News from Mount Zion
January 29, 2021

Sorrowful News

We were saddened to learn of the sudden death of Ceara Publuske, the 23-year-old daughter of Open Sesame teacher, Cyndi Publuske in a multi car accident on the QEQ near Burlington on January 26. Our hearts go out to Cyndi. Please remember her in your prayers. There is a gofundme campaign to help out with expenses. https://www.gofundme.com/f/my-cousin-ceara-has-passed-away/donate

Black History Celebrations are coming

February  28  is when Mount Zion will celebrate Black History with the Maranatha community and their friends.

Last week Amy recorded Mrs Bell and Mrs Thomas as they made this promo for the event. Be sure to give it a watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_06pOwKcWE8

​

The service will be held on Zoom and the service time is changed until 11 am to allow congregations to join us.  More information to come.

Upcoming Lessons    

4th Sunday after Epiphany Jan 31

Deuteronomy 18:15-20   

Psalm 111

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Mark 1:21-28

​

5th Sunday after Epiphany Feb 7

Isaiah 40: 21-31

Psalm 147:1-11, 20c

1 Corinthians 9:16-23

Mark 1: 29-39

In Our Prayers

Let us pray for all who are sick, distressed, or grieving among us, especially for Margaret, David, Rosalie, Marjorie, Barb, George Wilhelmina, Betty, Delfina and Bill Taylor, that you sustain and comfort those who suffer. We also pray for Peggy Nickels and Patrick Seliske mourning the death of Peggy’s brother Peter; and Martin Helga Juergensen grieving the death of Martin’s brother, Claus, in Germany; and Cyndi Publuske, our Open Sesame teacher, and family mourning the death of her daughter Ceara.  Let us also uphold our congregational leadership as we prepare for our Annual Congregational Meeting.

Annual Meeting Update 

Our annual meeting is just a few short weeks away...February 14, Valentine’s Day, starting at 11:30 am on Zoom. We have shortened and adjusted the agenda to bring the most important items earlier in the meeting. After opening and after a few short housekeeping items we will move directly to the financial report and next year’s budget followed by the election of officers, and the adoption of two policies. Zoom does give us the ability to vote and you will be asked to vote by show of hands.

Policies

I would like to say a few words about the policies and the need for them at this moment. I wish I could say that council in their wisdom, and time on their hands, decided that there was a need to advance two new policies. Sadly, it is not the case, rather in reality the need for these policies and the speed in which we are undertaking their adoption, came from our new insurance carrier who excluded coverage for any abuse, molestation or harassment until such time as we have policies in place that communicate our values.

The policies, one for the protection of children and other vulnerable people and one for sexual abuse or harassment are both available https://www.mzlc.ca/filing-cabinet

We are blessed that our national church has already written the policies we are asking you to approve. Both policies were written in 2016. The policy relating to the protection of children and vulnerable people required a little editing such as adding our name in places, but the Sexual Abuse Harassment Policy remains untouched as it relates to synod guidelines for rostered ministers.

Approving the policies is only the first step and council will need to develop ways of assuring that we live into what is written and approved.
 

Annual Report

The 2020 Annual Report has just been completed and is available at https://www.mzlc.ca/filing-cabinet

For those of you with email, you can expect to see it in your inbox soon. If you would like a hard copy, you can pick a copy in the front hall of the church.

For those of you without email, your copy will be either hand delivered or mailed to you.  

​

Keeping Connected: Service Committee

Greetings from your Service Committee. We hope you are well as you weather this long pandemic. This update is to keep you posted on what we've been doing and what we're considering during this challenging time.

During the pandemic, Mount Zion’s support for Music for the Spirit, food vouchers, Marillac Place, the Food Bank, and CLWR have continued. Open Sesame has been in operation.  Health Council has initiated the Tuesday soup delivery.  Sadly, the Mitten Tree had to be postponed until next year.

At our upcoming Zoom meeting we will be choosing our future Adopt-a-Cause projects.

One question we invite you to consider with us is this:

How can we promote more of a justice focus?

 For example, are you drawn to working with others from Mount Zion to write informed letters to the government about social issues like affordable housing, restorative justice, Indigenous issues, and social and economic issues arising from the pandemic?

 On a global level, would you consider being part of a group that writes letters with Amnesty International? Letter writing is something we’ve considered because we can do it from home.

In our backyard, how can we offer more support to SHOW (Supportive Housing of Waterloo), a local effort Charlie and Rhoda Ernst, Barb Barnes and others at Mount Zion boosted since its beginnings?

We welcome your input and questions as we look at new ways to support community and global needs while we continue to stay at home and keep each other safe.

Mary Thompson, Chair, Ann Crossman, Pastor Philip, Kirk Swanson and new members Peggy Nickels and Nancy Kelly

Age Friendly Kitchener:
Older Adult at Home Programming

As part of the City of Kitchener’s commitment to be an age-friendly community, they have created many different opportunities for older adults to stay connected while at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These programs include on-line exercise classes; walking groups; a memoir writing workshop; and, social support calls for seniors who may be feeling isolated.

The City of Kitchener is also offering technology courses tailored to the needs of seniors. These include Intro to the Internet; Intro to Email; Intro to iPads; and, Stay Safe Online.

Click here to read more about these programs …

Markeeta Thompson, Special Guest singer throughout February 

I am Markeeta Thompson, a 20-year-old Barbadian, candidate for receiving a Bachelor degree in Music Therapy (BMT) in May 2020. Prior to this degree I pursued a degree in Fine Arts with music being the focus from 2015 to 2017 at the Barbados Community College. I am a classically trained vocalist, but I am also proficient on drums, piano and guitar. I have experience working with the following populations: individuals with developmental delays, Children, Geriatrics and Hospice and Palliative Care.

Music therapy is a clinical and evidence-based health profession, where music therapists use different kinds of musical experiences and interventions to address clinical domains such as cognitive, emotional and social. As a music therapy intern with Connecting In Rhythm, my goal is to meet clients where they are at and work alongside them to accomplish a variety of client-oriented goals. It has been a privilege to provide virtual music therapy to families from A Child’s Place. 

Free Zoom Falls Prevention Class

Community care concepts (CCC) is the group bringing the free zoom exercise classes to many Mount Zion member’s living rooms. They are now offering free zoom falls prevention classes.

Classes do not require registration. All you need to do join, is to copy and paste this zoom link into your browser a few minutes before the start of each class.      https://zoom.us/j/97402870609  

Classes start Tuesday Feb 2nd and run for 6 weeks on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1pm.

Sessions are presentation style, with opportunities to interact. Each session includes functional exercises (optional) at the end of each class. Invite a friend and share the link with them.

Upcoming events

ongoing...Zoom Cafe, Wed 10 am

Feb 14 Annual Mtg 11:30 am  Zoom

Feb 28 2021  Black History Month  Celebrations 11 am  Zoom

April 22, 1 - 3 pm  Spring Book Discussion - Inside the O'Briens

                                       location tbd

Links for Worship and more