East Zorra Mennonite Church
Volume 67 Sunday December 15, 2024 No. 50
Sunday December 15, 2024
Watch Out! God is on the Way
Advent Week Three: Light
Prelude/Accompanist: Brandy Sell Song Leader: Susan Schmitz
Greeter: Jan Ropp Worship Leader: Jared Yantzi
Audio/Visual: Drystan Bender/Larry Kropf Offering: Leadership
Coffee Hosts: Shirley & Phil Ruby Message: Pastor Ray
Prelude
Words of Welcome & Announcements
Call to Worship
Opening Prayer
Songs of Gathering & Praise
VT #215 “Oh, How Shall I Receive Thee”
VT #227 “Here I am to Worship”
Offering – Leadership
Time with the Children & Lighting of the Advent Candles –
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 60:1-3; John 1:1-9
Message – Pastor Ray
Song of Response VT #211 “Hope Is a Candle”
Sharing & Prayer of the Church
Sending Song VT #271 “Christ, You Are Light”
Benediction
Today
Coffeetime in the basement immediately following worship. Everyone is welcome. We would ask that everyone provides their own mug to help simplify the preparation and clean up time. We will provide mugs for those who forget theirs or who come as guests on a Sunday morning.
11 a.m. Sunday School classes for all ages.
12 p.m. Private Party
Christmas Giving Gift Card Project
Each Sunday during Advent as you come to worship the worship committee will be collecting Gift Cards that we will distribute to Tavistock Assistance Program (TAP) and Wilmot Family Resource Centre. There will be a box in the foyer for you to place your gift cards. While any gift card amount is welcome, $25 Gift Cards (or lower) become the most useful to distribute. The Gift cards most requested are: Shell, PC, Esso, Petro-Canada, Walmart. Winners, IDA, Shoppers Drugmart. Each week, we will display ornaments on a Christmas Tree to mark the number of cards we have received. Thank you for any contribution you can make to the Christmas giving project!
This Coming Week
Tuesday December 17th
- 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Prayer Shawl at Jean MacDonald’s (182 Rudy Ave, Tavistock). Anyone interested in joining us for knit and chat is always welcome.
- 7:30 p.m. Finance & Facility Meeting
Wednesday December 18th
- E Z Play Group setup
Thursday December 19th
- 9:30 – 11 a.m. E Z Play Group
- 7 – 9 p.m. Games night – Come for an informal night of games or puzzles in the church basement. Bring along games or puzzles to enjoy with people of all ages.
Friday December 20th
- 7 p.m. MYF – Christmas Party at church.It’s a potluck, and you’re invited to bring your favourite snack! We will also be doing a mystery gift exchange – for those who want to participate, there’s a $5 limit on the gift.
Saturday December 21st
- 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Private Party
Next Sunday – December 22, 2024
Children’s Sunday School Program
Prelude/Accompanist: Laurie Yantzi Song Leader: Caleb Leis
Greeters: Hannah & Dylan Yantzi Worship Leader: Pastor Mike
Audio/Visual: Dathan Bender/Brian Wagler Offering: Where Needed Most
Coffee Hosts: Michelle & Brad Brenneman
JCET would like to remind all the Children Grade 1-8 to meet in the blue assembly room by 9:45 a.m. No special costumes or outfits will be needed this year for the Christmas Program. Jwalkers (Junior Youth) are reminded to please bring a pair of sunglasses.
Please note that there are no Sunday School classes on this day.
12 p.m. Private Party
This Advent season, we will be drawing on a resource by Will Willimon called Heaven and Earth: Advent and the Incarnation. In it, Willimon challenges readers to wrestle anew with scripture traditionally heard during the Advent season. He writes “You’ve got four weeks to adjust to the jolt of God taking time for us…So brace yourself. God is on the way.”
Advent is a time of recommitting ourselves to the God who is decisively committed to us in Jesus Christ – even if that commitment makes us squirm. The following Scripture readings are meant to help us prepare, grow, and even squirm before the God who is coming to us.
Let us heed the call of John the Baptist, last of the prophets who cries out: “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”
Bible Readings for Week Four: Rejoice
December 16th to 20th
Monday 2 Samuel 7
Tuesday Psalm 89
Wednesday Luke 1:46-55
Thursday Romans 16:17-27
Friday Luke 1:26-38
EZMC Announcements
Are you looking for some reading material to enjoy over the holidays? Stop in at the library and see the selection of Christmas books for adults and children!
Save the Dates – Vacation Bible School at EZMC will be held on July 7-11, 2025.
Beyond our Church Community
Friday January 10th & Saturday January 11th 7 p.m. Bonhoeffer: Cell 92 – | A cinematic theatre production created by Jerry Holsopple and Justin Poole. This thought-provoking single actor play focuses on the final period of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life, a German pastor and theologian involved in the Protestant resistance to Hitler and National Socialism. Two nights only, at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo. Tickets: uwaterloo.ca/grebel/events/bonhoeffer-cell-92
Exciting News! The New MCC Meat Cannery is ready!
Saturday January 18, 2025 from 1:45 – 4 p.m., 65 Heritage Dr., New Hamburg
After months of hard work and anticipation, the MCC Meat Cannery in New Hamburg is complete—and it’s time to celebrate!
? Join us for the grand dedication event ?
✨ Explore the new facility.
? Discover the life-changing impact of MCC’s canned meat around the world.
? Enjoy delicious refreshments and appetizers.
No need to RSVP—just come as you are and be part of this special moment.
