March 8, 2026 Newsletter/Bulletin

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

Sunday, March 8, 2026

Sunday Worship

MZUMC YouTube Page

10:00 am

John 6:1-14

John 12:20-43

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

Spending Time in Devotion

Several Saturdays ago, I woke up to make coffee and discovered my kitchen sink was clogged. Oh, what joy there is to find a clogged kitchen sink! When Noah woke up, he said he had noticed it acting funny the night before. The two of us immediately tried to tackle the problem. We used a plumbing snake from the church that got us down 15 feet. I prayed it would unclog that pipe. Nothing. Still no luck. Still clogged. We had used a duel plunger approach in the past. No dice. We used jugs of Draino and let it sit. I prayed and nothing. We left the house for a couple hours and returned hoping to find the clog miraculously dissolved away. It wasn’t. I called several people for advice. I watched YouTube videos. Still nothing would work. Noah and I kept at it. I finally relented and went back to Lowes to buy a 25-foot-long plumbing snake. I had that baby all the way out 25 feet and discovered yet another clog. Noah and I fed that snake into the abyss and we ground it around in a circular motion. We had just about had it. We were soaked in gross water and Draino and general disgust for about 10 hrs. I know a real plumber would have handled it no problem and hats off to them, they do hard work! But after 10 hrs. and the snake fully extended I prayed again- “Lord, what else do we need to do?” And then Noah and I heard a sound coming from down deep in the house. It was the beautiful sound of water finally going down the pipes. Oh, sweet success. Noah and I looked at each other with a sense of having gone through a war together. Maybe not that bad- but bad enough. He said, “After all that work, failing would have felt horrible. But success it feels so good.” The sound of running water down an unclogged drain became music to our ears. Transformations do happen from things of ugliness and despair to things of beauty, and I was so thankful to share that moment with my son.

I was reading in a devotional about an Ethiopian King who in the late 1800’s discovered a new way to dispatch criminals. He was excited that he was joining in the modern advances of technology, and he purchased a new invention- the electric chair. It was packaged and shipped to his country, and he couldn’t wait for its arrival. The problem was, no one told him that his new purchase was never going to work. His country did not have the correct electrical amperage necessary to make that chair lethal. It was expensive to buy. And the king just looked at that useless form of execution. What he did next just wows my heart. Rather than throw it away in anger and defeat, with a bit of laughter and humility he turned that electric chair into his throne on which he would sit and rule his country. Transformation from an instrument of death to a throne.

The Romans created crucifixion with the clear intention of brutalizing the condemned and terrifying the population. It was a long, terrible death on the cross. And it was terribly public as everyone who passed by witnessed the humiliation and misery of the condemned person. The cross was meant to destroy hope and to conquer the will of the people. As we know as Christians, Jesus Christ transformed a device of execution into the throne upon which he would bring about our salvation. The Romans wanted the cross to be an instrument of torture and death. Jesus transformed it into the means of our salvation. Faith in Christ has the power to do that for us. This Lent, as we approach Easter Sunday and the Resurrection, let us not forget the amazing work that Jesus did for us on the cross. God’s love transforms every evil.

Amen

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

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

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.

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: February 27, 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:

3/8 - Youth Family Meal - 6:00-7:30pm Tacos - RSVP here

3/15 - Mission Day - 1:30 at the church, we will take a tour and help at the Summit County Humane Society, then we will gather at St Lukes in Cuyahoga Falls for fun and food. They are asking each church to bring a few items off their "wish list." If you would like to donate those items can be found here. Please bring them to the youth room anytime.

3/22 - Youth Group - 6:00-7:30pm

3/29 - Palm Sunday Breakfast 11am - We need helpers to serve the food and to participate in the talent show. Let me know if you are interested in either opportunity!

4/3 - Good Friday Service - We are once again doing our in-house written drama/worship service on Good Friday at 7pm. I would highly encourage everyone to make this a priority in the calendar to attend.

3/29 and 4/5 - No Confirmation, Sunday School or Youth Group either of these days. (Palm Sunday and Easter)

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

Preschool

Contact: Nicole Korach nicolekorach@gmail.com

This week in preschool is all about the letter "T"....turtles, toads, and tigers OH MY! Our centers will include painting with a toothbrush, building marshmallow sculptures with toothpicks, and learning about our teeth! Snacks will include tiny toast cereal, tacos, turtle cheese crackers and tomato soup.

During the months of March and April our Creation Station lessons will be about "The Road To The Cross" where the children will learn about the week leading up to Resurrection Sunday!

Our mission project for March will be collecting new underwear for boys and girls at Harvest Home in downtown Akron.

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.