At LMC

It’s that time of year again: time to fill MCC School Kits! There are two ways that you can participate. First, you can make a monetary donation to help us buy school supplies by writing a cheque to the church and designating it ‘school kits’. Second, you can fill a kit as a family! Bags and lists of the necessary contents will be set out in the Foyer sometime in the next couple weeks, and you can pick them up, fill the bag, and bring it back to the church. To fill an MCC School Kit, you will need:

• Any combination of 4 spiral or perforated-pages notebooks (about 21.5cm x 27cm) totally 500-600 pages, OR 7 spiral or perforated-pages notebooks (about 21.5cm x 27cm)
• 8 new unsharpened pencils
• 1 ruler (flat, good quality; must indicate 30cm, inch markings optional)
• 12 coloured pencils (in packaging)
• 1 large eraser
• 2 new black or blue ballpoint pens
• 1 small all-metal pencil sharpener, one or two holes (we have a batch of sharpeners at the church. If you cannot find an all-metal sharpener, pack your kit without one, and we can add one here)

In the community

You are invited to the Edmonton English-Ukrainian Language Exchange! The group will be meeting at Lendrum Mennonite Church on Wednesday, August 31, at 6:30. This is a social opportunity meant to help newly-arrived Ukrainians settle in Edmonton, and is open to Ukrainian-Canadians, Ukrainian immigrants, language learners, and anyone who wants to help out. If you know anyone who might be interested, please let them know about the event! Find more information on their event posting.

Mennonite Central Committee

Thank You! Thank you for being so generous to Material Resources! Your donations are making a big difference. We’re still low on supplies for school kits and relief kits. Please contact Linda Dickinson, Material Resources Coordinator, at lindadickinson@mccab.ca for more info.

Peace Sunday Packet. Peace Sunday falls on November 6, 2022 and the packet materials centre on the theme, “Peace is More Than a Wish.” In this packet, we share stories from MCC staff and volunteers around the world. People who, regardless of their context, are asking important questions including:

• How do we humanize our enemies?
• How do we help others find peace when we’ve been victimized ourselves?
• How do we open ourselves to the wonder of forgiveness?
• How do we ensure peace is more than a wish?

To help you reflect on these questions, sign-up to receive this year’s Peace Sunday packet at: mcccanada.ca/2022-peace-sunday-packet

Register for MCC Fall Festival. Register today to help us plan for numbers and prepare a seat and a meal for you! Please visit mcccanada.ca/get-involved/events/mcc-alberta-fall-festival for more information.

Volunteer at MCC Fall Festival. Interested in volunteering at Fall Festival? We’re looking for help in the following teams:

• Auction Assistance
• Payment Booth
• Table Cleaners
• Food Service

Register online at mccreliefsale.com/volunteer or call the office at 403-275-6935.

 MCC Fall Festival Auction Donations. The Fall Festival auction needs your hand crafted quilts, woodwork, art, needlework, and other special items! To register your item for the auction, visit mccreliefsale.com/donate-items/ or call the office at 403-275-6935.

GO!100 is finishing soon! Be sure to support your peers as they finish their challenges to support relief, development and peace. Link: mcccanada.ca/get-involved/events/go-100-alberta

Cultivating Sanctuary: A conversation on preventing and responding to Sexual Misconduct by Church Leaders. We invite you to join us this September for a 5-part New Leaf Learning Centre series. Guided by the expertise of MCC presenters, together we will learn what the Church can do to help prevent church leader sexual abuse and cultivate sanctuary for church members. This practical equipping Learning Centre series is specifically designed for pastors, staff teams, church board members, ministry leaders and lay leaders.
These sessions will offer:

• definitions for what constitutes church leader sexual misconduct including why and how it occurs.
• best practices in developing policies for abuse prevention, and disclosure response.
• conversation around the complex topics of responding to situations of harm, power and healthy boundaries, church culture, and healthy masculinity.
• opportunities for facilitated conversations with other like-minded Jesus followers who desire to learn about this important topic
• Q&A with our expert presenters

Link: newleafnetwork.ca/events/cultivatingsanctuary

Mennonite Disaster Service

Looking for volunteer opportunities in Canada this fall? Crew Leaders and weekly volunteers are needed for Monte Lake, B.C. in September and October. In the fall we also have a number of other leadership positions that need to be filled. If you are interested in serving, or would like to know more, please contact Kelsey Friesen at kfriesen@mds.org or by phone at 204-261-1274. You can also view our current leadership opportunities at https://mds.org/leadership-rv/

Volunteers are also needed needed this fall in the United States at the following locations – Hindman, KY, Jennings, LA, McAllen, TX and Paradise, CA. Weekly volunteers can call 1-800-241-8111 or email volunteer@mds.org . Leadership volunteers can e-mail kfriesen@mds.org or call 204-261-1274.

