Dear Brothers and Sisters at Messiah,
I'm so grateful to be back with you after a couple of weeks away on vacation; thanks so much for your ongoing support and prayers as the month of October begins!
PASTORAL VACANCY/CALL PROCESS UPDATE
Last week, our Call Committee met to review the list of candidates we've received from the Michigan District-LCMS and think through upcoming steps in the call process. The Committee will meet again this week, working to finalize preparations for interviewing candidates. Please keep the committee members (Tammy Ahrens, Mark Altemann, Gina Griffis, secretary Kristen Kaminski, Melanie Kirchhoff, Michael Kutch, chairman Ken Martin, Peter Tessin and me) in your prayers as we continue!
Also, a reminder that our vacancy pastor, Rev. Jason Peterson of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Rockford is in the office at Messiah on Tuesdays from 8:15 to 11:00 am. You can also contact Pastor Peterson by phone at 734-645-4353 or by email at revjpeterson@yahoo.com.
WORSHIP AND CLASS SCHEDULE
We continue with one Divine Service held at 10:00 am on Sundays, with Bible Class beforehand at 9:00 am. (Watch for updates on Sunday School as well.) Services are 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. These are posted at least two days before each service at www.messiahgr.org/worship-resources
Readings and hymns for each service are also listed in the informational note found on the same web pages as our livestreams.
Bible Class is also livestreamed at www.messiahgr.org/adult-bible-class.
Thanks to Pastor James Blain and Pastor Daniel Gruenwald for leading our Divine Services and Sunday Bible Classes in October. We've got weekday classes and an upcoming workshop too:
The fall session of LifeLight: Galatians/Philippians/Colossians continues on Tuesdays at 10:30 am. Dwight Anderson and Shirley Hoese are team teaching this 9-session course. Copies of the study guide are now available; learn more about the course by clicking here.
CARES (Caring, Active, Reaching, Encouraging Sisters in Christ) will resume this Wednesday, October 4th at 9:45 am. CARES will be reading and discussing the book God’s Provision in a Wilderness World by Lindsey Hausch. Click here for a book sample.
Every One His Witness: Witnessing to Adult Children is set for this Saturday, October 7th from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. There's still time to register for this free video-based workshop sponsored by the Board of Outreach! Please sign up on our website (click here) or by calling the church office by this Wednesday, October 4th.
OCTOBER NEWSLETTER + WHAT'S NEW, WHAT'S NEXT
Our October 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 continue to mail the newsletter to homebound members. If you want to receive the newsletter this way, 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.
The newsletter (and our upcoming weekly announcements) have details on these upcoming events:
Harvest Dinner & Bake Sale, sponsored by the Parish Service Guild, Sunday, October 15th after the Divine Service. Join us for a roast pork dinner with all the fixings and more!
Our annual Fall Clean-Up Day, sponsored by the Board of Trustees, is set for Saturday, October 21st. We'll be working inside and outside from 8:00 am through 12:00 noon. Contact Carol Mushong with questions; sign up to help at the Welcome Center!
Trunk or Treat, sponsored by the Board of Outreach, will be held on Thursday, October 26th from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. To volunteer or to donate for this community event, check out our display at the Welcome Center or sign up in Bible Class!
NEW! Prayer Pals Gathering for all confirmed women Sunday, October 29th at 6:00 pm. Contact Debbie Krueger for more information.
NEW! Altar Guild will meet on Saturday, November 4th at 9:30 am to plan for the upcoming festival seasons of the Church Year. Contact Carol Mushong with any questions.
NEW! All Saints Day will be celebrated Sunday, November 5th! If you'd like us to include your late Christian friends and relatives in the commemoration of the faithful departed, fill out and return the slips available at Messiah's Welcome Center by Sunday, October 29th.
LOOKING BOTH WAYS
First, a look back: we were truly blessed to host Pastor Steven Mahlburg, our LCMS missionary to Sri Lanka, for a Mission Sunday celebration on September 17th. I ‘m grateful for the welcome you gave Pastor Mahlburg and his family right before they returned to the mission field! Your attendance in worship and Bible Class, your time spent with the Mahlburgs at our post-service potluck, and the nearly $1000 you generously donated for their mission of training and supporting native Sri Lankan pastors is deeply appreciated. (We also continue to support the Mahlburgs with a dedicated percentage of our offerings.)
In the month to come, I pray that all of us look ahead as well -- to the rich gifts of forgiveness and salvation that our heavenly Father gives in every Sunday's Divine Service; to the strength our Baptism into Christ gives us every day to love Him and serve our neighbors; to daily meditation on and study of God's Word, where the Holy Spirit works to increase our faith and love; to the earthly shepherd that we trust our triune God will provide us in His time. Blessings to all of you as we do so!
Yours in Christ,
Rick Krueger, Parish Assistant
