• Welcome, Bret Johnson!: Bret Johnson serves as coordinator of the Southeast Clergy Meals on Wheels program. SEC Meals on Wheels provides nutritious meals at a reasonable cost to residents in Bedford, Bedford Heights, Oakwood Village and Walton Hills, who are unable to shop or prepare adequate meals for themselves. This service enables each person to maintain or resume independent living in their own home. Meals on Wheels is an independent all-volunteer service which relies upon donations from the community, businesses, private donors and client donations for financial support.

• Mark Your Calendar: The 2026 FMC Retreat Schedule has been finalized! Mark your calendar and plan on joining us at our retreat property this summer for fellowship and potlucks. Questions? Reach out to Chris or Sue Coblentz.

• You are invited to Encounter! Encounter meets once a month on Sundays at 7pm, led by Ted and Anita in a small space at First Baptist Church (3630 Fairmount Blvd, Shaker Heights). It’s an opportunity to be with one another in prayer, silence and reflection. Everyone is welcome, even if you’ve never attended before. Our next meeting date is May 17.
• Children’s Activity Volunteers Needed: The last week for regular children’s Sunday school is Sunday, May 17. On Sundays from May 24-June 28, there will be no regular Sunday school for these ages. Instead, there will be an informal time for games, playing, fellowshipping and fun on the playground. We still need volunteers to coordinate these 10am times with our children while the youth and adults participate in the story-sharing project for the following Sundays: May 24, May 31, June 21 & June 28.

• MCC Connections 25^th Anniversary: MCC Connections will celebrate its 25th anniversary from May 11-16!  We are grateful to the community for supporting both the Thrift Shop and the Material Resources Center. Please join us each day for special sales, food trucks, drawings, and giveaways at 4080 Kidron Rd. Kidron, OH. Monday – Cloud 9 Food Truck*, 25 cent bracelets Tuesday – Happy birthday, MCC Connections! Blend of Grace*, 25% off thrift purchases, 1 free commemorative shopping tote with every purchase Wednesday – 25 cent necklaces Thursday – Free coffee and donuts, 25 cent scarves Friday – Free coffee and donuts, 25 cent mugs Saturday – Patio 114 food truck*, Ruby’s Chipotle Bowls Food Truck*, free ice cream cup, free shopping tote with purchase, 25 cent flip flops *All food truck purchases are 25% off and covered by MCC Connections. Limited menus will be provided by the food trucks.
• You are invited to Encounter! Encounter meets once a month on Sundays at 7pm, led by Ted and Anita in a small space at First Baptist Church (3630 Fairmount Blvd, Shaker Heights). It’s an opportunity to be with one another in prayer, silence and reflection. Everyone is welcome, even if you’ve never attended before. Our next meeting date is May 17.

• MMN Prayer Request: Laura and Nick Sharp, and their two children, are nearing the end of their one-year service term in La Mesa, Colombia, where they offer educational support at the Colegio Americano Menno. Pray that they are able use these final two months in Colombia to continue the relationships they have built, while also preparing themselves and the children they help teach for their inevitable good-byes.

• FMC Directory: Updated copies of the FMC Church Directory are available at the back of the sanctuary.

• Next Sunday – My Coins Count: Sunday, April 26 we will have our monthly My Coins Count collection during the worship service. Please bring your cash, coins, and checks to help support the mission and ministries of the Mennonite Central Committee.

• You are invited to Encounter! Encounter meets once a month on Sundays at 7pm, led by Ted and Anita in a small space at First Baptist Church (3630 Fairmount Blvd, Shaker Heights). It’s an opportunity to be with one another in prayer, silence and reflection. Everyone is welcome, even if you’ve never attended before. Our upcoming meeting dates are: April 19 and May 17.

• MMN Prayer Request: Caleb and Stephanie Schrock-Hurst have been onsite at Mennonite Christian Hospital (MCH) in Hualien, Taiwan, for more than two months. Pray that the Bible study they are now leading with MCH staff will be a fruitful and fulfilling time of study and fellowship for all involved.

• MCUSA News: Mennonite Church USA joined hundreds of faith leaders to sign letter rejecting demonization of migrants, erosion of human and Constitutional rights. Read more here: https://www.mennoniteusa.org/news/call-to-christians/

• Summer Camps: With the weather warming up, it’s time to think about summer camps! See the information below about some of the summer camps that children and youth from FMC have attended.

