Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In this update:
Worship and Education for May 9-15
Events and Announcements
WORSHIP AND EDUCATION FOR MAY 9-15
Morning Prayer for Sunday, May 9th will be led by Pastor James Blain; there will be two identical services at 8:30 and 11 am. The 11 am service will be livestreamed (see below for details). Click here to RSVP online. Our Sunday education hour wil continue on the 9th at 9:45 am with:
Sunday School for children in preschool through grade 2 in the downstairs classroom; God Protects His People in Egypt and the Exodus.
Sunday morning LifeLight :The Time Between the Testaments, held in the upstairs classroom.
Adult Bible Class in the sanctuary: "Believe in Jesus, the Son of God". Click here to read 1 John 5:1-12; click here for a study guide. This study will also be livestreamed.
The funeral Service for our brother in Christ Sam Hilton will be held on Tuesday, May 11th at 11 am. There will also be a time to visit with the family in the church foyer, one hour prior to the service at 10 am. Click here to RSVP for Sam's funeral online. Sam's family and Messiah understand that not everyone will be able to attend the visitation and funeral, so the service will also be livestreamed through Reyers North Valley Chapel's website. Click here to see Sam's complete obituary at Reyers' website, which will also host the livestream.
Our joint Ascension Day service with St. Peter Lutheran Church in Rockford will be held on Thursday, May 13th. Two identical services will be held at 5 pm at Messiah (click here to RSVP online; also livestreamed) and 7 pm at St. Peter. Rev. Jason Peterson will lead worship and preach. Following each service, Pastor Terry Hoese will talk about the Siberian Lutheran Mission Society’s "Save the Seminary" fund drive. A door offering will be taken to benefit this effort to spread Christ’s Gospel to the ends of the earth on both Ascension Day and Sunday, May 16th. (Gifts will be matched dollar for dollar up to $20,000.)
Please RSVP for these services by calling or emailing the church office (616-363-2553, goodlans@messiahgr.org) or by clicking above to sign up. Precautions spelled out in our current worship guidelines continue as follows:
Please exercise personal discernment when it comes to your health. If you are feeling sick, waiting for COVID-19 test results, in recommended quarantine or isolation from COVID-19 exposure, in a high-risk category, or not comfortable or ready to attend in person, please stay home. Services will continue to be livestreamed as noted above.
You will be welcomed in person at the sanctuary door as you enter. All inner doors will be kept open.
To minimize potential spread of COVID-19 in this public setting, wearing of face coverings (fabric masks) are required at all services.
Those who are not medically able to tolerate a face mask are exempt from this requirement. We ask those who are medically exempt to wear a face covering to and from their seat in worship. (If you are not medically able to tolerate a face mask, face shields are an acceptable alternative.)
If you forget a face mask or don’t have one, please don’t let this keep you from attending; we will gladly provide you with one.
Please maintain minimum 6-foot social distancing before, during and after services.
To assure social distancing during worship, we strongly encourage advance RSVPs for all services; sign-up options are available by phone, email and Internet (as above). 26 seating spots for families or individuals are available in the nave of the sanctuary for each service. Additional seating space is available in the choir area and the narthex. Generally, more seating is available for the 8:30 am service than at 11 am.
Worshipers will sit on the opposite ends of alternate pews. Designated seating will be clearly marked for “8:30 (1st service)” or “11:00 (2nd service)”; other pew entrances will be roped off to assure social distancing.
Following announcements, dismissal by families will begin from the back of the church. Please continue to be mindful of social distancing as you greet others and exit. When weather permits, we encourage you to greet others outdoors!
Services on May 9th at 11 am and May 13th at 5 pm will be livestreamed at:
The home page of our website www.messiahgr.org
Our Facebook page www.facebook.com/messiahgr.
EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Messiah Parish Service Guild meeting
The Guild will gather onThursday, May 13thfor a business meeting at1:00 pm.Remote attendance byZoom is available - please let Barb Brinkman know if you wish to participate via this path. Gathering size limits at Messiah (outside of worship services) are now 25 for indoors and 100 for outdoors. Social distancing and face coverings continue to be required.
Prayer Pals Sunday, May 23rd at 6 pm
Confirmed women of Messiah are welcome as we resume this twice-yearly event! Pals from 2019/2020 will be revealed, and new pals will be selected. We welcome veteran and new members for this group, which focuses on praying for our Sisters in Christ. Come and enjoy the warmth of Christian love and fellowship. (We will be observing COVID guidelines. No potluck, just good ole H2O.) Contact Deb Krueger, Elaine Jingles, or Barb Brinkman to RSVP, or if you have questions.
From our Pastor-Elect
Here's the complete letter by our pastor-elect, Seminarian Andrew Twietmeyer, that was read in worship services this past Sunday:
I am writing to you to acknowledge that I have received the call to become your pastor.
As I continue and finish my studies here at CTSFW you will be on my mind in my prayers to God our Father. Once my studies are finished and my work here is complete I will then be able to notify you of my acceptance of your call. Please pray for me and all of my classmates as we make our final preparations for the work of The Holy Ministry.
May God our Father keep you in His care and bless you.
I thought it would be nice to include a little bit of biographical information about myself and my family.
My lovely wife, Elizabeth, grew up in Wittenberg Wisconsin. She was a Math major and Computer Science minor at Concordia Mequon. She worked as an Analyst for Liberty Mutual Insurance in Wausau Wisconsin until we left for Seminary. Elizabeth enjoys reading and doing things around the home. I knew she was the girl for me when she gave me my first Lutheran Service Book for a birthday present.
The Good Lord has given Elizabeth and me two children, Jane (7) and Eve (5). We homeschool and Jane is almost done with first grade and Eve is in preschool. Both of the girls love to play outside, ride bikes, and build with Legos. They love stories of all kinds. Jane especially likes the “Chronicles of Narnia” (all of them) and is currently working her way through “The Kingdom of Wrenly” series. Eve’s current favorite books are “The Doorbell Rang” and “The Horse and His Boy.” A popular choice for movie night is “Frozen.”
I was born and raised in the Grand Rapids area, baptized at Our Savior and confirmed at Good Shepherd in Middleville. I graduated from Concordia Mequon in 2013 with a degree in Secondary Education with a major in History and a minor in English. I taught Social Studies and English at Wisconsin Valley Lutheran High School from 2013 until 2015 and then spent the next two years as a stay at home dad until entering the Seminary in the summer of 2017. I like to spend my free time hunting and fishing and then butchering, cleaning, and cooking whatever quarry the Good Lord hath provided in His big outdoor grocery store. I also love to play Disc Golf, a gentleman’s sport if there ever was one.
We all look forward to getting to know you all more!
Sincerely,
Pastor-Elect Twietmeyer
May God bless and keep the Twietmeyers and all of us as we remain in the True Vine, our Lord Jesus Christ!
Yours in Him,
Rick Krueger, Parish Assistant
