Montrose Messenger

April 2008A publication of Montrose Zion United Methodist Church

TradiTional Worship 9:00am

ChrisTian EduCaTion 10:00am

ConTEmporary Worship 11:00am

Our StaffSenior Pastor:

Rev. Michael J. TestonExt. 202, mteston@mzumc.org

Ministry Coordinator:Travis Gingerich

Ext. 204, tgingerich@mzumc.orgMinister of Visitation:

Dr. Walter ChisholmExt. 203

Youth Director: Steve Nuzzo

snuzzo@mzumc.orgMusic Director:

Ted PeplowskiExt. 207, tpeplowski@mzumc.org

MZ Christian Preschool Director: Sharon Paige

Ext. 206, spaige@mzumc.orgVolunteer Coordinator:

Ginny SimpsonExt. 201, office@mzumc.org

Communication Coordinator: Brenda Stephan

330-334-5064, bstephan@neo.rr.comOrganist/Pianist:

Lisa Krochta/Christa Teston-WeaverCustodians:

Jason & Kelli Kerr

In This IssuePage 2 From Our PastorPage 3 Preschool NewsPage 4 Ministry HighlightsPage 5 Spring Pops Concert/AuctionPage 6 MZ Scholarship Fund Page 6 Lenten Devotional CommentsPage 7 Summer Camp 2008Page 7 Prayer Room Reorganized ontr se ZionM a united methodist congregation

"Rooted in the Word, Bearing Fruit for the World"

Montrose Zion UMC565 n. Cleve.-Mass. rd.

akron, oH 44333telepHone: 330-665-9817

Fax: 330-666-9132www.mzumc.org

New Members join MZ on March 16, 2008

Cuba Connection Ministry

Lo siento, do you need a translation?The following eighteen are going on the

MZUMC’s one week missions trip to Cuba this summer: John & Annie Hathaway, Mike & Christa Teston, Doug Broemsen, Tamela Green, Sharon Paige, Ted Peplowski, Michael Wong, Rich & Rosemary Weber, Tom & Debbie Turner, Kimmie & David Csepe, Todd & Lisa Krochta, and Joel Taylor (from

Buenos Dias! Vamos a Cuba este Verano!!!!!

Cuba Con-nection). This Cuba venture is the largest out-of-the-country mis-

sion trip MZ has sponsored for several years. We will be sharing the gospel and laboring vigorously (euphemism) for the Lord.

Thank you to everyone who has started to support us through prayer, finances, and specifically donations! Thank you for all of the reading glasses that were so generously given during the month of March.

In April, we are collecting Children’s Ty-lenol and zinc oxide for diaper rash. Our goal is to fill a suitcase each month and provide financial assistance for the Cuban Church! Hence, monetary contributions are greatly appreciated!! Be watching for May’s suitcase items.

In the month of April, some of the team members will be sharing their excitement about being called to Cuba. Look for us at the Sunday Services.

The following people recently joined Montrose Zion:

Diane Barton, Don Bennett, Joe & Valerie Fallen, Noelle Frantz, Connie Gould, Matt & Rachel Gsellman, Jim Imars, Dallas Kidd, Lori Kidd, John & Kathie King, Estelle Peplowski, Pamela Rachkofski, Marc & Annie Rasor, Laurie Rice, Walter & Donna Scott, Sheila Sternecker, Suda & Stephanie Suvarna, Amy Tisdale, Mike Wong, Rob & Christa Weaver, Lois Teston, Marcus Teston, Jennifer Teston, Maria & Zach Meixner, Julie Such, Dave & Sandy Smith, Dee Dague

Please take note of the new members to MZ. Let’s all welcome them by personally greeting them in the next few weeks!

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From Our Pastor... Rev. Michael J. Teston

This is how John begins the

closing of his Gos-pel Story of the life of Jesus:

“Early on the first day of the week…” ( John 20:1)

It’s true, I think, that a lot of us would like to have the oppor-tunity to do things for the first time again. Many of us live with a deep desire to get IT right. Some of us have some inkling of what “it” is, while others of us simply experience a nagging sense that something seems a bit off kilter. Because we’re at a loss for what “it” is, we generally don’t talk much about our sense that our “first day of the week” has come and gone. And this “it,” this sense that some-thing’s missing, or that we’ve lost time, an opportunity, or a chance at something is precisely what I’d like to explore…

