Dear Brothers and Sisters at Messiah,
Advent is here! We hope that our list of opportunities for worship, devotion, fellowship and service will be helpful as all of us prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
SUNDAY WORSHIP AND CLASS SCHEDULE:
We continue with the Divine Service Sundays at 8:30 and 11:00 am, with Sunday School and Bible Class at 9:45 am. The 11:00 am service is scheduled to be livestreamed at:
Our website www.messiahgr.org
Our Facebook page www.facebook.com/messiahgr.
Please note that bulletins formatted for use with our livestream are available for downloading and/or printing at home by the Wednesday before each service. These are posted weekly at www.messiahgr.org/worship-resources
Thanks for your patience as we work to resolve recent issues with livestream consistency.
Bible Class is also livestreamed at www.messiahgr.org/adult-bible-class
For our special Sunday schedule on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, see below; Sunday School will not be held on those dates.
ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS SERVICES
Advent midweek services will be held:
Wednesday, November 30th at 11:00 am and 7:00 pm.
Wednesday, December 7th at 11:00 am and 7:00 pm.
Wednesday, December 14th at 11:00 am. (See below for information about the evening service on December 14th.)
Wednesday, December 21st at 11:00 am and 7:00 pm.
Other special Advent and Christmas services will be held as follows:
Preschool Christmas Program, Thursday, December 8th at 6:30 pm.
Christmas Reflections (Lessons and Carols), Wednesday, December 14th at 7:00 pm. Cider and cookies following!
Advent Prayer Breakfast, Saturday, December 17th at 9:30 am.
Christmas Eve Divine Service, Saturday, December 24th at 3:00 pm.
Christmas Eve Family Candlelight Service, Saturday, December 24th at 7:00 pm.
Christmas Day Divine Service, Sunday, December 25th at 10:00 am.
New Year's Day Divine Service, Sunday, January 1st, 2023 at 10:00 am.
Epiphany Divine Service at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Rockford, Friday, January 6th, 2023 at 7:00 pm. Supper beforehand at 6:00 pm!
Please note that the Wednesday evening services, the 7:00 pm Christmas Eve service and the Christmas & New Year's Day services are scheduled to be livestreamed as above.
WHAT'S UP, WHAT'S COMING
(Details in our weekly announcements and in the December newsletter)
CARES (Caring, Active, Reaching, Encouraging Sisters in Christ) continues on Wednesdays at 9:30 am, focusing on the book Chosen: A Study of Esther by Donna Snow. CARES will not meet on December 21st and 28th.
Our biweekly Bowling League continues on Sunday, December 11th at 3:00 pm at Northfield Lanes. Contact Joanne Gillette for more details.
Christmas Cookie and Craft Bazaar sponsored by the Parish Services Guild. this Saturday, December 3rd from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Contact Barb Brinkman, Sherry Troutwine, Deb Krueger or Tammy Ahrens if you'd like to help!
Christmas Caroling to Messiah's homebound members and others on Saturday, December 10th from 3:00 to 6:00 pm, with a potluck supper following. Sign-up sheets are now available at the Welcome Center and in Adult Bible Class.
DECEMBER NEWSLETTER
Our December newsletter is now available online! Click here to preview or download it in its entirety. A reminder that:
Paper copies of the newsletter are available for members and guests at the Welcome Center. We also continue to mail the newsletter to homebound members. If you want to continue receiving the newsletter, please contact the church office to make arrangements.
We also post the newsletter (including monthly calendars) online at www.messiahgr.org/news; calendars are also online separately at www.messiahgr.org/calendar.
FROM DEACONESS DORIS KAYSER
"Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I hope this finds you well and enjoying this wonderful Christmas season. I want to give you an update, as I still consider us family!!"
"I am settling in nicely after my move to Arkansas. I keep busy with church activities at Pastor Emil Woerner’s church, Friends in Christ Lutheran Church in Bryant, Arkansas. I joined a local orchestra, the Saline Symphony Orchestra, in which I play my clarinet. We will perform a Christmas Concert on December 10th. I also joined the Arkansas Choral Society. We will perform Handel’s Messiah on December 2nd. I always enjoy being musically active!!"
"In July, I saw a new infectious disease specialist in Washington, D.C. at the Jemsek Specialty Clinic. The diagnosis is Lyme Borreliosis Complex. I’m currently on an oral treatment regimen; remission is possible, but it may take 1-2 years to get rid of the infection. I’m very thankful for the opportunity to be treated at this clinic, and for the people at my new church that have helped to clean my apartment and do some grocery shopping for me. And mostly, I’m very thankful the Lord brought Emil into my life!!"
"My 96-year-old Dad is doing pretty well in Caledonia. It’ll be one year this year (November 21st) that Mom went to be with Jesus. Dad enjoys time with nearby family and many friends. Izzy, his cat, also helps with the loneliness. Lord willing, my dad plans to visit us in Arkansas in the spring."
"I miss all of you at Messiah and wish you a very merry Christmas! May our Lord Jesus Christ be ever present with you this Christmas Season!! Thanks be to God!!"
Yours in Christ,
Rick Krueger, Parish Assistant
