Jan. 18, 2010 issue
Church growth, vision
First Mennonite Church, Newton, Kan.
By Dana NeffThe children in kindergarten through sixth grade led the Nov. 4 service, sharing from the “Journey with Jesus” curriculum they have used on Wednesday evenings.
Also on Nov. 4, our Spanish-speaking church neighbor, Casa Betania, held a fundraiser meal at our church. They raised enough not only to cover the cost of their retreat but also to meet expenses in the months to come. Because of increased attendance, the neighboring Wiens house has become too crowded. So beginning Dec. 27 Casa Betania meets in classrooms in our church basement.
Birth: Isaac John, Nov. 3, to Ryan and Rachel Koehn.
On Nov. 1, we commissioned Greg Regier for service in Nicaragua with World Relief.
The youth group turkey dinner Nov. 11 raised more than $3,600 for their summer mission trip.
Interim Pastor Gordon Scoville led us in open meetings Nov. 22 and Dec. 20 that looked at our two worship services (contemporary and traditional). From discussion at these meetings he concluded we will continue to work on focusing our congregational vision during his interim pastorate and also continue to look at the two services.
Christmas-related services included a hymn sing Dec. 13 and a Christmas Eve service with singing from both children and the adult choir. On Dec. 27 our service focused on Christmas and ended with the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah.
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