MWR : Articles : June 7, 2010

Last updated November 24.

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Articles : June 7, 2010

Visual reminders

Our Lenten theme this year was “Can You Drink This Cup?” Each Sunday another cup was placed under the life-sized cross with the large barbed wire crown of thorns before us. Each Wednesday during Lent we had a light supper, followed by worship. On Maundy Thursday we held footwashing and a tenebrae service. Easter Sunday the cross was bedecked with dozens of flowers, and the worship area came alive with 75 flying doves.
Leading in song

In early March, Terri Geiser began heading up a group of quilters and would-be quilters each Sunday. On March 8, the Mennonite Youth Choir Festival took place in Sauder Music Hall in Goshen. This included the following from Belmont Mennonite Church: Seth and Sol Brenneman, Hannah and Lynea Brubacher Kaethler, Philip Krabill, Emma Paden, Gavin Miller and Madison Smucker.
Sunrise celebration

On Easter Sunday the sun was just over the horizon when we headed for Eli Herschberger’s farm for the sunrise service. There was black tree lace against a white velvet fog. After an inspiring service we enjoyed the annual MYF fund-raising breakfast.

Evil from the deep

Humans long have feared that evil lurks in the ocean. And so, in John’s vision of the New Jerusalem, “there was no longer any sea” (Rev. 21:1). The sea’s disappearance symbolizes the defeat of evil, according to Mennonite Publishing Network’s Gather ’Round Sunday school curriculum for May 23.

Treasure from trash

LANCASTER, Pa. — Christine Baer got a good idea from trash. Or, rather, what wasn’t going into it.
Church forgives pastor for theft

Choosing to forgive doesn’t make forgiveness easy. Rose Bender observed that reality while serving as interim pastor of Stahl Mennonite Church in Johnstown, Pa.

Anabaptism for all

Can a Baptist, Methodist, Anglican or Presbyterian be an Anabaptist Christian?
Build in Elkhart

Sarah Thompson and Hilary Scarsella write well but miss an important reality about the planned Mennonite Church USA office building in Elkhart, Ind.
Let Scripture speak

I respond to Reta Halteman Finger’s comments on the penal substitutionary atonement theory.
Life after prison

While Christina Warner sheds light on problems of the prison system, it is worth noting that positive changes are taking place. Kansas is a leading state in helping those who have been incarcerated re-enter the community.