October 29th Update

Written By Rick Krueger

Dear Brothers and Sisters of Messiah,

Trunk or Treat, our annual community event, is this Thursday, October 30th from 6:00 to 7:30 pm!  As of right now, the weather forecast is looking good for holding Trunk or Treat outdoors. The Board of Outreach is delighted with your response and thanks everyone who has volunteered and donated candy and food.  There are still opportunities for volunteers to serve in the areas listed below:

  • Treaters (bring your car trunk and a starter stash of candy -- refills provided.  Prizes will be given for best costume and best trunk decorations -- but there are also pre-purchased decorations for you to use!  Contact Kristen Kaminski for details.)

  • Traffic Controllers

  • Greeters

  • Carnival Game Staffers

  • General Helpers

And we could still use donations of the following food items:

  • Juice Boxes

  • Bottled Water (8 ounce size)


Also, Daylight Savings Time ends this weekend!  A timely reminder: please set your clocks back one hour before you go to bed Saturday night.  

There’s plenty of information about upcoming worship, education, fellowship, outreach and service activities follows!

WORSHIP AND CLASS SCHEDULE

  • We continue with Divine Service at 10:00 am on Sundays. Bible Class continues beforehand at 9:00 am.  Sunday School for children PreK and up is held after worship, starting about 11:15 am. 

  • Livestreams of our Sunday services can be found at

  • These LifeLight studies conclude soon, but it's not too late to join in:

  • CARES (Caring, Active, Reaching, Encouraging Sisters in Christ) continues on Wednesday mornings at 9:45 am.  This women’s book discussion group continues reading Leaning on Jesus: A Study of God’s Strength by Deb Burma; click here for a sample.

  • All Saints Sunday is November 2nd.  The Divine Service will include the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed.  (Again, be sure to set your clocks back one hour before going to bed on Saturday, November 1st.)

  • Our Thanksgiving Eve Divine Service is set for Wednesday, November 26th 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.  Pastor Eric will preside, Rev. Jason Peterson will preach and a joint choir will provide musical leadership.

  • Midweek Advent Services begin on Wednesday, December 3rd.  Prayer services will be offered at 11:00 am on December 3rd, 10th and 17th, as well as at 7:00 pm on December 3rd.  Wednesday evening services will also include our Preschool Christmas Service on December 10th at 6:30 pm and Christmas Reflections (Lessons and Carols) on December 17th at 7:00 pm.  See the online November newsletter (linked below) for up to date details on our Advent, Christmas & Epiphany services.


WHAT'S NEW & NEXT
Our November newsletter is now online; click here to preview or download it in its entirety. Paper copies are available at the Welcome Center.  We post the newsletter (including monthly calendars) and our weekly announcements online at www.messiahgr.org; calendars are also online separately at www.messiahgr.org/calendar.  Be sure to check these sources regularly for updates on the events listed below and more!

  • Altar Guild Fall Meeting Saturday, November 1st at 9:30 am in the upstairs classrooms. Contact Carol Mushong for details.

  • Game Night Saturday, November 8th at 6:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall. Join us for a crazy card game that is guaranteed to make you laugh. We will have snacks but feel free to bring a snack to share if you like. Contact Sherry Troutwine or Shirley Kremm for details.

  • Bowling League continues Sunday, November 9th & 23rd at 3:00 pm at Northfield Lanes on Plainfield Avenue.  We bowl every other Sunday through March; both league members and substitute bowlers are always welcome. If you have any questions, please contact Joanne Gillette.

  • NEW! Holiday Basket Donations (of both gift cards & non-perishable food) are being taken through Sunday, November 16th.  Contact Joe & Becky Buss for details.

  • NEW!  Annual Voters' Meeting Sunday, November 16th following the Divine Service.  Join us to hear reports & updates, elect officers & board members, and consider the 2026 congregational budget.  There'll be a potluck too! 

  • NEW!  Christmas Bazaar Saturday, December 6th, 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 (the next Guild meeting is on Thursday, November 13th at 1:00 pm).  Proceeds support congregational projects and LCMS missions!

  • NEW! Advent Prayer Breakfast, Saturday, December 13th at 9:30 am.  Sign-ups and details coming soon!
     

Yours in Christ, Rick Krueger


FROM PASTOR MARTIN LUTHER
(QUOTED BY PASTOR ERIC IN THE NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER):
'The chief article and foundation of the gospel is that before you take Christ as an example, you accept and recognize him as a gift, as a present that God has given you and that is your own. This means that when you see or hear of Christ doing or suffering something, you do not doubt that Christ himself, with his deeds and suffering, belongs to you. On this you may depend as surely as if you had done it yourself; indeed as if you were Christ himself.

'See, this is what it means to have a proper grasp of the gospel, that is, of the overwhelming goodness of God, which neither prophet, nor apostle, nor angel was ever able fully to express, and which no heart could adequately fathom or marvel at. This is the great fire of the love of God for us, whereby the heart and conscience become happy, secure, and content. This is what preaching the Christian faith means. This is why such preaching is called gospel, which in German means a joyful, good, and comforting “message”; and this is why the apostles are called the “twelve messengers.”'

- from "A Brief Instruction on What to Look for and Expect in the Gospels," 1521


NOVEMBER'S HYMN OF THE MONTH - "FOR ALL THE SAINTS," LUTHERAN SERVICE BOOK 677
The text of this thoroughly British hymn was written specifically for All Saints Day by Rev. William How, who served as an Anglican bishop and a hymnal editor during the 1800s. The text gained international popularity when paired with a new tune (whimsically titled “Sine Nomine” – Latin for “without a name”) by the young composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. In his introduction to the widely influentialEnglish Hymnalof 1906, Vaughan Williams took his stand for beauty, nobility and simplicity in church music: “It ought no longer to be true anywhere that the most exalted moments of a churchgoer’s week are associated with music that would not be tolerated in any place of secular entertainment.” We hope that you enjoy singing this hymn not just on All Saints Sunday, but throughout November!

Rick Krueger Messiah Lutheran Church
Next

Gregory DeGlopper, 1952-2025