Verse of the Week:
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Matthew 26:41
Worship leader: Rudy Franz
Song Leader & Pianist: Gerry Giesbrecht
Welcome & announcements
Call to worship
Prayer
Worship in Song
Offertory –
Prayer Time
Sunday School Recitation of Ephesians 6: 10 – 20
Children’s story –
Worship in Song
Message – Pray – Rudy Franz
Closing Song
Benediction
Prayer & Praise
~ It has been heartening to hear that Tenley Falk and her family have experienced a sense of calm in their household. This means that Tenley’s blood counts have been strong, she has been able to attend school, and the family has been able to plan some activities over the spring break. We are grateful for these answers to prayer and we continue to pray for Tenley’s well-being. Updates can be found at: http://www.tenleysjourney.wordpress.com
~ The funeral for Helen Fehr, was held on Saturday, April 1st here at the Blumenort Mennonite Church. Thank you again to our caretakers, those in the sound booth, and to all those who helped out with the serving and clean up. We appreciate your willingness to serve. We want to wish the family God’s comfort and peace. Thank you for all you did in helping to care for your mother.
~ Prayer update on kidnap victims in the Congo: Tragically the bodies of Mennonite Peace Builder and UN worker, Michael Sharp, his colleague Zaida Catalan and interpreter Betes Tshintela, have been found in a shallow grave. The whereabouts of the others remains unknown. Our prayers for victim’s grieving families, friends and colleagues are deeply appreciated. Please also pray that the perpetrators of these evil deeds can re-orient themselves and align their souls with the peace they seek and the mercy offered in God through Jesus the Christ. Finally please pray for peace in the deeply conflicted region of Eastern Congo, where remnant factions of the Rwandan warlords and the fight over conflict minerals and other natural resources is very real.
~ Nick Driedger, Caleb Rempel, Shania Ginter and Jesse Miller , along with other MCI students and staff have returned home from their involvement with SOAR Heartland in Winnipeg over the spring break. We trust that you will have experienced a sense of community and a deepening awareness of God’s presence.
~ Lauren Fehr, Josh Dyck & Marilyn Dyck have also returned from their spring break trip to Italy, taken along with fellow MCI Students, staff & parent volunteers. We also trust that this was a worthy trip of planned and unexpected experiences, a great learning opportunity and a chance to form some long lasting relationships with one another.
~ Wednesday, April 5 marks the date for our monthly 24 hour prayer vigil for Eagles Wings Children’s Village in Uganda. The work they do is ongoing. The support they receive through prayer helps to undergird this work.
~ Please continue to pray for Samara Thiessen, great granddaughter of Elma Kehler, who will be having a bone marrow transplant on Tuesday, April 4, in Winnipeg. The disease Samara has is called SCID. This is her mother Ambers’ description on SCID:
What is SCID?!
Samara has a Severe Combined Immune Deficiency. She was born with this because both Brent & I are carriers of the gene. This condition is very rare and the specific kind she has is the ‘Mennonite variety’, called Zap70. She pretty much has no functioning immune system. (Does anyone remember the Bubble Boy?). By the grace of God, there is a cure for her condition, and that is a bone marrow transplant. Both her brother and sister are matches, but our daughter Eliana will be the one to donate (she is bigger and stronger after all). We are blessed with a great medical team caring for her, who have done research and worked with this condition before.
We marvel at God’s providence, how He healed her from that pneumonia, how we got the diagnosis, it has been amazing to see God’s hand at work. We trust and know that He is not finished His work in our lives and we wait on Him for what lies ahead! Jesus has made us a family, and the way that you all have been persevering in prayer for us is immensely humbling. “I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now. I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phil 1:3-6
~ Those in various care homes that we remember in our prayers include: Trudy Harms, 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, Kendra Fehr studying with YWAM in San Diego, CA
Prayer for the Week:
Heavenly Father, we pray for all our brothers and sisters in the faith, wherever they may be, even unto the ends of the earth, whether assembled or scattered, in sorrow or sickness, in bonds or in prison for Your name’s sake. Comfort them and us with Your great love, and keep them and us with Your Holy Spirit and in Your word and in Your will. May we all abide in Your love and not depart from the way of righteousness, neither to the right not the left, but remain faithful unto the end of our lives. Amen.
Announcements:
Announcements
Youth
~ Go to http://blumenortchurch.com/calendar/church-calendar/ 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 Gerry Giesbrecht @ 204-362-7262
Junior Youth (Mondays 7pm-9pm):
April 3 –
Senior Youth (Wednesdays 7pm-9:30pm):
April 5 –
Church
~ Audio services and bulletins are now available at our Church website. We are working at streamlining this, and keeping it current. Please be patient with us as we continue to update our web presence. Go to http://blumenortchurch.com to see what’s new online.
~ 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.
~ Please note that the mailboxes have a new order to them…yours may have been moved!!
