DANFORTH MENNONITE CHURCH
416-422-2406
Pastor Stephen Reist
 
We welcome all guests who have joined us.
 

 

Danforth Mennonite Church
November 12, 2023
Peace Sunday
Order of Service

 Welcome

Call to Worship

Opening hymn:  VT #28 Come, Christians, Join to Sing

Announcements

Hymn:  VT #788 The Garden Needs Our Tending Now

Offering

Duet:  VT # 368 Spirit of Life 

Congregational Prayer

Scripture reading:  Romans 12:9-21

Message:  Trusting God to Settle Scores

Commitment to renew our common home

Closing Hymn: VT #829 Go Now in Peace, Worship Continues

 

 Our Peace Sunday worship materials are provided by MCC Ontario.

 Leading Us in Worship
Message                              Carol O.
Worship Leader              Bonnie W.
Scripture reading           John E.
Duet                                      Don B., Kathy W.
Song Leader                      Kathy W.
Musicians                           Emily L. (piano), Ray W. (tuba)
Greeters                             Dalton & Carol J.
Zoom Host                        Mike D.
A/V Technician               Murray L.

November hymn of the month:  VT # 829  Go Now in Peace

Adult Discussion Group – 10:00 a.m.

November
12     Remembrance Day Theme-War led by John E.
19    Justice discussion – led by Stephen
26    Justice discussion – led by Stephen/Harry N.

 

Call to worship
Humility

Leader:  God of all the earth —
Take us outside to your holy places.
Take us out beyond our walls,
Out where we can see our neighbours.
Out past the garden
With its ripe tomatoes and fat watermelons.

People:  Out where flowers bloom yellow and pink
And sway in the wind.
Out to the soil we came from and
The place where we no longer have words
For what we see, but can only
Say how small we are.

Leader:  There — out there — bend down,
Make mud with your spit;
Smear it on our eyes.
And when the clay cakes and cracks and
We turn our faces to your vast world,

All:  May we see grace, not despair,
and a harvest so plentiful it distresses us. 

 

Scripture Reading

Romans 12:9-21 (NRSVUE)

Marks of the True Christian
⁹ Let love be genuine; hate what is evil; hold fast to what is good; ¹⁰ love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not lag in zeal; be ardent in spirit; serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; persevere in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints; pursue hospitality to strangers.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another; do not be arrogant, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. ¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ Instead, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink, for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

A commitment to renew our
common home

Leader:  God of creation
We come to you this season recognizing that you are the creator, and we open our eyes to the beauty that fills the creatures, the land, the air and the water. You are creator not only of humankind, but of all that graces this planet and this universe.

People:  God of these days
In this time of pandemic, climate change, racial inequity, biodiversity loss and other threats to your creation, we recognize that we are blessed by what you have made, while also dependent on how that creation is cared for.

Leader:  God of justice
We come recognizing our complicity in not caring for that with which you have blessed us. We fail our sisters and brothers around the world when our actions cause harm to our world.

People:  God of peace
We ask your guidance for how to honour your creation in these challenging times. We humbly open our hearts and minds to what we can do to be your instruments of peace, in helping to make the global Anabaptist church a community that people can point to and say — they are taking creation care seriously; they are faithful Christians.
 
All:  God of assurance
Thank you for the assurance that you are with us in this journey. Renew our spirits, as we work to renew our common home. In the name of Jesus, amen.

 

Faith-based resources
on creation care

MCC’s Climate Action for Peace https://climateactionforpeace.com/

Mennonite Creation Care Network https://www.mennocreationcare.org/

Anabaptist Climate Collaborative https://www.anabaptistclimate.org/

Mennonite World Conference Creation Care Task Force
https://mwc-cmm.org/cctf

For the love of creation https://fortheloveofcreation.ca/resources

A Rocha
https://arocha.ca

Citizens for public justice

Home

UN Environment Programme https://www.unep.org/interactives/things-you-can-do-climate-emergency/#see-all-ideas

ACT Alliance
https://actalliance.org/climate-justice/

Lausanne https://lausanne.org/networks/issues/creation-care Climate intercessors https://www.climateintercessors.org/

Evangelical environmental network https://creationcare.org/what-we-do/an-evangelical-declaration-on-the-care-of-creation.html

Laudato Si movement https://laudatosimovement.org/

 

DANFORTH ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

Treasurer’s Report: We received $9,668 in offerings in October. $8,200 is needed each month to meet our 2023 budget. Year to date, our offerings are running $8,374 below budget. Our deficit now sits at -$143 to the end of October.

There was a lot of activity in our Designated Funds in October. The Outreach Committees Thanksgiving Projects brought in $250 each for the Nourish East End Food Bank and the MCC World Relief Fund. $281 from the Bill B. Memorial Fund was added to the Food Bank donation for a total of $531.

$1073 was spent from the Professional Development Fund for 2SLGBTQ+ coaching expenses.

There was $108 in cooking class expenses taken from the Spirit of MDS Fund.

$200 from the Benevolence Fund was used for 2 crisis situations identified by our Pastor.

 

Who We Support: In December Church Council will be reviewing the financial support in our budget for other charities beyond our congregation. Currently our core support is for St. Clair O’Connor Community ($2,500 for Chaplaincy Support) and the Mennonite Conference of Eastern Canada ($3,000). We also support MCC Ontario, New Life Centre, Sanctuary Toronto, Willowgrove and Theatre of the Beat ($300 each). In our 2023 budget we added the purchase of 1 acre of crop for the World Grains Food Bank through a project with other local churches known as Danforth Grow Hope ($600).

