Our Local Mennonite Schools

Bethany Christian Schools

Bethany Christian Schools will present their instrumental Christmas concerts on Tuesday, December 10. Grades 4-8 will perform at 6:30 p.m., the middle school at 7:30 p.m. The concerts are open to the public; there is no admission charge.

Shop Ten Thousand Villages in Goshen, December 9-14, and support Bethany Christian Schools. Tell the cashier that you are shopping for Bethany and 20% of sales will be donated to Bethany. Your loved ones will enjoy the creative handcrafted gifts you purchase and artisans will receive vital, fair income as you support Bethany.

Bethany Christian High School will hold its annual Christmas concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, December 13, in Goshen College’s Sauder Concert Hall. Come hear choral and instrumental groups as they celebrate the birth of Christ in music and join them on stage for their concluding song “The Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah.

Bethany alumni will receive free admission and be eligible for prizes at the boys and girls evening Holiday tourney basketball games on Saturday, December 21. The boys game begins at 6:00 p.m. and the girls at 7:30 p.m. Note, alumni night does not include the morning games of the Holiday Tourney.

Goshen College

Goshen College will again present A Festival of Carols, the annual Christmas music extravaganza and one of the most highly-anticipated concerts of the year, on December 6 and 7 at 7:30 p.m., and December 8 at 4:00 p.m. The concert will feature performances by the Goshen College Choirs, Goshen College Symphony Orchestra and special guests, interspersed with audience singing and readings. Tickets are $16 and can be purchased online or through the Goshen College Box Office.

Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS)

Join the Journey program. Nurture your leadership abilities. Tend to your spiritual formation. Deepen your theological perspectives. AMBS’s Journey Missional Leadership Development Program offers mentor-mentee partnerships, distance-learning opportunities and community support. Open to all who are exploring what ministry looks like in their life. Save $100 if you sign up by December 16. Learn more.

Our Mennonite Institutions (local events & news)

Everence

Do you have questions about Medicare? Everence will host its final Medicare Monday of the year on December 9, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. at Everence. Join them for an informal conversation. They'll cover the following:

• Enrollment details and deadlines
• Social Security - when do I start?
• Prescription drug coverage
• Plans that supplement Medicare

Take any additional questions you may have and they'll be happy to answer them. View more information on the bulletin board by the mailboxes.

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)

The Depot MCC Resource Center in Goshen, is taking seriously the call to care for God's creation. By installing 338 solar panels last year, they have been able to cut in half the monthly electricity bills of the 62,000 square foot building. Learn more about how The Depot is making environmentally-friendly changes.

Give a kit for Christmas! From hurricanes and flooding to conflict and drought, MCC is responding to many disasters around the world. This Christmas, why not gather your family and pack a school kit as a gift to other families whose lives have been disrupted by war or disaster? View more information about school kit contents and how you can get involved. Information is also posted on the bulletin board by the mailboxes. Take your completed kits to The Depot Material Resource Center.

Our Mennonite Institutions (at large)

Mennonite Church USA

Do you remember your first Mennonite convention? Take a walk down memory lane as Scott Hartman, director of event planning for Mennonite Church USA, shares his enthusiasm for convention and the denomination's goal to provide 100 scholarships for youth of color to participate in MennoCon21.

A group from Mennonite Church USA traveled to Tucson, Arizona in October to visit and learn from organizations that serve migrants at the United States-Mexico border state. Read reflections from their trip in a series of blogs.

Mennonite Creation Care

Sunlight breaks down plastic. Polystyrene, one of the plastics that clutters the world's oceans, is vulnerable to sunlight, a recent study says. According to researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the substance breaks down faster than expected. Unfortunately, that means decades or centuries, not a week.

Mennonite Healthcare Fellowship

Mennonite Healthcare Fellowship (MHF) is an interdisciplinary community of Anabaptist health professionals which seeks to nurture the integration of faith and practice, to provide opportunities for dialogue on health related issues, and to address specific needs through education, advocacy, and service. If you embrace Anabaptism and are involved in healthcare, we invite you to learn more and "Join the Conversation."

Mennonite World Conference (MWC)

Standing in one of the regional offices of MWC member church Meserete Kristos Church (MKC), the church’s former president, Tewodros Beyene introduced several LMC leaders to the church’s administrative staff. He explained that the LMC delegation had come to listen to MKC. Read more.

Community Announcements

First Friday at The Window

The First Friday meal at The Window on December 6 is hosted by Faith Mennonite church, 4:30 - 7:00 p.m. The menu includes two Salvadoran bean & cheese pupusas, cabbage salad & salsa, Central American rice pudding, juice or water. The suggested donation is $9. All proceeds benefit The Window and its programs.

Soup of Success Open House and Tea

This Saturday, December 7, Church Community Services (907 Oakland Ave., Elkhart) will host an open house from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. to benefit Soup of Success. Sample new soups, meet program participants, shop & be merry! View the invitation.

Also this Saturday, December 7, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m., you are cordially invited to a Victorian Tea with Ruth and Friends at Living Faith Fellowship (2601 Benham Ave., Elkhart). Your donation of $5 and a non-perishable item for the food pantry will benefit the Soup of Success program. View the invitation.

Children's Choir Concert

Join the Childrens Choir of Michiana as they celebrate winter's festivities as well as showcase a diversity of musical styles. Enjoy musical numbers both familiar and new, with a special emphasis on music of the season. From Christmas carol settings to selections from the silver screen, and from traditional spirituals to music from the European classical composers, this concert will demonstrate the children's choir skilled versatility and enthusiasm for a wide range of music. The concert will be held at Kern Road Mennonite Church (18211 Kern Rd. South Bend, IN 46614) on December 14, 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $9.00 for adults, $6 for seniors, students, and children) and may be purchased online or at the door.

Handle's Messiah Sing-a-Long

On Saturday, December 14, you are invited to a Sing-a-Long of favorite choruses from Handel's Messiah. Backed by the Maple City Community Orchestra, and supported by voices from St. Joseph Valley Camerata, your voice will contribute to the performance. The event will be held in Goshen College's Sauder Hall. The doors will open at 7:00 p.m., and the show begins at 7:30 p.m. If you have your own copy of the music, please bring it along. As always, the concert is free and open to the public.

Anabaptist Disabilities Network (ADN)

The Advent season is an essential time to be intentional about maintaining good mental health habits. While this season is often celebrated as joyous, this time of year can also be filled with financial and planning stressors, memories of lost loved ones, and symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. Read ADN's self-care tips.