September 7, 2025 Newsletter/Bulletin

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

Sunday, September 7, 2025

Sunday Worship

MZUMC YouTube Page

10:00 am

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

John 3:1-17

Children's Worship Bulletin 3+

Children's Worship Bulletin 7+

Spending Time in Devotion

In my morning reading of Jordan Peterson’s book Beyond Order, I was given the advice to focus on making one part of my life beautiful. That may be a room in our house or even our dedication to a place where we serve and thrive. I understand that making everything beautiful around us is frankly unrealistic. There are ugly things in all of our lives that are beyond our control. But when we break our homes down into a singular room, or entire lives into a singular aspect, we can invest our creativity and life into those places to create beauty.

My reading took an interesting detour on the subject I did not expect. There were researchers out in the field studying wildebeest. Wildebeest live in large herds for their own protection against the predators that stalk them. When we live amongst lions, we must have something to fall back on! Just run faster than your neighbor, right?!? The problem for the researchers was that they were trying to identify one or two animals to study their behavior but every time their subject moved in the herd, it became lost and blended in and the researchers became more and more confused. The solution the researchers came up with was to identify one wildebeest from the herd and paint it with a big, beautiful splash of red. In this way the researchers could easily keep track of the wildebeest they wanted to study. And it worked! But it worked too well.

When lions hunt pack animals, they can’t hunt the entire herd. They need to be able to identify one as a target. That usually happens because one is slow or limping or old. Well guess what that beautiful splash of red on the wildebeest did? That is correct. It was like ringing the dinner bell for the lions and researchers lost their study subject repeatedly.

What is the point? Just realize, when we bring beauty into the ugly, or even just the ordinary, it will stand out. And there will be lions that will need to be addressed. I went on to read several related sayings from multiple cultures. “Stick your neck out and the sword will follow.” “The poppy that grows the highest meets the scythe.” “The nail that sticks up the highest is the first to be struck by the hammer.” All of these seem so discouraging of bringing beauty forth from us into an ugly world. They seem to suggest to just blend back into the herd for our own self-preservation.

And perhaps if self-preservation is our top priority, then blending in is a good strategy. But our lives need beauty that inspires. The world needs to see beauty of light to have something to grow towards. Just be aware that there will be lions.

Christ stood out from the pack. And as we might expect, he was met with the lions that wanted him to just sit down and be quiet. And when he continued to heal and teach and forgive, the lions roared and eventually took his life. Should Christ have just blended in with the herd? The obvious answer is no and neither should we. We are called to bring beauty into this world in Christ’s name that will inspire deeper living in ourselves and those who bear witness to that light. And as we paint that beauty, may we paint with hope in places that just seem hopeless. Let us offer grace in people’s lives who have only known no mercy. Shed love to the loveless and light a holy fire amidst a sea of complacency. And perhaps when the lions start roaring, we will know that we have touched on something of worth that stands out and shines beautifully. Go and make one thing beautiful in your life.

Thanks for reading.

Bill

Prayer Concerns

Bensen Family

Brummett Family

Collins Family

Kaye Davis

Richard Grant

Liming Family

Nancy Peltier

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

News and Opportunities to Serve

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.

August Mission Challenge Update

For the month of August we collected the following school supplies for the Copley CSD; thank you to all who donated!

85 folders
16 3-ring binders
4 packs of filler paper
12 boxes of colored pencils
376 pencils
40 pens
4 rulers
2 post it note pads
3 book covers
5 sharpie markers
4 dry erase markers
58 boxes of crayons
17 boxes of markers
12 highlighters
29 erasers
94 glue sticks
14 bottles of glue
10 pairs of scissors
1 pencil sharpener
5 composition notebooks
70 spiral notebooks

Women's Bible Study

Women's Bible and book study will resume Wednesday September 10th at 10:00 am. We will begin with Max Lucado's in depth look at 40 people in the Bible who walked with God. Contact Margie Cossin for more information.

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!

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: August 29, 2025 "Northern Waters News"

OPEN M Newsletter: Summer 2025

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. This class is on break for the summer.

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. - beginning 9/10

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 - September 14th

We will meet after Sunday School on September 14th at noon for lunch in the FFC.

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 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

A new year of youth group is almost here and we are excited for some of the new things happening! We are excited about a new opportunities to learn, serve and grow (click here for Aug-Dec calendar) The first one being that youth group will now meet Sunday EVENINGS from 6-7:30 pm. There will still be something for the youth on Sunday mornings but they are also encouraged to sign up to help with the Children's Sunday School classes with Bethany. They can do so by emailing her at mzumcchildren@gmail.com.

Another exciting change is that at the beginning of each month we will be have a Youth Family Meal. Click here for the first meal's flyer and here to RSVP to the dinner. This is a time for youth and adults to gather and have conversation. Our hope is that parents and students will sit at different tables from one another so that students get a chance to get to know other adults. After the meal there will be time for youth to have a lesson. Parents are encouraged to use this time to connect with one another.

Another new event for this year is our coffee meet-ups. Starting September 9th Jen will be have having a coffee meetup opportunity on Tuesdays from 2:30-4:30 pm at Starbucks (by Malley's). This will be a time for casual conversation and Jen may even buy a coffee or drink for any student that shows up.

All events and meeting times are open and students are encouraged to invite friends to join in. This is still the number one way people are introduced to faith is through invitation of a friend! Jen is still in need of adult volunteers and leaders. Please let her know if you are willing to serve in this way. We so appreciate all of you who are supportive of the youth program as we try a new rhythm for our student ministries to help meet the needs of our students and encourage them as they grow in their faith and walk with God.

Youth Group Kick off is September 7th!!!

Preschool

Contact: Nicole Korach nicolekorach@gmail.com

This coming week in preschool is all about colors! Our children will experience a rainbow of activities that explore our favorite colors. We will be making our own crayons and doing a little "milk magic". Painting, singing, dancing and matching our color of the day will keep us very busy. What better way for us to end the week than by sharing a delicious, colorful fruit salad together!

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.

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.