Category: event

Ice Cream Social

Guest post by Michelle McLaughlin

Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good

A table was laid out with sundae dishes and a variety of sundae toppings to choose from.  Paper ice cream cones dangled from the ceiling.  Pots of fresh mint from Joan McCutcheon’s garden decorated the centre of the tables.  The room buzzed with ladies gathered together enjoying make-your-own ice cream sundaes and waiting to listen to the words Ruth Shelley had to share.

This event was reminiscent for me of one year earlier when a group of ladies had gathered in this same space enjoying our first Ladies Social event which involved strawberries, hats and listening to a dear lady share her story with us.  I remember the excitement I felt when I had first saw the poster advertising the Ladies Strawberry Social.  The idea of an evening of just ladies met a need in my life that I hadn’t quite realized I needed.  Seeing the roomful of ladies that attended that first event confirmed in my mind what a blessing the evening was going to be.   And so, one year and 10 events later, we joined together again to share a sweet ice cream treat, chat, laugh and listen to what God wanted to share with us. 

Ruth began by relating stories of her association of ice cream with the gathering of her family on Sunday evenings while she grew up.  It later became part of a tradition with her seven children.  She referenced how memories are made and relationships are built over the sharing of such a delicious treat.  The media even uses it in movies and tv shows as a source of comfort in times of trouble.  She then wisely led us into God’s word to Psalm 34:8 “Taste and see that the LORD is good.  Oh, the joys of those who trust in him!”   She shared with us how she has tasted God’s goodness when she turned to Him and His word in the midst of problems she has faced in her life.  She encouraged us all to seek the Lord when we need comfort. 

I went this June evening expecting to enjoy a sweet treat and the company of lovely ladies.   I was reminded that while it is good to enjoy the pleasures life offers us of sweet fellowship, eating decadently now and then and even an evening away from the usual routine, there is nothing that compares with the sweetness of the Lord when we lean on Him.

HMC Ladies Socials

Talent No Talent Night

The Ladies Social team has been doing a tremendous job of crafting events that bring people together. Recently they hosted a ‘Talent No Talent’ night in which the main goal was very simple: laughter. There is little else that is more refreshing or healing than a good night of giggles!

The night was narrated by two ‘wigged’ men, (resident funny guys, Mike Krotz & Caleb Dyck) who cracked jokes and introduced each act from beneath their striking coiffures.

From family acts to an opera singing clown – the Talent No Talent night showcased a marinade of talent and silly non-talent much to the delight of a participatory audience.

Acts were segregated by Minute-To-Win-It challenges that got staff members competing against congregants. The night was full of lighthearted fun.

Unfortunately, the video camera only captured a small portion of the evening but you can catch a few of those highlights in this quick little highlight reel:


 [Watch on YouTube]

Senior Youth Snow Camp

Guest Post by Brian Austin (youth leader)

More than once, Snow-Camp has been celebrated in half-frozen mud, but this year it fully lived up to its name. We rolled into Riverview Bible Camp near Scone at about 5:30 P.M. on Friday. Minus the bus, every vehicle was packed with bags and bodies, kids wound up and raring to go. The more “mature” types were also pretty keyed up, although many of us had already put in a long day. We’d made an earlier trip with sound equipment, cardboard and carpeting to help keep feet dry. – And food! Do you know how much it takes to feed a bunch of teens for a weekend? Everyone got somewhat settled, then we headed to the gym.
We started with a few announcements followed by a surprise Birthday Party for someone reaching that magic age when the government offers an early pension. I did say “Senior” Youth, didn’t I? But these teens are a wonderful bunch and I’d be a proud Grandpa to any or all of them.
Jasmine Koch and her team led us in worship at each session. For our first session Mike Krotz read scripture passages and the limited background information the Bible gives about Barabbas (the murderer released during Jesus’ trial when Jesus was sent to the Cross). Then Barabbas himself, somehow bridging 2000 years, shared his view of events surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus. Special speakers, Yorge & Melissa Von Hatten Baer shared with openness and vulnerability before we broke into smaller groups for more in-depth discussion.
Saturday and Sunday mornings saw leaders crowding around the coffee pot before an early meeting and prayer time, then youth devouring pancakes, toast and cereal. Basketballs threatened tables of food in the gym, as well as heads and chairs. Rousing games of Dutch Blitz had hands slapping and voices shouting. The wildest game, exhausting in knee-deep snow had two teams defending snow towers. Even our senior Pastor got into the fray. One of our younger youth seemed to find sitting on Pastor Jason warmer than sitting in the snow itself, and took great pride in his achievement. The old guy of the weekend isn’t sure he wants to be remembered for repeatedly attacking his Pastor, dragging him off the tower and throwing him into a snow-bank. He is also pretty sure that some games weren’t meant for Grandpas.
Rebecca Grierson braved nasty road conditions to bring our Saturday night banquet, made even more delicious with the appetites our romp in the snow created. Semi-Formal attire did not dampen enthusiasm for wild and crazy pictures, the portrait studio presided over by Heather Winkels and Kristina Dyck.
Yorge & Melissa shared twice on Saturday and again Sunday morning. We had great fun and a wonderful spirit prevailed with an openness, honesty and vulnerability that enriched youth and leaders alike. It’s not always that fun and spiritual richness happen together, so we are truly thanking God.  Our final session included a quiet reflective time, with six stations youth and leaders could visit as they chose. These included: “Give it to God,” “Cross Training,” “A Word of Encouragement,” “Prayer Requests,” “Items of Praise,” and “Communion.” Tears could be seen in youth and adult eyes a number of times.

