West Abbotsford Mennonite Church

Verse of the Day

The Arts in Worship

May 23-24, 2008 – Come to the Table: a Conference on the Arts in Worship
Early bird registration, April 30th.

This is a conference exploring the Arts in Worship with keynote speaker John Bell. John is an ordained minister in the Church of Scotland and a member of the Iona community. After a period in the Netherlands and two posts in church youth work, he became employed full time in the areas of music and worship with the Wild Goose Resource Group. John’s primary concern is with the renewal of congregational worship at grass roots level. You will be sure to be challenged and inspired by John Bell!

This is a conference for pastors, song leaders, artists, dancers, musicians, writers and worship leaders. It’s a conference for anyone interested in a collaborative approach to worship. Brochures and on-line registration information are available.

For more information contact Angelika Dawson: music@emmanuelmennonite.com

Sponsored by: Emmanuel Mennonite Church, Bakerview MB Church, the Worship Arts Department at Columbia Bible College, and Mennonite Church British Columbia. 

EMMANUEL MENNONITE CHURCH - GOD WITH US
3471 Clearbrook Road, Abbotsford, BC V2T 5C1
Tel: (604) 854-3654;    E-mail:office@emmanuelmennonite.com

WestAbbotsford & Wellspring

Getting to Know You.....

West Abbotsford and Wellspring

            For the past several months, we have been in conversation with the Wellspring Church to consider ways we could do ministry better together than either congregation could alone.  Our leadership groups have enjoyed our interactions and had some exciting times dreaming together about all sorts of possibilities.  At this point in our conversation, it seems appropriate to create a way for the two congregations to spend some time getting to know each other better so that we can make a wise decision about our future.

            Both congregations have set aside four weeks to spend time interacting with one another in a variety of ways.  We will meet together for worship gatherings and potlucks.  Our youth will do some join activities and we will share children’s ministry.   There will also be some opportunity to visit each other’s ministries (ie. The ReThink Cafe, Creating Connections, Next Steps).

Joining Together in Worship....

All the worship gatherings will take place at the West Abbotsford Church.

We encourage everyone to make every effort to be part of these gatherings.

Sunday, May 11 at 10:00 AM

Together we will celebrate the baptisms of five individuals from West Abbotsford. 

Children’s Ministry will happen during the service.  We will have coffee and refreshments after the service to celebrate with those who have been baptized.

Saturday, May 17 at 6:30 PM

We will celebrate communion together and following the service we will have a time of informal visiting with coffee and refreshments.  Children’s Ministry will take place from 5:00-6:15 pm.

Sunday, May 25 at 10:00 AM

Children’s Ministry will take place during the service.  We will have a potluck following the service where we will have the opportunity to interact with each other.

Saturday May 31 at 6:30 PM

Children’s Ministry will take place from 5:00 - 6:16 PM.

We will have refreshments together following the service.

Worship Teaching

Worship teaching.  Dave Rodda.

The History of the Presence of God

We will look at the progression of the relationship between God and humankind through history.

Here are the headings and scriptures for each:

Garden- Genesis 2:8-9 & 3:8
Altar- Genesis 8:20-21
Tabernacle- Exodus 25:1-2, 8-9
Temple- 2 Samuel 7:1-3
Jesus- John 14:6-7
Church- 1 Peter 2:5

The Dream Maker & Spiritual Direction

Exploring dreams in our own spiritual journeys and in our spiritual direction practice by Kathi Bentall, Sister Lorraine LaMarre, and Donna McIntyre. 

DATE:
May 2, Friday, 6:00pm
May 3, Saturday, 9am to 5pm

LOCATION:
St. Augustine's Parish Hall
2028 - 7th Avenue, Vancouver, BC

Cost: $75.00 - Limited spaces available
$25 non-refundable deposit due by April 18, 2008
Sponsored by SoulStream - http://www.soulstream.org
CONTACT PERSON: Karen Webber. Phone: 604-222-1356. Email: soulstream1@gmail.com .

Finding Your Center

Text:  Gen. 11:1-9.
Message by Karen HT.

