East Zorra Mennonite Church
Volume 67 Sunday August 18, 2024 No. 33
Prelude: Bethany Zehr Accompanist: Bethany Zehr
Worship Leader: Pastor Ray Song Leader: Caleb Leis
Greeters: Naomi & David Witzel Offering: Local Ministries
Audio/Visual: Drystan Bender/Larry Kropf
Coffee Hosts: Michelle & Brad Brenneman
Prelude
Welcome & Announcements
Call to Worship & Prayer
Songs of Gathering & Praise
VT #103 “Joyful Joyful, We Adore Thee”
VT #667 “Shall We Gather at the River”
Offering – Local Ministries
Offertory
Time with the Children
Scripture Readings: Luke 15:11-32; Romans 8:28 Linda Schumm
Sharing by Sheryl Leis with Pastor Ray
Song of Response: VT #610 “Precious Lord, Take My Hand”
Prayer of the Church
Sending Song: VT #761 “I Love to Tell the Story”
Benediction
Postlude
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.
This Coming Week
Office Administrator, Lisa, is on holidays until Tuesday August 27th. Please send any Sunday August 25th bulletin items to Pastor Ray by Friday August 23rd at 9 a.m. Thanks so much.
Wednesday August 21st
- 6:30-8:30 p.m. Community Campfire in the Greenspace
Next Sunday – August 25, 2024
Prelude: Laurie Yantzi Accompanist: Laurie Yantzi
Worship Leader: Jared Yantzi Song Leader: Myron Ruby
Greeters: Kristen & Daryl Cressman Offering: Leadership
Audio/Visual: Dathan Bender/Brian Wagler Coffee Hosts: Janet & Marv Yantzi
Sharing by Elaine & Dale Leis and Karen & Merv Schlegel with Pastor Mike
EZMC Announcements
The family of Dan & Gwen Matthews invite you to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with them on Sunday, September 1, from 2 to 4 pm at the Queen’s Park Pavilion. Best wishes only please. We will be creating a scrapbook with cards and notes to help remember the day, so if you are unable to attend please feel free to leave a card in our church mailbox, or mail directly. Kris and Melanie and families.
This year at East Zorra we are planning to put a float in the Tavistock Fall Fair parade on Saturday, September 7th at 11 am! Our vision is to have an intergenerational float that will reflect the budding church community we have here. Following along with the theme “bees and honey”, we would love to focus the float around “planting seeds of faith” with all ages dressed as gardeners or kids as flowers, bees and butterflies. If you are interested in being involved in decorating the float, or participating in it, please reach out to Amy Yantzi: amy.yantzi@outlook.com or 519-301-9707
Greeters – As a greeter (individual, couple, or family) you would stand at the top of the stairs outside the parent’s room and greet people as they arrive Sunday morning. We would encourage you to be here by 9:30 or shortly after when you serve in this role. Would you or your family be willing to serve as a greeter and be scheduled in for a few Sunday mornings through the year? Contact Lisa Suderman, our Office Administrator, by Tuesday August 27th if you are willing to help with this ministry.
Coffee Time Hosts – If you would like to add your name to the list of coffee volunteers, please contact Lisa in the office by Tuesday August 27th. A coffee host prepares the coffee and cleans up after.
Community Campfires at East Zorra Mennonite
Wednesday August 21st 6:30-8:30 in the Green Space
Everyone of all ages is invited to bring a lawn chair, a snack and a refreshment to drink and join us this Summer in our Green Space around the campfire for a time of fellowship, conversation and fun. There will be no set agenda (though Pastors Ray and Mike may spark some short conversations…) and children will be free to use the equipment and play.
We look forward to enjoying each other’s company.
Green Space – Sandbox
A cover has been added to the sandbox to ensure
- Animals are not leaving deposits in the sand
- That sand remains dry – suitable for small children
- Good winter protection
The cover snaps on
- The side towards the pavilion is left open
- The side toward the swings remains closed
- The other two sides can be opened and rolled back for use
Upcoming Summer Service:
Sunday September 1
Shared Worship Service hosted at Cassel Mennonite Church.
Saturday September 7th Adult Fellowship – Meet at church at 11:45 am to pick up your tickets for the play “Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz” and arrange to carpool to Blyth for play beginning at 2 pm.
Update on Refugee Resettlement: Bibi Shah Bubo arrived safely July 15 and Daud, Sohaila and their 3 youngest children are arriving Aug 12. Please pray for a safe flight. They look forward to being reunited in Kitchener. Tamim Tohky’s family has welcomed the Tohki’s at the Toronto Pearson Airport. Mansoud and Mansor and Bibi have been settling in well in their new home, 50 Ingleside St., Kitchener. Please prayerfully and generously support our refugee resettlement commitments as costs have risen since we approved this mission ministry. Our initial financial commitments have risen from $50,000 to approx. $75,000.
The Anabaptist Community Bible.
Celebrate 500 years of Anabaptism with the Anabaptist Community Bible. This study Bible features commentary from 60 Anabaptist scholars, biblical insights from 16th-century Anabaptists, and marginal notes from nearly 600 study groups from Anabaptists around the globe. The Anabaptist Community Bible uses the Common English Bible (CEB) translation.
