East Zorra Mennonite Church
Volume 69 Sunday May 3, 2026 No. 18
Prelude/Accompanist: Brandy Sell Song Leader: Connie Yantzi
Greeters: Janet & Marv Yantzi Worship Leader: Dawn Bender
Audio/Visual: Dathan Bender/Brian Wagler Coffeetime: Gloria & Merv Ropp
Prelude
Welcome & Announcements
Call to Worship & Opening Prayer
Song of Gathering & Praise VT #495 “Morning Has Broken”
VT #39 “As we Rise, O God, to Meet You”
Parent-Child Dedication
Congregation sings:
“Hosanna, Jesus loves Luke, yes he does, yes he does (3x)
And he wants Luke to love him too.”
May our shared life and witness help you grow as a family in faithfulness and joy.
(from Voices Together #970)
Offering – Mission Partners
Time with the Children
Scripture Reading: Genesis 50:15-21
Message In the Place of God Pastor Mike
Song of Response VT #84 “To God Be the Glory”
Prayer of the Church Pastor Ray
Sending Song VT #599 “We’ve Come This Far by Faith”
Benediction
Today
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. Faith Formation Class will meet in the MYF room.
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.
This Coming Week
Monday May 4th
- 7 p.m. Walking Club – meet at the Mike Schout Wetlands Preserve, 28 Smith Creek’s Drive New Hamburg. This is a beautiful 1.6 km raised boardwalk trail that spans multiple wetland ponds. You can walk the loop as often as you want! Parking lot available off Smith Creek’s drive. More info here => Mike Schout Wetlands Preserve – Wilmot Township. Decisions to cancel due to inclement weather will be made on location.
Tuesday May 5th
- 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Sewing Circle
- 7:30 p.m. Mission Committee Meeting
Wednesday May 6th
- 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Coffee & Bible Study
- Play Group setup
- 6:30 – 8 p.m. Authored by the Word
Thursday May 7th
- 9:30 – 11 a.m. E Z Play Group
- 7:30 p.m. Men’s Bible Study meets in the MYF room.
Friday May 8th
- 5:30 p.m. MYF meets at church to go to K2K Productions presentation of Freaky Friday. Tickets must be purchased in advance – see email sent for more info.
Next Sunday – May 10, 2026
The Fire and the Cloud: Finding Jesus in the Journey of the Old Testament
The Way through the Wild: Exodus 13:17-22 (Pillar of Fire)
Prelude/Accompanist: Glorify Song Leader: Glorify
Greeters: Tracey & Larry Kropf Worship Leader:
Audio/Visual: Todd Bender/Larry Kropf Offering: MCEC & MC Canada
Coffeetime: Michelle & Brad Brenneman Message: Pastor Ray
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. Faith Formation Class will meet in the MYF room.
EZMC Announcements
Thank you to all who participated in Pastor Mike’s mid-term review process. SCRC values the feedback you provided. The feedback will be summarized and shared as appropriate over the next couple months with Church Ministry Council, Pastor Mike, and the congregation. If you still have feedback to provide, please send to tracey.kropf@gmail.com by Friday May 8. Thank you!
It is soon time to renew our subscriptions to Rejoice Magazine and Salt & Light.
A brief description is below for those who are not familiar with these publications. If you are not on the subscription lists for either or both and would like to be OR if you no longer want to receive these, please contact Lisa at 519-655-6824 or email office@ezmennonite.ca by Tuesday May 26th.
- Rejoice Magazine – Nurture your soul through the quarterly devotional magazine, Rejoice!Each day’s entry features a Bible reading, a short inspirational message, and a prayer of response. The magazine also includes inspirational stories and poems, and daily prayer requests representing Mennonite mission workers, schools, and church agencies.
- Salt & Light Guide – A quarterly Bible study for Sunday school classes and Bible study groups. This resource had been used by the Sunday School class that met in the boardroom. During the pandemic we have been providing these for those people who had been a part of that class to study. We would be happy to add you to the list.
- Please note that there is no cost to you for either of these publications.
Donut Project
The New Hamburg Mennonite Relief Sale is on Saturday, May 30 and there are lots of volunteer opportunities! Consider supporting the donut project in one of the following ways:
– sharing plastic 500ml containers (will be reused then recycled) – box under mailboxes
– making mashed potatoes – details and sign up sheet on bulletin board
– mixing or kneading in the donut tent – sign up sheet on bulletin board
– post-sale clean up at church – sign up sheet on bulletin board
– set up at the donut tent (Friday morning) and/or tear down at the donut tent (Saturday afternoon) – contact Bill Roth kilbride@rogers.com
Any questions contact Greg and Dawn gdzehr@gmail.com
VBS 2026 – July 6-10 Rainforest Falls: Exploring the Nature of God. Registration is open! Parents- please register your children and share the registration link found on our church website with friends and neighbours. Volunteers: please let us know your availability and what area you would like to help in. Email eastzorravbs@gmail.com with any questions.
CPR course – The Health Ministry team is offering CPR certification (including AED training) with Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
When: May 9th (9 a.m. morning class or 1:30 p.m. afternoon class)
Where: EZMC basement
Cost: $50 cash or e-transfer (email for course leader will be provided day of).
Please reach out to Jill Rempel or Heidi Wagler if you are interested by May 1st
Beyond Our Church Community
May 2nd – 16thRed Dress Day Art Exhibit and Call 30 at Conrad Grebel University College, 140 Westmount Road North, Waterloo. Red Dress Day, which is recognized on May 5, brings awareness to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. In partnership with Conrad Grebel University College, MCC is featuring artwork that illustrates factors contributing to the criminalization and harm of Indigenous women. Visit the art exhibit between May 2 and 16. As part of this event, MCC is hosting two Call 30 activities, which will deepen your understanding of why Red Dress Day matters and why 50% of women in Ontario prisons are Indigenous.
Learn more: mcc.org/red-dress-day.
Interfaith Community Counselling will not host a virtual Silent Auction this June. Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) has named May 4 – May 10 as Canadian Mental Health Week. It’s a call to spark small, everyday actions of connection, and to recognize the role we all play in supporting mental. In response to CMHA’s call and with the ending of the silent auction, we are hosting 7 Days of Wellness, the calendar of events is on the main bulletin board or ICC’s website. Our desire is to bring people together, provide meaningful resources, and raise funds to subsidize counselling.
Poole People Player’s Presents “Sneaky Citizens of Saddlesore City”.
Their play will be presented on May 7, 8, 9 at the PERC in Milverton.
Evening performance at 7:30 p.m.; Sat. afternoon performance at 2 p.m.
For tickets call Janet at 519-595-8424 or 519-301-3717 or email poolemem@perth.net
Pow Wows 101
Tuesday, May 13 at 12:00 p.m. (Online and in person at 50 Kent Ave., Kitchener)
Wednesday, May 14 at 7:00 p.m. (Online)
MCC has two opportunities on the horizon to help you learn about the Indigenous celebration of pow wows. While everyone is welcome to celebrate and enjoy these powerful experiences, often non-Indigenous people feel shy or hesitant about attending for the first time. MCC’s Indigenous Neighbours team is holding two training sessions to help make this a little easier. Learn the basics of what to expect and how to participate, and then plan to attend with the team this summer. Attend May 12 in person in Kitchener or online, or May 13 online. Learn more here.
Thursday May 21st 7:30 p.m. Menno Singers and the Mennonite Mass Choir, conducted by Artistic Director Brandon Leis, presents Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace and Johannes Brahms’ Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny) at Centre in the Square (Kitchener) with Orchestra. Tickets available through Centre in the Square (https://centreinthesquare.com/event/)
New Hamburg Mennonite Relief Sale 2026 – Friday May 29 & Saturday May 30th
This year, the New Hamburg Mennonite Relief Sale proudly celebrates 60 years of coming together in faith, generosity, and community. Since 1967, this annual tradition has raised more than $15 million for Mennonite Central Committee, bringing hope, relief, and opportunity to communities around the world.
- Start collecting your loose change. Every year, spare change collected by churches, children and families across North America adds up to more than $600,000 for MCC’s work at home and around the world! Coins collected at the New Hamburg Mennonite Relief Sale are designated “where needed most” for the work of MCC, putting your change to work right away!
- Saturday May 30th Lace up for the Run for Relief. Register today for the Run for Relief – a 2k or 5k fun run at the fairgrounds. Raise funds for MCC, and enjoy a morning run along the Nith River before you take in the rest of the sale. Sign up today. Entry is free but fundraising is encouraged. Top fundraisers will win a prize, so get started today!
- Saturday May 30th If you have the gift of music and would like to share it with others for a good cause, we want to hear from you! The New Hamburg Mennonite Relief Sale is seeking musicians to enhance the ambience of the sale as patrons take in the atmosphere at this popular event. This opportunity is for 30-minute time slots between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 30. Please contact Lorieyantzi@outlook.com if you’re interested in this volunteer opportunity.
Tuesday June 9th 5-7 p.m. Hidden Acres is hosting our 59th Annual Chicken BBQ & 18th Annual Pie Auction Fundraiser. Come and enjoy our delicious chicken dinner that thousands of people have come to know and love. Along with the chicken, your meal includes potato salad, coleslaw, veggies, pickles, a fresh roll, chips and an apple or fresh baked apple fritter.
$22 – 1 Piece Meal / $27 – 2 Piece Meal
Pie Auction will happen during the meal.
Please visit www.hiddenacres.ca for more details and to order your tickets.
Tickets need to be purchased in advance.
Saturday June 13th 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Strawberry Thanksgiving and Communion atSix Nations Polytechnic, Ohsweken, ON. You’re warmly invited to Strawberry Thanksgiving and Communion. This year’s event will seek to build on the momentum of last year’s conversation about the Spiritual Covenant, which is a way to acknowledge Indigenous jurisdiction over lands through an annual token lease payment. $25 is recommended to help cover the cost of lunch. Visit mcc.org/strawberry-thanksgiving to learn more.
Timmins Learning Tour – August 17-21, 2026, Timmins, OntarioWe’re excited to invite you to a unique experiential learning tour, where the focus is on building strong connections and mutual respect between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. This is more than just a trip – it’s a chance to step out of your comfort zone, connect, learn, and contribute to building bridges between communities. Learn more here.
Thrift Volunteers Needed! Do you have a heart for service and a few hours to spare each week? MCC Thrift & Gift in Elmira and the MCC New Hamburg Thrift Centre are seeking volunteers to greet donors, receive and sort donations, and perform other roles. Join a community rooted in service and love. Visit mccthrift.com/volunteer to get in touch with us today!
Mennonite Central Committee – Join our team!
We are excited to announce new opportunities to join our team and make a meaningful impact in communities across Ontario. If you are passionate about community engagement, collaboration and fostering belonging, we invite you to apply.
- Custodian – New Hamburg (Part-time)
- Physical Resources Manager – Kitchener (Full-time)
- Administrative Assistant – Kitchener (Part-time)
We also have several postings open for Canada Summer Jobs roles in Kitchener, Elmira, Leamington and New Hamburg.
For full job descriptions and to apply, visit mcc.org/serve.