Dear Brothers and Sisters at Messiah,
Halfway through February, we're already on the verge of contemplating our Lord Jesus Christ's suffering, death and resurrection during the season of Lent. We hope that these reminders of upcoming opportunities for worship, education, fellowship and service will be helpful for you!
LENT BEGINS: ASH WEDNESDAY IS FEBRUARY 14TH
Our Lenten midweek services return tomorrow - Ash Wednesday, February 14th at 11:00 am & 7:00 pm. Ash Wednesday services will include the Imposition of Ashes for those who desire it, along with Holy Communion. Midweek services of Prayer & Preaching will also be held on Wednesday, February 21st through Wednesday, March 20th at 11:00 am and 7:00 pm. Each Wednesday's 7:00 pm service will also be livestreamed at www.youtube.com/messiahgr and www.facebook.com/messiahgr; afterward they will be viewable on our Worship Resources webpage.
The theme of this year's Lenten midweek services will be The Marks of the Church; check out Pastor Eric's article below for more info!
PLEASE NOTE: There will be a Lasagna Dinner (with salads and desserts) before the evening service on Wednesday, February 28th at 6:00 pm, presented by the Board of Trustees.
WEEKLY 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. 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 throughout February and March 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) is meeting on Wednesdays at 9:45 am, reading and discussing the book God’s Provision in a Wilderness World by Lindsey Hausch. Click here for a book sample.
WHAT'S NEW & NEXT
Check our weekly announcements and February newsletter(available here online)for details on these events:
Bowling Sunday, February 18th at 3:00 pm.
NEW! Urdu Worship Service Saturday, February 24th at 5:00 pm. Led by Pastor Afzal Masih, this service will be held in the fellowship hall, with a Pakistani meal following. Beginning on March 16th, Urdu services will be held on the third Saturday of each month at that time. Messiah members and friends are welcome to attend!
NEW! Our annual Lenten Prayer Breakfast is scheduled for Saturday, March 16th at 9:30 am.
NEW! 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 donation, along with publicity materials for you to share, will be available soon at the Welcome Center.
Rick Krueger, Parish Assistant
LOOKING AHEAD WITH PASTOR ERIC
As I make my way up and down US-131 through the city, amongst the office buildings, apartments, and all the rest, the unmistakable appearance of a handful of church steeples always draws my gaze. On Ash Wednesday, I imagine those churches, including Messiah, will mark the beginning of Lent and Christ’s journey towards the cross and the empty tomb. For most people it will just be another Wednesday. Those outside the church might see some people gathering for worship, they might see some people with odd bits of ash on their arms or foreheads, in the coming weeks they might see more advertisements for fish on Fridays, and this might leave them with questions, including a pretty basic one, ‘What is the Church?’
For us it might seem almost silly to ask, but nowadays, in a time of shifting foundations, how we answer this question, "What truly makes the churchThe Church?" has never been more important. But this is certainly not the first and only time this question has come up. Throughout our midweek Lenten services, we will be looking atThe Marks of the Church, as Luther put it. Where these are found, there the Church is. From the birth of the Church on, these marks have always been present, and thus clearly mark out what we are, and who we are, all beginning with the Word of God. United in Christ, brought together in His Church, I pray this Lenten season draws you ever closer to your Savior, who died and rose for you, Amen.
Pastor Eric
