February Mission Challenge

For the month of February, we will be collecting Jelly for the OPEN M food pantry. Donations can be left in the bin outside of the main doors or at the table near the Welcome Center.

Acme Community CashBack - Final Call!

The Acme Community CashBack program is coming to a close; receipts are due to the church NO LATER THAN February 15! All receipts will be totalled and submitted to Acme that week. Last year we earned $297.42 for the church!

Ash Wednesday

We will be having our Ash Wednesday Service on Wednesday, February 18th at 7 pm.

Communion Prep Team

We are excited to work toward returning to monthly communion and would love your help! We are looking for volunteers to assist with preparing the bread and juice ahead of time. If you are interested in serving in this meaningful way, contact the church office.

Greeters



Anyone who would enjoy saying hello and helping direct visitors with basic questions about our church like, “Where are the restrooms?” and “Where is the sanctuary?” are welcome to sign up to greet at the side or main entrance doors. We ask greeters to be at church 15 minutes before the service starts and remain there 5 minutes after the service begins so all who are attending worship are welcomed. You can serve monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly and at your convenience! For those who are interested, sign up here. If you prefer to sign up with Katie, you can do so in the church office during the week!

District Newsletter: February 6, 2026 "Northern Waters News"

OPEN M Newsletter: Summer 2025

Weekly Groups:

Java & Jesus—Sundays at 11 am

Using the scriptures from Sunday's worship service, we dive deeper into them and discuss applications to our Christian lives. No preparation is needed. So come meet fellow parishioners and take part in the discussion. We meet in Room 8 in the basement at 11 am after worship.

Contact: Jo Quandt jmquandt@yahoo.com

Wired Word—Sundays at 11 am

The Wired Word discusses big questions and scripture loosely related to a current event each week while we enjoy a time of fellowship. No preparation needed and it is a new topic each week, so it's ok if you can't come every week. We meet downstairs in room 3/5/7 after the worship service.

Contact: Samantha Gunkelman samevin@yahoo.com

Pickleball Group—Tuesdays, 6:30-9 p.m. (Adults only)

Players of all levels are welcome. Consider joining this fun group. We have a weekly text to confirm players so please send your contact info to Beth or Marjorie.

Contact: Beth Gerberich bgerberich825@gmail.com or Marjorie Dye marjorietdye@gmail.com 

Tuesday Morning Bible Study—Tuesdays at 9:30 am

A little history, a little theology, a whole lot of life application! Every Tuesday morning except the last of each month.

Contact: Bill Liming bliming75@gmail.com 

Women’s Bible and Book Study—Wednesdays at 10 a.m.

A combination of book and Bible Study as guided by the participant’s interests. A time for prayer and fellowship, as well. 

Contact Marjorie Cossin marjorie.cossin@gmail.com 

Monthly Groups: 

Bible and Beer Men’s Fellowship—Last Monday of the month at 7 pm

We gather the last Monday night of each month beginning in September from 7-8:30 PM at a rotation of houses. We wrestle with issues of life and faith. Bring your favorite beverage. Snacks provided (usually pizza!).  

Contact: Bill Liming bliming75@gmail.com 

Eat, Pray, Play - Next meeting TBD

This month the Eat Pray Play group will join with the Children and Youth ministries for a caroling event on Dec 21st. We will have lunch after the Sunday School hour, head out to caroling from 1-3pm and then come back for some hot chocolate. Click on the here to sign up for food.

Contact: Jennifer Dyer mzumcstudent@gmail.com

Food Bank Service Team—Last Tuesday of the month at 9 am

"You found me hungry and you gave me something to eat..." Live out the words of our Savior and make a huge difference in the lives of countless people across the greater Akron area. 

Contact: Bill Liming bliming75@gmail.com 

Other Groups (meeting frequency varies):

Golf Club—Next meeting TBD

This will be a social golf group, providing an outlet to those interested no matter ability.

Contact: Lee Christman (leechristman1@gmail.com), Brad Beltz (bbeltz11@msn.com), and Mark Gerberich (mwgerberich@aol.com)

Children's Bulletins are available on the tables in the back of the sanctuary for kids ages 3+ and 7+.

Children’s Church

If you have a child who is at least 3 years old up through those who are in or have just completed 3rd grade, please feel free to have them join us during the worship service for Children’s Church.

Sunday School

Sunday School classes are available for all our school-aged children. These classes are offered at 11am after the worship service and are split into 3 different grade levels. See the breakdown below for more information.

Nursery Care: under age 3 - during Worship services in Nursery (Rm 103)

Children’s Church: ages 3 through 3rd Grade - during Worship in Rainbow Room (Rm 106)

Sunday School for Grades PreK-Kindergarten: 11am-noon in Harmony Harbor (Rm 104)

Sunday School for Grades 1st-3rd: 11am-noon in Rainbow Room A (Rm 106)

Sunday School for Grades 4th-5th: 11am-noon in Rainbow Room B (Rm 107)

Interested in volunteering for our Children’s Church or Sunday School programs? 

We would love to have you! Adult and Youth volunteers are crucial to our programs and we will assist you with anything you need to know prior to volunteering. Please reach out to Bethany to volunteer.

This Sunday we will have an opportunity for our youth to serve. We will meet at the church at 3:30 and car pool to Westminster Presbyterian Church to join in on making tie blankets for Akron Children's Hospital. We will be there from 4-7, which includes eating dinner, and then returning to the church. If your student would like to come please let me know this week so I can make sure we have enough drivers. 

Summer Mission Trip

Our Summer Mission Journey this year will be June 21st through the 26th. We will be going to Steubenville to work with a mission called Urban Mission at their JOSHUA Project. (find out more here) The cost will be $275 per person. 

We are planning on doing a fundraiser on March 29th. This is Palm Sunday and we will use the church's traditional breakfast on this day to serve the meal as well as host a talent contest in hopes of raising funds for the mission trip. If your student is interested in attending the mission trip you can sign them up here. More information about the fundraiser to come later in the week.

If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please reach out to Jen.

On Monday February 16, the preschool will be closed in observance of President's Day, but on Tuesday, it will be time for some fun with the letter "R". Our days will be filled with race car painting, measuring things with rulers, rainbows and rhyming words! Our snacks will include red race car jello, ramen noodles, Sam's birthday treat, and trying to eat rice with chopsticks! Miss Nicole delivered our valentine treat bags to our Copley Place penpals on Friday which included a valentine cookie magnet that the students made and special Valentine's Day Hershey Kisses. Pictured below is Sadie Jones from our 3 year old class, and Kai Del Pozo from our Pre-K class with their valentine treat bags ready to be delivered!

Registration for our 2026-2027 school year has begun!

February Snack & Activity Calendar (click here)

February Preschool Newsletter (click here)

Office Hours:

Monday - Friday

9 am - 2 pm

565 N. Cleveland-Massillon Road, Akron, OH 44333

(330)665-9817

www.mzumc.org