By Ann Leaman
Ohio Conference Resource Advocate

As we move into the season of Advent, Mennonite Church USA and CommonWord have Advent resources for individuals, families and congregations.

Once again this year, Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) has prepared an Advent at Home worship guide which can be used by individuals or families. The 2021 guide follows the theme “Dare to Imagine!” You can download it from MC USA’s Advent at Home 2021 webpage at https://bit.ly/2021AdventatHomeGuide. This resource offers weekly and daily scriptures, worship rituals, prayers, activities, and background information. It is written by Talashia Keim Yoder, pastor of Christian Formation at     College Mennonite Church in Goshen, Indiana.

This Advent at Home guide offers seven weeks of devotional materials, beginning with the first Sunday of Advent, Nov. 28, and ending on Epiphany, Jan 6, 2022. “Dare to imagine!” walks participants through the biblical account of Jesus’ birth, beginning with the prophecy of the Messiah’s arrival in Jeremiah and ending with the Magi visiting Jesus.

CommonWord

Another online source for   Advent resources is CommonWord, which is a collaboration of Mennonite Church Canada and Canadian Mennonite University. CommonWord has compiled a curated list of worship, drama, family, and other resources for Advent. To view these resources, go to www.commonword.ca/go/2190.

One notable resource is a script for an online Christmas Eve drama, “Zooming in On the Nativity: A Virtual Christmas Pageant,” by Carol Penner. This free script is for a 25-minute drama featuring 14 or more actors.

Another resource that I’d like to highlight is a “25 Days of Advent Family Devotional” created by Mosaic Mennonite Conference. This resource, which can be downloaded for free, is available in several different languages. This family faith formation activity divides the Christmas Narrative leading up to Jesus’ birth into 25 days. There is one card for every day in December leading up to Christmas.