Dear Brothers and Sisters at Messiah,
Our next outdoor worship service, the Divine Service with Holy Communion, will take place this coming Sunday, August 2 at 9 am. Rev. Dr. Frank Graves will once again lead us in worship.
A few reminders:
To help our elders, ushers and altar guild prepare for the service, please RSVP (for both attendance and communion) by Saturday, August 1 or earlier. You can RSVP by calling the church office at (616) 363-2553 or by completing the RSVP form on our website.
Please feel free to bring water, sunscreen, hats, umbrellas, or anything else you may need to stay hydrated and comfortable. Bottled water will be available on request.
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.) Or;
Bring portable outdoor seating.
The restrooms in the fellowship hall foyer will be open for use as needed.
Holy Communion will be distributed as follows:
When the usher directs your family to take communion, proceed to the sanitation area and use the hand sanitizer. Please keep social distance if there is a waiting line formed in this area.
When the elder invites you to receive the Lord’s Body, please move to the line in front of the first communion table. The elder will place the Lord’s Body, for each individual, on a plate. Move forward and receive the Lord’s Body and move back to the line in front of the second communion table.
The pastor will place the individual cups of the Lord’s Blood, for each individual, on the table. Move forward and receive the Lord’s Blood. The pastor will dismiss you to return to your seating area.
All individuals who are physically able are encouraged to walk forward to receive communion. Near the end of distribution, communion will be brought to those who request it.
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.).
If you missed last Sunday's online Adult Bible study, you can watch it on our YouTube channel or on our website. Online Adult Bible studies also continue this coming Sunday; we'll look at Psalm 136. Many of us probably know the first verse of this Psalm as a table prayer ("Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good ..."), but how else does it remind us of God's steadfast love for His people of all times and places? You can get a head start by downloading a study guide for Psalm 136 here.
The readings for August 2 track closely with Psalm 136 -- Isaiah calls all to listen diligently to the Lord and eat what is good; to the Roman church, Paul laments the situation of those who reject God's love and prays for their deliverance; and Jesus feeds 5,000+ to end a day of healing and teaching. As we prepare to gather, I pray that we too will listen diligently to God's Word, receive strength from Christ's Supper, and by the Spirit's power share our certain hope of salvation with the people in our lives. May God bless and keep you all until then!
Yours in Christ,
Rick Krueger, Parish Assistant
