Volume 66 Sunday February 19, 2023 No. 8
Worship Service – Sunday February 19, 2023 at 10 a.m.
Join Sunday Morning Worship Gathering
The Story of God, the Story of Us: Reading the Bible Together
Genesis 12: The God who delivers and makes a way out of no way
Prelude: Heidi Wagler Accompanist: Heidi Wagler
Song Leader: Myron Ruby Worship Leaders: Jared Yantzi
Message: Pastor Ray Audio/Visual: Todd Bender/Brian Wagler
Welcome & Announcements
Call to Worship & Opening Prayer
Songs of Praise VT #25 “Brethren, We Have Met to Worship”
VT #84 “To God Be the Glory”
Prayer for Offering
Offering Focus – Relief/Mennonite Central Committee
Time with the Children
Scripture Reading: Exodus 14:10-14, 30-31 & Exodus 15:1-21
Message: The God who delivers and makes a way out of no way Pastor Ray
Song of Response: VT #193 “When Israel Was in Egypt’s Land”
Sharing Time & Prayer of the church – Heidi Wagler
Sending Song: VT # 849 “We, Your People, Sing Your Praises”
Benediction
Today
Coffee Time will be hosted by Shirley & Phil Ruby. We would ask that everyone provide their own coffee 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.
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. We will plan to keep the Zoom link open and will have a leader to guide discussion for Zoom participants.
This Coming Week
Tuesday February 21st
1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Prayer Shawl Ministry at Jean MacDonald’s.
5:30 – 7 p.m. Pancake Supper – Sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board.
Wednesday February 22nd
10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Unwrapping Scripture over Coffee
Thursday February 23rd
9:30 a.m. E Z Play Group
12:10 p.m. Lenten Luncheon at Grace United Church.
6:30 – 9 p.m. Junior Youth @ church – Pizza & Games with Pastor Mike!
Please RSVP to Lisa Zehr by texting 519-949-0990.
MYF – Escape Room
Saturday February 25th
Coldest Night of the Year Walk.
Please see the announcements below for more details on the above events.
Wednesday February 22: Andrea & Nick Green
Next Sunday – February 26, 2023
EZMC Annual Meeting
Prelude: Glorify/Chantelle McNeish Accompanist: Chantelle McNeish
Song Leader: Melanie Wiegand Audio/Visual: Dathan Bender/Larry Kropf
The annual meeting will be held during Worship and Sunday School, in person and also available virtually on Zoom. The annual report was sent by email on Friday February 10th but there will be some paper copies of the report booklet on the table outside the nursery.
Following the meeting, everyone is invited to stay for a fellowship meal.
The MYF will be serving a soup lunch as a fundraiser. Please let us know if your MYF’er is able to help out. We would need help at 9:30 a.m. setting up and preparing in the kitchen and then help serving lunch and cleaning up. Lunch will be served after the meeting, with clean up to follow. Please let one of the sponsors know if your youth can help out in any capacity or any length of time.
Please keep the children and families of Syria and Türkiye in your prayers.
MCC is accepting donations to support people affected by the Feb. 6 earthquake in Türkiye and Syria. MCC is working with long-term partners in Aleppo and surrounding areas to provide emergency food, shelter, hygiene, sanitation supplies and trauma counselling. In a country already vulnerable from years of conflict, this was a devastating blow. You can share God’s love and compassion with our global neighbours by providing a gift online at mcccanada.ca/earthquake, by calling 800-313-6226 or by sending a cheque earmarked for “Syria and Türkiye earthquake” to MCC, 203-50 Kent Ave, Kitchener, ON N2G 3R1
If you have a pastoral care concern or prayer request that you would like to share with us, or have us share with the congregation, please feel free to reach out to Pastor Ray (519-501-7831) or Pastor Mike (519-890-4291)
EZMC Announcements
The Rejoice, Salt & Light and Leader magazines will be in your church mailboxes by Sunday morning if you are subscribing to them.
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. You may also call Lisa at 519-655-6824. This will help give us an idea of how many sausages to order.
Faith Exploration Class
Sundays 8:30am-9:30am
March 5 – April 30
*Lite breakfast will be provided*
Over the season of Lent and Easter Youth and Young adults are invited to join this learning class to explore the questions Who is Jesus and what does it mean to follow him?
Our goal during this time is to provide a space for youth to reflect on the faith of their family and community and what it means to them. Participants are welcome to consider this class as a steppingstone towards the commitment of baptism, but it is also open to those who simply want to explore and learn more.
This is a time where we will seek to be clear about what we believe at East Zorra Mennonite while welcoming any questions or doubts, and never demand fake agreement.
Anyone who is interested can contact Pastor Ray at ray@ezmennonite.ca or Pastor Mike at mike@ezmennonite.ca to register or learn more.
The 2023 Camp Subsidy Form is now available and you can complete and return to Dawn Zehr either by email (gdzehr@gmail.com) or mail (657173 15th line, R.R.#1 Tavistock, ON N0B 2R0). Forms are available on the table by the Nursery or by contacting Lisa Suderman at office@ezmennonite.ca
If you have any questions please contact one of the Christian Education Lay Ministers – Bethany Kropf or Jared Yantzi.
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!
Do you love music? Do you know how to play the organ, piano, guitar or other instrument? Or maybe you just love to sing? Is music at East Zorra an important part of your worship experience? If so, the worship committee would like to encourage you. Perhaps God is calling you to share your gift at East Zorra, and possibly discover and develop leadership skills. We would love to mentor new leaders and also find out if there are any musicians among us that we are not aware of. If your answer is ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, and you feel so led, please speak to Connie Yantzi or Lindsay Zehr.
