Dear Brothers and Sisters at Messiah,
As March moves on, we come closer to the turning point of the Church Year - Holy Week & Easter! In this core season of our walking together with Christ, we hope that these reminders of upcoming opportunities for worship, education, fellowship and service will be helpful.
LENT AND HOLY WEEK
Our Lenten midweek services conclude Wednesday, March 20th at 11:00 am and 7:00 pm. The 7:00 pm service will also be livestreamed at www.youtube.com/messiahgr and www.facebook.com/messiahgr; then viewable on our Worship Resources webpage for two weeks.
The March 20th services will meditate on Worship, Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving to God as one of The Marks of the Church. PLEASE NOTE: There will be a Fish Fry (with french fries, coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, and desserts) before the evening service at 6:00 pm, presented by the Board of Elders.
Our Holy Week schedule is as follows:
Maundy Thursday, March 28th – Divine Service at 7:00 pm (also livestreamed). Sign up at the Welcome Center to help with the traditional Stripping of the Altar.
Good Friday, March 29th – Chief Service at 11:00 am; Service of Darkness (Tenebrae) at 7:00 pm. (The 7:00 pm service will be livestreamed.)
Easter Sunday, March 31st -- Divine Services will be held at 7:30 and 10:00 am. (The 10:00 am service will be livestreamed.) Our annual Easter Breakfast will be held in the Fellowship Hall between services. There will be no Bible Class on Easter Sunday.
WEEKLY WORSHIP AND CLASS SCHEDULE
On March 17th & 24th and throughout April, we continue with one Divine Service held at 10:00 am on Sundays, with Bible Class beforehand at 9:00 am. Services are scheduled to be livestreamed at
Our Facebook page. www.facebook.com/messiahgr
The most recent service is viewable on our website's front page, www.messiahgr.org
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.
Our weekly Bible studies also continue:
Shirley Hoese leads a LifeLight class on The Minor Prophets on Tuesdays at 10:30 am. Click here to learn more about this class.
Our weekly women's group CARES (Caring, Active, Reaching, Encouraging Sisters in Christ) meets on Wednesdays at 9:45 am, wrapping up its discussion of God’s Provision in a Wilderness World by Lindsey Hausch. Click here for a book sample.
Dan Bohlinger and Pastor Hoese will lead a LifeLight study of James and Jude, beginning Wednesday, April 3rd at 6:00 pm; sign up at the Welcome Center. Click here to learn more about this class.
WHAT'S NEW & NEXT
Checkour weekly announcements and the March newsletter for details on these and other events:
Our annual Lenten Prayer Breakfast this Saturday, March 16th at 9:30 am. Call the church office for last-minute reservations.
Urdu Worship Service this Saturday, March 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 being held on the third Saturday of each month; Messiah members and friends are welcome to attend!
Bowling this Sunday, March 17th at 3:00 pm.
Palm Cross Making Saturday, March 23rd at 9:00 am. All ages welcome! Sign up at the Welcome Center.
Messiah's annual Easter Egg Hunt, sponsored by the Board of Outreach, is set for Saturday, March 30th at 10:00 am. Sign-ups for volunteers and donations, along with publicity materials for you to share, are now available at the Welcome Center. Families can RSVP for the Egg Hunt online by clicking here!
NEW! Lutheran Women's Missionary League Rapid Waters Zone Rally Saturday, April 13th, 9:30 am to 1:00 pm at Messiah. Erin Mackenzie, missionary to Latin American and Caribbean countries, will be the guest speaker. Sign up at the Welcome Center or contact Linda Blain for details.
Rick Krueger, Parish Assistant
FROM PASTOR ERIC
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Holy Week is just around the corner. Here at Messiah, at sister Lutheran churches across the synod, and indeed with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world, all who are part of the body of Christ prepare for His triumphal entry, the institution of the Lord’s Supper, His betrayal and trial, His crucifixion and death, and of course His glorious resurrection. Amongst all the busy preparations, I pray we never lose sight of the cross and what it means for each of us individually, and all of us together, as the church. Once again, we will hear of the love of God for you, His sacrifice for you, His victory for you. A victory that we will celebrate on Easter, but also a victory that we get to find joy, peace, and hope in, every day of our lives, amen.
Pastor Eric
