On Eagle's Wings Mission 2011

This year Christine Berry was our missionary to the Northwest Territories as part of the On Eagle's Wings Mission. Christine along with two ladies from Mechanicsville, PA went to the villiage of Deline.


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Deline is a Dene Village of the the Satchu Tribe on the Great Bear Lake. The native language is Northern Slavey and the villiage of Deline is pretty remote. Deline has a population of 550, and it is the only village on Great Bear Lake which straddles the Arctic Circle.

It took 3 airlines, 5 flights and 2 days for Christine to reach Deline.

Christine said of her trip, "I have a mosaic memory of the kids.  The Bible school theme was Splash-Show, People Love and Shared Happiness.  From Logan who cried the first day until the very end when I let him wear the white hat (aka the skit headgear).  The rest of the week he came and had a huge smile.  5 year old Tayla told me she knew "Our Father" and asked if I wanted to hear it - it is the Lord's Prayer.  Layla and Noaka led the snack prayer with "Our Father" in Northern Slavey, all the kids bowed their heads, the kids running around the arena rushed back to their seats, bowed their heads, and the prayer volume kept rising.  It gave me goose bumps.  The kids rushing to comfort a little 5 year old who was frequently teary.  She had just come to live with her grandparents because her mother is having problems."

Christine also went on to say how much Paul's letters helped her.  "I have a better lesson of those letters.  It was a lesson this year for me to not let fear of the unknown and pain prevent me from carrying on and trusting in God."

Messiah Lutheran Church has been supporting the On Eagle's Wings Mission for many years.  Throughout the year we conduct several fund raising events to help support the mission.  This year's fund raisers have included a Spaghetti Dinner and Talent show as well as a Auction.

On Eagle's Wings serves more than 30 remote communities in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut from a base in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The people of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are Inuit, Metis and First Nations people who come from five different tribal backgrounds.  The area is served primarily by the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches in partnership with On Eagle's Wings

Thrivent Builds and The Moore Family

From 2011

On Sunday, July 17th, Messiah Lutheran Church was visited by Frank Childs from Thrivent and the Moore family.  The Moore family is the owner of the Habitat For Humanity Home that members of Messiah helped construct this year. We have been blessed as a congregation by the opportunity to get to know and work with this awesome family.  We are also thankful for the leadership and support provided by Thrivent.  We can't wait until next year's habitat build.

Here are some pictures from this year's build.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is a Fortune 500 financial services organization that offers financial products and services including life insurance, annuities, mutual funds, disability income insurance, bank products and more to its nearly 3 million members. Thrivent Financial sponsors national outreach programs, notably its alliance with Habitat for Humanity. Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity seeks to increase Habitat's capacity to build more homes and promote donations, volunteerism, neighborhood development as well as worldwide homebuilding trips by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' members.

Habitat for Humanity International is founded on the conviction that every man, woman and child should have a decent, safe and affordable place to live. Through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat and its homeowner families have built or rehabilitated more than 400,000 houses. A nonprofit, nondenominational Christian housing ministry, Habitat invites people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build together in partnership.

Sanctuary Expansion

You have probably noticed that construction of Messiah Lutheran Church's new Sanctuary has commenced.  It is pretty hard to miss the large construction equipment and somewhat disheveled appearance of the front of the Church. As construction proceeds we will provide periodic updates to make sure that  the congregation knows what is going on.

We will be also making maximum use of the Parish Hall during the construction period. This facility will be used not only for our Worship Services, but will also be used for all of the other events that we normally use it for including Wednesday Night Cafe, Musical Events, etc. This means that will all be getting good at taking down and setting up the chairs for services. As I was reminded by some of the older members of the congregation, this is not that big of a hardship. The founding members of Messiah Lutheran had to set up chairs in the union hall every week for services. I guess that we can manage for a few months until our shiny new Sanctuary is complete. Thanks in advance for all our your support during the next six months.