My oldest daughter and I had an interesting exchange on the ride to Easter morning services on Sun-day about a conversation she had the day before with an old friend. The two realized during the course of their conversation that they’d both been reading Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth. They shared with one another how much Tolle’s def-inition of “sin” as having “missed the mark” really struck them. This definition of sin, or “missing the mark,” is exactly right. Perhaps we can extend Tolle’s definition to not only missing the mark, but to being “off kilter,” “out of balance,” or dare I say, unable to get “IT” right. It’s true, isn’t it, that if you miss enough marks in life, at some point you just wish you could wipe the slate clean, be handed a new bow and arrow, and start back at the beginning again, no? Could it be that in the Gospel of John, Jesus is keenly aware of such a desire and grants us this very op-portunity? “Early on the first day

of the week…”Indeed, Jesus gives us the power of resur-

rection, or “first days” all over again. We’re inundated through nightly news stations, Na-tional Public Radio, family and friends with messages about the state of our economy, the downfall of our politicians, the shortcomings of our leaders, and the lack of character-build-ing in many of our educational institutions. In these reports, discussions and debates we long to find the source, the cause, or the reason why our economy, politicians, leaders, and educational systems have so “missed the mark.” “Who’s to blame?” we ask. If only we could root out the source of all this chaos, perhaps we could begin to fix it, no?

Jeremiah says this: “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, know the Lord, for they shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.” ( Jeremiah 31:31-34)

The people of Israel and Judah must have also “missed the mark” while on their journey with God. A covenant, or an agreement between these people and their God—an agreement that looked a lot like a husband/wife relationship built on trust, hope, and promise—had been seriously undermined. Someone “missed the mark” and it wasn’t God. Whatever agreements and covenants were made were never truly internalized. Jere-miah indicates that God made a promise that He would etch on the hearts of His people: “His law, His desires, His ways.”

Similarly, the writer to the Hebrews tells us that “Jesus has now obtained a more excellent ministry, and to that degree he is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted through better promises” (Hebrews 8:6). Our Risen Lord Jesus, according to this passage of scripture, allows us to participate

“First Days” All Over Againin something better than before. He medi-ates on our behalf. He offers us something better! He presents us with a better covenant, a restored relationship with God, a restored relationship with ourselves, a restored rela-tionship with others through the power of forgiveness. Said another way, today, today! can be the “first day” of the rest of our lives!

This nagging feeling we get might be an indicator that we have, in fact, missed IT. After reading Jeremiah and Hebrews, it’s clear that our having missed the mark is a symptom of a much larger failure, and that is the failure to keep our covenants and our promises. The writers of Scripture indicate that life, itself, hinges on both a God who makes promises and a People who reflect those promises to one another and the world. As I reflect on how the Spirit of the Risen Lord impacts the Montrose Zion community of faith, it is my hope that we return once more to what it means to be a people who keep their prom-ises to God, to each other and to themselves. While your average news station gravely reports on a crisis headline story one day and the next it’s hardly mentioned with a follow-up, I challenge us not to forget that on Palm Sunday we rejoiced as a community by welcoming 40 new members into our Church Community—members who made promises to link their lives with each other. I challenge us also not to forget about the very promises and commitments each of us has made over the years—promises that entailed our being available for God’s purposes and mission through the Church at Montrose Zion.

The reality of Jesus as Risen Lord in our lives is displayed in our availability, our promise keeping and being wholly available to each other and the world for God’s purposes. It’s shocking, but as I look across the member-ship roles at Montrose Zion, the very people the Bible calls the “Body of Christ,” not many more than 20% of the persons who made promises to be available for God’s missional purposes actually participate through attend-ing worship, serving in its ministries, or giving of their financial resources through tithing. Attending worship, serving in its ministries, and tithing are the very promises each of us has made in order to be a part of the Body of Christ at Montrose Zion. I call attention to this disturbing statistic in order to raise

see “First Days”, Page 7

3

Financial Facts...Jean Brummett

Preschool News...Sharon Paige

3

Student of the Month: Ethan Cole

Financial Recap February 2008Projected Weekly Expense: $16,390

DATE GIFTS SURPLUS(DEFICIT)

February 3 $20,582 $4,192

February 10 $9,906 ($6,484)

February 17 $8,914 ($7,476)

February 24 $11,571 ($4,819)

