September Mission Challenge

For the month of September we will be collecting peanut butter for the OPEN M food pantry. Donations can be placed in the bin outside the main doors or at the table in the Gathering Area.

College Care Packages

Calling all college students and parents of college students! We would love to show our college students that their church family is still here for them even if they are away at college or in the military. Young adulthood can often be a time of great change and transition and so it is important for those in that stage of life to know that their church family is supporting and uplifting them.

If you have a student that is either in college or the military, please email the office or Jen with their name, mailing address, and a picture of them by October 12th.

Update from SPRC

We have hired Noah Liming as our church custodian and appreciate the work he is doing to maintain the building and keep it clean.

Note from the Trustees

If you were assigned a church key while serving on a church committee and are no longer serving, we are asking for you to return your church key. Please return these to Katie in the office ASAP. Thank you!

Acme Community CashBack Has Begun

The Acme Community CashBack program has begun! Please save any receipts dated after August 1, 2025 and put them in the collection bin by the welcome center. Last year we earned $297.42 for the church!

Eat, Pray Play

Our next event will be October 4th at Kingsway Farm. We have a party room reserved at 4 pm and you are welcome to come at any time during the day. Admission is $12/person with kids 3 and under free.

Women's Luncheon

Our next women's luncheon will be at noon on Wednesday, October 8, at P.F. Chang's. As always, everyone is welcome. Let Nancy know if there is someone who would like to be added to the email list or Bev's phone list.  We need your reservations by the end of the day on Monday, October 6.  You can email Nancy or call/text her at (330)814-4081. You can also call or text Bev at (330)696-1183.

Greeters - New Dates Added!



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!

Trustees Need Your Help!

Lawn Maintenance - The trustees are hoping to put together a law cutting crew. We would like to get 4 groups together to share the lawn cutting responsibilities.

Painting - The trustees are also looking for people to help paint various areas around the church.

If you are available and willing to help with either of these, please contact Brian Beal, Trustee Chair.

District Newsletter: September 19, 2025 "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 - October 4th

Our next event will be October 4th at Kingsway Farm. We have a party room reserved at 4 pm and you are welcome to come at any time during the day. Admission is $12/person with kids 3 and under free.

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. Our next outing will be July 13th at 3 pm at Firestone Public for 9 holes of golfing.

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.

Youth Family Meal

Our next Youth Family meal will be October 5th and the theme is "Bring Your Favorite Appetizer." It would be helpful for set up purposes if you could RSVP the number of people your family is bringing. All youth and their families are encouraged to come. Please click here this link to RSVP:

Copley/Revere Tailgate (@ Revere)

Help Needed! October 24th is the Copley/Revere Football game. We are hoping to have another tailgate this year starting around 5:30pm at the Revere Parking lot/stadium. This was a great event for our youth and broader church family last year and so we would like to continue the tradition again this year. If you would like to help with getting the ok from the school to tailgate/picking a tailgate spot, setting-up, food, or decorations for our tailgate please let Jen know. 

Project Feed

November 16th we will once again be participating in Project Feed at Kent UMC. This is a meal packing event where we package meals to go out all over the world for those without access to basic food due to famine or other causes. It has been a great time for students to learn about food scarcity and how they can make a difference in the world. We need to register ahead of time and this event sold out last year so if your student wants to come to this please let Jen know by October 19th. The cost is $10 per person.

Sunday School

This week we will be trying to understand where sin entered the big-picture story of Scripture. We will also see the different roles that Jesus and Adam represent in the narrative of the Bible and God's mission to redeem the effects of sin. 

Youth Group

In youth group we are going to be looking at the big picture of Genesis 12-50. We will be watching the video by The Bible Project that covers those chapters and then discussing what we learned. This is all only after we have some fun and games together as a group. 

This week in preschool the children will be introduced to Letter "C". We will be counting carrots, cats and cars, graphing different kinds of cookies and sorting our favorite Halloween candy in treat bowls. Our yummy snacks this week include carrots, cucumbers, celery and car jello!



Our chapel lesson with Pastor Bill this week was a great one! He taught us the difference between telling the truth and not telling the truth, and gave us great examples of each one. We had to decide which scenario was the truthful one, and why it is always important to tell the truth!

We still have openings in our classes if you know of any family that is interested in a morning preschool, with the option of lunch bunch until 1:00pm.

Office Hours:

Monday - Friday

9 am - 2 pm

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

(330)665-9817

www.mzumc.org