Children’s Church is a time for kids from 5 years old – 2nd grade to participate in a church service made especially for them. The

purpose of this ministry is to teach kids about corporate worship,

instill an age-appropriate knowledge of the Bible and of God, and

develop a love for participating in the body of Christ.

Children’s Church takes place during the Sunday morning service. Kids are invited to stay with their families during the worship and prayer time of the service, and are then dismissed to Children’s Church just before the start of the sermon. Kids return to the sanctuary and rejoin their families during the closing worship song.

Children’s Church takes place in the Annex, second floor.

Children’s Church is led using a video-based curriculum called Elevate. This fun and easy-to-use curriculum is divided into 8-week series to provided variance and a chance to cover lots of topics and themes. The lessons are taught via the video curriculum, which allows the leaders to focus on building relationships with kids without the pressure of lesson preparation. The lessons are reinforced with short games and activities interspersed throughout the course of the morning.

Anyone with a heart for kids is welcome and encouraged to participate! Anyone 18 years of age and older can be leaders, and students as well as adults can be assistants.

Children’s Church is in need of volunteer leaders who lead/facilitate video curriculum and activities. No teaching is required and there is very minimal outside preparation.

This is an excellent ministry opportunity for those who have a heart for kids and are more interested in building relationships with kids as opposed to a teaching role. If you would like to serve in this way, contact Maggie Noll or Emily Gibson.

People who have the desire to seek God's 'heart' and 'will' for Maranatha and it's people, go to prayer in a united and corporate effort. We have people praying during Sunday morning services, and are available to pray with people after each service on Sunday, and to go to hospitals and homes to pray with individuals and families.

If you would like to join this vital ministry, please contact Joel Brown or Mary Ellen Waite.

The purpose the Hospitality Ministry is two-fold. We want to reach out to, and make welcome, both newcomers and our regular

attenders.

Several years ago, a very insightful young woman started the MBC Hospitality Ministry. It began with a gift bag made specially for first-time visitors, containing info about MBC and some tasty goodies. In addition, coffee and other beverages were made available for every-one to share. What a great way to not only identify first-time visitors, but also promote conversation among new and not-so-new members of the MBC family.

We want to identify and welcome our first-time visitors and encourage them to come back. We also want to provide a comfortable and easy way for everyone to visit and connect with one another--hence coffee, tea, and water are provided in the Commons Lobby. You can volunteer to simply make coffee prior to Sunday School each week. Volunteers make coffee every Sunday for one month with a rotation of every four months.

We have a Hospitality Table for first-time visitors set up in the foyer. This is available following the service. Gift bags are given to both adults and children containing MBC informational brochures and goodies to satisfy both salty & sweet palates.

Hospitality Ministry Volunteers act as host/hostess at the Hospitality Table. They greet first-time visitors, collect the visitor information cards, and present visitors with a gift bag. They also clean-up the coffee area afterwards.

Any adult with a smile and a desire to reach out to others is a likely candidate for this ministry. We usually schedule two people for each service and you would be asked to serve about once every six weeks.

This feel-good ministry is a great way to reach out to others at MBC and help them leave with a desire to come back and learn more about our great and awesome GOD.

Contact Bridget Speer at 929-3614 to join this fun team!

The ministry of Greeter is not a difficult task, but it is an essential one! The person who greets is often the very first impression our visitors have of Maranatha.

This ministry requires its servants to be friendly, and just a little bit assertive. We want the people coming through our doors to feel welcome, accepted and appreciated. We also want to be ready to give directions and answers to their inquiries. It is also a great way to get to know people.

The “duties” of the greeter are multifaceted. They include:

-smiling

-giving a handshake

-introducing yourself

-handing out a bulletin

-arriving at least 15 minutes prior to the beginning

of the service

-giving directions to the nurseries, restrooms, etc.

-helping folks find a seat

-taking attendance after the service begins

Being a greeter involves a monthly commitment, approximately three times a year..

If you like to smile and meet people, and would like to serve in this ministry, please contact Heidi Moore at 362-8784 or heidi@maranathabible.org.

Maranatha's Library ministers to those who love books and who love to read.

Every book, in every classification, on every shelf is meant to

enhance your walk with God--through personal Christian growth; marriage and family enrichment, through prayer, through reading biographies of Christians who have gone before, or the auto-biographies of believers who live today.