Thursday February 23rd 12:10 p.m. TAVISTOCK & AREA MINISTERIAL 2020 Lenten Luncheons at Grace United Church (Elevator and Hearing Assistance). Each Thursday during Lent beginning at 12:10 p.m. with meditation and music in the Sanctuary followed by Soup and Sandwich Lunch. Suggested contribution is $5-$10 for lunch.
Theme is “Giving it Up”
Week 1: Giving up Control
Many of us give up certain things during Lent. Are there things we should give up for the rest of our lives? We invite you to come and worship and reflect with us, and then share in conversation with others over lunch.
There will be no Lenten Service and Luncheon during Holy Week this year.
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!
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.
Looking for folks who have used the Hearing Loop in the past and/or are currently accessing it. It has been 9 years since installation and we would like to do a review of its use. Asking that you contact either Marilyn Zehr (mbrownzehr@gmail.com) or Ashley Witzel (ashleywitzel@gmail.com) to share your experience.
And for those that do not know what a Hearing Loop is….stay tuned.
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.
VBS 2023- July 10-14
Please save the date for this year’s Vacation Bible School at East Zorra. Our theme this year is Babylon: Daniel’s Courage in Captivity. The week will be set up similar to last summer, with kids split into Tribes, daily Celebration Time, rotations to new shops in the Marketplace (crafts) and new games to play in the Palace Playground. We will also learn about Daniel’s story each day and how he stayed committed to the one true God when others were turning away from Him. We look forward to learning that God is with us through every situation and emotion!
We will be opening registration to the community this year so share these dates with your friends! To do this, we will need lots of volunteers. Please consider how helping out with VBS 2023 can fit into your summer plans.
Naomi Witzel naomiwitzel8@gmail.com
Ashley Witzel ezvbsbabylon@gmail.com
Beyond Our Church Community
Raw Carrot soup is available at your local thrift shop
The Raw Carrot is excited to announce that our soup is available for sale at your local thrift shop! As an MCC Ontario program, The Raw Carrot provides a compassionate workplace to people on long term disability. Our healthy soups are handcrafted in small batches, packed with tasty veggies and free of added preservatives. Fresh ingredients are sourced as locally as possible. Our staff are “stirring up” change with their delicious, handcrafted gourmet soup!” Learn more at mcco.ca.
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.
Wednesday February 22nd 6:30 – 8 pm Piecing together the allyship puzzle
Join MCC for part two of the Watershed Moment webinar series. This webinar will discuss walking with communities and supporting First Nations’ efforts to obtain access to safe drinking water. The webinar is part of a series of educational opportunities that MCC and partners are hosting to discuss the spiritual and cultural importance of water and the necessity of access to clean, safe water. Throughout the series, we’ll explore what it means to listen, learn and connect with water, as well as with one another. Register online at mcco.ca/events.
Monday February 27th 7 – 8:30 p.m. (room 2202) Film Screening | Zwingli: Der Reformator (The Reformer. Zwingli: A Life’s Portrait), hosted by the Institute of Anabaptist and Mennonite Studies at Conrad Grebel University College. The MCEC church community is invited to watch and discuss Swiss filmmaker Stephan Haupt’s award-winning 2019 depiction of the early Reformation in Zurich. Dr. David Neufeld will provide a brief introduction to the film and lead a post-screening discussion with attendees. Go to grebel.ca/events
Monday February 27th 7 p.m. (CST) Face to Face | Polarization: Get over it! Stories that lead the way –Jayme Menzies of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and Manitoba MLAs Kelvin Goertzen, Dougald Lamont, and Jamie Moses will share examples and stories of how they’ve overcome polarization in big and small ways in their various contexts. Join in-person and livestream. . More information and livestream at cmu.ca/face2face.
Monday March 13th Grandparent and Grandchild Day at Hidden Acres Mennonite Camp. The annual Grandparent-Grandchild Days sponsored by Hidden Acres Mennonite Camp.. 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.
The 10th International Conference on Ageing and Spirituality will be hosted at Conrad Grebel University College from June 4 to 7. Registration is now open! All are welcome to attend and take advantage of workshops and seminars by researchers, scholars, faith leaders, seniors, policy makers, and care partners. Early bird pricing is available until March 18, 2023. Visit uwaterloo.ca/ageing-spirituality/ for more information and to register.
Registration is open for Ontario Mennonite Music Camp (OMMC), running August 13 – 15 at Conrad Grebel University College. OMMC provides an exciting camp adventure for 12- to 17-year-olds, pairing exceptional musical instruction with traditional camp activities. Campers will find a safe and supportive community to explore their love of music, strengthen their leadership skills, and deepen their faith. Register by April 15 for the early bird discount: grebel.ca/ommc
Silver Lake Mennonite Camp:
- Winter and Spring Retreats: Come to Silver Lake in 2023 for some fun camp experiences! Coming up soon are… Winter Camp for Grown-Ups (Mar 3-5), March Break Family Getaway (Mar 14-17). Go to SLMC Retreats & Events for more info and to register.
- Summer Camp Registration is now Open: Visit the SLMC website for more details about overnight camps, outtrips and day camps. New this year – March Break Day Camp in Kitchener (Mar 13-17). Click here forCamp Info and Registration
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