College Mennonite Church Fall 2019

After more than three decades of driving the Greencroft bus to and from College Mennonite Church (CMC), Paul Friesen’s volunteer stint came to an end last March.

“I’m developing a cataract,” Paul says, “and not seeing well. I don’t want to put any-one at risk. I need to be sturdier than the people I give rides to.”

When Paul began driving in 1987, there

were five volunteer drivers, so he would drive once a month. For the past ten years, he says, there have been just two drivers—he and Allen Peachey. They normally divide the driving by even and odd days. But when Allen heads to South America each February for an annual service project, Paul carries the entire load.

“We pick up where people live,” Paul says. “Evergreen Place, Juniper Place, Walnut Court, and manors II, III, and IV.” Those locations are all on the Greencroft Goshen campus. The bus also picks up CMC members from the former Goldenrod campus.

Paul developed relationships with his riders, but has seen many losses over the years.

“The absence of a rider due to health concerns is a gradual thing,” Paul says. “People lose their mobility gradually. Most shocking is read-ing about their deaths in the bulletin.”

When asked about memorable moments, Paul remembered a situation with the late Millard Lind. Millard was riding a powered wheelchair at the time.

“One time the (hydraulic) lift did not operate properly when I was dropping Millard off at Evergreen Place,” Paul says. “The barricade (which keeps the wheelchair on the lift) did not operate properly and dumped him on the ground. Greencroft wanted an official write up about that!”

Paul says he enjoyed the interaction with his riders, but noted that one particular Manor II resident enjoys throwing snowballs at the bus.

Thanks, Paul, for the many miles and hours you have volunteered to safely transport our members who could not otherwise attend services at College Mennonite Church. Well done, thou good and faithful servant!

—Everett Thomas

In this issue

The End of an Era

A Season of Hope

New Members

Wednesday Night Activities

Spanish Broadcast and Worship

Quinceañera Celebration

This and That in Worship

Creation Care Retreats

The End of an Era

2 SING! Fall 2019

We worship together

Every Sunday

9:15 a.m. – Songs for Gathering

9:25 a.m. – Worship Broadcast

Radio: WGCS 91.1 FM - The Globe

Online: www.collegemennonite.org

Greencroft Communities: Ch. 13

9:30 a.m. – Worship service

Interpretation in Spanish and, on

request, American Sign Language

11 a.m. – Fellowship and Christian

education classes for all ages

Pastoral Team Phil Waite, Pastoral Team Leader &

Worship

Daniel Yoder, Christian Formation – Youth

Pamela Yoder, Pastoral Care

Talashia Keim Yoder, Family Ministry

David Maldonado, Outreach

Madeline Maldonado, Outreach

Rex Brake, Pastor of Deaf Christian Fellowship

Luis Tapia, Guest Pastor

College Mennonite Church is a welcoming congregation of Mennonite Church USA,

an Anabaptist community of believers.

To learn more go to www.collegemennonite.org

www.mennoniteusa.org

A Season of Hope

Advent is a season of hope. We acknowledge the ways the world and we ourselves fall short of God’s good purposes. We recognize that God is coming through Jesus to set things right. This sense of hopeful anticipation is at the heart of Advent. This year our theme is “The world is about to turn.” In our per-sonal lives, many of us endure trials such as addiction, incarcer-ation, hunger, unemployment, lack of housing, life-threatening illness, broken relationships, and loss of loved ones. With a wider lens, creation itself is in crisis. Fire, wind, floods, rising sea levels, and blistering heat waves are harbingers of trouble to come. Meditating on these things can lead to despair. Hope is in short supply. As Christians, we remember that our ultimate hope is Jesus. This is not an excuse for inaction, but a call to action. Because we believe the One who created us will not forsake us, we live with hope and boldness. Because nothing is lost on the breath of God, everything matters. The world is about to turn.

—Phil Waite

SING! Fall 2019 3

New Members

Karen Martinez

Sylvia Jackson Jill & Kent Miller

Life stories coming soon!

Gisselle Guity

4 SING! Fall 2019

Wednesday Night Activities

Singing Heartsongs

Children’s Play Area

SING! Fall 2019 5

These photos were taken during the recording of the first program for airing after being edited. The name of the programs is “Ocho Minutos.”

It is a 15-minute program that airs every Wednesday at 6:05 a.m. and 3:05 p.m. Radio Horizonte transmits from the basement of Centier Bank in Goshen.

