DANFORTH MENNONITE CHURCH
416-422-2406
Pastor Stephen Reist
We welcome all guests who have joined us.
Danforth Mennonite Church
October 22, 2023
Order of Service
Welcome and opening prayer
Opening Hymn: VT #4 Christ is our Cornerstone
Announcements
Offering: VT 1022
Hymn: VT #570 When We Walk with the Lord
A Moment in Mission
Congregational Prayer
Hymn: VT #205 Light Dawns on a Weary World
Scripture reading: Micah 6 1-8
Message: Peace with Justice
Closing Hymn: VT #149 Forgive, Forgive Us, Holy God
Benediction
Leading Us in Worship
Message Carol O.
Worship Leader Bonnie W.
Scripture Reading Edward T.
Mission Moment Dalton J.
Song Leader Kathy W.
Musicians Jessica M. (piano), Ray W. (tuba)
Greeters Cindy R., Bethany W.
Zoom Host Carol R.
A/V Technician Mike D.
Hymn of the month: VT # 205 Light Dawns on a Weary World
Adult Discussion Group – 10:00 a.m.
October
22 Justice Discussion – Stephen
29 Visions of Jesus (Part 2)
Scripture Reading
Micah 6
God Challenges Israel
6 Hear what the Lord says:
Rise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice.
2 Hear, you mountains, the case of the Lord,
and you enduring foundations of the earth,
for the Lord has a case against his people,
and he will contend with Israel.
3 “O my people, what have I done to you?
In what have I wearied you? Answer me!
4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt
and redeemed you from the house of slavery,
and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
5 O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised, what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
that you may know the saving acts of the Lord.”
What God Requires
6 “With what shall I come before the Lord
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good,
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice and to love kindness
and to walk humbly with your God?
….from SOJOURNERS A PRAYER FOR PEACE IN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE BY ROSE MARIE BERGER “They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain...” —Isaiah 11:9 God of Comfort, send your Spirit to encompass all those whose lives are torn apart by violence and death in Israel and Palestine. You are the Advocate of the oppressed and the One whose eye is on the sparrow. Let arms reach out in healing, rather than aggression. Let hearts mourn rather than militarize. God of Justice, give strength to those whose long work for a just peace might seem fruitless now. Strengthen their resolve. Do not let them feel alone. Show us how to support their work and bolster their courage. Guide religious leaders to model unity and reconciliation across lines of division. Guide political leaders to listen with their hearts as they seek peace and pursue it. Help all people choose the rigorous path of just peace and disavow violence. God of Love, we lift up Palestine and Israel — its people, its land, its creatures. War is a monster that consumes everything in its path. Peace is a gift shared at meals of memory with Christians, Muslims, and Jews. Let us burn incense, not children. Let us break bread, not bodies. Let us plant olive groves, not cemeteries. We beg for love and compassion to prevail on all your holy mountains. God of Hope, we lift up the cities of the region: Gaza City and Tel Aviv, Ramallah and Ashkelon, Deir El Balah and Sderot, so long divided, yet so filled with life and creativity. Come again to breathe peace on your peoples that all may recognize you. God of Mercy, even now work on the hearts of combatants to choose life over death, reconciliation over retaliation, restoration over destruction. Help us resist antisemitism in all its forms, especially in our own churches. All people, Israelis and Palestinians, deserve to live in peace and unafraid, with a right to determine their future together. God of the Nations, let not one more child or elder be sacrificed on altars of political expediency. Keep safe all people from unjust leaders who would exploit vulnerability for their own distorted ends. Give wise discernment to those making decisions to pursue peace. Provide them insight into fostering well-being, freedom, and thriving for all. Teach all of us to resolve injustices with righteousness, not rockets. Guard our hearts against retaliation, and give us hearts for love alone. Strengthen our faith in you, O God of All Flesh, even when we don’t have clear answers, so that we may still offer ourselves nonviolently for the cause of peace. Amen.
DANFORTH ANNOUNCEMENTS
The session that was to start November 7th is postponed until the new year.
Congregational ‘Dine and Discern’:
“How did we get here?”
