Messiah Helps Build Children's Health Facility

One of the local community organizations that Messiah Lutheran Church sponsors as part of our outreach ministry is the HEALS program.  HEALS stands for Health Establishments at Local Schools.  HEALS provides free medical and dental care, mental health counseling and social services to low-income children at Martin Luther King Jr., Morris and University Place elementary schools.

To support their mission, the HEALS program is constructing a new pediatric clinic on the campus of Madison Cross Roads Elementary School.  Fifty-four percent of the school's 1,100 students live below the poverty line. The new pediatric facility will share a ranch-style house on the campus with the nonprofit Huntsville Assistance Program, which provides food and other basic needs.

Messiah Lutheran Church is supporting HEALS with a monentary donation of one-half of the offerings collected during each of the Advent Worship Services this year.

Milestone Christian Academy

During this Christmas Season, the congregation of Messiah Lutheran Church has been busy sharing gifts with a number of Huntsville area organizations.  One of these organizations is the Milestone Christian Academy.

Milestone Christian Academy, is a Christian based non-profit organization that provides childcare for approximately 100 children. Milestone is unique, in that they offer a sliding fee scale based on income. For qualifying parents, who are employed or attending an educational institution, help is provided in the form donations and grants.

Members of the Messiah Lutheran Church Congregation have visited Milestone on many occasions.  We are committed to helping Milestone in their mission to provide not only child care, but also a rich nuturing environment to help children grown cognitively, socially and physically.

This month, several members of the Messiah Congregation delivered gifts to the children of Milestone.  They also gave a special gift to Milestone's administrative staff.  This gift was a brand new copier which will save them countless trips to the local copy shop.

We wish all of the staff, parents and children of Milestone Christian Academy a very Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas 2010

Merry Christmas from all of your friends at Messiah Lutheran Church.  Today we celebrate the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ.  Please take a moment as you enjoy this performance of Still, Still, Still by the Messiah Adult Choir to reflect on the awesome gift given to us by God.

Luke 2:8  

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,  ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!’

Seraph Choir - O Come Little Children

The Seraph Choir of Messiah Lutheran Church in Madison Alabama performs "O Come Little Children" as part of the contemporary worship service on December 19th, 2010. Messiah Lutheran Church offers many opportunities to make a joyful noise and we believe in giving our youth members an early start in developing their musical talents. The Seraph Choir is directed by Claire Strand.

Related Articles:

• "Lord, Use Me" - Music Camp 2010
• Notabella Bell Choir
• Contemporary Worship Service

Sunday School Christmas Program

On Wednesday, December 22nd, the Children of Messiah Lutheran Church's Sunday School presented a special program during the Advent Worship Service.  They did an awesome job with bible readings, explanations of Christmas traditions and several musical performances.  This video is their performance of Silent Night.

Pastor Amanda Olson Visits December 2010

On Sunday, December 12th, Messiah Lutheran Church was blessed with a visit from Pastor Amanda Olson and her husband Horatio de Castillo. Pastor Amanda is a missionary and along with her husband Horatio is a Pastor in the Iglesia Luterana Agustina de Guatemala (ILAG).

Pastor Amanda led an adult forum during the Sunday School hour and preached at both services.



Pastor Amanda and her husband Horatio have visited Messiah numerous times in the past and their visits are always welcomed just as we welcome home close family members.  Messiah Lutheran Church along with other Churches in the ELCA proudly sponsor Pastor Amanda and ILAG as they work to spread God's word in Guatemala.

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.

The philosophy of the ILAG is to provide pastoral accompaniment and holistic development.  The center of the ILAG is Christ and from this center we seek to provide for all aspects of the life of our members and their communities - the spiritual, physical, emotional and material.

The church has about 3,000 members in nearly 20 congregations spread throughout Guatemala.  ILAG also operates two elementary schools in Guatemala City.

Elfin Magic

On Friday night, the elves of Messiah Lutheran Church were busy creating handcrafted Christmas gifts.  Each year Messiah Lutheran Church sponsors an event called Elfin Magic.  This event provides the kids with craft supplies and supervision so that they can create Christmas gifts of their selection.  The kids selected from 5 crafts including: Tile Coasters, Christmas Ornaments, Pendants, Christmas Wreath with Candle and a Bucket of Goodies.  The children also participated in an Outreach Project in which they constructed Fruit Baskets. Twenty-one Children participated in this year's event.  Many thanks to all the parents, senior and junior youth and sponsors who helped make the event such a success.