2011 Habitat For Humanity Build Is Complete

The 2011 Habitat For Humanity Build is Complete. On Thursday, June 23, 2011 we gathered together in celebration for the dedication of five habitat homes. Messiah Lutheran Church partnered with Thrivent Builds and eight other Lutheran Churches to help build a home for the Moore Family.  The photo gallery attached to this post is a little larger than usual.  It contains close to one thousand pictures that document the build of our house from beginning to end.  Though one thousand is a lot of pictures, it is only a small representation of the thousands of hours that went into building this home.  Many thanks to everyone who contributed or volunteered to help turn an empty patch of grass into a beautiful and safe home for a deserving family.  And special thanks to our house leader Dan Pate who has now helped us complete five habitat homes.

Sam, The Shams And The Shepherd King

Messiah Lutheran Church Music Camp presents Sam, The Shams And The Shepherd King.

Many thanks to all of the Cast, Crew, Performers and Volunteers who put this awesome Worship service together in just one week.

Habitat House Nearing Completion

This year's Habitat For Humanity project is nearing completion. This week we completed all of the landscaping. We are waiting for a final decision on the home dedication date. Stay tuned for the exact time and date.

Using Junk to Build Houses

Messiah Lutheran Church conducted its annual rummage sale yesterday.  The Church raised over $1000 which will be used to support Habitat for Humanity.  Special thanks to Paulette McNamara and all of the volunteers who donated the items and organized the event.  

Congratulations Confirmands

Congratulations to the newest confirmands of Messiah Lutheran Church. Sunday marked the end of a two year program in which the confirmands built upon their faith foundation. During this two year process, the confirmands focused on many areas of their spiritual life including:

• A focus on grace, affirmation of Baptism, mission, discipleship, and vocation.
• A focus on the Bible and the Small Catechism.
• An understanding of affirmation of Baptism as a lifelong process rather than a once-in-a-lifetime event.

This year's confirmands are:

• Meggy Nazrini deJong
• James Samuel Hendrick
• Mitchell Taylor Holden
• Stephanie Taylor Holden
• Jacob Alexander Mahafza
• Mikayla Rachel Mast
• Rebecca Lynn Mast
• Morgan Nicole McDaniels
• Jacqueline Dee Stender
• Ashlyn Allegra Perry
• Kyle Aaron Thompson

Confirmation usually takes place during the 8th and 9th grades, but older students often participate.  If you are interested in confirmation, please contact the Church office.

Volunteers Needed For Disaster Response

Messiah's FEMA Form Brigade

Volunteers from the community congregations  in cooperation with InterFaith Mission Service (IMS) and FEMA are canvassing the tornado ravaged areas in our community to assist and encourage those affected to register with FEMA.  Messiah is working in cooperation with All Saints Lutheran, Eagle's Nest Ministries and Progressive Union Baptist in the Ford's Chapel/Wall Triana/ Stoval area of Harvest.  We have identified 200-300 homes in this area that have damage.  In addition to going door-to-door, we will also be hosting "Help Centers" at locations near this area where residents can come in for help with the FEMA process.  If you are interested in helping with this endeavor please contact Kay Spence, our area coordinator.  Training is provided and you can work as much or as little as you want. =)  The deadline for FEMA registration is June 27.

CHAINSAWS NEEDED  JUNE 11

The United Way is hosting a clean-up blitz on June 11 and are in desparate need of persons who will donate their chainsaw help.  There are about 500 volunteers ready to haul limbs to the curb but they need chainsaws to cut up the downed trees.  If you can volunteer some time on Saturday, June 11, please contact Marcie Williams at the United Way (marcie.williams@uwhsv.org or 256-518-8206).  You may also volunteer at www.keepvolunteering.org or check this site for the latest information on the recovery efforts, volunteer opportunities or needed donations.

Mission to Guatemala

Please pray for our missionary Lois as she travels today with a delegation from the SE Synod to the Lutheran Church in Guatemala (ILAG).

The Iglesia Luterana Agustina de Guatemala (Augustinian Lutheran Church of Guatemala) was founded in 1991 by Padre Horacio Castillo and his family. The members come from the margins of the Guatemalan society, people of few resources and are predominantly indigenous.

Guatemala suffered through a 36 year internal war. This war ended in 1996 with the signing of the peace accords. Padre Horacio Castillo helped write and later was among those who signed the peace accords.

The first churches of the ILAG were formed in Guatemala City among the internally displaced, those who fled into the City during the war, who were (and still are) living in the ravines of the City.  The ILAG also operates two elementary schools which serve children and families in these marginalized areas of the City.