The fiction shelves are there to give you a respite from the "dailiness" of life while at the same time giving you insight into

another time, another place.

The Children & Youth shelves, as well as the DVDs and videos, compliment this ministry.

Books can be checked out for three weeks at a time, with three-week renewals. The fine for keeping books past three weeks is

25¢ per week.

All regular attenders of Maranatha Bible Church are encouraged to use this resource room. If you do not attend regularly, we ask that you not check items out.

The Library is located in the Annex, through the skywalk, at the top of the stairs. It is open prior to and after the worship service. It is closed during the worship services.

Contact Helen Hunter for more information.

“To fulfill the Great Commission (Matt 28:19-20) through praying, equipping, going, supporting, and sending both short-term and long-term missionaries “to Jerusalem,

Samaria, Judea and the uttermost part of the earth”.

Acts 1:8

This is a place to serve for those who have a heart for seeing the Gospel spread throughout the nations. It is our desire to see the lost reached and to look how best to come along-side those who are serving both locally and beyond; as well as how to teach and encourage those God might be calling to serve.

The Missions Committee meets once a month. The purpose of those meetings is to:

-plan for ways to expose our current missionaries to

our body through monthly spotlights and visits from our

missionaries, as well as inviting others from the body

to social gatherings involving our supported missionaries.

-review prospective missionaries that we might support.

-review their needs and current situations for prayer.

-periodically meet with our missionaries for updates,

changes in ministry and accountability.

-review and recommend to the Elder Board increase of

support or addition of new missionaries.

It is exciting to see how God over the years has raised up laborers for the harvest from within our body.

Maranatha currently supports 18 missionaries or organizations. Six of those missionaries have come from within our body.

If you would be interested in serving with this ministry, please contact Wayne Meyer.

Small Group is one way we encourage you to love others in Christian community. We learn how to develop deeper friendships and encourage on another in our relationship with Christ. During the meeting time, each group will have a time for prayer and Bible study.

Scripture urges us to “be imitators of God as beloved children and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up us.” Ephesians 5:1-2a

Our groups meet at a variety of times. Groups are encouraged to meet weekly or bi-weekly. Some groups meet in homes around the city; other meet here at MBC.

Ways you can be involved

We encourage everyone to participate in a small group. Within the group, there are many ways to serve: be a prayer coordinator, coordinate snacks, plan group outreach activities, host the group in your home, facilitate a lesson, or lead a group. You are encouraged to share with your small group leader how you might like to serve.

If you are interested in connecting with a group, ask someone if they are involved in a group, or contact Greg Forseen via email Greg@maranathabible.org.

Maranatha Bible Church supports a small number of area families with fresh and non-perishable food items.  Most often, the families come to the Commons on the third Sunday of the month.  The Abundant Life distribution occurs at this point in the month because families often have a difficult time making their money and food last until the first of the month.  If you would like to be part of this important ministry, please contact Amy DeLay or Barb Conner.

This is a link to a video to learn more about Abundant Life.

Praise the LORD.

Praise God in His sanctuary,

praise Him in His mighty heavens,

praise Him for His acts of power;

praise Him for His surpassing greatness.

Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet,

praise Him with the harp and lyre,

praise Him with tambourine and dancing,

praise Him with the strings and flute,

praise Him with the clash of cymbals;

praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD.

Psalm 150

This is the desire of the worship team—to lead our body to worship the LORD!

If you have musical talent (instrumental or vocal), and especially a heart for worshiping the risen Christ, you are a good candidate for serving on the Worship Team. Also, if you have technical skills, such as running PowerPoint, or experience running a soundboard, we would be interested in talking with you.

Someone who serves on the worship team would need to commit to participating two to four times a month depending on the role. Our team is expected to participate in Thursday and Sunday morning practices and display faithfulness by arriving on time to practice and being prepared. We also ask anyone interested in joining the ministry to fill out an application and meet with the ministry leader to discuss his/her qualifications.

If you would like to discuss being involved in this ministry, please email worship@maranathabible.org.

What is this ministry? Actually, the name “Meals Ministry” is a misnomer. It should be named, Ministry of Love and Support!! In recent years, we have taken this ministry beyond food, to include laundry services, yard work, day care and hospital visits….just to name a few things. The focus of the ministry is to support our brothers and sisters in whatever way we are able!