This text speaks to the danger of constructing a world around a center that will not hold, a center that is comprised of only human ambition and effort without God.  Even at their best, human beings cannot comprise a center strong enough to sustain themselves apart from God.  And at their worst, human beings have the capability of bringing unspeakable pain and horror into the world.  The unity of the people at Babel is not something positive, because they are unified around the wrong center.  The focus of their unity is their own ability to establish themselves in the world apart from God.  Unwillingness to acknowledge God as God lies at the core of the disruption and alienation we experience in the world.  One of the strongest affirmations in Scripture that God, and his purposes in the world, is the only adequate center of unity for the human family.  Any other attempt at unity will only end in confusion.

The Promise and the Rainbow

The Promise and the Rainbow: Noah's Ark Project

Text of the day: Gen. 9:12-16.  Message by Allen Harder. 

How are we active participants in God's covenant to never again allow the earth to be destroyed--in spite of all the evidence pointing to the opposite?  What is our ark project to preserve life and fecundity? How are we a rainbow of promise at a time of growing hopelessness?

A Perfect Home, A Terrible Lie

Read Genesis and be encouraged. There is hope!  No matter how dark the world situation seems, God has a plan.  No matter how insignificant or useless you feel, God loves you and wants to use you in his plan.  No matter how sinful and separated from God you are, his salvation is available.  Read Genesis ... and hope!

Text of the day: Gen. 1-3.  Message by KarenHT.

Creation Calls by Brian Doerksen:

I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear the son of God discloses
And he walks with me and he talks with me and he tells me I am his own
And the joy we share as we tarry there none other has ever known
He speaks and the sound of his voice is so sweet that the birds hush their singing
And the melody that he gave to me within my heart is ringing
And he walks with me... (C. Austin Miles)

Question: How has the knowledge that God desires and welcomes human companionship affected your relationship with him?

Everyone is invited to stay for a Potluck lunch at church.  Please bring either a main course and dessert or salad and dessert.  Following the lunch (at 12:30pm) you are invited to see a presentation from Neil and Ruth Wiebe about their ministry in Ecuador. 

God's Story, Our Story

Intro to Series:  There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story.  The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them. It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story.  And at the centre of the Story, there is a baby.  Every Story in the Bible whispers His name.  He is like the missing piece in a puzzle - the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture.  Our story* will start where all good stories start.  Right at the beginning ...

Message by Karen HT. 

*The “Jesus Storybook Bible" by Sally Lloyd-Jones is the source of much of the artwork and storytelling in this morning's service.

The True Messiah (Easter Song)

Bumper Sticker Wisdom

"A woman's heart should be so lost in God that a man needs to seek Him in order to find her."  (Shared by Shawna Tansey)

"A man's heart should be so lost in God that a woman needs to seek Him in order to find him." (Translated by Abe Olfert)

The Easter Song

The Passion of Christ

GOOD FRIDAY, March 21

Come and watch the movie, The Passion of Christ, (the Mel Gibson production) in the fellowship hall at our church. Followed by a short time of reflection and prayer.  Muffins and coffee will be served. © Audio Ciné Films Inc. All rights reserved.

Tenebrae

8:00 PM Tenebrae / Communion Service

Join us for this quiet service of remembrance. The word "Tenebrae" comes from the Latin meaning "darkness." In this dramatic service on Thursday, all of the lights and candles on stage are gradually extinguished until the room is in complete darkness. At the moment of darkness, the bells toll 33 times symbolizing the death of Jesus.

Be Thou My Vision

Dark Night in the Garden

9:00am:   Spiritual Formation: preparing for worship.  Experience God's presence when praying the text of the day: Lk. 22:39-53; Mark 14:32-52; John 18:1-11 in the Sunday School wing (across from the Ministry Office).

10:00am:  Message by Peter Derksen.

Filled Full

Text of the Day:

• Luke 9:10-17;
• Mtt. 14:13-21;
• Mk. 6:30-44

Message by KarenHT. 

Water-Walkers

Pray the Text:  Matthew 14:22-33

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.  After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,  but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."  "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"     Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of  little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"  And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

• Mark 6:30-44
• Luke 9:10-17

Message by KarenHT. 

Treasure Hunt

9:00am:   Spiritual Formation: preparing for worship.  Experience God's presence when praying the text of the day: Matthew 13:44 in the Sunday School wing (across from the Ministry Office).

"God's kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field."

10:00am  Message by Richard Thiessen. 

On the Journey III

9:00am:  Pre-Service Study and Discussion: 
Deuteronomy 8:11-20

10:00am:  Message by Karen H.T. - The Perils of Prosperity ...

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Brian Doerksen sings Everlasting: