East Zorra Mennonite Church
Volume 66 Sunday January 29, 2023 No. 5
Worship Service – Sunday January 29, 2023 at 10 a.m.
Welcome to our Morning Worship Gathering
The Story of God, the Story of Us: Reading the Bible Together
Genesis 3: The God who finds what is lost
Prelude: Worship Band Accompanist: Heidi Wagler
Song Leader: Connie Yantzi Worship Leaders: Marlow Gingerich
Message: Pastor Mike Audio/Visual: Dathan Bender/Larry Kropf
Prelude: “Be Unto Your Name“; “Praise is Rising”; VT # 49 “All Who are Thirsty”
Welcome & Announcements
Call to Worship & Opening Prayer
Songs of Praise VT #116 “How Great is our God”; VT #393 “Build Your Kingdom”
Prayer for the Offering
Offering Focus – Leadership
Time with Children – Pastor Mike
Scripture Readings: Genesis 3: 1-19, Romans 8:37-39
Message: Pastor Mike
Song of Response: VT #162 “The Love of God”
Sharing Time & Prayer of the Church – Pastor Ray
Sending Song VT #597 “My Lighthouse”
Benediction
Today
No Coffee Time today
Sunday School classes
Nursery to Grade 5 classes are being held downstairs.
Junior Youth class meets upstairs in Room #9
Youth class meets upstairs in the MYF room (Room #11)
Adult Sunday School
God’s Story, Our Story: Reading the Bible Together
Following the service and a time of fellowship, you are invited to the basement for a time of discussion as we reflect on the Bible story for the week. Using the questions from the reading schedule to guide us, we will try and figure out what each story means to us today as God’s people.
12 pm Youth Ministry Team meeting with sponsors in the MYF Room
1 pm Private Party in the basement
This Coming Week
Wednesday February 1st
10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Unwrapping Scripture over Coffee – Please see the announcement for more details about this weekly bible study opportunity.
Thursday February 2nd
9:30 a.m. E Z Play Group
7 p.m. MYF
Next Sunday – February 5, 2023
The Story of God, the Story of Us: Reading the Bible Together
Genesis 12: The God who calls Us
Prelude: Bethany Klein Accompanist: Bethany Klein
Song Leader: Myron Ruby Worship Leaders: Sheryl Leis
Message: Pastor Ray Audio/Visual: Greg Pye/Brian Wagler
Coffee Time will be hosted by Gwen and Dan Matthews.
EZMC Announcements
The EZMC 2022 Annual Meeting will held on Sunday February 26, 2023.
- The meeting will be held in person and available virtually on Zoom.
- Please submit your Annual Reports, if you haven’t already done, to Lisa as soon as possible. Email to office@ezmennonite.ca
- The annual report will be sent by email but if you would prefer a paper copy, let Lisa know by Thursday February 9th. Please note that paper copies of the report will be delivered to those who receive a printed copy of our Sunday bulletin each Friday.
Tuesday February 21st
5:30 – 7 p.m. Care Team along with members of the Congregational Life committee are planning to host a Pancake supper at the church. Please join us for this intergenerational evening of food and fellowship. Everyone is welcome. Gluten free and dairy free pancakes will be available. Please sign up on the sign up sheet on the bulletin board or email your intent to office@ezmennonite.ca. This will help give us an idea of how many sausages to order.
Unwrapping Scripture over Coffee
Wednesdays 10:30-11:30 at the Church
Winter blues got you down? Are you bored? Do you miss getting out of the house? Then come drop-in at the church and join us on Wednesday mornings as we open and read the Bible together over a hot cup of coffee or tea. Bring your Bibles and your questions as we reflect on a story from the Bible and what it teaches us about ourselves and God. Whether you are a Bible expert or completely confused, everyone is welcome!
The Nursing Homes of Tavistock have requested that our ministerial churches begin offering Sunday afternoon services again. It feels important that East Zorra be involved in this important ministry to our seniors in Long Term Care. The ministerial is working on scheduling and response to this request. If your family, small group or group of friends, would be willing to be involved please speak to Pastor Ray or Susan Schmitz. The services are about 30 minutes and involve music, readings, prayers. Thank you for considering sharing in this ministry.
