Dear Brothers and Sisters at Messiah,
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
On Monday, April 27, Messiah's Board of Elders met via remote online access. As directed by Church Council, the Elders reviewed the suspension of activities put in place six weeks ago, especially in light of Michigan's newly extended "stay at home" executive order.
At this meeting, the Elders decided to extend the suspension of in-person church activities indefinitely. Rather than try to guess when the executive order will be loosened or lifted, the Elders plan to monitor the situation and call a special board meeting as the circumstances warrant it. The Elders' goal is to safely re-open in-person activities as soon as possible.
Here are the immediate results of this decision:
All public worship services are currently cancelled. We'll continue to post audio recordings of the service for the day -- music, hymns, responsive readings, the appointed Scriptures and a sermon -- on Messiah's website and our YouTube channel (along with an order of service to follow as you listen) on Sundays.
In consultation with confirmation families, our Junior Confirmation and New Member Welcome scheduled for May 3 has been postponed. It will be rescheduled as soon as possible after in-person activities re-open.
All in-person Bible studies, musical practices and other group activities at church are currently cancelled. I'm continuing to provide an online video Bible study every Sunday; you can see and hear last Sunday's study at our website or on YouTube.
We are continuing to explore further uses of technology for worship, study and life together -- online video, virtual gatherings, etc. Stay tuned for more details. Thanks to those who watched last night's Confirmation Examination (which had more than 200 views) on YouTube!
The suspension of church activities will also be discussed at the next Council meeting (scheduled for Monday, May 18).
Thanks again to all of you for your words of encouragement and support in these recent weeks: Pastor Blain, the rest of our staff and I truly appreciate your kindness and help. We continue to ask for your understanding, trust, patience and prayers as we work to bring you the comfort of God's Word and continue Messiah's minimum basic operations. We also respectfully ask that you continue your support of Messiah's ongoing ministry through your faithful giving, whether by mailed check, electronic check or our new online giving portal.
As the Church and the world continue to confront widespread challenges, I also urge you to continue the activities I've mentioned before:
Read and Meditate on God's Word! Leaders of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod are posting brief online devotions every weekday. Watch them live Monday-Friday at 10 am EDT on the Synod's Facebook page or anytime on YouTube. And President David Maier of the Michigan District-LCMS is offering daily devotions based on great Christian hymns weekday evenings at 7 pm; again, you can find them on Facebook or YouTube. You can also check Messiah's Facebook page Monday-Saturday mornings for daily Psalm verses, Bible readings and prayer. More online resources are available at Messiah's website.
Pray for our governmental leaders! As the pandemic continues, the pressure on everyone -- along with the variety of opinions on the best course of action -- grows. Please pray especially that those in authority in our township, city, county, state and nation will be high in purpose, wise in counsel, firm in good resolution, and unwavering in duty as they strive to serve us.
Check in with each other! I've been grateful to hear how so many of you are taking steps to care for and stay in contact with each other. The Elders continue to contact their assigned families regularly during the suspension of activities; if you need spiritual care, please contact Pastor Blain directly at 616-288-5594.
Above all, hold on to Jesus Christ! As this strange time continues, the First Epistle of Peter (the source of our Easter season epistles and livestream Bible studies) has resonated more and more with me. May these words from God's Word (1 Peter 1:3-9) give us grace, peace, faith and comfort as we go forward:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Yours in Him,
Rick Krueger
Messiah Lutheran Church