Registration is open for summer camp at Laurelville!  Sign up now for a week of fun, friends, and exploring faith in community with others.  Camp will give you memories that last a lifetime, and won’t leave you the same.  Weeklong camps are offered for youth ages 8 through 17.  A shorter, two-night option is available for youth ages 6 to 10 and is a great way to give overnight camp a try.  Reserve your spot today! www.laurelville.org

Early Bird Registration ends April 15 at Camp Luz! This summer at Camp Luz our theme is “Called and Sent,” based on Matthew 28:19-20. Camp sessions are available for kids ages 7 through 18, as well as a “Grown Up & Me” camp for kids ages 4-6 with a parent. For more information and to register: www.campluz.com

• You are invited to Encounter! Encounter meets once a month on Sundays at 7pm, led by Ted and Anita in a small space at First Baptist Church (3630 Fairmount Blvd, Shaker Heights). It’s an opportunity to be with one another in prayer, silence and reflection. Everyone is welcome, even if you’ve never attended before. Our upcoming meeting dates are: April 19 and May 17.

• MMN Prayer Request: This week, four SOOP participants will begin two-week assignments at Hesston (Kansas) College and Iglesia Cristiana Roca de Refugio in San Antonio, Texas. Additionally, another couple will wrap up a one-month SOOP placement in Calais, France, this week. Praise God for the willingness of these participants to give of their time and talents. 

• Free Concert: There will be a free choir concert by Ephrata Mennonite High School at Aurora Mennonite Church (59 E Mennonite Rd. Aurora, OH.) on Friday, April 10 at 7pm.   

• Easter Worship Arts: The Easter worship arts on display was made out of recycled materials by the middler Sunday school class a few years ago. During intergenerational Sunday school last week we had a chance to restore the artwork which had lost some of its pieces over the years. Check it out up close to see what the underlying materials are and how they have experienced a form of resurrection in this season of Easter!

• Tuesday Bible Study Break: While Pastor Alvis is away on sabbatical, the Tuesday Bible Study will not meet.
• Sunday School Update: YOUTH: Starting Sunday, April 12, the youth will join the adults downstairs for a story-sharing project. There will be no separate youth Sunday school during Alvis’s sabbatical and through the rest of the summer.  CHILDREN: For children ages 3-grade 5, the last week for regular Sunday school will be Sunday, May 17 (the weekend before Memorial Day). On Sundays from May 24-June 28, there will be no regular Sunday school for these ages. Instead, there will be an informal time for games, playing, fellowshipping, and for fun on the playground. We need volunteers to coordinate these 10 a.m. times with our children while the youth and adults participate in a story-sharing project. If you are able to help, please sign up: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1284u2aJRMA6nwJ5SXFZ0OHECDW-DQtc7IvNqcBPuIUU/edit?gid=1365806384#gid=1365806384.

• Easter Flowers: We will have a fresh flower display on the altar during the worship service. You are invited to being a small potted flower if you would like to contribute (or cut flowers work too).  

• Easter Brunch Potluck: Sunday, April 5 at 10:00am join us for a brunch potluck in the Fellowship Hall. Please bring a dish to share. All are welcome! 
• Sunday School Update: YOUTH: Starting Sunday, April 12, the youth will join the adults downstairs for a story-sharing project. There will be no separate youth Sunday school during Alvis’s sabbatical and through the rest of the summer.  CHILDREN: For children ages 3-grade 5, the last week for regular Sunday school will be Sunday, May 17 (the weekend before Memorial Day). On Sundays from May 24-June 28, there will be no regular Sunday school for these ages. Instead, there will be an informal time for games, playing, fellowshipping, and for fun on the playground. We need volunteers to coordinate these 10 a.m. times with our children while the youth and adults participate in a story-sharing project. If you are able to help, please sign up: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1284u2aJRMA6nwJ5SXFZ0OHECDW-DQtc7IvNqcBPuIUU/edit?gid=1365806384#gid=1365806384.

• Sunday School Update: YOUTH: Starting Sunday, April 12, the youth will join the adults downstairs for a story-sharing project. There will be no separate youth Sunday school during Alvis’s sabbatical and through the rest of the summer.  CHILDREN: For children ages 3-grade 5, the last week for regular Sunday school will be Sunday, May 17 (the weekend before Memorial Day). On Sundays from May 24-June 28, there will be no regular Sunday school for these ages. Instead, there will be an informal time for games, playing, fellowshipping, and for fun on the playground. We need volunteers to coordinate these 10 a.m. times with our children while the youth and adults participate in a story-sharing project. If you are able to help, please sign up: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1284u2aJRMA6nwJ5SXFZ0OHECDW-DQtc7IvNqcBPuIUU/edit?gid=1365806384#gid=1365806384.
• Intergenerational Sunday School: Join us next Sunday, March 29 for an Intergenerational Sunday school hour. All ages will be together in the Fellowship Hall for the sharing of a Bible story together, talking about it in table groups, and then doing some related activities. There will be activities for children, youth, and adults.
• Easter Brunch Potluck: Sunday, April 5 at 10:00am join us for a brunch potluck in the Fellowship Hall. Please bring a dish to share. All are welcome! 
• Next Sunday – My Coins Count: Sunday, March 29 we will have our monthly My Coins Count collection during the worship service. Please bring your cash, coins, and checks to help support the mission and ministries of the Mennonite Central Committee

• Easter Brunch Potluck: Sunday, April 5 at 10:00am join us for a brunch potluck in the Fellowship Hall. Please bring a dish to share. All are welcome! 

