Rainbow Mennonite Church

On my mind . . .

After two and a half years of being empty nesters, the Kaufman house has been invaded! Our son Ryan has moved back in with Krista and me while he does his student teaching this semester to complete his education degree. But it isn’t Ryan that has turned our household upside. With our permission, yea even our blessing, Ryan and his friend Ali made a trip down to a cattle ranch outside Matfield Green, KS on New Years Day and brought back a 6-week old blue heeler pup. So for the first time in a very long time we have a new puppy in the house. And one forgets . . .!

Blue Heelers are a breed of Australian herders, primarily cattle dogs. They are known for two traits required of any good herding dog—their extraordinary intelligence and their dogged stubbornness. Elko seems clearly to have been amply blessed with both! And his energy, enthusiasm, and curiosity are delightful to have around the house. I told Krista the other day that the problem with Elko is that he seems quite certain that the world should revolve around his wants and needs; perhaps because he has seen remarkably little evidence to the contrary in his life so far!

Jim Taylor, writing in the online magazine Rumors made the observation that we Christians believe that God expects many of the same qualities of us humans that we expect of our dogs. Obedience: we are to discern God’s will and then do it. "Thy will be done," we pray. Devotion: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might," says the Hebrew Shema. And, perhaps above all, faithfulness: "You shall have no other gods ahead of me," decrees the first commandment.

In his developing relationship with Ryan, Elko is still working on these attributes—especially the first one having to do with discernment and then obedience. And he has a ways to go, as do many of us in our relationship with God. But what is inspiring is how eager he is to do this . . . leading me to speculate that he might be more successful in his efforts than some of us are in ours.

Ok, I confess that Elko’s arrival has been a taste of grandfatherdom at its best for me—all of the pleasure with little of the responsibility. But it has also been a good reminder of how much dogs have to teach us humans about the nature of devotion, loyalty, acceptance, faithfulness, and yes, even obedience. And for today, that’s what’s on my mind. `Robert

 Dear church family,

Thank you again for another immensely meaningful Christmas program. Words cannot express how wonderful it is to be approached by someone in our congregation who is willing to let their light shine. Please accept my heartfelt appreciation for sharing your Christmas joy with each of us. Lori Lichty

Rev. Bohn (we would never refer to him by "Stan") went door to door in the church neighborhood, inviting children to summer Bible school, offering transportation in his VW van. He had to explain Mennonite beliefs to my mother, who had a Baptist background. After that my mother dropped me off at Sunday school; later I started attending the church services, too. I understood adult baptism, but I also heard "baptism of believers." At age 9 I approached Rev. Bohn with my heart-felt desire to be baptized. He came to our home regularly to teach private catechism. This led to my mother and me both being baptized on Palm Sunday 1962. That summer Bible school invitation has led to a lifetime relationship with Rainbow. I've served as deacon, Church Council moderator and secretary , children and adult Sunday school teacher, and administrative assistant for the three congregations [that comprised the Sharing Community]….I have made many wonderful friendships, and now Ed McClain's and my granddaughters attend with me. …I grew up (1950s and '60s) in a segregated urban environment, attending an integrated school. Rev. Bohn opened my eyes to what was happening to Black people. He taught me how Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s nonviolent plans for change were like Mennonite pacifist service works. Rev. King became my most admired person. This was unpopular in my family. Rainbow was my only support.

On the day that Rev. King was assassinated, I was the only white kid in my high school who cried inconsolably. Rev. Bohn's sermons gave me the strength to be outspoken for unpopular causes for the rest of my life. While he thought that Helen Goertz and I were sitting in the front pew just coloring, I was listening.

You are invited to a milestone celebration. The Kansas City Mennonite Church held its chartering service on November 24^th, 1957. Join us as we celebrate 50 years in Rosedale on February 17^th, 2008. A fellowship meal will be shared at 11:45, followed by a celebration service at 1:00. Join us!

