Verse of the Week:
Behold God is my salvation; I will trust and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation. Isaiah 12: 22
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
Acts 4: 12
Worship leader: Rudy Franz
Song Leader & Pianist: Erica Rempel
Welcome & announcements
Call to worship
Prayer
Worship in Song
Offertory
Prayer Time
Worship in Song
Scripture Reading – Ephesians 6: 10 – 20
Message – Is the Helmet a fitting enclosure? – Jake Friesen
Closing Song
Benediction
Prayer & Praise
~ The funeral for Susan Janzen was held this past Thursday at the Blumenort Church. Thank you to our caretakers, those in the sound booth, and the people who looked after serving the meal. Your help is much appreciated. We also pray that the family will experience much comfort and reassurance through God’s Holy Spirit as they mourn the loss of a mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister and friend.
~ Tenley Falk has been able to continue with her regular chemo treatments. Her blood counts continue to remain at an acceptable level. She has even been able to attend a few half days of school. We continue our prayer support for her and the family as they journey on with faith in God who promises to be our Good Shepherd. Updates can be found at: http://www.tenleysjourney.wordpress.com
~ Mennonite Church Canada is sending our an urgent prayer request for Michael J Sharp, a Mennonite peace worker, formerly with Mennonite Church Canada’s ministry partner Mennonite Mission Network and Mennonite Central Committee, who was kidnapped in the Democratic Republic of Congo, on March 12, 2017, along with his United Nations colleague and four Congolese Nationals. We are asked to pray for those who are kidnapped as well as the kidnappers.
~ Those in various care homes that we remember in our prayers include: Trudy Harms, Helen Fehr, who will turn 101 on March 25, 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 , serving in Uganda at the moment.
~ 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.
Prayer for the week:
Great and merciful God, Your life is the source of the whole world’s life; Your mercy is our only hope; Your eyes watch over all Your creatures; You know the secrets of our hearts. By Your life-giving Spirit, draw us into Your presence, that we may worship in the true life of Your Spirit, with lives moved by Your love, through Him who has led us to Your heart of love, even Jesus the Christ, our Lord. 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):
March 20 – Photo Scavenger Hunt
March 27 – No Youth Spring Break
Senior Youth (Wednesdays 7pm-9:30pm):
March 22 – The River: helping those who are hurting. Speaker Marv Penner, this is in Winkler. Please meet at the Church at 6:30. We will return between 9:30 & 10 pm
March 29 – No Youth – Spring Break
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!!
~ 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.
~ Tuesday, March 21 – Church Council Meeting at 7:30 pm
~ Thursday, March 23 – there will be an information meeting at Salem Home, in the multi-purpose room at 7 pm to talk about the upcoming building project.
Community
The annual Manitoba MDS Awareness & Fundraising Events are fast approaching.
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
~ Southern Manitoba Choral Society presents: Singing Joyfully, Together. SMCS has invited First Mennonite Church choir to join us in concerts at Altona Bergthaler Mennonite Church on March 18, 7:00pm and at Winnipeg First Mennonite Church on March 19, 3:00pm. Everyone is welcome, and a free-will offering will be taken. ~ 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.
~ Camps with Meaning camper registration is now open for all three locations! For details visit www.campswithmeaning.org
~ Camps with Meaning staff and volunteer applications are now available at www.campswithmeaning.org/summer/camp-staff
~ 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 Thursday, 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
~ 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
March 26 – The Sword of the Spirit – Ephesians 6: 17, Gerry Giesbrecht
April 2 – Ephesians 6: 18 – 20, Pastor Rudy
April 9 – Palm Sunday – Esther Zacharias
April 14 – Good Friday & Communion at 10:30am
April 16 – Easter Sunday – Pastor Rudy
SOAR Heartland
– 2017 – students from our church that are participating include: Nick Driedger, Caleb Rempel, Shania Ginter,
And Jesse Miller
Volunteers Needed
Here are some of the timeslots that we need volunteers for SOAR this year.
Consider what time might suit you…
Breakfast Prep (6 – 8:30am) – March 24, 25, 31, and April 1
Breakfast clean-up (7:30-9:30am) – March 24, 25, 31, and April 1
Lunch Cooler Prep (8 – 11am) – March 24 and 31
Breakfast Cooler Prep (6 – 8pm) – March 25
Lunch Cooler Clean-up – March 26 (5 – 6:30) and 31 (6 – 7:30)
Supper Prep (3 – 6pm) – March 26
Supper Clean-up (5 – 7:30pm) – March 25 and 26
Contact: Kara Friesen – Winnipeg@mbmission.org or (204) 415-0670