October 15th Update
Dear Brothers and Sisters of Messiah,
Thanks for your wonderful response to this month's Every One His Witness workshop and Harvest Dinner. Two things for your immediate attention:
Check out our website www.messiahgr.org when you get a chance; it's been refreshed and restructured to bring it up to date and make navigating it easier. Thanks to our office manager Noelle Kaminski for her work on this project!
As always, we hope you'll volunteer for Trunk or Treat at the end of this month (see below). We're encouraging volunteers to come dressed as something God made or as a Bible character, and to decorate your cars that way too! We have themed car decorations available for you to use; contact Kristen Kaminski if you're interested!
WORSHIP AND CLASS SCHEDULE
We continue with Divine Service at 10:00 am on Sundays. Bible Class continues beforehand at 9:00 am with the Paul Maier video study Jesus: Legend or Lord. 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
Our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/messiahgr
The most recent livestreamed service is viewable on our website's front page, www.messiahgr.org
LifeLight continues with these studies:
Lifelight Foundations: Parables, led by Shirley Hoese, Tuesday mornings at 10:30 am.. Click here to view a sample.
LifeLight: Selected Psalms, led by Dan Bohlinger & Pastor Hoese, Wednesday evenings at 6:00 pm. Click here to view a sample.
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.
Reformation Sunday is October 26th.
All Saints Sunday is November 2nd. To include your Christian loved ones and friends in our annual Commemoration of the Faithful Departed, fill out and return the slips found on the Welcome Center by Sunday, October 26th.
WHAT'S NEW & NEXT
Our October newsletter is 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 our announcements regularly for updates on the events listed below and more!
Fall Clean-Up Day sponsored by the Board of Trustees Saturday, October 18th from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon.
Lutheran Women's Missionary League Rally Saturday, October 18th from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Rockford. Contact Linda Blain for details.
NEW! Lutheran Men's Ministry Conference Saturday, October 18th from 8:00 am - 1:00 pm at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Jenison. Learn more and RSVP at actgrmm.org
Prayer Pals Revealing Night, Sunday, October 19th. Contact Deb Krueger for more details.
Bowling League continues Sunday, October 26th 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.
Trunk or Treat, Thursday, October 30th from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, sponsored by the Board of Outreach. Volunteer sign-ups at the Welcome Center; there's also a donation bin for candy and other goodies in the church foyer.
NEW! Altar Guild Fall Meeting Saturday, November 1st at 9:30 am in the upstairs classrooms. Contact Carol Mushong for details.
NEW! 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.
Yours in Christ, Rick Krueger
FROM DISTRICT PRESIDENT DAVID DAVIS (in the Fall issue of Michigan in Touch):
"Regardless of the challenges, let us extol and celebrate our congregational life, accenting three key areas - and one more thing:
"For our life together to thrive, we must be immersed in, not dabbling with, God's Word (See 2 Kings 22–23).
"For our life together to thrive, we must recapture a biblical understanding of membership (See 1 Corinthians 12).
"For our life together to thrive, we must understand Christian love as a gift to our neighbors (See 1 John 4).
"For our life together to thrive, our congregations need to see that they are part of a bigger whole, a Kingdom that transcends time and space (See Revelation 21)."
"Satan loves to corrupt gifts from God. The gift that is congregational life is not immune from attack. But such life together is indeed a gift, a gift to steward. May God’s Spirit lead us to thrive within congregational life, extolling and celebrating it day by day."
(Read the complete article here. Read the Fall issue ofMichigan in Touchhere.)
OCTOBER'S HYMN OF THE MONTH - ANOTHER VERSION
A decidedly different take on October’s Hymn of the Month, “Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word” (Lutheran Service Book655) from internationally known singer (and lifelong LCMS Lutheran) Lyle Lovett.