God has provided us with a mixture of weather this week – a bit of sun, and a bit of rain.  I was thankfully able to get my grass cut this week before the rain.  So many plants are suddenly popping up out of the ground and blooming.  Just as we celebrated the resurrection of Christ last Sunday, we can now also celebrate the “resurrection” of our beautiful plants in our gardens!  “They Live!” Thanks be to God!

1. Tomorrow Pastor Chad will be celebrating “Camp Christian Sunday”.  Whether you have attended Camp Christian or not, I’m sure you will learn things about camp that you never knew before!  Camp Christian has impacted so many youth and adults alike in a positive way!  Karly Lind will be serving as Worship Leader (she has done a great job throughout April!), Ruth Anne Ruehr and Jon Secaur will lead us through Communion, Jan Green will fill our hearts with her organ selections (let us pray the organ will work tomorrow!), and of course our own Sarah Park who will fill our sanctuary with uplifting hymns on the piano.  Last, but not least, we will have some Camp Christian stories presented by Brian Hurd and Bethany Head (Linda’s granddaughter).  Please visit us in person or online for this exciting service!
2. What’s happening this week?

1. Monday April 28 – Handbell practice 6-7pm
2. Tuesday April 29 – Story Time for preschoolers 10:30-11:30am
3. Wednesday April 30 – “Dwelling in the Word” scripture study from 1:15-2:30pm  /  
   “Life Study 6:30-8:00pm
4. Thursday May 1 – N/A
5. Friday May 2 – Worship Team Meeting 9am
6. Saturday May 3 – KWM “Food 2 Share” event, collecting bags, sorting food
7. Sunday May 4 – Celebrating our Graduates & Holy Humor Sunday

The General Announcements are on the last 2 pages of the attached bulletin.  Please take note I have included 2 community events you may be interested in.  The first is an ad for the “2nd Fridays Supper” put on by MARSI (Mantua Area Restoration Society) on the 2nd Friday of each month.  It is located at the old Mantua Center School and runs from 4-7pm and is by donation only.  The second item is the Crestwood Community Center at Buchert Park.  They have all kinds of activities (for the older generation in our community) coming up on April 30th and hope you will take a moment to check out their information. They are generally open between 11am -3pm every Wednesday, but on April 30th they will be open from 8:30am – 3pm.  Check out their facebook page at Crestwood Community Center.  There will also be information in the church entrance tomorrow!

 If you have any updates or other news for the announcements, please send them to me at: [email protected] by Wednesday of each week.  I will be happy to include them.  I hope to see you at church tomorrow, or if you can’t make it in person, feel free to join us online!

Blessings to you ALL, and remember to spread kindness like confetti!

Sandi

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MCCC Announcements – April 27, 2025

