MWR : Knitting, film, earthcare

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Dec. 7, 2009 issue

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Tags: Congregations

Knitting, film, earthcare

First Mennonite Church, Iowa City, Iowa

By Margalea Warner

The MYF and adult sponsors and helpers put a lot of work into football parking for University of Iowa home games as well as cleaning up afterward. We emphasized “family friendly” behavior on our property.

The MYF sponsors and Pastor Karla Stoltzfus Detweiler met for worship, eating and playing together on Sept. 20 as a time of visioning for their year together

“Play, Praise and Prayer” was the theme of our church retreat at Crooked Creek Christian Camp on Sept. 27. We honored Mag Richer Smith’s 30 years of pastoral work in congregations with a surprise worship service that included hymns that reminded us of her, individual words of affirmation, gifts and testimonials from other congregations where she had been a pastor.

At the fall congregational meeting on Oct. 4, the building committee reported on the progress of the day care addition to our building. We hope to have the new playroom and kitchen completed for this mission to homeless and needy children by early in 2010.

A “Peace Knitters” small group began meeting monthly in September. Emily and Ezra Plank lead a monthly movie night and discussion called “Reel Spirituality.” The FMC Earthcare Group invited us to encourage simplicity by listing items or skills that we are willing to share with friends at church.

Pastors Bob and Mag Richer Smith spent the final month of their sabbatical in October mining the history of the early church in Italy and visiting with family.

Lee Ebersole, Bible teacher at Iowa Mennonite High School, preached on Oct. 18. The next Sunday, Helen Yoder, a former pastor in our conference, was proclaimer.

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