Council is inviting input from the congregation in this process. Is there a charitable organization that reflects our values and identity that you feel Danforth should add for financial support? Would you like to see a different mixture in our support?

Please contact a council member by the end of November with your suggestions. They are Mike D., Donna A., Don B., Roger H., Anne R. and Pastor Stephen R.

 

Come and join us for
MESSY CHURCH which is a
FREE FAMILY EVENT
for children 4-12 on
Saturday, November 18
 from 5 – 7p.m.

The MC team would appreciate volunteers to help in the kitchen for Messy Church for our November and December events. If you can help, please sign your name on the sign-up sheet on the bulletin board.

 

Our Christmas banquet is on December 2, 2023.  Punch at 6:00 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m.

Please let us know how many are attending from your group/family.  What are you bringing? 
The sign-up sheet will be posted on the bulletin board.  If you won’t be at church, contact Bonnie to let her know what you are bringing.

 

 

Ladies Walking Group

On Tuesday, November 14 at 10:30 am (weather permitting), we will be walking in Pine Hills Cemetery.  Use the entrance off of Birchmount, and park in the lot facing the building entrance.

An email will go out on Monday November 13 to confirm the place and time.

If you need to be picked up or dropped off, please check in with fellow walkers or email Bonnie.

 

Congregational ‘Dine and Discern’:
“Listening to others”

After the service on Sunday morning, November 19^th, we will gather together from 12:30 to 2:30 for lunch, worship, and sharing.
This is our second session about inclusion of 2SLGTBQ+ persons in Danforth Mennonite Church.

In this gathering we will hear from persons who identify as 2SLGTBQ+ about their experiences of church.
Please bring your own lunch.
Drinks will be provided.

Online (Zoom) participation is available using the same link as the worship service.

 

Looking ahead to Advent

Christmas Music at SCOC  The newly formed Worship Committee at SCOC is asking folks at DMC (who are available) to circle the following date and to join our voices with residents for a service of Christmas Music.

Date:  Sunday Afternoon  Dec. 10  Please come to the Meeting Room at 6:15.  We will proceed from there to the 3rd floor and sing carols for the residents in Long Term Care, then return to the Meeting Room for a 7 pm service. Along with our voices, we are being asked to provide accompaniment for the singing (piano, along with other instruments that will add richness to the service.)

Due to Masarykpark’s busy schedule,
they weren’t able to fit us in this year.
Dalton – on behalf of Outreach & Service

 

 

Worship Schedule reminder

November 19
Speaker                 Stephen R.
Worship leader Sue S.
Song Leader        Sue S.
Musicians             Roger H. (piano), Ray W. (tuba)
Greeters                Vic G.
ZOOM host         Bonnie W.
A/V Tech               Fazal S.

November 26
Speaker                     Harry N.
Worship leader    Dalton J.
Song Leader           Ed F.
Musicians                Jessica M. (piano), Ray W. (tuba)
Greeters                  Leslie S., Murray L.
ZOOM host           Bonnie W.
A/V Tech                 Mike D.

 

WIDER CHURCH ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

Save the Date: Peace Conference
November 18, 2023
at Rockway Mennonite Collegiate,
110 Doon Rd, Kitchener

The MCC Peace Conference is your chance to see, hear and experience first-hand how you and MCC are changing lives and communities through peacebuilding. This event will inspire and inform through general sessions, workshops and conversations with messengers of peace. Go to mcc.org/peace-conference to learn more.

 

Theatre of the Beat has developed three short plays that reflect lived experiences of elder abuse, healthy masculinity, and intimate partner violence in youth relationships, with a focus on how to recognize the subtle early signs of abuse. The topics chosen were identified by their community partners (experts at Assaulted Women’s Helpline and Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region) as topics that need to be immediately addressed.

At the end of each play, the audience will have the opportunity to make suggestions to the actors to change the outcome of the scenes or jump into the scenes themselves. Using the Forum Theatre model, this interactive element allows audiences to 'rehearsal for reality,' learning skills and resources for how they can make a difference.

The show will take place at University of Toronto's Hart House Theatre (7 Hart House Cir, Toronto, ON M5S 3H3) on Wednesday, November 29th at 7:00pm. Book your tickets on the Hart House Theatre website at: https://harthouse.ca/theatre/show/i-love-you-and-it-hurts.

 

Sunday, December 10, 2023, 3pm. Menno Singers and Mennonite Mass Choir present Handel’s Messiah  with artistic director Brandon Leis, a 230 voice choir, soloists Bethany Hörst (soprano), Jennifer Enns Modolo (mezzo soprano), Owen McCausland (tenor) and Nathan Keoughan (baritone) along with orchestra members of the former KW Symphony. Tickets are on sale now at the Centre in the Square Box Office.     www.centreinthesquare.com

 

In summary, upcoming events

At Danforth

November
11  Men’s breakfast
14  Ladies walking group
18  Messy Church
19  Dine and Discern
21  Ladies walking group
28  Ladies walking group

December
2  DMC Christmas banquet
5  Ladies walking group
10  Singing at SCOC
12  Ladies walking group

Wider Church

November
18  MCC Peace conference
29  ToTB at Hart House

December
10  Menno Singers Messiah