For details, visit mcc.org/meat-cannery-dedication.
We can’t wait to celebrate with you!
Saturday January 25, 2025, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Join us for the Great Winter WarmUp!
at the MCC Material Resources Centre, 65 Heritage Dr, New Hamburg
Get ready to cozy up at the Great Winter WarmUp! We’re inviting you, your friends and your family to the MCC Material Resource Centre for a fun-filled comforter knotting blitz. Together, we’ll create handmade comforters that bring warmth and remind those in need that they are loved and cared for. No experience? No problem! Whether you’re a pro at knotting or trying it for the first time, everyone is welcome. Enjoy some hot beverages, connect with great people and help us spread warmth and comfort this winter. We can’t wait to see you there and share some warmth together! For more info, go to mcc.org/events.
Mail delivery this Christmas will likely be impacted by the postal strike
While this creates uncertainty for many Canadians, we want to reassure you that Mennonite Central Committee’s work continues. Your generosity makes it possible for us to bring Christ’s love to those in need and we’re here to ensure you can stay engaged with the issues you care about. If you usually send your donations through the mail, here are some secure alternatives to consider:
?Donate Online: Make a secure donation anytime on our website. It’s quick, easy and safe. To support MCC this Christmas season, go to https://mcc.org/christmas.
☎️Call-In Donations: Prefer to donate by phone? Call us at 1-888-622-6337, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Our team will be happy to assist you.
This Christmas, we’re grateful to partner with you in spreading warmth, hope, and Christ’s love around the world. Thank you for your continued support during this season of giving.
Due to the Canada Post strike, Mennonite Disaster Services encourages you to consider their online and telephone giving options this Christmas season.
You can:
- Donate online at mds.org/donate-canada; or
- Make a credit card donation by calling us toll-free at 1(866) 261-1274.
Your gift will bring hope, warmth and a community of volunteers around those who need it most — so that disaster survivors don’t face a difficult journey towards recovery alone.
Silver Lake Mennonite Camp
Winter and Spring Retreats Registration Opens December 1 at 12pm: Come to Silver Lake in 2025 for fun camp experiences! On the calendar are… Fathers & Kids Retreat (Jan 17-19), Women’s Retreat (Jan 31-Feb 2), Winter Camp for Grown-Ups (Feb 28-Mar 2), Staff Alumni Retreat (Mar 21-23), Music Retreat (Mar 28-30), Family Camp (May 16-18). Go to slmc.ca/retreats for more info.
Summer Camp: Registration for overnight camp and day camp opens February 1 at 8am. Outtrip registration opens Jan 7 – sign up before Jan 30 to get $100 off! Visit slmc.ca/summer-camp to have a sneak peek at the 2025 schedule.
Thursday, January 16, 2025 7:30 pm. Anabaptism at 500: A service of Commemoration and Celebration, W-K United Mennonite Church, Waterloo. | A service of music, reading, and reflection on the 500th anniversary of the first adult baptisms in Zurich, Switzerland. uwaterloo.ca/grebel/events/anabaptism-500-service
Friday January 17, 7:30 pm Bechtel Lecture | Commemorating Anabaptism’s 500 Years: Anabaptist beginnings and the stories we tell, at Conrad Grebel University College, Waterloo. Dr. Karl Koop considers our dominant communal memories and the stories we tell, suggesting that in avoiding stories from the margins and stories we have marginalized, we will be left with a situation intellectually unsatisfying, and significantly limiting in our understanding of the past. uwaterloo.ca/grebel/events/anabaptist-beginnings
Tuesday January 28, 2025 9:30 a.m. New Hamburg Mennonite Relief Sale Feature Quilt Reveal, Mennonite Central Committtee, 50 Kent Ave., Kitchener.
Each year, a talented individual or team creates the feature quilt for the New Hamburg Mennonite Relief Sale. Feature quilts have depicted historical churches, the play of colour and light across fabric, a journey through Africa, among other innovative designs. On January 28, the curtain will be removed and the 2025 feature quilt will be revealed. Join us in the lower atrium at 50 Kent Ave, Kitchener or on the NHMRS Facebook page. Learn more at mcc.org/events.
February 27 – March 1, 2025 Rockway Mennonite Collegiate proudly presents their all-school musical, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.rockway.ca/events. We look forward to welcoming you and your family into Wonka’s world of Pure Imagination!
Monday March 24, 2025 6 p.m. Hope Starts at Home: An evening with Phyllis Webstad, at Bingemans Conference Centre, 425 Bingemans Centre Dr, Kitchener
Join us on March 24 along with author and speaker, Phyllis Webstad, the founder and ambassador of the Orange Shirt Society. Phyllis will share her childhood of healing and reconciliation in Canada as we seek to restore justice, foster belonging and address poverty in Ontario. Funds raised at the event will supply MCC Ontario’s new meat cannery. To learn more and order your tickets, go to mcc.org/evening-with-phyllis-webstad.
Mennonite Church Canada Gathering – July 2-5, 2025 in Kitchener/Waterloo.
This Gathering is shaping up to be an incredible experience with three unique avenues for engagement:
1.Congregational Gathering: Join delegates and congregational representatives for inspiring sessions, worship, and connection.
2.Youth Gathering: A vibrant, energetic event designed specifically for youth, hosted on the University of Waterloo campus.
3.U30 Young Adult Gathering: Engage with peers through tailored events, including a special post-Gathering celebration at Hidden Acres!
More info coming soon!