Canadian Mennonite University

It’s not too late! CMU is still accepting applications for fall 2022 classes. Whether full- or part-time, while on a gap year, check out our course offerings at cmu.ca/courses. Apply at cmu.ca/apply. 

Xplore: At the Intersection of Faith and Life – Xplore offers life-long learning courses investigating dimensions of the Christian faith, our world, and life in it—all without any assignments or examinations! Join one or more of our six courses in-person or online Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings, beginning October 5. For information and to register visit cmu.ca/xplore.

Providence Renewal Centre

Centering Prayer Circle. Centering Prayer is based on the wisdom saying of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: “When you pray, go to your inner room, close the door and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.” (MT 6:6) This contemplative prayer practice is inspired by writings of major contributors to the Christian contemplative heritage including John Cassian, the anonymous author of The Cloud of Unknowing, Francis de Sales, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Therese of Lisieux, Thomas Merton and Thomas Keating.
Centering Prayer is not meant to replace other kinds of prayer; rather it casts a new light and depth of meaning on them. It is at the same time a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship. This method of prayer is a movement beyond conversation with Christ to communion with him. Join us on Wednesdays at 6:30 pm via Zoom for 20 minutes of Centering Prayer followed by learning and fellowship.
Wednesdays, September 7, 2022 to June 28, 2023 (6:30 -7:30 pm)
September 7, 2022 and June 28, 2023 will be in person at PRC
September 14, 2022 to June 21, 2023 will be via Zoom
Free. Register to receive Zoom link at:
https://providencerenewal.ca/tc-events/free-centering-prayer-event14817/

Self-Care Days: Nurtured By Nature. Nourish your body, mind, and soul with prayer, music, silence, and fellowship. This is a day just for you–take as much silence as you wish and join in times of prayer and conversation as you are comfortable. Relax in the comfort of our retreat surroundings, gather to share a lunch buffet, walk the grounds, and join others to share conversation. Take your spiritual pulse and rest in God’s presence as you revive your spirit.
Thursday, September 15 (10:00 am to 3:00 pm)
$30 (incl. buffet lunch). Register by September 8 by clicking this link:
https://providencerenewal.ca/tc-events/self-care-days-nurtured-by-nature-event-14977/

Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola: A Retreat in the Real World. With Faith Nostbakken and Carol Sebastian via Zoom. A Retreat in the Real World, the 19^th Annotation of the Ignatian Exercises, encourages a closer relationship with God by praying through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  Participants spend an hour daily in personal prayer, keep a journal of their prayer experiences, share their prayer journey with a spiritual director every two weeks, and gather monthly for continued learning.  Required text: The Ignatian Adventure: Experiencing the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius in Daily Life by Kevin O’Brien, SJ (Loyola Press 2011).
Second Tuesday of the month from 6:30 to 9:00 pm
Total Cost: $1190.00 (payments are $595 per semester). Register by September 13 by clicking this link:
https://providencerenewal.ca/tc-events/a-retreat-in-the-real-world-via-zoom-semester-1-event-14672-semester-2-event-14673/

International Day of Peace – Labyrinth Walk. Mark United Nations International Day of Peace by walking the outdoor labyrinth at Providence Renewal Centre and pray for peace in our world, one step at a time. A pamphlet on how to walk a labyrinth will be available at the arbor.
Wednesday, September 21. Drop-in between 10:30 am and 2:30 pm.
FREE.  Event #14978
NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Walk at your leisure respecting others who may want to do the same.

SPIRITUAL BOOK CLUB (via Zoom). Join us on Zoom as we use our eyes of faith to see inspiration in the writing of a variety of authors. Most of the books are available through libraries and/or in e-book versions. Members are responsible for acquiring their own books.
First Monday of the month, October 3, 2022 to June 5, 2023 (7:00 – 8:30 pm)
$45.00 Register to receive Zoom link at:
https://providencerenewal.ca/tc-events/spiritual-book-club-via-zoom-event-14784/