Next Sunday, October 29th, we will gather together from 12:30 to 2:30 for lunch, worship, and sharing. This is our first session about inclusion of 2SLGTBQ+ persons in Danforth Mennonite Church. In this first gathering we will share our individual stories about what we have seen and heard of how 2SLGTBQ+ persons have been treated in church (here or elsewhere).
Please bring your own lunch.
Drinks will be provided.
Online (Zoom) participation is available using the same link as the worship service.
If you are unable to attend, feel free to contact Pastor Stephen with your stories in advance.
Treasurer’s Report: We received $6,692 in offerings in September. Year to date offerings is $63,967 which is below the target budget number of $73,808. Our operating deficit to the end of September is -$1,382.
The special Outreach Committee Thanksgiving Projects will remain open until the end of October. So far $250 has been donated to support the Nourish East End Food Bank and $150 has been given for MCC World Relief.
Please note that $281 from the Bill B. memorial fund will be added to the Nourish East End Food Bank donation.
Please designate your offering if you would like to contribute to these projects.
Note from the Treasurer:Funds that were donated in memory of Bob M. have already been used to buy the Voices Together hymnbooks. The remaining $362 has been moved to the Professional Development Fund to be used for pastoral training and development. Bob’s presence at Danforth is deeply missed. The following tribute to Bob will accompany the transfer to the PDF.
Come and join us for
MESSY CHURCH which is a
FREE FAMILY EVENT
for children 4-12 on
Saturday, October 21
from 5 – 7p.m.
It includes crafts, games, Bible stories, music and dinner. We ask that parents/caregiver accompany their children at this family event.
Ladies Walking Group
On Tuesday, October 24 at 10:30 am (weather permitting), we will meet at Warden Woods (entrance off Birchmount, north of Danforth.)
An email will go out on Monday October 23 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.
Our final Outlook for the year (covering September through December) will focus on SCOC.
This is the perfect opportunity to talk about the history, the programs, and the community. I am open to several articles along with photographs – whatever you would like to provide. You may have a connection from the past.
I have started working on this next edition. Do you have a story to share? Deadline for submission is early December. The newsletter will be published mid January 2024.
Worship Schedule reminder
October 29
Speaker Edgardo R.
Worship leader Dalton J.
Song Leader Ed F.
Musicians Roger H. (piano), Ray W. (tuba)
Greeters Murray L., Carol J.
ZOOM host Bonnie W.
A/V Tech Don B.
November 5
Speaker Stephen R.
Worship leader Linda D.
Song Leader Kathy W.
Musicians Jessica M. (piano). Ray W. (tuba)
Greeters Dalton & Carol J.
ZOOM host Bonnie W.
A/V Tech Roger H.
WIDER CHURCH ANNOUNCEMENTS
Pax Christi Chorale, under the direction of Dr. Elaine Choi, announces a special concert in partnership with Alzheimer Society of Toronto, Xenia Concerts and Music Care. On October 29, 2023, Pax Christi Chorale will present the Canadian premiere of Robert Cohen’s Alzheimer’s Stories, an oratorio inspired by those affected by Alzheimer’s disease and those who love them. The concert will be presented at Holy Blossom Temple at 4 pm.
Tickets are $45 (regular), $40 (senior), $20 (young adult 18-35), $10 (student) For more information, and to buy tickets, go to www.paxchristichorale.org.
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.
Voices Together Resource Day
October 28, 2023, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Shantz Mennonite Church, Baden, ON.
A day set aside for worship leaders, worship lovers, musicians, pastors and congregational leaders to explore the music and resources from, Voices Together. An evening hymn sing will close our worship. Registration is open at mcec.ca.
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
October
21 Messy Church
24 Healthy Eating
24 Ladies walking group – Warden Woods
29 Dine and Discern
31 Healthy Eating
31 Ladies walking group
November
7 Ladies walking group
11 Men’s breakfast
14 Ladies walking group
18 Messy Church
21 Ladies walking group
28 Ladies walking group
December
2 DMC Christmas banquet
Wider Church
October
26 SCOC AGM
28 Voices Together Resource Day
29 Pax Christi Chorale concert
November
18 MCC Peace conference
29 ToTB at Hart House
December
10 Menno Singers Messiah