Thank You. . .

  • to Mike and Karen Krotz for leadership. It takes a team to make a retreat like this work, but every team needs leadership. Yours is guided by a love for God and a love for every one of these kids.
  • to all volunteers, those who stayed for the full weekend and those who came in to help with one or more meals.
  • to those who prayed for us.
  • to Allan and Marie Edgcumbe for providing and maintaining a wonderful facility where God’s presence is always invited.
  • to each teen. It really is great fun being with you. We learn so much from you any time we let ourselves.
  • Most of all, Thank You to God, for meeting with us, for safety and protection, for touching hearts and minds.  

{stay tuned for photos and a video from the event}

Preparing For Christmas Eve

What began as a simple plan, intended to be a stress-free welcoming of the Christmas season, ballooned into an exciting (and not exactly stress-free) production that called for many volunteers, a full week of building and painting, the writing and re-writing of scripts, hours dedicated to learning lines and timing, costume design, prop gathering and much more.

Nothing is more rewarding and humbling than watching the rally of people who bring to light a vision that only existed in imagination.

Building the set

Painting  

Our (un)Happy Couple rehearses their part
Mike gets into his role as the narrator

And now, all that remains is to fill the seats.  Please join us tonight as we present to you what we hope is a charming Christmas Eve Service that lightens your heart and draws you closer to the true meaning of Christmas.

Welcome Back Sunday BondFire

We had grown comfortable with our annual Welcome Back; with it’s after-church gathering on the front steps, it’s fry truck, it’s tradition… But this is a season of change.  This is a season of seizing the moment, of looking each other in the eye, of connecting on a level far exceeding the Sunday morning ‘turn and greet one another.’ 

Our summer BondFires brought us into the fall with a growing feeling of new connection and community and we were loathe to see that ended; and so, we ‘Welcomed Back’ in good old country-charm fashion with a BondFire finale at the DeVisser Farm.

Fresh air lingering with the scent of a just-ended summer welcomed us warmly as we shared a simple meal.  Laughter drifted as children ran and tumbled across the lawn and the tractor rumbled along, giving hayrides through fields awash in sunshine, culminating in a charming song-a-long around the little fire pit while s’mores were roasted and jackets zipped against the evening chill.

This is community.  This is family.  This is the church.

The BondFire Initiative

We were sensing a hunger among the people of HMC to return to a real place of personal connection.  We believe that relationship is essential to building a strong and caring community.  There is much to be said for intensive theological study or radical prayer meetings but without relationship it can all fall a little flat.  Ministry can and will thrive when our relationships are vibrant and strong.

We wanted to provide an opportunity to casually gather beyond the walls of our church building, a chance to get to know one another better, an occasion to laugh and play together, and a safe environment to invite others into participation with the HMC family.  
Thus was born The BondFire Initiative.
If you could spend a little time listening in on the brainstorming that goes around our staff table you would quickly learn that naming something – whether it be an event, a series or a sermon – is a massive undertaking of navigating  a circle of seemingly incompatible creative leanings while balancing various levels of ‘cheese-factor-appreciation.’  It is a fun and frustrating ordeal that (more often than not) yields great bounty; and, once something is named, excitement seems to overflow around it and we suddenly become a hive of activity working towards making that event happen.  
BondFire happened to be one of the easier decisions (much to the gleeful delight of Pastor Lynday, who is such a fan of James Bond films that she came bubbling into the office on one of her days off just to share that she had timed things perfectly in lining up for Mescha’s new dog tag: #007!).  Of course, we had been leaning towards the verb – to be bonded – to be bound together – but Mr. Bond was a happy accident.  And what better way to ‘BOND’ than around a fire stoked by good conversations and delicious shared goodies?
We scheduled weekly campfires every Sunday night throughout the summer as a low key venue for community.  Congregants offered their properties and fire pits.  They made homemade signs and made space for a port-a-potty.  With everything in place, all that remained was to see if people would invest in such a vision.
And they did!  People came!  Some weeks saw large numbers, others were a smaller group, but they came!  They brought their lawn chairs and their blankets and more than enough snacks and stories to share around and everyone just enjoyed the warm, low-pressure company of one another – out beneath the gorgeous summer skies.  We bonded.  And we are stronger for it.