Operation Christmas Child 2010

The Youth of Messiah Lutheran Church participated again this year in a workshop for Operation Christmas Child.  They wrapped presents for the Foster Children's Alliance, packed and wrapped shoebox packages for Samaritan's Purse, decorated cookies for military personnel and college students and made food tray savers for Meals on Wheels clients. The North Alabama Thrivent Chapter along with the Grace Lutheran Church youth hosted the event at Grace Lutheran Church in Huntsville, AL. Thanks to all of the youth members, parents, and sponsors who participated in this year's event.  Their efforts will certainly help brighten Christmas for many members of our community and those in need around the World.

Related Articles:

• Operation Christmas Child 2009, November 15th, 2009

Silent Quilt Auction

This month, the Comforters of Messiah Lutheran Church are conducting a silent quilt auction.  The auction includes ten beautiful handmade quilts that were lovingly created by the comforters.  The funds raised from this auction will be used throughout the year to support the comforter ministries.

The Comforters having been making quilts for those in need since 2003.  During their first year, they made 63 quilts.  This year they have created over 100 quilts which will be donated to a number of worthy causes.

The Comforters are a self sustaining ministry.  Each year in November, they raffle off some of their quilts in order to raise the funds needed to continue their ministry.  They are always in need of supplies and would welcome any donations of  Fabric (no knits or stretch fabric), Thread, Twin sheets for backs.  Cash can also be donated for supplies.

The group meets each Tuesday at 9 AM until 3 PM.  You are welcome to participate during any portion of the day.  The group will also be happy to teach you some quilting skills.

If you are interested in participating, please contact Annette Joens or the Church Office for more information.

Notabella Bell Choir

Messiah Lutheran Church is blessed with many talented musicians.  Last week we highlighted the talents of the Contemporary Worship Service Band.  This week we are focusing the spotlight on the Notabella Bell Choir which performed "Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken" as part of the Reformation Sunday Service.  The Notabella Bell Choir is the most advanced of Messiah's Bell Choirs.  This group is directed by Rhonda Gaede.  In an exclusive interview with the Messiah Lutheran Blog, Rhonda stated that she got her start in the Bell Choir by accident.  While she was rehearsing with the vocal choir, the director asked her if she could read music.  When she acknowledged that she could read music, she was invited to fill in during a bells rehearsal.  She was immediately hooked on bells and the rest is history.

Messiah has many bell choirs for all age groups and for all skill levels.  If you have ever listened to the bell choir perform and thought it might be fun to try, Rhonda could probably find just the right bells group for you.

Your next opportunity to hear the bells perform will be at Messiah's annual Ring and Sing concert on Sunday, December 12th at 6:30 p.m.  Music from the Notabella Bell Choir, Cantabile Bell Choir, Children's and Adult Chime and vocal groups will be featured.  Audience hand chime participation for ringing of Christmas carols is also on the program!  We hope to see you there.

Samaritan's Purse - Operation Christmas Child 2010

Jr. and Sr. Youth are invited to participate in the annual Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child event Sunday, November 14 from 4-7 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church in Huntsville. Youth will be collecting and preparing Operation Christmas Child boxes for shipment, along with frosting cookies and wrapping Christmas gifts for local children in need. Youth from all north Alabama Lutheran churches participate in this event. This service and social event ends with a pizza party sponsored by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Please see Pastor Mark or Dan Casey for more information.

Tweens - Saturday, Nov 13, 2p.m. – Operation Christmas Child - Samaritan’s Purse Shoebox Mission. Bring a shoebox full of items for either a boy or a girl your age or younger. Small toys, clothing, personal supplies or candy (that won’t melt) work well. We will wrap them and hand them off to the Jr and Sr Youth
to take to Grace Lutheran.


View Larger Map

Related Article:

• Christmas Workshop 2009

Halloween Party And Chili Cook-Off 2010

Today was Messiah Lutheran Church's Annual Halloween Party and Chili Cook-Off.  This is always a great event, but this year the Fellowship Committee out-did themselves.  Everyone had a ghoulishly good time.  The decorations were great.  The food was delicious.  There were a ton of great costumes, and not just on the kids.  Many of the adults also dressed for the event.  After the opening Halloween Parade, the kids got down to some serious activities including pin the wart on the witch, guess the goo, jack-o-lantern toss, fishing and the ever popular Halloween Cake Walk.  While the kids were winning lots of prizes, the adults were taking part in some very serious Chili Judging.  There were 12 entries this year, and it was very difficult to select a winner from all of the very tasty chili.  In the end, the grand prize went to Chili Master Dan Byers.  Second Place went to Emily Householder and Third Place went to Stephen Strand.  The winner of the hottest chili contest was Stephen Strand with an entry so hot that it had to be kept in a special container for fear of spontaneous combustion.  Many thanks to everyone on the Fellowship Committee for making the Halloween Party so much fun!

