Dear Brothers and Sisters at Messiah,
Day by day, we move forward in our Lord's love and care -- and things keep happening that we want you to know about!
PASTORAL VACANCY & CALL PROCESS UPDATE
A reminder that Rev. Jason Peterson of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Rockford is serving as Messiah’s day-to-day vacancy pastor. He'll be in the office at Messiah on Tuesdays from 8:15 to 11:00 am. You can also contact Pastor Peterson any time, by phone at 734-645-4353 or by email at revjpeterson@yahoo.com.
Also, a reminder that we're quickly approaching the deadline for adult members to submit names of pastoral candidates that we'll pass along to the Michigan District-LCMS. If you want to submit a candidate's information but haven't already done so, click here to see our finalized Pastor Profile, and click here for an official nomination form. All nominations must be returned to the church office by tomorrow - Wednesday, August 16th. If all goes well, this schedule should put us on track to receive a pastoral call list around four weeks after that deadline. Thanks to District Facilitator Rev. Randy Johnson and District President David Davis for their recent visits and their ongoing support.
WORSHIP AND CLASS SCHEDULE
For the rest of this month and continuing into the fall, there will be one Divine Service held at 10:00 am on Sundays, with Bible Class beforehand at 9:00 am. Watch for more information regarding Sunday School coming soon. Divine Services will also be held through August 28th on Mondays at 7:00 pm. The Sunday 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. 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 pages as our livestreams.
Bible Class is also livestreamed at www.messiahgr.org/adult-bible-class.
Thanks to Pastor James Blain for leading our Divine Services and Bible classes during the rest of August.
WHAT'S NEW, WHAT'S NEXT
Our August newsletterand our upcoming weekly announcements)have details on these upcoming events:
Due to circumstances beyond our control, the final sessions of "Not Choir" scheduled for August 16th, 23rd and 30th have been cancelled.
Lutherans in Fellowship Together will meet after the service next Sunday, August 20th to finalize plans for the Community Picnic and plan more fall events.
Our annual Community Picnic sponsored by the Board of Outreach will be held on Sunday, August 27th after the Divine Service. Sign up to bring food or help with games in Bible Class or at the Welcome Center.
Senior Choir practices resume Wednesday, September 6th at 7:00 pm in the sanctuary.
NEW! A fall session of LifeLight: Galatians/Philippians/Colossians will begin on Tuesday, September 12th at 10:30 am. Dwight Anderson and Shirley Hoese will be team teaching this 9-session course. Copies of the study guide will be available soon; learn more about the course by clicking here.
Movie Night on Friday, September 15th. Church and preschool families are invited to a special showing of The Lion King. More details to come!
Pastor Steven Mahlburg, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod missionary, and his family will visit Messiah for a Mission Festival on Sunday, September 17th. Join us for Bible Class, the Divine Service and a festive potluck (bring a dish to pass). A freewill offering will also be taken to support the Mahlburgs' ongoing ministry.
NEW! Every One His Witness: Witnessing to Dechurched Adult Children is set for the morning of Saturday, October 7th. Join us for this video-based workshop sponsored by the Board of Outreach. Detailed information is coming later this month.
LOOKING AHEAD
During the rest of August, the Gospel readings for our services show Jesus at His most challenging! When a Canaanite woman seeks healing for her daughter in Matthew 15:21-28, Jesus' seemingly harsh and unsympathetic reaction gives way to praise of her faith and the granting of her prayer. And when the Savior abruptly asks His disciples "who do you say that I am?" in Matthew 16:13-20, the faith that Peter confesses on their behalf brings His sure and certain promise that Hell will not prevail against His Church. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, may we echo the woman's cry for mercy and Peter's simple trust in our own prayers, asking our Lord to give us the shepherd we know He has in mind for us and relying on Him to provide all our needs of body and soul as we wait!
Yours in Christ,
Rick Krueger, Parish Assistant
