In Spring 2009 we put together a booklet to introduce our congregation to friends and family. Many thanks to George Berkey, our Discipleship Ministry Coordinator, who made the project happen!
Download a printable PDF of the booklet. Or alternative form with more traditional gospel presentation. Note: page numbering appears jumbled, because it is laid out to be a booklet when cut and folded.
To download PDF file:
• Right-click on link. Then choose "save target as" or "save link as."
To make booklet:
• On one sheet, print page 1 of the PDF on one side and page 2 on the other.
• Then cut sheet horizontally in thirds (3.66" is a third).
• You now have three leaves (each with 4 pages on them) that, when folded and assembled together, make a little 12-page booklet. Have fun using the page numbers to figure out how to fold and put together the three leaves!
• Optional: keep leaves in place by touching some glue on the folded edge before nestling a leaf into place.
Slide show of the booklet.
Text of the booklet:
Community Mennonite Fellowship
--------
Sunday Services
Sunday School - 9:30 am
Worship Service - 10:30 am
All are welcome!
Worship during summer - 10 am
(summer for us is June 28 through Labor Day weekend)
Wednesday Fellowship
Occasional Middle School Café - 3:00-5:00 pm
Soup supper (free) - 6:00 pm
Small group Bible study and talk - 6:45 pm
Scraps-R-Us (make blankets, etc. for refugees) - 6:45 pm
--------
Who Are the Mennonites?
Mennonites are a Christian group that began in 1525. Menno Simons was a prominent early leader and eventually the group became known as "Mennonite" because of his name. Currently there are over one million members world-wide.
Mennonites affirm that the Bible's authority and inspiration are from God and that salvation comes only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The uniqueness of the Mennonite church is its emphasis on following Jesus in daily life, and on peacemaking. (See www.corningmennonite.org/menn1.html to read more.)
--------
Message from the Pastor
As the years go by I continue to be amazed at the health and wholeness flowing from the teachings of the Bible. By God's grace I will live a life of obedience to God in an authentic, transparent way among you.
I pledge to bring God's Word to you in simple, clear language in ways that are practical and relevant. I take seriously all that Christ did and said: the Jesus who is the Lamb of God who takes away sin and also the Jesus who gives hard sayings on sexual purity and love for enemies and trust in our Heavenly Father. My biblical studies included two years at a charismatic Bible institute (Elim) and a master's degree at a Reformed seminary (Westminster). I have taught seminars and college courses at various places, including Ukraine, Ethiopia, and Elmira.
My wife Karen and I have four young adult children; we've lived in the Corning area almost 30 years.
It is my hope to meet you, and it would be my privilege to serve you as pastor of Community Mennonite Fellowship. Our church name indicates the importance we place on connecting with each other and sharing life together. It is my hope you will join this caring family!
- Harold Miller
--------
Dan's Story
I came upon this Fellowship at a time when I was dissatisfied; I felt my life wasn't centered on the things that really matter. I was acquainted with several Fellowship members and was drawn in by their warmth, quiet commitment and peaceful interactions. I felt there was a genuine sense of celebration in their services and gatherings.
Over time, I came to cherish this group's sense of family. It's a family that challenges and supports at the same time. I started to chip away at some of the preconceptions about spirituality and God that I had lived with for years. And I started to embrace many of the basic Mennonite values such as simplicity, generosity, humility and a commitment to peace and justice in this world.
I still have much learning and growing ahead of me but I know I belong on the path that I'm on. I am blessed to share this journey with a wonderful church family that sees and responds to the need around it, whether it's a food shortage across the globe or a hurt neighbor next door. And I know that my walk is guided by the One who created me and gives real meaning to our short lives.
- Dan Gallagher
--------
Four Spiritual Truths
1. A God of love made you and me as a good part of creation, intending us to live at peace with God, our world and one another.
2. Sin destroys harmony in creation and yields control to the Powers of Darkness. Suffering, greed, violence and broken relationships result.
3. Jesus died on the cross because he confronted the Powers that fracture our world. God, in Christ on the cross, absorbed the pain and violence of our evil.
4. God forgives us and gives us a new beginning when we confess our sin, and the Spirit of God enables us to follow Jesus in pushing back the Powers of Darkness in all of life.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
A prayer to begin a new life in Christ:
"God, I acknowledge that I have tried to live my life without you. I'm sorry. I need you. I commit myself to you, to the church which is your body in the world, and to living out your word of instruction in the Bible. Amen."
--------
Community Mennonite Fellowship
290 Park Avenue, Corning, NY 14830
Pastor: Harold Miller 607 937-5252
www.corningmennonite.org