Related Articles:

• 2009 Halloween Party and Chili Cook-Off

Contemporary Worship Service

Worship at Messiah Lutheran Church is enjoyed in many styles and formats. Our services include the traditional Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW), the With One Voice (WOV) book, and The Chicago Folk Service.  Messiah also offers a contemporary service that includes hymns of praise and worship led by our very own Messiah Contemporary Worship Service Band.  This talented group of musicians provides an inspiration backdrop to the Contemporary Worship Service with their high energy songs.  The song performed in this video clip is "Blessed Be Your Name" which was written and released by Matt Redman in 2005.

We know that people respond in positive ways to many different styles of music, and we work to incorporate those styles in our worship.

Messiah's worship life is enhanced by the vocal and instrumental gifts of many people through our adult and youth choirs, children’s choirs, bell choirs, and instrument ensembles, adding to the beauty and enjoyment of worship each week.

If you would like to learn how you can lend your musical talent to one of Messiah's many musical groups, please contact Messiah's music director Lois Graff or the Church Office at (256) 721-0041.

OWLS Social Event October 2010

The Older Wiser Lutherans (OWLS) of Messiah Lutheran Church had a Dominos Party for their October 2010 get together.  And by Dominos, we mean the 1000 year old board game and not the similarly named pizza chain.  Not that we have anything against pizza.

The event was hosted by Ed and Mary Ann Stasiak.  It was a beautiful evening and everyone enjoyed visiting in their very lovely garden and patio area. The very delicious snacks everyone brought were enjoyed by all. 

Several games of Dominoes ensued.  Some of the experts were teaching the others how to play their favorite game.  Some of the rules had to be checked out and there was lots of good humored bickering about this.

Some members of the group found the University of Alabama football game on TV and couldn't be coaxed away to play Dominos.

Everyone had a good evening and we thank the Stasiak's for inviting us to their beautiful home.


The OWLS are a loosely knit group of folks (over 50 years of age) who get together once a month for an activity.  These activities vary from a potluck at the church, Sunday brunch at a restaurant, miniature golf, a visit to the Botanical Garden, to attending the "Living Christmas Tree" concert.  Both men and women are welcome.  And don’t let our name fool you.  We may call ourselves the “Older” Wiser Lutherans, but we know we’re all young at heart.

Please call Jan Murphy or the Church Office for more information about the OWLS.

Handmade Market 2010

On Saturday, 23 October 2010, Messiah Lutheran Church conducted a Handmade Market to raise funds for our Lunches For Learning Ministry.  During this second year of the Handmade Market, the talented artists and craftsmen of the Messiah congregation donated over 700 items.  The donated items include every imaginable manner of handicraft including paintings, photographs, sewed and knitted items, woodwork, food, seasonal decorations and much, much more. A host of volunteers organized the donations and manned the cash registers.  The community turned out in full force to support the event.  Additionally, a delicious taco lunch was prepared to raise additional funds.  In total, over $3,750 was raised, which will allow Messiah Lutheran Church to continue supporting this awesome program for next year.

Lunches for Learning exists to help break the cycle of poverty by providing nutrition and nutritional supplements to the very poor children in public schools in the Republic of Honduras.  It costs approximately $15 per month to feed one child a nutritious meal each day of the school year.  In the schools where the Lunches for Learning program have been in place, the results have been outstanding.  The children are coming to school to receive a meal, but they are also receiving an education.  And those children who receive an elementary school education in Honduras are much more likely to be able to get a well paying job and end the cycle of poverty.

If you would like to learn more about Lunches For Learning, please visit the Lunches For Learn Page on the Messiah Lutheran Church Website.  You can also donate to Lunches For Learn by designating your weekly offering to Lunches For Learning.

Related Articles:

• What's Happening at Benito Montoya? September 2010
• Handmade Market 2009
• Mission To Honduras April 2010
• Lunches For Learning Graduates November 2010

What's Happening at Benito Montoya?

