September 2015
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EAST UNION MENNONITE CHURCH VOLUME XXV, ISSUE 9 SEPTEMBER 2015 We Welcome our new minister and his family! Joel, Christine, Isaac and Lucas have made their way north to Iowa, arriving with two car loads and a lot of excitement! Joel, who grew up in the Kalona area and at East Union Mennonite Church, graduated from Iowa Mennonite School in 1998 and then spent a gap year in voluntary service in Argentina before attending Goshen College. He and Christine met there and both graduated in 2003, Joel with an education degree and Christine with a social work degree. They have been married for 11 years. Joel taught elementary school in Goshen before moving to Meridian, MS where he taught another 2 years. In Meridian, Joel and Christine were actively involved in Jubilee Mennonite Church. For the past 6 years Joel was the youth and young adult minister at Jubilee in addition to working full time as Vice President of ELS inc., a computerized student reporting system. He also served as the Board President of Pine Lake Fellowship Camp. Joel felt the calling to full time ministry and has been completing classes at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) since 2013. This fall he will be taking two classes, continuing towards earning a Masters of Divinity. Joel is excited to begin serving as pastor at East Union. He likes talking to people, drinking coffee, going for runs, and dreaming of playing golf. He looks forward to reconnect- ing to a community that he loves and sharing life with the East Union family. Christine grew up in Meridian. Her parents, Duane and Elaine Maust live in Meridian and her brother Nathan and sister-in-law just recently moved back to the mainland from Hawaii. Christine graduated in April with her Masters of Social Work. She will start a full-time job at Crowded Closet on September 1st. She likes reading the local paper, house hunting, and exploring the community. Her favorite things in Iowa are the sky, the bakeries, and the grandmas. Joel and Christine are the parents of two young boys, Isaac and Lucas. Isaac is 6 1/2 and is starting 1st grade at Kalona Elementary. He loves frisky cats, the movie Tangled, playing out- side and eating new foods. He is most excited about moving to Iowa because he will get to see his cousin, Ava, and he will play in the snow. Lucas is 4 and will attend Roots and Wings Preschool. He loves his brother Isaac, helping in the kitchen, taking long baths, and candy. His favorite things about Iowa are farm animals and Amish buggies. We welcome Joel, Christine, Isaac and Lucas to East Union and look forward to getting to know them! The 2nd Century Chronicle Page Grateful for our Goodly Heritage September 19 - Spiritual Emphasis September 8 - Sunday evening, Week is scheduled to begin on Friday, September 22, there will be a panel September 24 at IMS. Brother H. Mi- discussion on awareness of the Farm chael Shenk of Sarasota, Florida, will Crisis. The panel will be comprised of be the speaker. Remember these ser- resource persons from the church vices in your prayers. and community. 40 years ago: 1975 20 years ago: 1995 September 7 - We are looking September 24 - There has been some interest in forming a small 60 years ago: 1955 forward to the meetings scheduled for next weekend with John and group that would have the purpose of September 4 - Thursday evening the Naomi Lederach. The emphasis for praying for East Union as a church. MYF will be conducting the services at the series of meetings will be on This group would be for those who the Sunshine Mission at Cedar Rapids. Family Life. This is for the entire prefer not to be part of a regular You are invited to go along. family and all of our people. There small group but would still like to September 11 - Friday, Sept 16 is the will also be Sunday morning and participate from time to time. Golden Wedding Anniversary of Brother Sunday afternoon meetings. We will and Sister Amos Gingerich. Since they be having a carry-in fellowship meal at attended East Union some years ago we noon on Sunday. felt that you would appreciate this infor- September 28 - Next Sunday mation. They will have an open house in evening Bertha Beachy will be here to the afternoon and evening. tell us about the work she has been September 18 - Thursday evening the engaged in in Somalia. West Union MYF will be guests of our MYF for a hayride. A film will also be 30 years ago: 1985 shown. Let’s come and make