Verse of the Year: Serving Others
Joe Hayward
For the last several years, our verses of the year have focused on different parts of our mission statement:
A worshipping community rooted in God’s love (1 John 4:19)
Following Jesus (John 8:12)
Seeking peace and justice (James 3:18)
This year, we are focusing on the last phrase in our mission statement: “Serving others.” After much deliberation and discussion, the Worship Commission chose Isaiah 58:10, specifically the translation from the English Standard Version (ESV), as our verse for the 2026/2027 church year.
If you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.
We decided on an Old Testament verse, as verses for the last several years have come from the New Testament. Of the verses we considered for this year, we appreciated that, while serving others is explicitly called for, Isaiah calls us to specific action in unambiguous and beautiful language. We debated several different translations and settled on the ESV, both for its poetry and for how it calls us to pour ourselves out for the hungry and afflicted.
In a time that is increasingly selfish and individualistic, it is important to remember that God calls the church, both corporately and individually, to serve not just our friends and neighbors, but all those who are afflicted.
In This Issue
Kicking Off Another Sunday School Year!
Melissa Miller
Sunday school classes for all ages are starting on September 20, the Sunday after our church retreat. Since the education wing is being renovated, we aren’t sure what the rooms will look like on the first day, but we will make it work and keep you updated! Until then, here’s what we do know about the upcoming year for our youth of all ages.
We have 38 children and youth at LMC, and they go to six different places during the Sunday school hour, all of which need at least two adult volunteers. The three youngest will be in the nursery. The preschool group will have five children, the Kindergarten-2nd grade class will have six, and the 3rd-5th grade class will have four. The two largest groups are Venture Club (grades 6-8) with eight youth and MYF (Mennonite Youth Fellowship, grades 9-12) with twelve.
As of press time, we are mostly staffed, but we still need at least two teachers for the preschool class. The preschool class is made up of five delightful children who are excited to learn and play! Please contact me if you have any questions about this fun opportunity.
If you want to be involved in Christian Formation for our children and youth in other ways, please reach out as well. For parents and teachers, be on the lookout for more details from me before September 20.
Phase 4 Renovation Update
Jeremy Kropf
Work on our Phase 4 classroom renovation is officially underway. Over the next six weeks, crews will replace the carpet and radiators and begin expanding the upstairs bathroom to ensure full ADA accessibility. Crews will also remove some of the asbestos-containing floor tiles in the wing and seal the remaining tiles with a barrier coating.
This phase of construction will bring a few short-term disruptions, particularly until the new carpet is installed, which we expect during the first full week of October.
We’re aiming to have some classrooms usable by September 20, in time for the start of children’s Sunday school. Those rooms will have temporary protective floor coverings. Because we’re moving the bathroom door and walls, the upstairs bathroom will be unavailable for several weeks. Look for updates in our weekly news emails.
We’ll schedule additional renovation work throughout the year and continue doing our best to limit its impact on weekend activities.
We hope to complete the parking lot renewal before the 2026 paving season wraps up. However, if the timing would leave us without a functioning lot during the winter, we will wait until spring. We’ll share the construction schedule as soon as we confirm the dates.
Projected Sunday Impact
- September 13: Upstairs bathroom closed for renovation
- September 20: Some classrooms available
- October 4: Upstairs bathroom reopened
- October 11: Carpet installed; nursery returns to its usual location
World Café Follow Up Report
Caroline Steelberg
In February 2026, our congregation met during the Christian Formation hour on three Sundays to share ideas and hopes for LMC as we live into our current Welcoming Statement. One specific area the Ministry Team has committed to is visibly welcoming LGBTQ+ people who are looking for a church home.
One way we can do that is by offering pronoun stickers for name tags. We’ll introduce this option in September. The Ministry Team is also working on more visible outdoor and indoor signage. Before we make any final decisions, we’ll give LMCers an opportunity to look at the proposed signage and share their feedback.
Pastor Nathan is also scheduling a Sunday school class, “The ABC’s of LGBTQIA+,” for this fall.
You’ll notice other changes unfolding to make LMC a welcoming place for all. For example, once we complete the Phase Four renovation on the first floor, the restroom will be larger, more accessible, and meet ADA standards.
Look around and notice the ways we’re incorporating your input from the World Café into the life of our congregation. This is an ongoing process, and the Ministry Team will continue to update you on our progress.
Financial Update
Eric Nelessen, Treasurer
I have good news and bad news.
The bad news is that, as of August 26, we’ve spent around $3,600 more than we’ve brought in so far this year. In other words, our expenses are currently a little higher than our income, which means that we’ve dipped slightly into our reserves.
The good news is that this is not out of line with the past few years. We’re in a slightly better place than we were last year and the year before, and we managed to end last year with our income and expenses almost perfectly balanced.
Giving during the fall months has been a bit inconsistent over the past few years. If you’re able to give consistently throughout the fall, it does help the church have stability in our finances and commitments. At the same time, we are grateful for however you’re able to give throughout the year.
Thank you again so much for your continued and steady financial support of LMC and for keeping the church’s finances in your prayers! As always, please let me know if you ever have any questions.
Profit & Loss as of August 27, 2026
| General Fund Giving | $248,456 |
| Other Income | $10,538 |
| Total Revenue | $258,994 |
| Total Expenses | -$262,624 |
| Net Income | -$3,630 |
About The LGBTQ+ Support Fund
Carlen Sellers
The LGBTQ+ Support Fund (the “Fund”), was begun at LMC in June 2025. Its purpose is to work with the Brethren Mennonite Council for LGBTQ Interests and partner organizations in support of transgender persons.
As you may know, red states are passing laws that limit the rights of trans persons. Kansas passed SB 244 in early 2026, which prohibits trans persons from using state-owned public bathrooms corresponding to their gender identity and invalidates the driver’s licenses of those who have chosen a gender identity that is different from their gender at birth. In February, trans persons in Kansas began receiving letters from the state revoking their driver’s licenses. The journalist M. Gessen published an article in The New York Times on August 13, 2026 about the current climate for transgender persons in Kansas, and it is sobering.
Trans persons in Kansas have begun to leave the state en masse. They are also leaving states like Idaho, Texas, and Utah to seek safety, the right to live and work under their chosen gender identity, and access to appropriate health care. The Fund supports an organization that has an underground railroad to help transit trans persons and families out of these states and provide overnight and longer-term housing. We provide funds to this organization, which I will not name, and have overnight housing hosts in the congregation.
You can join this work by contributing to the Fund or by volunteering a room in your home for occasional overnight guests. We are trying to determine if we can provide longer-term housing. If you are interested in the Fund, think you might have space for longer-term housing needs, or would like more information, please contact Melissa M., Hilary R., or myself.