Dear Brothers and Sisters at Messiah,
Our next outdoor worship service of Prayer and Preaching will take place this coming Sunday, July 26 at 9 am. Rev. Dr. Frank Graves will lead our service and preach.
A few reminders:
To help our elders and ushers prepare for the service, please RSVP by Saturday, July 25 or earlier. You can RSVP by calling the church office at (616) 363-2553 or by completing the RSVP form at Messiah's website.
Please feel free to bring water, sunscreen, hats, umbrellas, or anything else you may need to stay hydrated and healthy. Bottled water will be available on request.
Please plan to arrive early to park, receive your service folder and give your offering. You'll have two options for seating, both incorporating social distancing:
Sit in your car with windows down, parking as directed by elders and ushers. (The audio for the service will be broadcast to car radios on 102.7 FM.)
Bring portable outdoor seating.
The restrooms in the fellowship hall foyer will be open for use as needed.
In the case of inclement weather,
we will hold an indoor service with limited attendance one hour later, at 10 am..
The service will be livestreamed on YouTube at the rescheduled time; video and audio versions will be posted on our website after the service's completion as usual.
We will do our best to notify everyone of rescheduling through as many channels as possible (WOOD-TV, WZZM-TV, our website & Facebook page, email, etc.).
Also, online Adult Bible studies resume this coming Sunday! Going forward, I'll be taking a look at the appointed Psalm for each week. On July 26, we'll look at Psalm 125, one of the Songs of Ascents, used as a preparation for temple worship. What is the picture of God's relationship to his people in this Psalm? What support, comfort and strength can God's Word bring us in an unstable time, where fear may seem to have the upper hand? Let's find out together! The study will be posted on our YouTube channel Sunday morning, for viewing at the best time for you. You can get a head start by downloading a study guide from our Bible Studies webpage.
Once again, I look forward to hearing God's living, active Word with you, then responding to His love with prayer and praise this coming Sunday. Whatever the highs or lows of our lives right now, I pray that we take heart from the words of this Sunday's Second Reading, from the apostle Paul to the Christians in Rome: "I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39 ESV)
Yours in Him,
Rick Krueger, Parish Assistant
