Freeport Mennonite Church (FMC) is blessed to be able to host the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Canner again this year. It is hard to believe that we are preparing for the seventh year in our new facility and the third year with the new mobile canner. We continue to try to increase the number of new faces each year and make lasting relationships while helping feed those in need. Along with the canning side comes the need to raise funds to make this project happen and to help feed those in need.

Throughout the year, especially during the month of November, we collect donations for the meat canning project. The Canning Ministry at Freeport Mennonite is an above budget project, so it is all done by donations. The more donations we receive the more people we are able to help. We are excited to announce that we have been given three days to can again this year. We will be canning again this year in December. This will still be a time to gather together to can meat, wash, label, and box cans, and enjoy the fellowship of friends and family.

We will once again take advantage of our bigger and warmer building and will work on making comforters during the day to send to MCC. This will allow those that are unable to help with the canning process to be able to participate in helping those in need. These comforters not only provide warmth to those that receive them, but knowledge that it was made with loving hands. We will also have a quilt top to finish and once it is finished the quilt will be donated to the MCC Relief Sale in Bloomington.

As the 71^st year of meat canning begins, FMC and MCC are once again encouraging others to get involved with this mission project. It doesn’t matter what church we attend, we are here to serve. As we look around locally and world-wide we see people suffering and wonder how we can help. It’s as easy as “can” be, for approximately $2.75 we fill one can or for approximately $66.00 we can fill a box and ship it. We could also volunteer our time for an hour (or more) and help can approximately 350 cans.   I would challenge you to embrace the call to meet the needs of those in need.

Once again, we would like to open this project to the community and area churches. If you or anyone in your church would like to serve in this way, we will be canning December 18-20, 2017 (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday) at Freeport Mennonite Church, 3416 E Brick School Rd., Freeport, IL 61032. If you don’t have time to help but are interested in seeing what happens at “meat canning” or would like to see the portable canner, feel free to contact Larry Pfile (Meat Canning Coordinator) at (815) 449-2516, Chad Weber (Assistant Canning Coordinator) at (815) 291-6382 or David Graybill (Assistant Canning Coordinator) at (815) 238-7208. If you are interested in someone coming to talk about the canning project at your church or group please feel free to contact one of the above individuals.

Last year, MCC canned at over 30 different sites in the United States and Canada from the beginning of October 2016 – April 2017 and shipped over 637,896 cans of meat during April 1 – March 31.   Freeport Mennonite Church produced 19,742 cans from 30,046 pounds of turkey last year. Ten percent of the cans were held back for local missions at Freeport Area Church Cooperative (FACC), Rockford Rescue Mission, Joseph’s Pantry in Freeport, Firehouse of God Ministries of Sterling, and Faith Community Church of Davis. MCC distributed canned meat produced at Freeport in Ethiopia this year. Each year MCC continues to identify the needs in the United States and around the world.

As I close, I would like to say that this mission project is very much needed around the world. I would encourage each one of you to be a part of this year’s canning project. Some of the canning shifts fill up fast, so I encourage you to call and sign up for a shift before they are filled. Call (815) 291-6382 to sign up.

Again this year, we are working on providing on-line signup/scheduling for shifts on Freeport Mennonite Church’s new website. Keep watching at www.freeportmennonite.com.

May God bless you,

Chad Weber

Assistant Canning Coordinator, Freeport Mennonite Church

New monthly series focuses on financial education and women’s stories

Written for women, by women – the new Women and Money series by Everence^® aims to share the unique experiences women face and how these experiences affect their lives and finances.

This series is inspired by Women and Money educational seminars led by staff in several communities for the last few years. The seminars addressed financial concerns women may deal with, with the goal of helping women learn more about finances and feel more confident about their financial decisions.

Rhoda Blough, Everence Stewardship Consultant, advocated to start the educational seminar for women because she saw the importance of talking with women about the financial situations they may encounter. Blough felt this acutely because her husband died unexpectedly, and Blough had to quickly figure out their finances while also trying to grieve.

“Reflecting on my own experience, I recognize the importance of women being knowledgeable in all aspects of their finances,” said Blough in the first article of the series.

Although many of the financial principles are universal, the common thread of the series is women sharing their experiences with other women.

Find the series at everence.com/articles-and-stories and select Women and Money on the topic list.

About Everence

Everence helps individuals, organizations and congregations integrate finances with faith through a national team of advisors and representatives. Everence offers banking, insurance and financial services with community benefits and stewardship education.

Sara Alvarez

Content Marketing Director

sara.alvarez@everence.com

Release by Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary

AMBS faculty, staff and students were among more than 150 participants in “Word, Spirit, and the Renewal of the Church,” the 18th Believers’ Church Conference. The event was held Sept. 14–16 at Goshen (Indiana) College and was co-sponsored by Goshen College and AMBS.

Safwat Marzouk, AMBS associate professor of Old Testament, and Jamie Pitts, AMBS associate professor of Anabaptist studies, played major roles in planning and hosting the event, and other AMBS faculty and students presented papers, led worship and participated in other ways.

Above, several AMBS students visited with renowned theologian Miroslav Volf, Dr. Theol., a professor of systematic theology at Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut, following his lecture on Sept. 15 at College Mennonite Church in Goshen. Volf’s presentation, “Humility and Joy: What We Can Still Learn from Martin Luther,” was sponsored by the Yoder Public Affairs Lecture Series; he was also a speaker at the conference. AMBS President Sara Wenger Shenk introduced Volf, a friend from when she and her husband, Gerald, served in the former Yugoslavia in the 1980s.

(l. to r.): Miroslav Volf; Jonathan Krull, visiting professor of philosophy at Huntington (Indiana) University; Benjamin Isaak-Krauss, MDiv student from Bammental, Germany; Scott Litwiller, MDiv student from Delavan, Illinois, and data services manager for AMBS; Rianna Isaak-Krauss, MACF student from Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Brian O’Leary, MDiv student from Seattle, Washington.

“Reading Volf at Goshen College gave me insight into how conflict and suffering in the Bible might be relevant for our theologies of suffering today,” said O’Leary. “I was honored to hear more about humility and joy from him after his talk.”

“It was exciting to hear Dr. Volf talk after reading his works for classes at AMBS!” added Benjamin Isaak-Krauss.

Read Goshen College’s article on the conference

In this season of storms and disasters, both natural and man made, stretching from Puerto Rico along the Gulf Coast upto Las Vegas through Northern California, and upto Ft. McMurray in northern Alberta, may the peace of Christ be present in your lives, those of your families, and your congregations.  I am amazed how many times, despite the circumstances, when Jesus comes to his disciples his first words are “Peace; be not afraid.”  So may it be with us.

Mennonite Disaster Service will hold its annual meeting for the Illinois Unit on Friday afternoon, October 27th, beginning at 3:00 PM at the First Mennonite Church of Morton.  In addition to hearing reports about unit activity from the past year, we have an important discernment to undertake concerning the next year.

The Illinois Unit is being asked by the Long Term Recovery Group in Ottawa/Naplate for assistance in rebuilding after the tornados of last February.  Please read through the description of their work and be praying with us about whether this is something God would have us do.  Because of the importance of this request please attend or find another person from your congregation to attend the unit meeting.

Finally, the Illinois Unit Meeting is preceeding the MDS Region 2 annual meeting this year which commences right after our unit meeting.  Please consider joining us for some or all of that meeting as well.  Registration information for that event is also included.

Thank you for all of your work in your home communities and congregations.  Please contact me with questions.  I look forward to being with you.

—
Ronn Frantz,
MDS Illinois Unit Chair