1. Kids Weekend Meals fundraiser, “Fill a Bag, Feed a family”. We still need volunteers to
   drop off empty bags in various locations on April 26th, and will need volunteers to collect
   the bags and help sort the food on May 3rd. Please consider helping with this
   fundraiser. Since there have been significant cutbacks by our government on food
   provisions, it is more CRUCIAL than ever. You MUST register at the following link to be
   counted as a helper. https://myfillabag.com/
2. “4th for the 4C’s” food collection will be Sunday, April 27th during worship. Items needed
   for February are: Boxed Spaghetti, Pasta Sauce, Canned Potatoes, & Dish Soap. NO
   DONATION IS TOO SMALL WHEN COMBINED WITH OTHERS!
3. The Shed is still available for clothing donations!. This is the ONLY shed that will benefit
   the FREE CLOTHING GIVEAWAY! Do a little more Spring cleaning and donate some
   clothes to those in need! As for baby items, we are in need of diapers (Sizes 2, 4, 5,
   & 7), baby wipes, large black trash bags (30-33 gal), and regular trash bags (13 gal.).
   You can bring the baby items or trash bags to the church at your convenience by leaving
   them in the outside bin at the lower-level entrance, OR bring them on April 27th to donate
   with the 4C’s food collection. Our families will appreciate your help more than you know!
   Questions? Call Nancy Tafel at (330) 416-0752. The next Giveaway will be Saturday,
   May 10th from 9am-12 noon at St. Joseph school building. Spread the word – ALL ARE
   WELCOME!!
4. REMINDER! Sue Wright is retiring from organizing funeral luncheons for the church, and
   we still need 1-2 volunteers who might like to serve in this caring position! Perhaps grab
   a friend and do it together! Let Sue know if you are interested or if you need more
   details (330) 274-2607.
5. Chi-Rho’s upcoming events include: May 4th an afternoon event, and May 18th an “End of
   The Year Party” at McCreights! Mark your calendars!
6. Attention Hilltop Knitters! Our two meetings in May will be at the Hilltop Church on
   Monday, May 5th & 19th. We meet on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month, from 1:30-
   3pm! All yarn and hand work creators are welcome to come, work on their projects,
   and visit!
7. Sunday Classes following worship are: “Life 101” led by Carol Buzbee, “The Seekers”
   led by Nancy Humes and “The Bible & Beyond” led by Jon Secaur. Oldcomers and
   Newcomers are ALL welcome to attend any of the 3 classes!
8. Story Time, (for preschoolers), is every Tuesday from 10:30-11:30am when school is
   in session. This is a fun opportunity for young children (and their parents, grandparents,
   aunts, uncles,etc.) to engage in songs, stories, crafts, and more! This is a Free
   event. Please spread the word to others. Any questions? Contact Pam Auble at
   [email protected].
9. Bible Study ”Dwelling in the Word” with Pastor Chad is every Wednesday between
   1:15-2:30, and Life Study is also held every Wednesday, from 6:30-8pm. All are
   welcome! NOTE: Please join in our conversation or come and listen!
10. The next Loaves and Fishes Free Community Dinner will be Thursday, May 29th, from
    5-6:30pm in the Fellowship Hall! This is a free community meal, and all are welcome to
    attend. (Donations are gratefully accepted but not required.) Our menu will be Meatball
    Subs, Macaroni Salad, Diced Peaches, and Assorted Desserts. If you would like to help
    with ANY part of this dinner, even just for a certain month, please contact Carolin Newell
    at: 330-606-7125. This is also a great opportunity for youth to get community credits
    for school! We only have 6 remaining dinners in 2025! Let’s work together to help feed our
    community and join in fellowship with others! Pick a month and let Carolin know you CAN
    help!!
11. Library News – Our Fellowship Library is growing! If you are interested in donating a
    book, please let Cathy Hakala-Ausperk know after you have purchased it, so she can place
    a placard inside the cover with your name on it. Another book suggestion to donate from
    Cathy is: Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis.
12. CYF Mission Trip 2025 is set! Our CYF group will be traveling to Detroit, Michigan
    the week of June 22-28 to work with CASS Community Social Services, a United
    Methodist Ministry that grew out of the church’s work with those who are unhoused or
    developmentally disabled. They will be involved in a variety of community mission work,
    from stocking a food pantry to building a tiny house, community center building repairs,
    community garden, clothing ministry, tire recycling, meal preparation and serving at the
    soup kitchen which serves 700,000 hot meals a year. Stay tuned for more details as we
    get closer to summer! Questions? Contact Pam Auble at: [email protected].
13. Just a reminder that our church collects can tabs (from soup, pop, etc). The jar is
    located just inside the lower-level entrance window. Please save any can tabs – even
    solicit your relatives & friends to collect them and drop them in the jar at your
    convenience. The proceeds will benefit research for NFS (Neurofibromatoses – a genetic
    condition that causes tumors to form in the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. It can
    present either internally or externally and can begin in adolescence. Family members
    within our church and community are currently afflicted with this disorder. Thanks to
    Mike & Pat Hoskin for collecting these tabs to raise awareness and money for research in
    hopes of a cure!

Mantua Community Events

1. The Mantua Area Restoration Society (MARSI) continues to have suppers at the old
   Mantua Center School on the 2nd Friday of each month from 4-7pm and is open to ALL!
   They have cleverly named it the “2nd Fridays Supper!” and it is by donation only. Mark
   your calendar and take off one night a month from cooking! They even have music
   provided by Steve Stork for your enjoyment! Bring a friend or neighbor and enjoy!
2. Activities for the “older generation” are happening at Buchert Park Village Lodge, 4810
   E. High St., Mantua, every Wednesday from 11am-3pm. However, On April 30th, they
   will have a special day with several activities going on from 9am-3pm. Free screenings
   for BP and Cholesterol by UH Portage, Bird Talk & Activity with the Portage Park
   District, a Falls prevention class, lunch by Sirna’s Kitchen, and more!! For more
   information call 330-274-8776, ext.155 or 330-297-2575. Mark your calendar & join
   in the fun! Also check Facebook: Crestwood Community Center for weekly schedules!