• Easter Brunch Potluck: Join us for an Easter brunch potluck on Sunday, April 20 before the worship service. Brunch begins at 10:00am. Please bring a dish to share, all are welcome! Sign up for the brunch can be found in the church foyer.

• Easter Flowers: During our Easter worship service, we will have a fresh flower display on the altar. We invite you to bring a small potted flower or cut flowers to contribute to the display.

• Holy Week Services: There will be a Maundy Thursday service at South Haven UCC at 7pm on Thursday, April 17. There will also be a Good Friday service at Hope UMC at 7pm on April, 18.

• MCC Building Dedication: You’re invited to join MCC for the building dedication of the new MCC Material Resources Center in Kidron, OH on Sunday, May 4 from 2-4 p.m. We are grateful to all the churches and individuals who have supported this building project over the past several years. Please join us as we dedicate this building and the many kits and comforters that will pass through these doors spreading relief and hope to people around the world. Self-guided tours, activities and light refreshments will be offered from 2-4 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3 p.m. We look forward to celebrating together! More information at mcc.org/kidron-mrc-dedication 

• MMN Prayer Request: Mennonite Mission Network requests prayer for those participating in a 12-day Christ at the Borders Just Peace Pilgrimage to Calais, France, where they are visiting organizations that work with migrants who are trying to cross the English Channel. Pray for the participants as they get first-hand experience with Mission Network partner ministries at Maria Skobtsova House, in Calais, and Peaceful Borders, in the United Kingdom. 

• Easter Brunch Potluck: Join us for an Easter brunch potluck on Sunday, April 20 before the worship service. Brunch begins at 10:00am. Please bring a dish to share, all are welcome! Sign up for the brunch can be found in the church foyer.

• Holy Week Services: There will be a Maundy Thursday service at South Haven UCC at 7pm on Thursday, April 17. There will also be a Good Friday service at Hope UMC at 7pm on April, 18.

• MCC News: In the wake of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar, MCC will be responding with local partners to provide cash assistance for immediate medical needs, food and water. The situation is made even more challenging by ongoing conflict and civil war. Donate today to provide emergency relief to families in need: mcc.org/Myanmar

• MMN Prayer Request: Michael Oyer, in his new capacity as Mennonite Mission Network’s program director for Service Adventure, has just completed a three-day visit to the unit in Colorado Spring, Colorado. Pray for wisdom for Michael and the unit leaders, Christian and Leigha Stoltzfus. Pray for a year of growing in faith for participants — Elisabeth Daudey, Alea Sagert, Sadie Sherman and Hannah Smith — and for their host congregation, Beth-El Mennonite Church. 

Easter Brunch Potluck: Join us for an Easter brunch potluck on Sunday, April 20 before the worship service. Brunch begins at 10:00am. Please bring a dish to share, all are welcome! Sign up for the brunch can be found in the church foyer.

• My Coins Count: Next Sunday, March 30 we will have our monthly My Coins Count collection during the worship service. Please bring your coins, cash, and checks to help support the mission and ministries of the Mennonite Central Committee.

• FMC Potluck: Chris & Sue Coblentz are hosting a potluck at their house on Saturday, March 29. The potluck starts at 5pm, with games following. Please let them know if you are able to make it!

• Help Request: Mary Lowery has a storage container that she needs help emptying. The entire contents will either be disposed of or donated. The storage container is located at the CubeSmart Storage unit at 24000 Lorain Rd. in North Olmsted. Volunteers should meet at CubeSmart on Saturday, March 29 at 10:00am. If you are available to help with this project, please let either myself or Pastor Alvis know.

• Easter Brunch Potluck: Join us for an Easter brunch potluck on Sunday, April 20 before the worship service. Brunch begins at 10:00am. Please bring a dish to share, all are welcome! Sign up for the brunch can be found in the church foyer.

• MMN Prayer Request: Lane Miller, one of Mennonite Mission Network’s regional directors for Africa and Europe, is in Europe this month to improve his French language skills. Pray for him as he also visits partner institution LCC International University and Robin Gingerich, who has served with Mission Network at LCC in Lithuania since 2001.

• FMC Potluck: Chris & Sue Coblentz are hosting a potluck at their house on Saturday, March 29. The potluck starts at 5pm, with games following. Please let them know if you are able to make it!

• Help Request: Mary Lowery has a storage container that she needs help emptying. The entire contents will either be disposed of or donated. The storage container is located at the CubeSmart Storage unit at 24000 Lorain Rd. in North Olmsted. Volunteers should meet at CubeSmart on Saturday, March 29 at 10:00am. If you are available to help with this project, please let either myself or Pastor Alvis know.

• MMN Prayer Request: Caleb and Stephanie Schrock-Hurst are preparing for ministry in Taiwan, where they will renew relationships between the Mennonite Christian Hospital, in Hualien, and North American churches. Pray for them as they learn the Chinese language and finish raising the necessary funding. The Schrock-Hursts are jointly appointed through Mennonite Mission Network and Virginia Mennonite Missions.

• FMC Potluck: Chris & Sue Coblentz are hosting a potluck at their house on Saturday, March 29. The potluck starts at 5pm, with games following. Please let them know if you are able to make it!

• Help Request: Mark Lowery has a storage container that she needs help emptying. The entire contents will either be disposed of or donated. The storage container is located at the CubeSmart Storage unit at 24000 Lorain Rd. in North Olmsted. Volunteers should meet at CubeSmart on Saturday, March 29 at 10:00am. If you are available to help with this project, please let either myself or Pastor Alvis know.