There are 3 editions available, Hardcover ($55.49), Soft Touch ($69.49) and Genuine Leather ($152.49). If you would like to pre-order a bible please put your name on the sheet posted on the main bulletin board or email Lisa at office@emennonite.ca. by September 30, 2024. Please specify which edition of bible you would like. Ordering in bulk will mean savings on shipping costs. Please see the main bulletin board for photos of the bibles and example pages or go to www.CommonWord.ca for more information. Once we know how many bibles we will be ordering we can determine shipping costs per bible. Payment will be due when our order is placed in early October. Publication date is January 2025.
Beyond our Church Community
Sunday August 25th 3 p.m. All are invited to a Saengerfest (Song Festival) at
St. Matthews Lutheran Church (54 Benton Street, Kitchener) to commemorate the centenary of the 1920s Mennonite immigration to Ontario from settlements in present-day Russia and Ukraine. Song leader is Mark Diller Harder. For more details, see https://uwaterloo.ca/grebel/events/saengerfest
Tuesday September 3rd 12 – 12:45 p.m., Stories from Africa: Lunch and Listen with Vurayayi Pugeni at50 Kent Ave., Kitchener
Come and be inspired by powerful stories from the heart of Southern and Central Africa! Join us in the Community Room at 50 Kent Ave., Kitchener live on on Facebook, where Vurayayi Pugeni, MCC’s Area Director for Southern and Central Africa and Nigeria, will share firsthand experiences that will uplift and challenge us. Can’t make it in person? No problem—tune in live on our Facebook page! Don’t miss this unique opportunity to connect and learn!
Thursday September 12th 4 p.m.. Book Launch | Celebrate the launch of Grebel Dean and Associate Professor of History and Theological Studies Troy Osborne’s new book Radicals and Reformers: A Survey of Global Anabaptist History. The afternoon will feature a short program and reception. Books will be available for purchase and signing. More information at uwaterloo.ca/grebel/events/radicals-reformers
GTA Mennonite Festival Saturday September 21st from 10 a.ma – 4 p.m. Stouffville. It starts with the food! Come hungry for traditional and not-so-traditional Mennonite favourites. Bring the whole family for fun activities like wagon rides, apple picking, and more. Shop for beautiful crafts, fresh produce, and don’t miss the famous Quilt Auction. More info.
***NEW DATE*** Monday September 23rd MCC Ontario annual general meeting
7 p.m. Grounded in the church, our Annual General Meeting (AGM) is an opportunity for us to be accountable, transparent and responsive to you. We invite you to join in celebrating the impact you’ve made of sharing God’s love and compassion in the lives of so many in Ontario and around the world. Delegates from constituent congregations are invited and authorized to vote. The meeting will take place over Zoom. For more information, go to mcc.org/Ontario-AGM.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was included in the 94 Calls to Action in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s final report. This federal holiday is intended to recognize and commemorate the legacy of residential schools, honour Survivors, their families and communities and ensure that public commemoration of the history and heritage of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process. We’ve created a learning resource on how we can all participate in reconciliation. Go to mcc.org/resources/national-day-truth-and-reconciliation to download the resource.
MCC Ontario will recognize this important day on Tuesday September 24th. All thrift shops and offices will be closed, and staff will spend this day in learning activities related to the ongoing impact of this dark chapter in Canada’s history.
Montreal River Alternative Service Camp Historical Plaque to be installed!
The Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario and the Ontario Heritage Trust will install a commemorative historical plaque at the site of the WW2 Alternative Service (Conscientious Objector) Camp at Montreal River, just north of Sault Ste Marie, Ontario. All are invited to the official unveiling of the plaque on Thursday, September 26 at 4:00 pm at Conrad Grebel University College. The next day, September 27, the MHSO has arranged for two buses to go from Waterloo to Montreal River for the installation of the plaque on September 28. Overnight accommodation has been reserved for bus participants for Friday, September 27 so they can take part in the Plaque installation the next day at the Montreal River site. The buses will then return to Waterloo.
For further details, and to reserve a spot on this trip (accommodation deadline is August 27), go to https://www.mhso.org/content/montreal-river-alternative-service-camp-bus-trip
MCC Thrift Stores are looking for household donations!
Have you been meaning to clear out household items that you no longer use, but haven’t gotten around to it yet? Well, now’s the time to do it! Our thrift shops need household donations to keep supplies strong on the sales floor. Pack up some boxes and head over to your local thrift shop today!
Food Truck Thursdays at the New Hamburg Thrift Centre. Every Thursday from 4-8 pm, food trucks will be at the New Hamburg Thrift Centre. Last day is August 29th. A poster and schedule of the different food trucks is on the main bulletin board.
Help make a difference with MCC! We urgently need your support to provide soap to communities where it’s in short supply. Whether bath soap (85g or larger, in wrapper) or laundry soap (Fels Naptha, Sunlight, or Zote), every donation counts.
Please consider donating today to meet this crucial need. You can drop off your donations at your local MCC Thrift Shop, MCC office, or the Material Resources Warehouse. Together, we can ensure hygiene and health for those who need it most. Thank you for your generosity!
Join MDS and respond to wildfire in Shuswap, B.C. this September! Sign up to volunteer for a week and help rebuild a home lost to wildfire. Construction experience not required. To learn more and sign up, visit mds.org/canadian-opportunities or call Clara at 1-866-261-1274.
Learning Tour: Travelling Together Through Truth
October 21-25, Timmins, ON
Get ready to be inspired and learn as we embark on an exciting journey of connecting and engaging with First Nations communities, organizations and partners of MCC Ontario’s Indigenous Neighbours program in Timmins. To learn more, contact Cam McEachern at 705-264-2494, ext. 220 or by email at cammceachern@mcco.ca.