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MennoExpressionsIssue – Page 2 – First Mennonite Church, Indianapolis

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MennoExpressionsIssue

What We Keep (MennoExpressions – Summer 2018)

August 5, 2018 by Admin Leave a Comment

Reading, especially fiction, is one of my highlights of being alive. Disappearing into a story, mulling it over while I’m away from it, reading far too late into the night because there is just no logical place to possibly stop, sharing the excitement with a fellow reader who was just as caught up in the story—all of these make me feel so grateful to simply know how to read and to be able to be immersed in someone else’s craft, someone else’s story so completely. And yet I rarely retain more from a book than the feeling I had while reading it. I’m often reading books for book club at the very last second because after a week or so, I can’t speak to details, plot points—just the overall feeling of how much I loved it or was completely annoyed by it. I keep the feeling.

There’s a lot of literal “keeping of stuff” in these pages. Somehow lids—you know, lids to yogurt containers—prompted a lively discussion in our planning meeting for this issue. We keep lids because… we’re frugal! They have many uses! You can use them to play kitchen hockey! They are great coasters and popsicle holders! We agreed: just because something has outlived its intended use doesn’t mean it has lost its value.

And yet, we hang on to so many things Just In Case. This goes beyond literal, tangible items: What friendships do you maintain over decades? What have you retained from cross-cultural experiences or international travel? Do you believe everything you’re “supposed” to believe as a Mennonite? Why have you kept certain traditions alive, but not others? What memories or stories are important to you to pass on to loved ones? And—just as important as what we keep—what would we be better off without?

Download MennoExpressions – What We Keep – Summer 2018

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Is it God? (MennoExpressions – Spring 2018)

May 6, 2018 by Admin Leave a Comment

I love the day that submissions are due for each issue. Before that point, the issue (and its theme) is only an idea. The editorial board has hashed out a plan for a theme, we’ve divided up who will ask whom to contribute, usually with a specific prompt in mind – but we don’t know who will actually write and what they will have decided to write about. And so deadline day comes, emails begin to hit my inbox, and I see the issue start to take shape, as reflections of the theme emerge. It’s exciting to see it come to life. Your stories are beautiful, as is the trust you put in the rest of the congregation as you share your truths.

Contributors weighing in on Is it God? include Evonne Swartzendruber, Maggie Girard, Michele West, Ethel Hartman, Dan Hess, Ben Tapper, Shari Wagner, Nancy Fletcher, Julie Monroe, and Beth Goering. They have offered up incredible stories, reflections, experiences, artwork. Which one resonates the most with your own experience of God?

Download MennoExpressions – Is It God? – Spring 2018

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Patterns (MennoExpressions – Winter 2018)

February 4, 2018 by Admin Leave a Comment

The beginning of the year often brings intentions of reviewing habits and patterns in our lives, choosing which to discard, which to begin, which to emphasize. This issue brings reflections from Marcy Major on how her life has changed as her son has grown up and moved on, Erin Rodman on musical patterns, Hollins and Rachel Showalter on adjusting VBS schedules, Marie Harnish on designing quilting patterns, Mary Liechty on some of her life’s disruptions and learnings, Amy Bixler on following a pattern and what that does for her focus, and Heidi Boschmann Amstutz on her ritual of running. Woven through the prose is beautiful photography and artwork by Annabella Habegger, Dan Hess, and Emilie Walson.

Thanks for reading MennoExpressions!

 Download MennoExpressions – Patterns – Winter 2018

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Power (MennoExpressions – Fall 2017)

November 5, 2017 by Admin Leave a Comment

Dovetailing with the theme of Indianapolis’ annual Spirit & Place festival, our fall issue centers on Power. How do power structures in the church help or hinder our faith? How does the power of community help us through difficult situations? What does the power of a Sabbath provide? Stunning photography, poetry, prose – this issue has it all. Thanks for reading MennoExpressions!

Download MennoExpressions – Power – Fall 2017

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Interruptions (MennoExpressions – May 2017)

May 7, 2017 by Admin Leave a Comment

I was trading messages with Michele, one of this issue’s contributors, and she joked that her “first thought about ‘interruptions’ is ‘my life’. Because when you are a parent, your life is just pretty much one of constant interruptions, isn’t it?” Seriously.

But whether we’re parents or not, we’re all bombarded with interruptions, big and small, as we move throughout our lives. Some of these interruptions are pesky, some are life-changing, some are welcomed, some are not. All of them make for some interesting reading and reflection here. Thanks for reading MennoExpressions!

Download MennoExpressions – Interruptions – May 2017

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Dirt (MennoExpressions – February 2017)

February 5, 2017 by Admin Leave a Comment

In this issue of MennoExpressions, you’ll find artwork and prose themed around Dirt: the content includes stills from an experimental video performance in which dirt is used instead of makeup; reflections how dirt makes us clean; a story about repurposing contaminated property (where a dry cleaners used to operate) into a thriving community garden; a photo essay on compost; plus beautiful artwork and poetry. I think you’ll find something to dig your toes into. Enjoy!

Download MennoExpressions – Dirt – February 2017

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Hurdles (MennoExpressions – August 2016)

August 7, 2016 by Admin Leave a Comment

Hurdles are present in each of our lives. Some are easy to see and therefore easy for us to make a plan to get over them. Others are not as clearly seen or recognized. Contributors to this issue of MennoExpressions discuss several different hurdles: those in our education system, emotional and physical hurdles during a painful pilgrimage, and a growing awareness of what advantages a white mom doesn’t share with her black children. What is a hurdle you are currently facing?

Download MennoExpressions – Hurdles – August 2016

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In the Midst of… (MennoExpressions – May 2016)

May 1, 2016 by Admin Leave a Comment

“In the midst of” seems to have struck a chord with our contributors. Not only are there glimpses into the lives of 22 (!) FMCers and SMCers (these interviews alone are worth opening the issue!) but other contributors share unique perspectives on what they are in the midst of, including:

  • Karen West’s perennial search for harmony (her preferred term to “work/life balance”);
  • Catherine Swanson’s haunting poem about a family who has fled their home and is desperately searching for a country to take them in;
  • Jen and Nate Christophel Lichti’s exploration of their transition away from church and towards deeper community within their own family and with others;
  • Martha Yoder Maust narrates what she sees in her downtown neighborhood as she takes a Saturday morning walk, while Pattie Mishler explores the gifts walking gives her;
  • Two FMC college students reflect on their experiences living in France and Peru, respectively, this spring; and
  • Laura Friesen’s journey through issues of power and connectivity while she reflects on Steve’s time at FMC as transitional pastor.

What are you in the midst of?

Download MennoExpressions – In The Midst Of… – May 2016

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Assumptions (MennoExpressions – February 2016)

February 8, 2016 by Admin 1 Comment

Have you ever had an assumption that proved incorrect? What do you think of the assumptions – visual and written – shared by contributors Kenda Resler Friend, Bethany Habegger, Dan Hess, Becky Oberg, Steve Thomas, and Michele West? Perhaps you have an assumption to share…

Download MennoExpressions – Assumptions – February 2016

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Uprooted (MennoExpressions – November 2015)

November 4, 2015 by Admin Leave a Comment

Many of the voices in this issue touch on people dealing with the consequences of being uprooted, jolted from one reality into another. How much do we not think about something routine in our lives – our health, our independence, our jobs, our families – until, in a heartbeat, it all changes?

Download MennoExpressions – Uprooted – November 2015

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