It’s cold out there.
On February 25, Operation Sharing is hosting the Coldest Night of the Year, a 2 & 5 km winterrific walk hosted in 170+ cities across Canada, in support of their work in Oxford County with people experiencing homelessness, hurt, and hunger.
Our Missions Committee has registered a team (EZ Walkers) and plan to walk in Woodstock on February 25. If you would like to join our team of walkers and/or sponsor us to help raise funds please speak to one of the members of our Missions Ministry Committee: Susan Schmitz, Dan Matthews, Sheryl Leis, Jessie Yantzi or Pastor Ray. . You may also join the team of walkers or sponsor us by using this link: Sponsor EZ Walkers or Join the Team. Our goal is to raise $2000 or more to help respond to the growing needs in Oxford County. Thanks for your support!
JCET is still in need of volunteers to help with the children. Sign up sheet is on the bulletin board across from the JCET desk, in the basement. Below is a description of the various types of roles needed. If you have any questions please ask anyone on the team (Jess Y., Holly, Erin Y. Sue M.)
Nursery/Preschool and JK/SK TEACHERS:
Plan for an hour which includes: welcoming children and have an activity on the table (puzzles, playdough, etc); story, activity and activity sheets using the Gospel Light curriculum which is provided. Play time is also encouraged as it builds friendships & many other skills (getting along, cooperation, listening, leading, imagination, etc)
JK/SK join the older children for assembly time for the first 10 min of the Christian Education hour.
Nursery/Preschool and JK/SK HELPERS:
Welcome and assist the teacher and children.
Grades 1-5
DEVOTIONS: Using the curriculum provided, tell the story, ask questions from God’s big picture and do the Bible verse Object talk provided. Approx. 15-20 min.
CRAFT/GAMES: Plan to lead either the games or craft suggestions provided. There are also discussion questions to help tie the activity to the story. Approx. 15-20 min.
JWalker TEACHER: Plan for an hour. Students watch a video from the Meeting House and then have a discussion based on the video.
JWalker HELPER: Assists the teacher to help keep order, offer input into the discussion and is a 2nd adult in the room.
Beyond Our Church Community
Saturday February 4th 7:30 p.m. Menno Singers and artistic director Brandon Leis present a new composition by local composer Justin LaPierre, ‘Messe de Sainte Anne ’, a weaving together of Québécois hymns and folk music, at St Matthews Lutheran Church (54 Benton St, Kitchener).
$25 Adults. $5 Children/Students. www.mennosingers.com
Back by popular demand, Selah’s Song, (written by Johnny Wideman, with original music by beloved Mennonite musician Bryan Moyer Suderman) tells the story of a young girl whose courage inspired a village and whose song became an anthem for peace. Selah’s Song is a heartwarming musical that is fun for all ages!
Selah’s Song will be presented at Shantz Mennonite Church on Friday, February 10th at 7:00PM. Admission by donation. https://fb.me/e/3cPvQaHnk
Monday February 20th 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Free Family Day Open House at Hidden Acres Mennonite Camp. Come for a fun and relaxing day with your family! Pretzel-making, roasting bannock around the fire, sledding, skating, games, puzzles, crafts, ping-pong and more! RSVP to info@hiddenacres.ca or call (519) 625-8602. Check www.hiddenacres.ca for more details.