• You are invited to Encounter!: Encounter meets once a month on Sundays at 7pm, led by Ted and Anita in a small space at First Baptist Church (3630 Fairmount Blvd, Shaker Heights). It’s an opportunity to be with one another in prayer, silence and reflection. Everyone is welcome, even if you’ve never attended before. Our upcoming meeting dates are: March 22, April 19, and May 17.
• Faithful Response Immigration Gathering: All are invited to a Faithful Response Immigration Gathering at Camp Christian March 17-19, 2026. Organizers and clergy from the UCC, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the US and Canada, Church of the Brethren, and Mennonite Church USA have planned workshops and spiritual grounding for all who are interested in migrant advocacy and accompaniment, with offerings for those who are directly impacted by immigration policy and enforcement and offerings for those who seeks to be in solidarity with those directly impacted. The keynote speaker on March 18 will be Imam Ayman Soliman, who was detained in Butler County Jail for 73 days after his asylum status was revoked without cause. For more information and registration go to: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sk9X2F4SUvV6kg8ex5SI9iGZpt55tnfAnNZfc5qGLc4/edit?usp=sharing

• Note from the Treasurer: Average giving for the first two months of 2026 has been $7,900.  This is below the budgeted amount of $8,500 per month.

• Easter Brunch Potluck: Sunday, April 5 at 10:00am join us for a brunch potluck in the Fellowship Hall. Please bring a dish to share. All are welcome! 

• You are invited to Encounter!: Encounter meets once a month on Sundays at 7pm, led by Ted and Anita in a small space at First Baptist Church (3630 Fairmount Blvd, Shaker Heights). It’s an opportunity to be with one another in prayer, silence and reflection. Everyone is welcome, even if you’ve never attended before. Our upcoming meeting dates are: March 22, April 19, and May 17.
• Faithful Response Immigration Gathering: All are invited to a Faithful Response Immigration Gathering at Camp Christian March 17-19, 2026. Organizers and clergy from the UCC, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the US and Canada, Church of the Brethren, and Mennonite Church USA have planned workshops and spiritual grounding for all who are interested in migrant advocacy and accompaniment, with offerings for those who are directly impacted by immigration policy and enforcement and offerings for those who seeks to be in solidarity with those directly impacted. The keynote speaker on March 18 will be Imam Ayman Soliman, who was detained in Butler County Jail for 73 days after his asylum status was revoked without cause. For more information and registration go to: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sk9X2F4SUvV6kg8ex5SI9iGZpt55tnfAnNZfc5qGLc4/edit?usp=sharing

• MCC Appalachia Build (formerly SWAP): is seeking summer staff in Kimball, West Virginia or Elkhorn City, Kentucky.These three-month positions for Job Site Coordinators and Meals Coordinators will allow you to explore new cultures, develop skills, build friendships and live out your faith. Applicants should be at least 19 years old, but the roles are not limited to young adults. An hourly wage plus room and board are provided. For more information and to apply, visit mcc.org/careers. Or contact RoxyReyes@mcc.org 

• MCUSA Announcement: This Women’s History Month, journey through the stories of Mennonite women who have shaped our faith — from the first women’s mission groups and early educators to today’s pastors, peacebuilders and organizational leaders. Explore MC USA’s Mennonite Women’s History Timeline and be inspired by their courage, leadership and enduring witness: https://www.mennoniteusa.org/mennonite-womens-history-timeline/

• MMN Prayer Request: Beginning tomorrow, the Anchorage, Alaska, and Colorado Springs, Colorado, Service Adventure units will gather in San Angelo, Texas, to serve with Mennonite Disaster Service. Pray for a great week of serving and learning together, as well as safe travels for the participants as they travel.

• You are invited to Encounter!:  Encounter meets once a month on Sundays at 7pm, led by Ted and Anita in a small space at First Baptist Church (3630 Fairmount Blvd, Shaker Heights). It’s an opportunity to be with one another in prayer, silence and reflection. Everyone is welcome, even if you’ve never attended before. Our upcoming meeting dates are: March 22, April 19, and May 17.