East Zorra Mennonite Church
Volume 68 Sunday January 12, 2025 No. 2
Worship Leader: Pastor Mike Greeters: Bethany & Trevor Kropf
Audio/Visual: Dathan Bender/Larry Kropf Offering: MCEC & MC Canada
We welcome the Teen Challenge Ontario Men’s Choir Team this morning.
The choir will lead us in worship and share a dynamic presentation featuring music, testimonies and stories of finding freedom from addiction through the power of Jesus Christ.
We hope you can join us!
During the service we will receive a special offering for Teen Challenge’s ministry. We will be passing the offering plates so you can give cash, through a cheque payable to “Teen Challenge Canada”, or Teen Challenge will also make available giving through Debit/Credit.
We will not have a formal sharing time on Sunday but if you have a prayer request please speak to Pastor Ray prior to the service.
Following a short break, as the children are dismissed to Sunday School.
Nursery to Grade 5 classes are being held downstairs.
Junior Youth class (Grades 6 to 8) meets upstairs in Room #9
Adults and youth are invited to return to the sanctuary for a question and answer time and further sharing by the choir team. There will be no coffee served at break time but at the potluck meal.
Everyone is welcome to stay for a Potluck Meal together at noon. Please bring food to share with out Teen Challenge guests, and your own dishes, cutlery etc. There will be 20 people joining us from Teen Challenge.
This Coming Week
Tuesday January 14th
- 7 p.m. Mission Committee Meeting.
Wednesday January 15th
- 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Coffee and Bible Study
- E Z Play Group setup
- 7 p.m. Church Ministry Council Meeting
Thursday January 16th
- 9:30 – 11 a.m. E Z Play Group
- 6:30 p.m. Youth Ministry Team Meeting
- 7-9 p.m. Games Night hosted by Congregational Life Committee
Friday January 17th
- MYF – New Year Kickoff
Saturday January 18th
- 2 – 7 p.m. Private Party
Next Sunday – January 19, 2024
Anabaptism at 500 – Services of Renewal
Renewal Through Story
Bible Readings for January 13-17
Monday 1 Kings 8:22-30
Tuesday Isaiah 57:14-21
Wednesday Acts 2:37-46
Thursday Philippians 2:5-11
Friday 1 Corinthians 3:10-17
Prelude/Accompanist: Glorify Song Leader: Glorify
Greeters: Tracey & Larry Kropf Worship Leader: Bevin Witmer
Audio/Visual: Todd Bender/Larry Kropf Offering: Leadership
Coffee Hosts: Brett Zehr & Ryan Wagler Message: Pastor Ray
EZMC leads afternoon worship services at peopleCare and the Maples
EZMC Announcements
The 2024 EZMC Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday February 23, 2025.
- The meeting will be from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., in person and available virtually on Zoom.
- Please submit your Annual Reports, to Lisa by Tuesday January 28th. Email to office@ezmennonite.ca or place in her church mailbox.
- The Annual Report will be sent by email but if you would prefer a paper copy, let Lisa know by Thursday February 6th. Please note that paper copies of the report will be delivered to those who receive a printed copy of our Sunday bulletin each Friday.
Please note that to reach the church you need to dial 519-462-2692. We no longer have a 2nd line and 519-462-2814 has been disconnected.
Congregational Covenant Litany – Please feel free to take a copy of the Congregational Covenant Litany that we read together last Sunday. As we continue to live into this covenant, and grow together in faith, may we remember and give thanks for the faithfulness of our God. God is faithful to the covenant made to us, his people. The copies of the covenant are on the table in the foyer.
Treasurer Transition – Effective immediately please direct all questions or correspondence about donations or expenses to our new treasurer, Becky Bender. Becky’s email address is treasurer@ezmennonite.ca.
If you would like to view the funeral service for Wallace Steinman you can access the service through this link: https://youtu.be/NSSbhElq9tU
You are invited to participate in Sunday Afternoon Services at The Maples and peopleCare on January 19! It’s a two hour commitment at the very most. The half hour service involves reading scripture, a poem or short story, singing and or playing an instrument followed by saying hello to the residents. Ideally, we would have a pianist to accompany the singing. The first service begins at 2 p.m. Please reach out to Pastor Ray or Susan Schmitz if you would like to participate.
The 2025 Big Church Read
2025 marks the 500th anniversary of Anabaptism, our church tradition. At its heart, Anabaptism was a movement that sought to return the church to the heart of its beliefs and practices.
This year we want to recapture this spirit by reading and reflecting on a book together.
Each month we will read a portion of the book and then gather over dinner once a month for casual conversation about what we have heard and questions we have.
(That’s right – there’s food!)
This year’s book will be Letters to a Future Saint: Foundations of Faith for the Spiritually Hungry by Brad East.
Why is the gospel worth living for? Why is it worth dying for?
The book seeks an answer through a series of letters by a fellow pilgrim who addresses future saints: the bored and the distracted, the skeptical and the curious, the young and the spiritually hungry. Lively and readable, these bite-sized letters explain the basics of Christian life, belief, the story of Scripture, the way of discipleship, and more.
The church subsidized price of the book is $20.00 or it can be purchased on your own through a bookstore.
Please e-mail Pastor Mike if you are interested or sign-up on the bulletin board in the church lobby by Sunday January 19.
We plan to meet for dinner and conversation at the Church at 6:00pm on Thursdays:
February 20th, March 27th, April 24th, May 29th, June 26th
Save the Dates – Vacation Bible School at EZMC will be held on July 7-11, 2025
Beyond our Church Community
Rockway Mennonite Collegiate is going SOLAR! This Fall, we installed 873 solar panels on our roofs. Join us Thursday, January 16 at 7 pm to learn about Solar at Rockway and the CED Co-op which made this project financially possible. More information at rockway.ca/events
Thursday January 16th 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 17th 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
Exciting News! The New MCC Meat Cannery is ready!
Saturday January 18th 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!
Thursday January 23rd 7:30 a.m. Breakfast with Students – Connect with Conrad Grebel students who attended this year’s MEDA Convention by engaging in meaningful networking and dialogue, as they share their insights and reflections on the event. Enjoy a variety of breakfast options thoughtfully prepared by the Conrad Grabel University College dietary staff in their state-of-the-art kitchen facilities. A parking pass will be provided once you have registered.
Saturday January 25th 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.
Sunday, January 26th 7 p.m. – Join choristers and instrumentalists for a 3-Chiors Mid-Winter Hymn Sing at Waterloo North Mennonite Church, hosted by the Inter-Mennonite Children’s Choir, Menno Singers and the newly-formed Menno Youth Ensemble. A variety of selections from the Voices Together hymnal and ample room for requests will be sure to warm your mid-winter spirits as we raise our voices in song. Admission is by donation.
Tuesday January 28th 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.
Saturday February 1st MCEC Intercultural Volleyball Tournament, Kitchener.
A day of intercultural, intergenerational volleyball, fellowship and fun with MCEC congregations. This event has been growing with more teams each year!
Rockway Mennonite Collegiate is turning 80 this year! Join us on Friday, February 14, 2025 for our special 80th Anniversary Chapel with guest speakers Ray Boehm ‘84 and Mary Groh ‘49, followed by our Tea & Pastry Reception. That evening, celebrate the school you love with the people you love at our annual Soup Supper Fundraiser (featuring SIX scrumptious soups) and cheer on your favourites at the Alumni Sports Challenge. To RSVP and pre-purchase your soup or to learn more about Founders’ Day, visit: rockway.ca/events
February 27th – March 1st 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 24th 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!