EFT & Misc. $6,854

Account BalancesOperations checking.................$47,117Operations Savings...................$21,632 Bank CD’s..............................$37,696 Petty Cash.................................$300Accts Payable and Taxes............($1,738) Less Restricted Funds................$74,446Available for Operations.............$30,561

PROJECTED EXPENSE 2008 $858,026 EXPENSES YTD $108,430GIFTS RECEIVED YTD $105,297SURPLUS/DEFICIT YTD ($3,133)

We are experiencing so many wonderful changes at Montrose Zion. God’s Spirit is drawing us

closer to Jesus our Lord and as we draw closer to him we are being drawn closer to one another. Attendance in Christian Education is growing as well which means more and more people are getting to know Jesus as their Lord and friend. We are hopeful and prayer-ful that our gifts and receipts will catch up to that same growth. You see, as a covenantal and promise keeping church we are commit-ted to not only our local concerns but also our global mission as United Methodists. Looking at the figures in the weekly bulletin for the first 2 months you have been able to see we have only had one week where we met the promised and necessary weekly expenses to accomplish our mission. At the end of January we had a deficit of ($5,699). Your giving closed the gap a little in February yet we still have a deficit of ($3,133) and we have

Cooper says He creates more people. William told me He prays and Kait-lynn says He makes a lot of trees.

Katelyn says He looks over us all day and Dylan said he spends His day texting people.

God is doing so many things all across His wide universe, we couldn’t begin to tell it all. Did you see the sunrise and sunset today? That was His paintbrush. The Bible does say that God never sleeps. He stays awake all the time, and part of what He does is what Katelyn said: He watches over you! Another thing He does all day is to hold everything together like glue. The Bible says that all day long God is holding out his arms….waiting to save and forgive people who don’t know Him. What ELSE does God do all day? (While He is painting the sky, holding everything together, watching over you, and holding His arms open wide?) Well, the next time you talk to Him, just ask Him and see what He says. Remember, He is never too busy for you.

The children will be very active this month learning the letters “V”, “W”, & “X”. (Does anyone have any X-rays for us to use in the classroom?) We will also have fun re-enacting our favorite nursery rhymes and fairy tales. (I play a great Little Bo Peep!) I

Ethan is four years old and this is his first time in a preschool. Ethan moved up from Florida in November and his favorite thing to do at school is to play in Creation Station. His favorite dance is the Animal Action song and he loved the pancakes we ate for “P” week. Ethan wants to be a police-man when he grows up because they get to have cool pet dogs. Ethan told me his favorite thing to do with Dad was to wrestle and he usually wins!

Student of the Month: William StephensWilliam is 5 years old and this is his first year in a preschool. He is so happy he learned how to cut with scissors this year. His favorite snack at school is Scooby Do fruit snacks and he loves to ride the blue bike in the Family Fellowship Center at playtime. William also wants to be a policeman when he grows up because he wants to give people tickets for speeding. His favorite thing to do with Dad is put the engine together on their blue truck.

What Does God Do All Day?am thrilled to announce that our preschool children collected over 25 pairs of glasses dur-ing the month of March for our Cuba mission trip! We will be helping the children in Cuba this month by collecting Children’s Tylenol

tablets and tubes of zinc oxide used for diaper rash.

see “Financial Facts”, Page 6

times such as these that our love is truly tested.

Brothers and sisters, please let this time of change and transition at Montrose Zion be an opportuni-ty to exercise love and humility. Thank you for so many who have responded positively to the recent time change. Thank you for seeing the bigger picture; that these changes are for the benefit of the many, to encourage an inviting atmosphere at both services and for all people in our community. Thank you for adjusting your schedule and your preferences for the greater good.

I know it’s not convenient, but we are called as disciples of Jesus to live in the imita-tion of him who gave up the glories of heaven to take on full humanity, become a servant, and die as our substitute that we may have life in his name. Let us honor our risen Lord in the way that we live, choosing daily to let go of our interests to serve others in love.

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Lifelines... Dr. Walter Chisholm

Ministry Highlights... Travis Gingerich

I really do believe that most

people at Mon-trose Zion want to get better at “doing life.” We want to be more kind. More considerate of

others. More loving and humble. As disciples of Jesus, we want to be the kind of people that reflect his character and teaching in ev-eryday life. After all, the Christian life doesn’t just stop with “getting saved,” does it? No, it’s a way of life that imitates our Lord as we learn – that’s a skill – to grow in Christian virtue.