 Imago Dei Conference:  Rainbow is a member a local organization called Imago Dei, Friends of Christianity and the Arts. Their next conference is February 15-16, at St. Paul School of Theology and Village Presbyterian Church.  The topic is Visual Arts, Architecture and Worship Environment.  Several people from Rainbow have attended these conferences in the past, and have found them stimulating.  As a congregational member, we receive several discounted registrations for those who wish to attend.  More information is on the bulletin board in Rosi Penner Kaufman’s office, or can be found at www.churcharts.org. 

Freedom School

Rainbow has been selected once again to serve as a host site for the Freedom School program in summer 2008. There will be a total of 20 Freedom Schools in the Kansas City area this year. Planning is already underway to ensure an even better program at Rainbow in 2008.

The Community Advisory Board, consisting of representatives from the church, local faith and non-profit community, and parents of scholars, will meet for the first time this month to begin preparations for a potential fundraiser and to offer advice and recommendations to staff. If you would like to serve as a church representative, contact me as soon as possible.

Recruitment of Servant-Leader Interns has begun, as well. The Interns serve as the front-line teachers and mentors in the Freedom School program. They must be 19-30 years old, possess a 2.5 or better college GPA, have completed at least one year of post-secondary education, and be available May 19-July 28, 2008. While it is a paid position, it is also very service-oriented, with long hours and difficult days working with disadvantaged (and fun-loving) children. If you or someone you know is interested in applying, please contact me to receive an application.

Willa Gill food kitchen

Rainbow members participated for the first time in this new outreach ministry on Friday, Feb. 1. RMC folks joined with members of Trinity United Methodist Church (KCK) to serve lunch to more than 300 persons at the Willa Gill Center, located at 645 Nebraska in downtown Kansas City, Kan. Tasks included: set-up, serving food, answering questions, making conversation, busing tables, and clean-up. There will be five more opportunities this year to serve at the Willa Gill Center (approx. once every two months). Our next date is Friday, April 4. Look for the sign-up sheets in the Fellowship Hall to volunteer.

Joel Smith Goering

BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES

office@rainbowmennonite.org.

8 Kent Moore

8 Laurel Kauffman

8 Holly Swartzendruber

11 Norma Moeller

12 Larry Bartel

12 David Schrag

14 Roseann Penner Kaufman

15 Taryn Lichty

16 Lonnie Buerge

17 Susan Kysela

18 Jason Neufeld

18 Monica Neufeld

18 David Kaufman

19 LuAnne Ramer

20 Edith Yoder

20 Jessica Judd

21 Gary Kaufman

21 Jesse Aaron Balzer

24 Sarah Buller

25 Rod Amstutz

26 Ralph Kauffman

28 Beatrix Amstutz

30 Melvin Yoder

31 Charles Garcia

7 John & Kathleen Bush

2 Kathy Darcy

4 Mitch Kaufman

4 Joelle Jantzen

5 Elijah Neher

7 Steve Bartel

14 Terry Rouse

15 Haley Long

20 Russel Yoder Sr.

21 Linda Shelly

21 Phillip Amstutz

22 Gary Long

23 Naomi Nussbaum

24 Bob Carlson

24 Eric Preheim

25 Nicholas Boehm

25 Christopher Birzer

27 Harley Marshall

27 Aaron Voth

Feb. 17^th 50^th ARainbow Mennonite Church Celebration

Feb. 28^th East Hill Singers Concert

Centruy II Cntr.

Wichita, KS, 8 p.m.

Newly remodeled apartment for rent. Please call Glenda Campbell at 913-831-1049.

No More Homeless Pets KC has opened a clinic in Merriam offering high volume, high quality, low cost spay/neuter services for cats and dogs. Decreasing the number of unaltered pets will help reduce the millions of animals killed in shelters each year and help end pet overpopulation in Kansas City. The address is 5428 Antioch Dr. (behind the movie theaters). Call 816-333-PETS to make an appointment or for more information go to www.nmhpkc.com. Volunteer opportunities are available.