Dear Brothers and Sisters at Messiah,
Blessed All Saints' Eve (in case you ever wondered where the word Halloween comes from, think All Hallows Eve) - and blessed Reformation Day! We're wrapping up what's been a busy week finishing a busy month. Thanks to all the onsite volunteers who greeted more than 575 guests at our annual Trunk or Treat event, as well as to everyone who donated candy and other supplies. Thanks also for the fellowship and support you shared with our newest members, who we officially welcomed on Reformation Sunday!
As the end of the Church Year arrives, opportunities for worship, education, fellowship and service continue into November and beyond. Details below!
WEEKLY WORSHIP AND CLASS SCHEDULE
NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER + WHAT'S NEW AND NEXT
FROM PASTOR ERIC
WEEKLY WORSHIP AND CLASS SCHEDULE
The Divine Service continues weekly at 10:00 am on Sundays. Sunday School & Bible Class are held beforehand at 9:00 am, beginning with a joint opening in the Fellowship Hall. These special services are coming up:
All Saints Sunday, November 3rd. The Divine Service will include the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed. (Daylight Savings Time ends this weekend, so be sure to set your clocks back one hour before going to bed on Saturday, November 2nd.)
Messiah's 60th Anniversary, Sunday, November 10th. Pastor Terry Hoese will preach for this celebration, and a dessert reception in the Fellowship Hall will follow the Divine Service.
Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, November 27th at 7:00 pm. We welcome our brothers & sisters in Christ from St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Rockford for this joint Divine Service, held at Messiah. Rev. Jason Peterson will preach and a joint choir will provide musical leadership.
Midweek Advent Services begin on Wednesday, December 4th. Services of Prayer & Preaching will be offered at 11:00 am on December 4th, 11th and 18th, as well as at 7:00 pm on December 4th. Wednesday Evening services will also include our Preschool Christmas Service on December 11th at 6:30 pm and Christmas Reflections (Lessons and Carols) on December 18th at 7:00 pm. See the online November newsletter (linked below) for updated details on our Advent & Christmas services.
Livestreams of our Divine Services can be found at
Our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/messiahgr
The most recent livestreamed service is viewable on our website's front page, www.messiahgr.org
Fall LifeLight Sessions on The Epistles of John wrap up this month, but's it not too late to join in! Sessions are held on Tuesdays at 10:30 am and Wednesdays at 6:00 pm. Click here for a sample of the study guide.
CARES (Caring, Active, Reaching, Encouraging Sisters in Christ) continue their weekly sessions on Wednesdays at 9:45 am. Click here for a sample of this year's CARES book Unfailing: God's Assurance for Times of Change by Rev. Christopher Kennedy.
NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER + WHAT'S NEW AND NEXT
Our November newsletter is now online! Click here to preview or download it in its entirety. Paper copies of the newsletter are available for members and guests at the Welcome Center. We also post the newsletter (including monthly calendars) online at www.messiahgr.org/news; calendars are also online separately at www.messiahgr.org/calendar
Check the newsletter and our weekly announcements for information on the events listed below:
Altar Guild this Saturday, November 2nd at 9:30 am, preparing for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany! Contact Carol Mushong for details.
Bowling League continues Sunday, November 10th at 3:00pm at Northfield Lanes, bowling every other Sunday through April. Contact Joanne Gillette for details.
Urdu Worship Service Saturday, November 16th at 5:00 pm. Led by Pastor Afzal Masih, this service will be held in the fellowship hall, with a Pakistani meal following. Urdu services are held on the third Saturday of each month; Messiah members and friends are welcome to attend!
Annual Voters’ Meeting Sunday, November 24th following the Divine Service. We’ll gather to hear reports and updates, elect officers and board members, and consider the 2025 congregational budget. A potluck will be held between the service and the meeting.
Christmas Bazaar Saturday, December 7th, sponsored by our Parish Services Guild. If you'd like to help with prep work, volunteer staffing, clean-up and/or baking cookies for this day-long event, talk to a Guild member. Proceeds support congregational projects and LCMS missions!
Yours in Christ,
Rick Krueger, Parish Assistant
FROM PASTOR ERIC (in the November newsletter)
We know all that we have in this life flows from God’s loving hands, we know we are stewards of all that He gives us, we know all that. But we are still tempted so often to hold something back, to keep something, or some part of ourselves tucked away. But Christ did not come to save part of you, and we are not part time workers in God’s kingdom. Sheep or goats, follow Christ or not, all or nothing. Life or death. God or Satan. But even when we want to choose wisely, the flesh is weak.
Thank goodness that Christ was the one putting Satan in his place. As even our youngest children can sing, ‘they are weak but He is strong. Yes! Jesus loves me.’ We are not perfect servants, but our God perfectly serves us. We are not perfect stewards, but our God still blesses us with all that we need and more. We are not perfect children of God, and in fact we are far from perfect, but we have a perfect Savior who fights on our behalf. Each and every day, as we struggle as stewards with our money, with our time, with our talents, we have the perfect Holy Spirit constantly guiding, constantly restoring, constantly, forgiving us and ever growing us closer to God and to each other in the church.
As we make all these decisions in our lives, how to spend our time, how to serve our neighbor, how much to give, and a thousand other choices, we do so knowing that Christ has chosen us. That our Heavenly Father daily provides. That the Holy Spirit is ever with us, granting us the wisdom and peace that can only come from above, keeping us in the one true faith. We serve, we give, we share, as part of an eternal kingdom, an eternal people, full of eternal life, given and shared freely with us, by our servant king, our brother and redeemer, Jesus Christ, Amen.
A MUSICAL POSTSCRIPT
Following up on our last update's Reformation video, here's a hymn for today, tomorrow, this coming Sunday and on into eternity:
