March 22, 2026 Newsletter/Bulletin

Our Vision: "To Humbly Serve God through Loving and Caring for Others"

Sunday, March 22, 2026

Sunday Worship

MZUMC YouTube Page

10:00 am

Romans 5:12-21

Romans 6:1-14

Children's Worship Bulletin 3+

Children's Worship Bulletin 7+

Prayer Concerns

Brummett Family

College Students

Collins Family

Kaye Davis

Richard Grant

Margie Godfrey-Sawyer

LouAnn Kerst & Family

*Please call the church with any prayer requests or pastoral care needs

Prayer Concerns

I was reading through my daily devotional, and I came across a rather creepy story. Down in an old church basement in Europe people were cleaning out a mess when they came across an old glass jar full of ashes. After a great amount of investigation and speculation it was determined that these were the ashes of the saint Joan of Arc. We have all sorts of items that we have locked away and designated as relics of saints. For instance, we have teeth from a young woman named Apollonia who was a Christian evangelist in Alexandria, Egypt. Someone decided to pull her teeth out to get her to be quiet and stop spreading her faith in Christ. That didn’t work. She didn’t stop. The Church has preserved the staff that Joseph was using when he asked for Mary’s hand in marriage. Thankfully not all of the relics we have are associated with morbid events in people’s lives. Why do we have Joan of Arc’s ashes? That is because she was burned at the stake for being a witch. That truly reflects human nature. Some people will see us as monsters while others will see us as saints. I guess that is the way it goes with faith. Sometimes we will be hated, sometimes we will be loved but our job is to remain faithfully consistent.

And why does the church keep track of these old relics? While the answers will vary for that question, one thing I am certain is this- we lock them away and keep them safe because we are acknowledging how God has done the same for all of us in God’s very heart. In Psalm 56 King David reflects on a jar of his tears that God has collected. Not a single tear that we shed goes by unnoticed by the God who loves us. God understands our struggles and how hard faith can be during conflict and even outright aggression. Even when times get ugly, we don’t have to add to the ugliness. By faith, we can choose to cling instead to the love of Jesus Christ. God understands how hard it can be, and God is aware of the fierce love it requires to choose grace when faced with hatred.

Hey thanks for reading and stay faithful, stay loving!

Bill Liming

News and Opportunities to Serve

March Mission Challenge

For the month of March, we will be collecting spaghetti 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.

Easter Flowers - LAST CALL!

It is time to place your order for flowers to help decorate our sanctuary for Easter. This year we will have both Lilies and Hyacinths available to order for $15 each. Please fill out the order form and leave it and the money in the box by the church office or mail them into the church NO LATER THAN March 22.

Open M Lunch Packing

We will be packing lunches for Open M on Friday, March 27th starting a 9:30 AM. We pack approximately 60 lunches each month. We are asking for the following items for this month’s lunches. We need a couple of folks willing to bake cookies. We pack 2 cookies per lunch so we need 120 cookies or 10 dozen. Please let Debbie Breyley (dabreyley@aol.com or 330-606-6840) know if you would be willing to bake cookies for this month’s lunches. We also will be collecting any plastic shopping bags you may have laying around unused. They are a great way for us to pack up the lunches in order to deliver them to Open M. The added benefit is that Open M can used the plastic shopping bags for their food distribution. Thank you for the help!

Counters Needed

We are in need of volunteers to help count the Sunday giving after services. Please contact Beth Gerberich if you are interested and able to help!

Women's Luncheon

Our next luncheon will be at noon on Wednesday, April 8, at Macaroni Grill in Montrose. Bev and Nancy will need your reservation by the end of the day on Monday, April 6. You can call or text Nancy at (330)814-4081 or Bev at (330)696-1183.

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: March 13, 2026 "Northern Waters News"

Adult Class Opportunities

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 Ministry

Contact: Bethany Saris mzumcchildren@gmail.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.

Student Ministry

Contact: Jennifer Dyer mzumcstudent@gmail.com

Dates to Remember:

3/22 - Regular Sunday School and Youth Group - I still need another adult to just be in the room on Sunday evening from 6-7:30 pm. Chris Meyer will be leading that night but to stay in alignment with our safe sanctuary policy I need another adult to be there. If you are willing to be there please email me back ASAP.

No Youth Group, Confirmation or Sunday School 3/29 or 4/5

Palm Sunday (3/29) - We need more helpers to serve and help clean up the Palm Sunday Breakfast (3/29 at 11am). If your student is interested or able to help with the breakfast that would be great. This is a fundraiser to help cover the expense to the church of the summer mission trip.

Summer Mission Trip - If you have not emailed me or filled out the sign up form, found here, and your student wants to participate in the summer mission trip June 21st through 26th please do so soon. The deposit isn't due till the beginning of April but getting an idea of participation earlier is preferable.

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

Preschool

Contact: Nicole Korach nicolekorach@gmail.com

It's all about Easter this week! The children will be participating in centers and crafts focused on our upcoming Easter Holiday. Our teachers, students and parents will be traveling to Copley Place on Friday to have some Easter fun with our pen pals! Our festivities will include making an Easter craft, playing Easter bingo, doing some fun dances, and of course, sharing a delicious snack. Our morning will end with an Easter Egg hunt with over 200 eggs and maybe a surprise visit from Peter Rabbit himself! We are so blessed to have this special pen pal program with the residents from Copley Place!

School will be closed from March 30th-April 6th. Our classes will resume on Tuesday, April 7th! On behalf of our preschool staff, students and parents, we would like to wish everyone a very happy and blessed Easter!

Registration for the 2026-2027 school year is underway! Please help us advertise our wonderful preschool by taking a flyer to your place of employment or sharing them with your families, neighbors and friends. Stop by our preschool table in the narthex and check us out!

March Snack & Activity Calendar (click here)

March Preschool Newsletter (click here)

Music Ministry

Contact: Joe Leaman joeleaman@me.com

Check back for future rehearsal dates.

Anyone who is interested in providing Special Music during the special music time on Sunday mornings, please contact Music Director, Joe Leaman via email: joeleaman@me.com.

MZUMC Financial Update - February

Balance Sheet

Income & Expense Statement

Faithful Giving

The Akron Community Foundation, who manages our permanent endowment account, recently issued a guide to year end giving that can be both beneficial to our faithful givers and to our church family as you review your giving for the year 2025. Chuck and I have identified some pertinent information from the guide that we would like to pass along which include:

1. The 9 strategies to achieve your 2025 goals

2. The new charitable tax law

3. The 5 reasons to use your IRA for charity

Please find these documents here. We thank you always for your generosity that helps the ministry we share together at Montrose Zion to flourish both today and in the years to come.

Chuck Noetzel and Bill Liming

Church Calendar