a one-day summit on July 8, at the beginning of the Follow Jesus '25 biennial convention, July 8-12, in Greensboro, N.C. On April 24 at 1 PM CST, join Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz, along with summit presenters Sarah Bixler and Joanne Gallardo, for an exclusive preview of the event. During the webinar, they will discuss their participation in a panel of women focused on the theme of Beholding. Additionally, they will share their insights on topics such as power, the importance of listening to others, and the impact of storytelling on their
lives. Register here.
Menno Snapshot: The MC USA Archives is partnering with the Racial Ethnic Council to prioritize BIPOC storytelling. Read more here: mennoniteusa.org/bipoc-storytelling

From Mennonite organizations:

Read Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) News.
Find the latest from Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in In Touch.
Read & subscribe to PeaceMail, MC USA’s weekly news & resources and Equipping, the quarterly resource newsletter.
Read hopeful stories from Mennonite Mission Network (MMN) at Network News & Beyond.
Find worldwide Anabaptist information at Mennonite World Conference’s (MWC) Info.

From PEACE Iowa:

Firsthand Report from Masafer Yatta, West Bank, Friday, April 25, 6:30 PM, Iowa City Public Library, Meeting Room A. Cassandra Dixon will report on her current experiences volunteering with an international peace organization in Masafer Yatta, West Bank, the community featured in the 2025 Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land. Her work involves providing protective accompaniment to schoolchildren and farmers, standing in solidarity with Palestinians who want to engage in nonviolent resistance to the Israeli occupation. Cassandra will also bring embroidery and crafts from Palestine made by a women's cooperative in Al-Khalil/Hebron.

Birthdays (Apr. 18 - 27)
18 Friday Lee Turnbull
19 Saturday Isaac Miller
20 Sunday Maya Kehr Yoder
24 Thursday Julia Bartel
26 Friday Diane Funk
27 Sunday Kate Brenneman

Upcoming Church Events
(Apr. 20- 27)
Sun, Apr 20      8-8:45 AM Easter Breakfast, Fellowship Hall
8:50 AM Easter Egg hunt, outside (begin under the awning)
9:30 AM Worship & Communion: Marc Schlegel-Preheim, proclaimer
Thu, Apr 24    9-10:30 AM Community Coffee @ FMC Fellowship Hall
Sun, Apr 27    9:30 AM Worship: Natalie Meganathan & Maria Portillo sharing
10:45 AM Natalie, Maria, & Seth sharing during Christian Formation
hour, Fellowship Hall

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