Dear Brothers and Sisters at Messiah,
As the 12 days of Christmas continue and 2022 comes to a close, we hope that this update helps you look ahead to the new year!
CHRISTMAS SEASON SERVICES
Our remaining Christmas services are scheduled as follows:
New Year's Day Divine Service, Sunday, January 1st at 10:00 am. There will be no Sunday School or Bible Class.
Our second annual joint Epiphany Divine Service at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Rockford, Friday, January 6th, 2023 at 7:00 pm. Chili supper beforehand at 6:00 pm; bring a dish to pass!
Please note that the New Year's Day service is scheduled to be livestreamed at:
Our website www.messiahgr.org
Our Facebook page www.facebook.com/messiahgr.
Bulletins formatted for use with our livestream are available for downloading and/or printing at home before each service. These are posted at www.messiahgr.org/worship-resources
SUNDAY WORSHIP AND CLASS SCHEDULE:
Our regular schedule of worship, Sunday School and Bible Class will resume on Sunday, January 8th, with the Divine Service at 8:30 and 11:00 am, and Sunday School and Bible Class at 9:45 am. 11:00 am services are scheduled to be livestreamed as above.
Bible Class is also livestreamed at www.messiahgr.org/adult-bible-class.
WHAT'S UP, WHAT'S COMING
(Details in our weekly announcements and in the January newsletter)
The church office will be closed on Monday, January 2nd.
Senior Choir will resume rehearsals on Wednesday, January 4th at 7:00 pm. That evening, we will meet at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Rockford to practice our joint anthems for the Epiphany Divine Service! Rehearsals at Messiah will start up again on Wednesday, January 11th at 7:00 pm.
New Member Welcome Sunday is January 8th! New members who have joined since 2021 will be welcomed publicly in each service, with a Welcome Potluck in the Fellowship Hall following the 11:00 am service; please bring a dish to pass.
Our biweekly Bowling League resumes on Sunday, January 8th at 3:00 pm at Northfield Lanes. Contact Joanne Gillette for more details.
LifeLight: 1st & 2nd Peter begins Tuesday, January 10th at 10:30 am.
CARES (Caring, Active, Reaching, Encouraging Sisters in Christ) will resume on Wednesday, January 11th at 9:30 am, continuing the book Chosen: A Study of Esther by Donna Snow.
The annual Parish Leadership Workshop is scheduled for Saturday, January 14th. Continental Breakfast starts at 8:30 am, followed by the Workshop at 9:00 am.
National Lutheran Schools Week is January 22nd-28th; our preschool children will be our guest choir on Sunday, January 22nd at the 11:00 am service!
JANUARY NEWSLETTER
Our January 2023 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.
LOOKING AHEAD (from Pastor's January newsletter article):
St. Paul gives us great comfort: “To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” This teaches us that when a Christian resolves to do good, the growth is given by God. In order to accomplish our resolves, we pray! We implore God almighty to carry out the good that we wish to do! Therefore, this new year, it behooves all Christians to pray fervently to God that he send to us a spirit of resolve. A blessed New Year to all of you!
Yours in Christ,
Rick Krueger, Parish Assistant
