Volume 66 Sunday February 12, 2023 No. 7
Worship Service – Sunday February 12, 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 makes and keep promises
Prelude: Chantelle McNeish Accompanist: Chantelle McNeish
Song Leader: Caleb Leis Worship Leaders: Tyler Yantzi
Message: Pastor Mike Audio/Visual: Drystan Bender/Larry Kropf
Announcements
Call to Worship and Opening Prayer
Songs of Gathering & Praise VT #62 “God Is Here among Us”
VT #75 “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven!”
Prayer for Offering
Offering Focus – Leadership
Time with the Children
Scripture Reading: Genesis 15:1-18
Message: Pastor Mike
Song of Response: VT #606 “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”
Prayer of the church
Sending Song: VT # 832 “The Lord Lift You Up”
Benediction
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. We will plan to keep the Zoom link open and will have a leader to guide discussion for Zoom participants.
This Coming Week
Wednesday February 15th
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 16th
9:30 a.m. E Z Play Group
6 p.m. SCRC Meeting
7 p.m. MYF
Saturday February 18th
1-6 p.m. Private Party
Next Sunday – February 19, 2023
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
Coffee Time: Shirley & Phil Ruby
Extending God’s Love
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
Dear friends at East Zorra Mennonite Church,
Tavistock Assistance Program would like to thank you for your generous donations throughout the past year but especially at Christmas time! You blessed neighbours in need with your kind, generous and thoughtful gifts, providing comfort, food, and warmth to many! You are a blessing to our community and you really do make a difference in people’s lives. Together, with neighbours helping neighbours, we can build strong and healthy communities!!
Sincerely, Linda Holst, Program Director
EZMC Announcements
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!
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.
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.
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!
Sunday February 26th – EZMC 2022 Annual Meeting
The 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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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