But what does that look like? Thankfully, we have an example. Take a moment, right now, to read this out loud. Don’t be em-barrassed! Go ahead:

“If you have any encourage-ment from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and com-

We have a

wonderfully great, exciting, church family. We are blessed. Our worship services can count on at least

400 every Sunday. Our Christian Education programs on Sunday and mid-week are well over 400 in attendance and participation. We have a great leadership team and staff; we are truly blessed.

For me the one troubling area of ministry is MISSION. We do a lot for ourselves, but we seem to have come up short on our commitment to be a bless-ing. We do a lot of wonderful

The mind of Christ passion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of self-ish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:1-4, NIV).

These verses remind us that what is true of our relationship with God the Son and God the Holy Spirit should naturally spill over into our relationships with each other. The unity and love we experience from God should be realized in our unity with, and love for, one another. The very mind of Christ – a humble, others-focused mind – should be the mind of you and me. Christ led by example, and we are called to imitate him in love.

Why am I reminding us of these things, right now? It is easy to love others when things are going well for us and our preferenc-es are met. It is another thing entirely to love others when our own interests are threatened or our preferences not satisfied. Change, especially, can make it most difficult to love precisely because both our interests and our preferences are challenged in new ways. It is at

Blessed to Be a Blessingthings; however, we could really be a blessing if we would just step up and take our giving seriously. The Lord asks us to Tithe, now that is 10% of all our income. When my wife Pat and I first tried it we had some doubts, but we gave it a six week trial, and WOW were we blessed. It put us on a delightful journey of faith and trust that has yielded many bless-ings.

So what is this Tithe stuff ? Well if I make $24,000, a year my tithe is $2,400. Or $200. Per month.

You can do the figures. I have had friends who said they had to work their way up and started with five percent, moving toward a tithe. You get the idea; will you join me and be blessed..

The church that is blessed, as we are, needs to take serious appraisal of how much we care to be a blessing. We need to get

behind our leadership, by beginning to take our giving seriously, so finances are not the focus of our ministries. YOU are blessed to be a blessing. Begin by praying about your giving to the Lord’s work. Then sit down with your family, and seriously consider how the Lord has blessed you, and then give for the building of HIS kingdom of Love and Concern.

GOD BLESS YOU TO BE A BLESSING, DR.WALT

Join us for a combined Spring Pops Concert/ Auction on Sun-day, May 4 at 6:30pm. As you well know, we will have some great music from the 40's to the present, and we will also have

live and silent auction items for your bidding before and during the concert. We are also in need of items for the auction, with all pro-ceeds benefitting the Cuba Mission trip. You can contact me, Doug Broemsen, Sharon Paige, or Jeff Murphy for more information or to donate items.

CA lliNG A ll yOuTh A ND A DulTs: Now that we have one traditional service

at 9am, we need to provide the most excellent worship we can for our Lord. We are inviting all of you with a decent singing voice to join the chancel choir. We rehearse on Thursday nights from 7-8:30pm. You can also rehearse with us on Sunday mornings at 8:15am if Thursday nights don't work for you. We would

like to sing as many Sundays as possible if we can get enough new choir members to take part in a Sunday worship "rotation". Call or e-mail me at the church, or just show up on Thursdays and/or Sundays.

5

Music Notes...Ted Peplowski

YouthSummer Mission Trip!!!

In other news the Youth are taking a trip to Indi June 15-20th and are still looking for students that want to take part in an adventure. Please contact Steve Nuzzo for more details.

Youth “Nuzz”...Steve Nuzzo

Musical auditions for the May 4 Spring Concert will be accepted through Saturday, April 12. Space is limited because this concert is combined with the Cuba Mission silent/live auction. See Ted for an audition time.

The Youth are hav-ing their first of several Invite

Events starting Satur-day, April 26th at 7:30 pm until the break of dawn. We will be start-ing the night at Laser Quest then going to the church for other fun activities, and food. The price for the night will be $15 dollars per student and if they bring a friend not from the church their friend gets in for $10. It will be a night of fun and friends so bring several with you.

Musical Auditions spring Pops Concert/Auction

hElP WA NTEDWe are looking for

youth interested in joining the praise team, either as singers or instrumental-ists. Contact me to set up an audition.

The bell choir is also looking for new ring-ers. You can contact Bill Eyerdom or myself at 330-666-8809 ext. 207.

