Dear Brothers and Sisters at Messiah,
The Lord has enlightened us in the true faith. O come, let us worship him!
First, I'll repeat a few reminders about our outdoor service for this coming Sunday, June 21:
We plan to resume serving Holy Communion on June 21st, following our regular schedule (1st, 3rd & 5th Sundays). Special sanitary precautions will be in place for the celebration of the Lord's Supper; watch the video above to learn about them!
You will have two options for seating, both of which will incorporate social distancing practices:
you may sit in your car with windows down, parking as directed by elders and ushers, or;
you may bring portable outdoor seating; you'll be directed to a designated area of the parking lot.
During outdoor services. the restrooms in the fellowship hall foyer will be open for emergency use.
Please plan to arrive early! When you pull into Messiah's driveway, elders and ushers will direct you to the appropriate area of the parking lot, give you service folders (which will contain all readings, responses and music) and receive your offering..
To help us plan for this outdoor service, please RSVP (for both attendance and communion) by Saturday, June 20. You can RSVP by calling the church office at (616) 363-2553 or by submitting the RSVP form at Messiah's website.
In the case of inclement weather, a Service of the Word with very limited attendance will be held, with livestreamed video and recorded audio available. Any necessary decisions will be made by 8 am on Sunday the 21st; notices will be posted ASAP on Messiah's website & Facebook page, and also communicated via WOOD-TV and WZZM-TV.
The adult Bible study on Martin Luther's Whether One May Flee from A Deadly Plague will now continue on weeknights, with two further sessions planned:
This coming Monday, June 22 at 7 pm
Monday, June 29 at 7 pm
You can catch up by downloading the letter from the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod website. There are two ways you can join the live study for the next two Mondays: online or by phone. Email me (rick.krueger@messiahgr.org) for login details.
Finally, thanks again to those who have submitted the names of pastors to be considered by the Michigan District as they assemble a new call list for Messiah. Members can submit names by returning a Candidate Information Form to me (by US mail, or by sending a scanned attachment by email) by this coming Tuesday, June 23. You can download the form by clicking here.
As we head into this weekend, I once again encourage you to pray this coming Sunday's Collect of the Day in advance, as we prepare our hearts for our Lord's coming in Word and Sacrament:
O God, because Your abiding presence always goes with us, keep us aware of Your daily mercies that we may live secure and content in Your eternal love; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Yours in Him,
Rick Krueger, Parish Assistant