Thursday February 23rd Conrad Grebel is inviting Grade 10 (or 11 or 12) students and their families to come to Grebel first for a complimentary dinner and tour. They will learn about living in a supportive, faith-based residence community at Grebel while also being able to study at UWaterloo, a world-renowned academic institution. The Grebel tour will start at 5 pm. If families can’t make it in time for that, they are welcome to arrive at 5:30 for dinner. At 6:15, we will walk over to main campus for the presentation. It’s a great opportunity to see what UWaterloo has to offer and to start thinking about what courses they need to choose in grade 11 to make sure they’re setting themselves up for programs they might want to study! To register for supper at Grebel, please email grebelstudentservices@uwaterloo.ca by Wednesday February 8th to indicate your interest. To learn more about Grade 10 Family Night, see this website: https://uwaterloo.ca/future-students/grade-10-family-night-registration
“Looking for a summer job? Hidden Acres Mennonite Camp is Hiring for Summer Camp 2023! Located just outside of Shakespeare, ON, Hidden Acres provides opportunities for you to impact the lives of young people, serve God and others in a safe and fun environment, grow in your ability to be a great leader and have fun through it all! We are accepting applications for all positions until February 1. For more information or to apply, go to www.hiddenacres.ca or contact Emily Taylor at
519-625-8602 or emily@hiddenacres.ca“
Grandparent and Grandchild Day at Hidden Acres Mennonite Camp
The annual Grandparent-Grandchild Days sponsored by Hidden Acres Mennonite Camp is planned for Monday, March 13. This retreat is for grandparents and their grandchildren in Grades 1-6. Greg Taylor will be leading the day, focusing on the theme of God of Wonders: Discovering the Creator Through Space. Check out www.hiddenacres.ca for more details.
Walking Together Book Study – MCEC Truth & Reconciliation Working Group
Join the MCEC Truth and Reconciliation Working Group in this 4-part book study, Walking Togther: Intercultural Stories of Love and Acceptance. We will begin our study with Edith and Neill von Gunten, the authors, on Wednesday, February 15.
We will meet every other Wednesday evening from 7 – 9 Eastern time.
(Wed Feb 15, Wed Mar 1, 15, & 29). Walking Together invites the church to grapple with questions of racism and Christian supremacy in order to see that all peoples and cultures bear Creator’s beauty and gifts, and that our reconciliation—even our salvation—depends upon embracing that truth.
More Information and to Register
The constituency-based MCEC Truth & Reconciliation Working Group serves the MCEC constituency by promoting awareness and education on specific issues and topics. The information and links are those of the Working Group and do not necessarily represent MCEC as a whole.
Call for German Mennonite Poetry – Do you or your relatives have self-composed German Mennonite poetry that you’re interested in sharing with the community? Brubacher House Artists-in-Residence are collecting previously untranslated German language poems for a bilingual collection of German Mennonite poetry from the Waterloo Region. Email submissions to brubacherpoetryproject@gmail.com. More information at uwaterloo.ca/brubacher-house
SEVEN PRINCIPLES WORKSHOP FOR COUPLES
At Interfaith Counselling Centre, we are excited to be offering an 8 week Gottman “The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work”. This is a group for Pre-Marital; Common Law; and Married Couples. The Seven Principles Workshop for Couples is based on the internationally acclaimed research of Dr. John Gottman as presented in his New York Times bestselling book – The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. This educational workshop is designed to help couples improve their friendship and conflict management skills. This workshop will be offered via Zoom.
Please see the poster on the bulletin board for more information.
MCC’s Applied Peacebuilding Skills Certificate Program, Online, January to May 2023. Learning the skills of peace is a lifelong adventure. Wherever you are in the process of learning the skills of peacemaking, the latest MCC program will help you to further develop and apply these skills within your home, work and community. Register for MCC’s nine-session program, which takes place every other Wednesday evening from mid-January to May 2023. Learn more at mcco.ca/events.
It’s official. As first shared following our Annual General Meeting in 2022, MennoHomes is rebranding as Beyond Housing. There are still some details that need to be taken care of as we make the switch to the new name but we are excited to finally be at this stage. We’ve launched a new website with a fresh clean look that we invite you to explore to learn more. It can be found here: https://beyondhousing.ca/
The January edition of On the Level is now available from Mennonite Disaster Service. In our current issue: learn how MDS Canada is responding in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; Nick Hamm reflects on how God shares His goodness even during disasters; and Director of Operations Ross Penner reminds us that MDS work continues long after the headlines have disappeared. Where will you volunteer this year?
Click on this link to read more: https://conta.cc/3QOHgCA