Verse of the Week:
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4: 23
Worship leader: Gerry Giesbrecht
Song Leader & Accompanists: Ravae Mcdonald & Youth
Welcome & announcements
Call to worship
Prayer
Worship in Song
Offertory
Prayer Time
Worship in Song
Scripture Reading – Ephesians 6:10-14, Romans 3: 21 – 31, Taylor Peters
Skit – Breastplate of Righteousness
Message – The Breastplate of Righteousness – Gerry Giesbrecht
Closing Song
Benediction
Prayer & Praise
~ Congratulations and God’s blessings to Jacy & Carmen Friesen on the birth of a daughter, Finnley Snow, on February 22, 2017. We want to wish you well as you seek to fulfill your responsibilities as Christian parents to the children entrusted to your care. Grandparents Ray & Bev Friesen are excited to welcome her into their extended family.
~ It has been encouraging to read about Tenley Falk’s improvement in how she has been feeling lately. Ongoing decisions need to be made about continued cancer treatments and school attendance. May God continue to provide wisdom and courage to the entire family. Updates can be found at: http://www.tenleysjourney.wordpress.com
~ We want to welcome back Garry Fehr, who is returning on Sunday, from a two week Bible distribution with the Gideon’s in Yellowknife. We trust that your experience was enriching and that openness to receiving God’s word was evident by the recipients.
~ Kendra Fehr, and her mother, Diana Fehr, left on Wednesday, February 22, for a month long trip to Uganda. Kendra has previously been to the site where they will be visiting and working. She values our prayers on their behalf.
~ Those in various care homes that we remember in our prayers include: Susan Janzen, Trudy Harms, Helen Fehr, Helen Janzen, and Jake Rempel.
~We continue to offer our prayer support for Laure and her family, as well as for the Paroisse Missionaire Congregation in Kinshasa, DR Congo; Ryan Thiessen in San Carlos, Mexico, Murray and Carol Honsberger in Papua New Guinea, Eagles Wings Children’s Village in Uganda, Jon & Natalie Neudorf in Chiang Mai, Thailand working with YWAM, Andrea Fehr with YWAM in Hawai’i (leading an outreach team to Uganda), Nettie Dyck working with School of the Kingdom (leading outreach in Houston, Texas)
Prayer for the Week:
God of grace and forgiveness, thank You for sending Your Son to take away our sin and declare us right in Your sight. We ask that You remind us of this truth daily, and enable us by Your Spirit to desire and to do the things that please You. Help us to love You with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength; and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Amen.
Announcements:
Youth
~ Go to http://blumenortchurch.com for updates regarding youth events. For the most recent updates, check out the groups on Facebook named “BMC Youth”, and “BMC Jr Youth” or contact Youth Pastor Gerry Giesbrecht @ 204-362-7262
Junior Youth (Mondays 7pm-9pm):
February 27 – Bible Study
March 10 (Friday) – Bowling and DQ – $15 covers both. Drop-off: 6:50pm. Pick-up: Between 9:30pm and 10pm.
Senior Youth (Wednesdays 7pm-9:30pm):
March 1 – Bingo Night
March 8 – Bible Study
Church
~ The updated pictorial directories are available for $10 per copy. See Hedy Falk if you’d like to pick one up or stop in at the library and Judy Dyck or Sue Peters will be able to sell you one.
~ As we continue our series on “The Armor of God,” the ministerial would like to invite you to join with us in memorizing Ephesians 6: 10 – 20.
~ Mennonite Church Manitoba Annual Delegate sessions take place, March 3 & 4 at the Emmanuel Mennonite Church in Winkler. Worship on Friday begins at 7 pm. Business items begin at 8:30 am on Saturday morning. We are able to send one delegate for every 30 members, plus any visitors who would want to attend part or all of the sessions. Check with Rudy if you would like to attend.
~ Church Council has set Sunday, March 12, 2017 as the date for our Annual Spring Congregational meeting. The youth are planning to have a fundraising lunch following the worship service and our meeting would take place after the noon lunch. We invite your participation in discussions around our church budget, as well as follow up from our fall meeting when we discussed the “Being a Faithful Church” process initiated by Mennonite Church Canada.
Community
~ Mennonite Collegiate Institute presents the musical production “Seussical” March 9, 10 & 11. Show times at 7:30pm with a Saturday matinee at 2:00pm. If you are a student in Grade 5-11, you may be eligible for a free ticket! To purchase tickets visit our website at www.mciblues.net or to inquire about a free ticket call us at (204)327-5891.
~ Rosemary Siemens in concert with Ray St. Germain, March 18, 7 pm in Buhler Hall hosted by Mennonite Collegiate Institute. Visit www.mciblues.net to purchase your ticket or call MCI at (204)327-5891.
~ Camps with Meaning camper registration is now open for all three locations! For details visit www.campswithmeaning.org
~ Save the date! The Camps with Meaning “Raise the Roof” Song-a-thon will be March 18th from 1-9 PM!
~ Camps with Meaning staff and volunteer applications are now available at www.campswithmeaning.org/summer/camp-staff
~ The Future Directions Proposal outlining the re-vitalization of Mennonite Church Canada and Area Churches has been posted at http://futuredirectionsmc.ca/the-proposal
Church Calendar
February 26 – Breastplate of Righteousness – Ephesians 6:14b | Youth Led Service
March 5 – Gospel of Peace – Ephesians 6:15 – Rudy Franz
March 12 – Shield of Faith – Ephesians 6: 16 – Rudy Franz
March 12 – Youth fundraiser lunch followed by the Annual Congregational Spring meeting
March 19 – The Helmet of Salvation – Ephesians 6: 17, Jake Friesen
March 26 – The Sword of the Spirit – Ephesians 6: 17, Gerry Giesbrecht
Memory Passage
Ephesians 6: 10 – 20 NIV
- Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
- Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
- For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
- Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
- Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
- And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
- In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
- Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
- And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
- Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,
- for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.