Long ago, we used to sing this old Gaither chorus and though it’s no longer part of our musical repitoire I think it really is part of the heartbeat of what HMC wants to be:

I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God 
I’ve been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood! 
Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod,
for I’m part of the family, the family of God.
If The BondFire Initiative accomplished anything, I’d say it is just this: we are a family.  And as the song goes on to say, “When one has a heartache we all share the tears, we rejoice in each victory in this family so dear.”  
Welcome home, weary wanderer, welcome home!

When Women Gather: The Strawberry Social

It was a small group of women who decided it was high time to gather together the ladies of the church – to create an easy atmosphere of lightheartedness – to laugh together – to span across generations – to share stories and tables and tea and punch and dress-up clothes…

And to eat sinfully delicious strawberry treats!

From this vision came the first ever HMC official Strawberry Social.

“We were really excited…about the first women’s social,” said Kristina Dyck, one of the wonderful women who made it all possible.  “[We were] excited because, as women, the need for companionship with other women is so great…regular women’s socials are such a great way to develop those relationships and create new ones.”

Hanover Missionary Church has a rich history of fellowship – of potluck meals and Christmas dinners, work bees and sack-race picnics – but the current culture often seems too busy for something so ‘frivolous’ and fun and so, the team approached the idea with some nervousness.  They weren’t sure if the women of HMC felt such an event was as important as they did.  Would anyone really come?  

Kristina shared that when they were first planning they talked about how if even 20-30 women attended it would still be a great success; but they stepped out in faith and decided to plan for 50.  As the event date drew closer, excitement brewed.  With energetic pulpit announcements (during which Pastor Jason, without apology, bemoaned the fact that he could not attend a ‘women only’ event) and cute posters around the foyer, the buzz began to build.   “We felt we should increase that number to 70 just to be safe, but we were blown away when 70-80 women showed up!  It was so neat to see women of all ages enjoying each other and in some cases meeting for the first time!”

It was a full house!  Auditorium A/B was decorated sweetly with bright pink tissue paper poufs, an adorable bunting made from material scraps, and darling little rocks painted to look like strawberries.  The room was alive with the sound of laughter.  Women, ages sixteen to eighty-nine, mingled around the room during a lively game of People Bingo, dressed in all manner of hats – the grand, the old fashioned, the wonderfully strange – seeking out someone to sign each box on their card: someone with a toe ring | someone who has bungee jumped | someone who has skinny dipped [gasp!] – it was a brilliant way to get people moving and talking and meeting each other.

After some very ‘healthy’ servings of various trifles (because you couldn’t try just one!) we listened as one of our senior ladies shared her testimony.  She told an incredible story of love and loss, joy and heartache and the ultimate freedom through Jesus that had carried her through.  I think it’s fair to say there was more than one lady who had a tear drip down into her tea.

The testimony was followed by more treats, mingling and countless silly moments in the photo booth the ladies had set up in the basement foyer.  With a ‘tickle trunk’ full of accessories, there was no end to the possibilities for capturing fun memories of a great night. 

“We are so excited about the upcoming year and the other events that are in the works,” Kristina said. “We are hoping to create a space for fellowship, for women to share their hearts with each other, for mentoring relationships to develop, and of course to just have a great time with each other as sisters in Christ.”

“A cheerful heart is good medicine…” Proverbs 17:22a

[See more from the photo booth by visiting our facebook page – click here]

Special thanks to Faith Shelley Photography for capturing the memories!

Alanna Rusnak shares her life with her husband, three children, and a cat she’s trying hard not to love.  She has attended HMC for her entire life and been on staff since 2003, currently fulfilling the role of Creative Communications.  You can find her over at her own blog, SelfBinding Retrospect.