6

Church Happenings...

shawl MinistryThe Shawl Ministry will be meeting on Wednesday, April 16th at 11:30 am

in the Church Conference Room. Keep those shawls coming ladies as they are greatly appreciated. To illus-

trate just how much they are, here are a few examples:

Dear Ladies. Thank you for the beautiful knit shawl that was given to me from your shawl

ministry. It will be truly appreciated and used well in this winter weather. This is a wonderful service that you are providing with kindness and love.

Sincerely, Paul Lenke Also a lady stopped in the Church office to thank us for the beautiful

shawl her 88 year old mother had received. She loved it so much that when she did pass away, she wanted to have the shawl on her when she was buried. She recently passed away, so our shawls are now reaching "Heaven" !!!! Amen.

lenten Devotional Comments March 2008

How wonderful that so many at MZ were reading and praying this devotional (Seek God for the City) together from Ash Wed. through Palm Sunday! These prayers of “Biblical Hope” had us “standing in the gap” for those close to us and around the world. Here are a few comments that you shared:

“I saw God working in using this devo-tional throughout the church. I noticed in small groups many prayers and discussions centered around what hit people (from the devotional) on a specific day. It was a tool uniting us as the Body of Christ.”

“I appreciated the prompts to pray for people and situations I might not have thought to pray for.”

“The first week of devotions we were seeking God on behalf of the Americas and the Caribbean and one of the women in our ladies Bible Study was actually traveling sev-eral places in South America right then.”

It was wonderful to have new members join MZ on Palm Sunday (interestingly, de-layed due to the bad weather). The devotion that day said “Our best prayers are prayers of welcome—that the risen Jesus Himself will be recognized and received throughout entire communities.” So starting with the faith com-munity here at MZ, and adding new mem-bers to it today, we now have more “workers to send out into His harvest field”, welcom-ing others, welcoming Je-sus, welcoming others to Jesus. Glory to God!

not received enough in gifts to send those promised gifts towards our mission apportionment giving for this year.

We have also received gifts from you in February in the amount of $6,828 for Slay a Gi-ant. You gave love offerings in the amount of $1,057 for Patty Neidert and $937 for Steve Hock-stra. We have had several sign up for Automatic Fund Transfers. This is a wonderful and easy way to pay for the Lord’s Ministries

from page 3

Financial Facts

The Montrose Zion Scholar-ship Fund is meant to be a vested fund, managed financially by the Montrose Zion Permanent Endowment Committee, with the interest used for Scholarship Aid for worthy students.

The scholarship Fund, here-after called the Montrose Zion Fund, is meant to assist persons who want to pursue vocational training other than a College

MZUMC Charity Golf Outing at Rawiga Country Club on Monday, July 28, 2008. Please save this date!

More details to come.

The CARe TeAm (Christians Actively Seeking Everyone) is seeking friendly and outgoing people to serve on Sunday. We want people who want to get to know our congregation..If you are interested in be-ing an usher, greeter, work-ing at the Welcome Center or even writing a short note to a new visitor, we would love to have you on our team. Please contact Sally Davison at 330-666-6190 for more information.

What is the Montrose Zion scholarship Fund?

Degree and education. This might lead to an Associate Degree, as in Nursing, Auto Mechanics, Technical Training, Paraprofes-sional, but not limited to these areas of skill or interest.

Anyone who wants to pursue training in a given field may apply for aid. Academies will be important, but not the final criteria for awarding the scholarship.

Dr. Walt will have the applications in his office.

whether you are in town, on vacation, or fighting the flu.

The news on the national front is to approve a rebate stimulus check to many tax paying citizens. The government is asking that we spend this unexpected gift of money to help give the economy a boost. What better way can we show our gratitude to God than to contribute part of this to His Minis-tries? Ask yourself “What Would Jesus Do?” Please keep Montrose Zion United Method-ist Church in your prayers and God Bless each and every one. Any changes to figures shown in weekly bulletin will be shown in this letter each month.

Church Happenings...

7Class descriptions

available at the Welcome Desk.

Spring EDEn EVE BEginS April 2

Wednesdays at 6:00pm

If you are interested in assisting our campers this year, procedures are easy! You may donate ANY amount, $5 or more. Confidential Pledge/Mentor Cards are available in the lobby and you may check mark if you wish to mentor and communicate with a camper or simply make a donation. All pledge amounts will be applied equally to those asking for assistance. Mentors will be praying for the children and possibly speaking to them on the phone prior to and after camp, as well as providing a portion of the camp fee as a scholarship towards the spiritual connection available through the camp

Prayer Room Reorganized!!The Prayer Room is a quiet place to meet with God, talk to Him and

listen to what He has to say to us. It is located in the hallway to the far left as you exit the sanctuary (just before the crib room).