them feel welcome. Please meet at J. Paul Yoders September 1 - All area children in at 7:30. grades 3-6 are invited to become part of Mid-Prairie Children’s Choir. The Choir meets every Thursday after- Guess Who? 50 years ago: 1965 noon 4:30 - 5:30 at Kalona September 5 - MYFers, we will have a Mennonite. The first practice will be film “Viet Nam - Conquesting Dragon” this Thursday. here at the church, Wednesday evening, East Union Mennonite Church Contact Information Transitional Pastor: 5615 Gable Ave. SW *Published monthly by and for the PO Box 760 Firman Gingerich - 319.855.8379 Elders: friends of East Union Mennonite Kalona, Iowa 52247 Larry Detweiler - 319.828.4461 Church. Lauralee Kauffman - 354.3304 Phone: 319-656-2590 Jeff Swartzentruber - 656.4542 Articles for the October edition of Email: [email protected] Karen Harvey - 656.3009 the Second Century Chronicle are Website: Office Manager: due by Sept 20th. All contributions Photos taken from 1970’s eastunionmennonite.org Crystal Wade - 319.541.8894 are encouraged & welcome! East Union Church Directory Page 2 Mennonite Women and CHOW starting new sessions this fall! East Union Mennonite Women are starting a new year on Tuesday, September 1st. We meet on the first Tuesday of each month from 9 am - 3:30 pm. There are quilts in for those who quilt. If that is not your expertise, we can teach you; or there are comforters to be knotted for MCC. Each month there is a project. Some are for MCC or Mennonite Women. Then there are the local ones like Crisis Center or Food Pantry. Just as important is the social interaction, devotions and of course lunch. Some months we even have potlucks, a salad potluck, or soup and sandwiches. Any other month you choose what you would like to put in a sack lunch. Our devotional book this year is “Spark: Igniting Your God Given Creativity.” In looking through the monthly lessons, I am excited to hear what each month’s lesson brings. In September our title is: “God is the Original Artist” taken from Genesis. Hope to see new faces this year. Come join the FUN! We do laugh! ~Submitted by Dorothea Moberly It is CHOW Time! Our first CHOW (Church Happenings on Wednesday) will be delayed one week until Wednesday, September 9 in order to finalize 2015 - 2016 Schedule activities for the children. (I am still looking for volunteers, so if interested in helping with the pre- September 9, 2015 school or K-2nd grade, please let Sally Miller know.) Our first event will be a wiener roast with October 7, 2015 each family bringing a covered dish or dessert to share. We will have a basket for donations to cover November 4, 2015 the expenses for the hotdogs, buns, etc. The meal will begin at 6 pm. Bring lawn games (weather permitting), we will finish at 7:45 in order for December - no CHOW families to get home and get school kids to bed. January 6, 2016 CHOW will be held the first Wednesday of the month in Oct, Nov, Jan, Feb, Mar and Apr with February 3, 2016 the meal served at 6 pm and programs beginning at 6:45, ending at 7:45 with Sunday School classes March 2, 2016 providing meals and adult programs. If your class is not listed below and you would like to help, please talk with one of the Sunday School classes. I April 6, 2016 know they would welcome help. Page 3 Who’s in the Pew Next to You? This month we are getting to know Marvin Rempel and Ian Schmidt, 11 year old son of Joe and Carrie My name is Marvin Promised Land. What were his feelings when all of this Rempel. I was born was taking place. The second person I would like to July 5, 1941 in Mt. interview is my great grandfather. My grandfather and his Lake, MN. I am an twin sister were the only two of ten children not born in only child. Since my the Ukraine. It would interest me to hear some of his mother came from a stories of life in the Ukraine and the trip to America. family of 12 and my father from a family of The one trip on my bucket list is to visit Alaska in 14, I have concluded summer. I hear it is a gorgeous state and I would like to they felt that quality experience the nearly 24 hours of daylight. was better than quantity. I come from a Russian Mennonite Brethren background. I grew up “What do you like best about East Union?” It’s speaking “pleut deutch” or Low German. They tell me hard to say what I like that I did not speak much English when I started 1st best. I like everything grade. about East Union My mother’s extended family had a very significant “What are the 3 words influence on my life.