—David Maldonado

Spanish Broadcast and Worship

The Spanish language worship service takes place on the first Sunday of each month. The service is aired live via Radio Horizonte and also streamed on Facebook.

The recording is also posted on the CMC web-site and Radio Horizonte social media sites.

—David Maldonado

6 SING! Fall 2019

The “Quinceaños,” better known as the Quinceañera celebration, is an important rite of passage. It is a reli-gious and social event, an old and revered tradition celebrated by His-panics and Latin Americans. This ritual rekindles ethnic and family ties. In this celebration, family and friends are of utmost importance. It begins with a ritual ceremony at a church, where the Quinceañera enters as a girl and leaves as a young woman. The church ceremony is followed by a reception, where there is food, music, and, depending on how conservative the family is, dancing. Pastor Madeline Maldonado officiated at Nelley’s ceremony. Madeline gifted Nelley with a Bible on

behalf of the congregation and shared 15 verses that were highlighted and read together by them both. She also shared counsel with Nelley on how she was maturing, which means that she would begin making life decisions for her-self, including decisions about her spirituality. Along with that, she was reminded of how she should carry herself. Nelley

also renewed her commitment to Christ. Usually, as a symbol of this commitment, the young woman is crowned with a tiara as a symbol that she is a prin-cess and the greater crown with which God will crown her.

Just as the ceremony is not static, the reception may follow suit. There she will receive other gifts such as the last doll (la última muñeca) and high heels. Her flat shoe is changed to a high heeled shoe by the mother, and a necklace or ring is given by the father, all to symbolize that she is no longer a child. Other gifts that may become part of the ritual are earrings, a necklace, and a watch. The earrings are a reminder to always listen to the word of God and to the Holy Spirit. The

necklace is a symbol of faith and a reminder of her Quinceañera celebration. The watch tells her to be aware of time and the events in her life, a re-minder that life is short and that she needs to make the most of it. Pastor Madeline thinks that the Quinceañera is an important ritual for Hispanic/Latino young women. There should be rites of passage for all the children in our congregation as they transition into young adults, with gifts that remind them of God and God’s faithfulness as they mature.

Nelley’s was the first Quinceañera to be celebrated in our congregation. It was a blessing to all of us who were able to attend. Francisco and Antonia, Nelley’s parents, and Nelley are thankful to the con-gregation for its support in this important celebration.

—Madeline Maldonado

Quinceañera Celebration of Nelley Robles

SING! Fall 2019 7

This and That in Worship

First Grade Bible Gifting

Kevin Miller: Stephen Leader Commissioning

8 SING! Fall 2019

Sing! is a publication of College Mennonite Church. Send inquiries to communications@collegemennonite.org. Marie Clements, Managing Editor Don Garber, Copy Editor Photographers include Dottie Kauffmann, Rex Hooley, Marie Clements, Higinio Luna

COLLEGE MENNONITE CHURCH 1900 S Main St. Goshen IN 46526-5218

Office hours: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon.–Thurs. Phone: (574) 535-7262 E-mail: cmc@collegemennonite.org Web site: www.collegemennonite.org

Creation Care Retreats More than a hundred people have participated in our 2019 Creation Care Retreats! While the format remained the same, each retreat was its own unique experience based on the time of year and the people who were there. We grew together as a church family and formed new connections with each other and with God’s good creation. People have come away from these retreats with specific, tangible commitments to care for creation. Some early attenders have surpassed their initial commitments (like composting) and have started biking more. People of all ages are com-ing away from these week-ends with the realization that things like solar panels, conserving water, and eating a more plant-based diet are not just ecological actions, they are theological actions of putting God’s love into practice. They have identi-fied simple ways that they can do their part in healing the planet. There’s something about getting away together—breaking bread and breathing the same air. There’s something about shared purpose. These retreats have built connections within the congregation that would not have hap-pened in any other way. We look forward to the ripple effects these connections will have in our congregation as we continue this life together.

If you weren’t able to be part of these three weekend-long retreats but would like to taste what we did together, sign up on the church website for one of the Sunday afternoon retreats that will be happening in

the coming months. —Daniel Yoder

Breaking bread together

Worshiping together in nature

Learning about compost

Group picture from August retreat

No weekend at camp is complete without a campfire!

Setting our intentions to better care for creation

Shaking pawpaw fruit from trees

Loving on one of God’s creations—

a toad!

Beauty is all around us

Group nature hike