Illinois Mennonite Women Newsletter Volume 4

Hopefully, you’ve all heard the exciting news

about the upcoming Women’s Retreat April 22 & 23rd

at Menno Haven Camp & Retreat Center!

This retreat is sure to offer time to rest, relax

and recharge your spirit among sweet sisters

in Christ!

Sunshine Sprouts — Kim Litwi"er, IMC

A cup of ice-cream, a shared passion for youth ministry, and the sun-shine of Orlando gave way to sisterhood sprouting. I was richly

blessed by the company I had the opportunity of keeping while at

Youth Ministry Council in Orlando, Florida this past month. These

three beautiful ladies were quick to invite me to explore Orlando’s

Universal City Walk with them following a day full of meetings and

before nightfall, sisterhood was most certainly sown.

I loved listening to Ashley Litwiller (minister of youth & worship at

Arthur Mennonite), Shannon Thiebeau (youth pastor at First Men-nonite Bluffton, Ohio), and Lindsay Diener (youth pastor at Jubilee

Mennonite, Mississippi) share how God is moving within their min-istries and encouraging them as they seek to faithfully serve the Lord.

Listening to and encouraging them caused my heart to swell with grat-itude for the many women God has sent to listen to & encourage me.

Sisterhood is sown through listening!

Encouragement is the sunshine that causes it to sprout!

Honoring Our Past, Inspiring Our Future

Back: Lindsay Diener, Kim Litwiller

Front: Shannon Thiebeau, Ashley Litwiller

Illinois Mennonite Women Newsletter Volume 4

The thread within our stories — Nancy Fisher, Mennonite Church of Normal

A women’s care/support/grief group at the

Mennonite Church of Normal was formed

about a year and a half ago by several women

in our congregation.

Our intent was to

offer support and

care for each other

as we experienced

losses in our lives,

such as health con-

cerns, life changes,

or death. 

Our group includes

women from our con-gregation as well as friends from the commu-

nity, and though each of our paths are differ-ent, similar threads weave our stories. As

we meet together each month, it is a privilege

to have a "safe" place to speak our true

thoughts, to feel free to cry, to be accepted

and loved as we are, to question without

judgment, and to allow the Spirit to move and

change us. 

Knowing and receiving the

care of others helps us

move through our experi-ences — perhaps even be-

gin new life chapters. We

feel carried when we are

unable to walk on our own;

prayed for when we are un-able to pray ourselves. We

are listened to and heard.

We are unconditionally

loved. 

The ministry of this group has grown as we

have learned to trust one another and reflect

on how God is at work in our lives.  Recently,

a second similar group has begun in the Eure-

ka area, providing opportunities for love, lis-

tening, and care.

Similar threads weave our stories

Similar threads weave our stories

Illinois Mennonite Women Newsletter Volume 4

April 22 - 23, 2016 M

enno Haven Camp &

Retreat Center

Any dietary needs or other instructions?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Make checks payable to “M

enno Haven”

Mail to:

Menno H

aven C

amp & R

etreat Center

9301 1575 East Street Tiskilw

a, IL 61368(815) 646- 4344

Sponsored byIllinois M

ennonite Conference &

Illinois Mennonite W

omen

Contact Persons:

Shannon Unzicker: (309) 369-8088

unzickers@gm

ail.comKim

Litwiller: (309) 613-0174

kiml@

mennonite.net

FOR O

FFICE USE ONLY:

CK#: ________ AMT PAID: _________ INT: _________

Illinois Mennonite Women Newsletter Volume 4