As refuges began to return from Mexico, they contacted Padre Horacio as they had known him from his visits to some of the camps.  Through these contacts the ILAG grew in the rural areas of the country among the resettled refuges.

The ILAG continues to grow each year by a few mission sites and churches as communities hear that the ILAG walks with people delivering the gospel freely to all people and visits the communities regularly.

New Members

A special welcome to our newest members: DJ Warren, Randall Fields, Crystal Beard, and Hank Alewine.

Inviting Friends to Church

As I was driving down Highway 72 today in Madison, Alabama, I saw a man dressed in religious garb waving at cars. As I drove closer, I realized that the man was Scott Peterson, the Pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church. I was intrigued, so I parked my car and went over to talk to him. I asked him why he was standing on a busy highway waving at cars as they went by. He answered, "This is just a simple way to invite the thousands of people who drive past this Church every hour to stop in and visit. I know that many people are looking for a Church right now and I want each of them to know that they are welcome at Messiah Lutheran Church. I've done this in the past and I've had people visit the Church and become members simply because I stood on the road and waved at them."

As I drove home, I thought about what the pastor had said. Could it be that simple? And the more I thought about it, I realized that the Pastor was on the right track. There are many people in our community who are looking for a Church. They just need an invitation. I personally am going to look for opportunities to invite the people I meet to visit Messiah Lutheran Church. I encourage you to do the same.

We are all a little nervous, or even a little “afraid” to invite people to church. We fear rejection, the loss of a friendship, or may feel that we will “mess things” up. But God wants us to grow as a Christian Community! And if Pastor Scott can stand on a busy highway and wave at thousands of cars, I guess the least we can do is to put ourselves out there by extending invitations to our friends.

Mother Daughter Tea 2011

On May 7, 1914, President Wilson signed a resolution designating the second Sunday in May as "Mother's Day," the official day for honoring moms. In celebration of Mother's Day, Messiah Lutheran Church hosted a Mother daughter tea. This formal event provided an opportunity for all of the ladies of the congregation to join together for some quality social time. This lovely event was filled with enrichment for body, soul, and spirit and focused bolstering fellowship between mothers and daughters.

On Eagle's Wings Auction 2011

On Saturday May 7th, Messiah Lutheran Church conducted it's annual On Eagle's Wings Auction. The master of ceremonies and head auctioneer was Ken Grant. He did a fantastic job of keeping the evening lively and keeping the auction items moving. All of the proceeds from this event will be used to support the On Eagles Wings mission.

On Eagle's Wings serves more than 30 remote communities in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut from a base in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The people of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are Inuit, Metis and First Nations people who come from five different tribal backgrounds. On Eagle's Wings:

• is Christ-centered, ecumenical, theologically faithful to our denominational backgrounds and sensitive to the cultures and diverse traditions of northern Christians
• provides pastoral care to individuals and groups living in remote northern communities
• identifies, trains, encourages and mentors northern Christians for leadership and ministry within their own cultural and denominational traditions
• maintains a ministry staff that reflects the denominational diversity of the aboriginal and non-aboriginal people of the North
• is an ecumenical partnership of northern and southern Christians working together to proclaim Jesus Christ and serve the Church
• provides counselling, worship and Bible study opportunities for northern Christians
• provides Christian education programs for families, children, women and men
• produces Christ-centered Christian education curriculum for use in northern churches and homes
• is a network of prayer, spiritual, financial and human resource support of Christian people throughout North America
• reflects our core values of Respect, Integrity, Stewardship and Ecumenism

If you would like to learn more about the On Eagle's Wings Mission, please contact Lois Graff or the Church Office.

Health Kits for Disaster Relief

On Monday, May 2, 2011 the Youth of Messiah Lutheran Church gathered together to build health kits in support of Lutheran Disaster Response.  Even though these children have been without power for the last week as a result of the tornadoes, they wanted to to help make a difference.  They worked in the Church's Narthex because the Church still doesn't have power and the Narthex was the best lighted and ventilated area of the church.  It was still a warm and humid day.  Despite these challenges, they worked hard to assemble over 100 health and baby kits that will be used for disaster response.  If you would like additional news and information about how you can help the Church's Disaster Response effort, please visit the Messiah Lutheran Church Disaster Response Web Page.