Dear Brothers and Sisters at Messiah,
This Thursday marks the halfway point of the Lenten season; we hope that these reminders of upcoming opportunities for worship, education, fellowship and service will be helpful for you.
WORSHIP AND CLASS SCHEDULE:
Our Sunday schedule of worship and classes continues, 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 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, hymns and liturgy for each service are also listed in the informational note found on the same pages as our livestreams.
Bible Class is also livestreamed at www.messiahgr.org/adult-bible-class.
During the week:
CARES (Caring, Active, Reaching, Encouraging Sisters in Christ) continues, led by Pastor Twietmeyer. During Lent (see below), the Wednesday morning study begins promptly at 9:30 am.
Lenten Midweek services continue on Wednesdays at 11:00 am (Matins) & 7:00 pm (Vespers) through March 29th. The 7:00 pm service will be livestreamed as above.
Special Holy Week services will be held as follows:
Maundy Thursday, April 6th at 7:00 pm. This service will be livestreamed.
Good Friday, April 7th at 11:00 am & 7:00 pm. The 7:00 pm service will be livestreamed.
Services on Easter Sunday, April 9th will be held at 7:30 & 10:30 am; the 10:30 am service will be livestreamed. The annual Easter Breakfast is scheduled for between services.
WHAT'S UP, WHAT'S COMING:
(Details in our weekly announcements and in the March newsletter)
Lenten Prayer Breakfast this Saturday, March 18th at 9:30 am. Sign up at the Welcome Center or call the church office.
The Board of Elders will hold a Fish Fry on Wednesday, March 22nd at 6:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall, before the evening's Lenten service.
Our annual Spiritual Growth Seminar Saturday, March 25th. The Rev. Dr. Paul Grime, Dean of Spiritual Formation and the Chapel at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana will be our keynote speaker on the topic Praying with Boldness and Humility. Click here for complete information & an online RSVP form; you can also sign up at the Welcome Center or in Bible Class. Please RSVP or sign up by Monday, March 20th!
Messiah's annual Easter Egg Hunt, sponsored by the Board of Outreach, is set for Saturday, April 8th at 10 am. Sign-ups for volunteers and donation, along with publicity materials for you to share, are now available at the Welcome Center. Advance RSVPs from families are strongly encouraged; families can click here to sign up by Friday, April 7th.
LOOKING AHEAD:
During the Sundays in Lent still to come, the Lord promises Isaiah that He will turn darkness into light and Jesus heals a man born blind; the Lord shows Ezekiel the valley of dry bones revived by His Word and Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead; and crowds follow the Son of God to see, hear, ridicule and finally crucify Him. In all this Christ humbles Himself for our sake, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross!
And there's more! Our Wednesday services explore what all this means: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:1-11); through His obedience, we are made righteous in His Father's sight (Romans 5:12-21) and His Holy Spirit sets us free from sin and death (Romans 8:1-17). We pray that, awed by our Lord's amazing love, you'll join us to hear this Good News again, rejoicing in God's saving gifts and praising Him for His grace and mercy!
Yours in Christ,
Rick Krueger, Parish Assistant