• MMN Prayer Request: Mennonite Mission Network requests prayer for the Ecuador partnership meetings that are being held in Quito this week. Linda Shelly, regional director for Latin America, and Andrew Suderman, director of global partnerships, have joined representatives of the Colombia Mennonite Church and Central Plains Mennonite Conference in meeting with Ecuadorian partners to discern how to best carry out God’s vision in their communities.

• Loaded Conversations & Fear Not: March 6 from 9-11:30am. In a culture that is dominated by fear, division and violence, churches are grappling with how to talk about and think about gun ownership and gun use. A Loaded Conversation invites churches to explore a faithful response to this reality of violence involving guns. Fear Not: Creating a plan to respond to active violence helps congregations in the U.S. consider what they believe about situations of active violence and how they can respond effectively and faithfully as followers of Jesus Christ. Register at: mcc.org/loaded-fear-webinar 

• Embracing Beloved Community: March 6 from 1-3:30pm. Embracing Beloved Community dives into the ways God calls the church to embrace diversity. The curriculum is designed for congregations new to this topic to journey together in an exploration of the sin of racism and Christ’s vision for the Kingdom of God on Earth. Register at: mcc.org/embracing-beloved-webinar

• MMN Prayer Request: Toni and Matthew Krabill, who are serving in Ghana with Mennonite Mission Network, will begin their two-month North American ministry this month. Pray for their good health and safe travels and that God’s Spirit will guide their speaking and conversations, as they update congregations about what God is doing through their ministries. Pray for renewal, as they reconnect with family and friends.

• Encounter: All are welcome to “Encounter,” a monthly gathering led by Ted Steiner and Anita Yoder. We will meet today at 7pm at First Baptist Church in Shaker Heights for a time of silence, singing, and sharing. We think it is very important to build community with one another, listening together for God’s loving voice. Please feel free to invite any neighbors or friends who might enjoy and benefit from our gathering.

• How To Be An Enemy Sermon Series: The radical way of Jesus, of love and service for “the least of these,” is increasingly at odds with the direction of our culture and political climate. Truly following Jesus means we might seem like an ‘enemy’ to people who are caught up in what’s normal and easy in our culture. How do we live faithfully in this tension?

• Lenten Blessing: In preparation for Lent, during our March 2nd Sunday service, Pastor Alvis will offer a blessing with anointing oil as a sign and reminder of God’s presence as we journey together with Jesus to the cross and into the resurrected new life at Easter.

• MDS Housewarmer Project: In celebration of Mennonite Disaster Service’s 75th anniversary, we are inviting church sewing circles and individuals who enjoy sewing, knitting, crocheting, or weaving to join us by creating wall hangings or prayer shawls for our Housewarmer Project during the month of February! The Housewarmer Project provides quilted wall hangings and prayer shawls to disaster survivors whose homes have been rebuilt or restored by Mennonite Disaster Service. Housewarmer Project information, guidelines, and mailing instructions for completed wall hangings and prayer shawls can be found at mds.org/housewarmer-project.

• MMN Prayer Request: Terrorists continue to attack peaceful populations in Burkina Faso, as the citizens work in their fields and worship in churches, placing the country at the top of the Global Terrorism Index. Mennonite Mission Network requests prayer for an end to the violence and for healing for the thousands of people who have been traumatized by seeing loved ones murdered. Pray, also, for the witness of the Evangelical Mennonite Church of Burkina Faso in this time of crisis.

• How To Be An Enemy Sermon Series: The radical way of Jesus, of love and service for “the least of these,” is increasingly at odds with the direction of our culture and political climate. Truly following Jesus means we might seem like an ‘enemy’ to people who are caught up in what’s normal and easy in our culture. How do we live faithfully in this tension?

• My Coins Count: Next Sunday, February 23 we will have our monthly My Coins Count collection during the worship service. Please bring your coins, cash, and checks to help support the mission and ministries of the Mennonite Central Committee.

• MDS Housewarmer Project: In celebration of Mennonite Disaster Service’s 75th anniversary, we are inviting church sewing circles and individuals who enjoy sewing, knitting, crocheting, or weaving to join us by creating wall hangings or prayer shawls for our Housewarmer Project during the month of February! The Housewarmer Project provides quilted wall hangings and prayer shawls to disaster survivors whose homes have been rebuilt or restored by Mennonite Disaster Service. Housewarmer Project information, guidelines, and mailing instructions for completed wall hangings and prayer shawls can be found at mds.org/housewarmer-project.

• How To Be An Enemy Sermon Series: The radical way of Jesus, of love and service for “the least of these,” is increasingly at odds with the direction of our culture and political climate. Truly following Jesus means we might seem like an ‘enemy’ to people who are caught up in what’s normal and easy in our culture. How do we live faithfully in this tension?

• MCUSA Convention Sign Up: A sign-up sheet for the MCUSA convention this summer is available on the church bulletin board. Any youth who would like to attend convention should sign up!

• Moving Help: The Hershberger family will be moving from their home in Cleveland to their new home in Bay Village on Saturday, March 8 at 10am. If you are interested in helping with the move, please reach out to either Lance or Monica for more information.

• MMN Prayer Request: Mennonite Mission Network requests prayer for Kate Widmer, who is part of a team that works alongside the residents of a low-income area in eastern France, through the outreach programs of The Prairie Church of Montbéliard. Pray for her and the neighbors she relates to through sewing classes, a bookstore and café, and mentoring young people.