It has recently been reorganized into five areas-• Meditating on The Word, scriptures that reveal God to us • Praising God for who He is • Seeking forgiveness where we have fallen short •

Thanking Him for what He has done and is doing • Seeking His inter-vention in situations – personal to global.

This is where we pray for the “pink prayer cards” that have been submitted. There are many resources on the counter inside the Prayer Room to help focus and guide

your prayers. The Prayer Team supports the mission of MZUMC by praying for people to come and

experience Christ’s love (Invite). We pray for people to grow in their faith and understanding of The Word (Show) and cover in prayer God’s outreach to people here and around the world. We pray that they may come to accept Christ as Emmanuel, God with us (Send).

Please accept the invitation to spend time with The Father in the Prayer Room and join us in this powerful ministry. There is a schedule outside the door with spaces to sign up for a weekly time slot. Like more information or a guided tour? Contact Al or Flo Wavle – 330-836-1156.

our awareness about how we as a Church Community may be “missing the mark.” If the Church Community is to reflect to the world a covenantal, promise-keeping God, I get a nagging sense that perhaps we might not be doing our absolute best as witnesses to this kind of covenantal commitment.

As a post-Easter Community of faith, my hope and prayer is that the Church at Montrose Zion might embrace the “first day of the week” as an opportunity to live covenantally with one another for the rest of our lives. Embracing “first days” also provides us with the opportunity to lay the foundation for future Montrose Zion promise-makers. I ask you to join me in this walk with God in remembering that through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus you and I now walk around with God’s desires for His church and His world etched on our hearts. “He is Risen!” is the post-Easter proclamation. Our calling now is to respond “He is Risen, in-deed!” through the promise-keeping actions of giving our time, service, and financial gifts.

from page 2

First Days

Dears Friends at Montrose Zion:Thank you so much for the gra-

cious and generous love offering. Your thoughtfulness and kindness was greatly appreciated by me and my fam-ily. Also, thank you to the pastor-parish committee, especially Melissa Tersigni, for the wonderful going away recep-tion. Your loving support throughout this difficult transition made life much easier for me. Also, thank you to the many prayer warriors who are support-ing me and the Barberton church as we seek to follow after Christ’s mission and plan in the weeks, months and years ahead. May God bless you and keep you in His loving arms until we meet again.

God Bless,Patty Neidert

It's time for all of us to think about camp this year! Booklets are available in the church hallway for your review, so start thinking about which camp you (and your friends) want to at-tend this year. Pick up one of the booklets, complete the registration form and mail it, along with your check, as specified. You can get the early bird rate if your camp payment is postmarked by May 1. If you would like financial assistance, please call Sandy Miller, 330-666-4727. Note:

summer Camp 2008:MZUMC will sponsor camps of the United Methodist Church this summer for mentorships and scholarships. If you do not wish to obtain a mentor or scholarship but want to experience camp this summer, you may take a booklet, complete the registration form, and submit the form and pay-ment according to instructions in the booklet. DEADLINE FOR THE EARLY BIRD RATE AND TO APPLY FOR financial assistance is MAY 1.

Camp Mentors Needed Please:experience. Please consider the importance of summer camp, complete a Pledge/Mentor Card and place it in the box supplied for confidentiality purposes. You may deposit your check (make checks payable to MZUMC) with your card or wait until you receive correspondence from Sandy Miller, the camp coordina-tor, with further instructions. Please DO NOT put your camp check in the offertory or mail it to the church. To avoid confu-sion, we are trying these new procedures. Thank you.

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

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PAIDPermit No. 10

Bath, Ohio

Church Calendar... April

565 N. Cleveland-Massillon RoadAkron, Ohio 44333

2 Spring EDEN Eve Begins, 6:00 pm15 Newsletter Items Due16 Shawl Ministry Meeting, 11:30 am26 Youth Overnighter, 7:30 pm

1 Deadline for Early Bird Rate for Summer Camp4 Spring Pops Concert/Auction, 6:30 pm

15-20 Youth Summer Mission Trip

May

June