~ We are looking for more people to help out with our audio visuals. There are openings in each department. If you are able and interested, check with the nominations committee: Joyce Hildebrandt, Charlotte Klassen, or Armin Ens. We would welcome you to come on board and fill these vacancies.
~ South Park MB Church in Altona extends an invitation to attend a seminar on Saturday, April 22 from 9 am to 12:30 pm on the topic of “Sexuality and Identity: Gaining understanding and Hope”.
Session 1: God’s intention for Sexuality & Cultural breakdown
Session 2: Identity and Development: the heart of the matter.
Session 3: Ministry and relationship with people struggling in their sexuality and identity.
Free admission
~ Paul A Peters has asked for his name to be removed from our membership list.
Community
~ The annual Manitoba MDS Awareness & Fundraising Events are approaching. Come hear MDS stories from 2016 projects and plans for 2017 – especially, Fort McMurray. Please attend either the Arborg area supper at the Morweena E.M Church on APRIL 8th; or the Altona area event (Details to follow shortly) on APRIL 22nd. See the poster for details. Reserve your complimentary attendance by calling MDS at 1-866-261-1274.
For those churches that, due to distance, are unable to attend either of these events we invite you to join us in prayer for the work of MDS and the Manitoba Unit.
Thank you for your continued support of Mennonite Disaster Service
~ Mennonite Collegiate Institute Celebrates 50 Years of Musicals! Join us for our Fundraising Gala Concert and Reception, featuring musicals from the past 50 years, on April 8th at 7:30pm in Buhler Hall, Gretna, MB. To reserve a seat for the show, call MCI at 204-327-5891. Opportunity for donations will be available at the concert.
~ Salem Foundation presents “Faspa, Fellowship and Song” Sunday, April 2, 2017 at the Winkler Bergthaler Mennonite Church. Program begins at 3:30 pm Faspa is at 4:30 pm. Freewill offering for Bathing Room upgrades. Featured will be the quartet “Glorybound”.
~ We are invited to the Gideon Banquet on Tuesday, April 4 at 6:30pm in the Altona EMMC. Tickets are available from Werner & Marlene Ens or Garry & Karla Fehr and are complimentary.
~ Eden Foundation invites us to a choral concert featuring the Winkler Community Male Choir with conductor Ray Giesbrecht, and the Prairie Singers, with conductor Loretta Thorleifson, on Sunday, April 9, 2017 at 7 pm at the Emmanuel Mennonite Church in Winkler. Rush seating. Donations will be accepted for Eden’s mental health recovery programs.
~Emmaus House in Winnipeg is accepting applications for students looking for accommodation for the summer or the 2017/18 academic year. Check us out at www.emmaushousewinnipeg.ca
~ MDS is looking for volunteers to start May 14 in Fort McMurray Alberta. Please check the bulletin board for more details or go to:
www.http://mds.mennonite.net/volunteer
~ Women Encountering Jesus – Saturday, April 29, 2017 from 9 am to 4:30 pm. You are invited by Mennonite Women Manitoba to come spend a day together at the Bethel Mennonite church in Winnipeg, exploring stories of women’s encounters with Jesus, then & now. Our day will include: worship, engagement with a variety of spiritual practices, storytelling, lunch and introduction to resources for the journey. Resource person is Spiritual Director Laura Funk. Register online at: www.mennochurch.mb.ca or call 204-896-1616 and ask for Kathy Giesbrecht. Registration is $ 50.00
~ Mennonite Church Manitoba is accepting applications for the position of Resident Manager at Camp Moose Lake. This is a 4 month term position (1.0 fte) from May 1 – Aug 31. The Manager is directly responsible for the management of Camp Moose Lake, overseeing all aspects of its operation including facilities and the guest group rental program. Please send inquiries to Dorothy Fontaine 204-896-1616 ext 256 ordfontaine@mennochurch.mb.ca. A detailed job description can be found atwww.campswithmeaning.org, News.
Church Calendar
April 9 – Palm Sunday – Esther Zacharias
April 14 – Good Friday & Communion at 10:30am
April 16 – Easter Sunday – Pastor Rudy
April Anniversaries
April 4 – Ryan & Jody Friesen
April 6 – Loren & Donna Entz
April 9 – Sheldon & Sherry Fehr
April 12 – Ray & Corinne Peters
April 18 – Abe & Viola Fehr
April 21 – Ken & Corry Rempel
April Birthdays
April 4 – Monica Ens
April 6 – Elvina Peters, Joe Giesbrecht
April 8 – Karissa Falk, Austin Penner
April 10 – Vincent Rempel
April 15 – Macey Friesen
April 16 – Paul A Peters
April 17 – Ingrid Dyck
April 23 – Elfrieda Peters
April 25 – Dale Klippenstein
April 26 – Kirsten Friesen, Christopher Klassen
April 27 – Bill Rempel
April 30 – Verna Martens