Who benefits from this ministry? We all do!! This ministry was designed to help those in need. “Need”, can be defined in many different ways. We provide meals and assistance to new mothers after giving birth. For about two weeks after delivery, this ministry helps to ease the load of a new mother by providing meals. We also provide meals/support for those having surgery, facing illness, after a death in the family or during personal crisis. This ministry recently organized a food/clothing drive for a family in our church, and also offered assistance to a family with a fundraiser for adoption. There really are no rules….if you know someone that could benefit from a little love and support, we are here to help! Obviously the recipient benefits, but so do you when you offer support. With food ministry, we all win!

How do you get involved? Sign up! We all have different gifts. Perhaps you don’t feel comfortable visiting someone in the

hospital, but are able to provide day care. Maybe you like to cook. There are many ways to help out. If you haven’t already signed up to help, or know someone that would benefit from the ministry of love and support, please contact Kathy Kalous.

MBC’s Women’s Ministry exists to glorify God while leading women to maturity in Christ. This vision determines everything we do. We also love to get women together to meet, fellowship, and have fun together, offering the possibility of lifelong friendships!

We lead women in several ways.

• We offer a sound, powerful Bible study open to all women meeting on Wednesday mornings. We also offer a women’s Sunday School class. Both meet in the Commons.

• We hold multiple events each year. These events are full of fun, food, laughter, and some good, solid teaching that glorifies God and enables women to meet and get to know each other.

• We encourage prayer partners by matching people up and enabling them to pray for each other.

• We have a special Women’s Ministry Newsletter that is published four times per year that offers

encouragement, information, and opportunities for women in our church.

• Our bulletin board, in the skywalk between our buildings, provides another place for women to learn about what is happening for women in our church.

We believe ministering to our local community is important. One of the ways we can have an impact in our community is by our partnership with Taylor Elementary. We can build relationships through community events, the book buddies or lunch buddies program, prayer, and shining the Light of the World into our community. 

Throughout the year, there are ways to get involved: Caroling, leaf raking, mitten drive, Thanksgiving baskets, Abundant Life food distribution, etc.

Ways To Get Involved

+ Become an Outreach Coordinator

+ Participate in community meetings (TANA & Taylor Can)

+ Get involved in the Book Buddies or Lunch Buddies program “requires training”

+ Serve at Community Events

+Caroling, leaf raking, mitten drive, Thanksgiving baskets

+ Prayer team

If you are interested in getting involved, contact Amy DeLay.

“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matt 5:16

The nursery is a safe and secure, loving place for you to drop off your little ones (ages 0-4 years) during the worship service; and for little ones (ages newborn through 2 years) during Sunday School.

How does it work? You receive a nametag for your child, and give your child to the nursery workers. The nursery workers will then play and have fun with your child(ren), while you enjoy the message and singing!

What are some key rules?

1) All children will have a nametag

2) There will always be two workers in the room

3) Only nursery workers are allowed to change a diaper,

or take a child to the bathroom.

4) Men will serve only with their wives.

5) No one is allowed in the nursery other than the

children and the scheduled nursery workers.

Youth helpers are welcome and can be utilized in any of the nurseries.

How can I get involved? It’s easy! Just fill out an application, and return it to Adrianna Tuohino. Once you are approved, you will be put on the schedule, averaging once every five weeks.

Is it a requirement that I serve? Depends! If you’re a parent who regularly attends Maranatha and uses the nursery, then YES. Don’t have a child? Volunteers are ALWAYS appreciated, and always needed! Background check & training are required.

For more information, contact Elizabeth Sanders or Abby Parry.

The Men's Ministry was started in 1993 as an accountability group in response to the Promise Keepers movement and has been meeting ever since. Our desire is to provide teaching, account-ability, fellowship, and discipleship to the men of Maranatha Bible Church, and to be an outreach to anyone interested in learning more about our Savior Jesus Christ.

Each year we try to do a Men’s Retreat, and each quarter we have a breakfast or some type of gathering.

We currently have a Wednesday morning Bible study led by Ron Telecky, at 6:30, meeting in the Commons, a Wednesday evening study led by Ted Biderman in the Commons, and a Saturday morning Bible study led by Andy Drzycimski meeting at the Johnson Avenue HyVee.

The only requirement for involvement may not be "politically correct", but you need to be a GUY, hence the name...Men's Ministry. We are always looking for those who may wish to serve as leaders.

Anyone wishing to take part in this ministry is encouraged to contact Ted Biderman or Dale Krohse.