What's Happening at Benito Montoya?  Thank you for asking.  There is a lot to tell you.  Since school began in February (the school year in Honduras runs from February to November), attendance in grades 1st thru 6th has grown from 40 to 54.  Why the increase?  Word is out that a nutritious meal is served for lunch at Benito Montoya.  More kids are coming to school!  This is exactly the purpose of the Lunches for Learning mission.  It works!

There's More...   Last month, Gerard deJong organized a Lunches for Learning presentation at his corporation and raised enough donations with employee grants to build a kindergarten at Benito Montoya! The mud hut the students were using as their classroom can go back to being the school's kitchen.  Meals can be cooked at the school again and will not have to be carried over the rocky terrain.

Growth at our school means growth in our commitment.  Here are some ways you can help:

• Designate Lunches For Learn on your offering envelope or use Messiah's Online Giving Program
• Donate handcrafted items to the Handmade Market on October 23rd.
• Do your Christmas shopping at the Handmade Market
• Designate your Thrivent Choice Dollars online to Lunches For Learning.  If you have questions about this talk to Lois Graff

Related Articles:

• Handmade Market 2009
• Mission To Honduras April 2010
• Lunches For Learning Graduates November 2010

48 Days to the Work You Love

48 Days to the Work You Love by Dave Miller Class to be held at Messiah starting Tuesday, October 5th and running for 12 weeks. This well organized curriculum will outline a step by step process that is highly acclaimed to help organize and achieve career transition. The class includes a chapter on Spiritual Gifts and how they relate to the work you do. Great for anyone returning to the work force after extended time away or anyone who wants to change careers. Career Kits include CD’s, Workbook and Text book $45.00 (on line cost is $65 plus shipping). Contact Barbara Azzam or the Church Office,  (256) 721-0041 to sign up and get the discounted price for the Kit. This class is open to the public as well as Messiah members.

Wednesday Night Cafe

Wednesday night marked the first "Wednesday Night Cafe" of the season for Messiah Lutheran Church. Wednesday Night Cafe is a Fellowship event that is conducted each Wednesday night from 5:30 - 6:30 PM in Parish Hall of Messiah Lutheran Church.  Everyone is welcome. For the low price of $3 per person or $15 max per family you can get a delicious meal and hang out with some great folks. The menu for each upcoming Wednesday Night Cafe is posted on the Wednesday Night Cafe Page of Messiah's Website.

The money raised from this year's first Wednesday Night Cafe is being donated to support the Walk to Defeat ALS. $329 was raised on Wednesday Night to support this great cause.

If you would like to learn more about Wednesday Night Cafe, please contact the Church Office, or Dorothy Seitz, the event's coordinator. We look forward to sharing dinner with you next Wednesday Night.

PS. The editors of the Messiah Lutheran Church Website appologize for the excessive use of the word "Wednesday" in this blog article, but there is no way to describe a great event like the "Wednesday Night Cafe" without using the word "Wednesday" excessively.

Knocking On Doors For Jesus

For the next several weeks, Pastor Bill Funk and his wife Helen will be knocking on doors to help Incarnation Lutheran Church find those in need of a Church home. Incarnation is the 10th congregation to receive help from the Funks.  By their own estimation they have knocked on approximately 20 thousand doors.  During the first 10 days of their ministry with Incarnation, they knocked on 1037 doors, talked to 573 people and identified 48 families with no Church Home.

Bill and Helen are now seeking volunteers to walk along with them during their ministry.  You don't have to say a word.  You just have to be willing to walk along during a 2 hour shift and be the silent partner during this important ministry.  The Funks will continue supporting Incarnation Lutheran Church through the 19th of September.  There are 2 shifts each day including 3-5PM and 530-730PM.  If you can spare 2 hours to walk along with the Funks, please contact the Messiah Lutheran Church Office.

Walk To Defeat ALS 2010

On Saturday, August 28th, Team Messiah participated in the Walk to Defeat ALS.  Often referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, fatal neuromuscular disease that slowly robs the body of its ability to walk, speak, swallow and breathe. The life expectancy of an ALS patient averages 2 to 5 years from the time of diagnosis.  Every 90 minutes a person in this country is diagnosed with ALS and every 90 minutes another person will lose their battle against this disease. ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic boundaries. This crippling disease can strike anyone. Presently there is no known cause of the disease yet it still costs loved ones an average of $200,000 a year to provide the care ALS patients need. Help make a difference and donate or join a walk today.

The team from Messiah Lutheran Church set a goal of raising $800 to support this cause.  Thanks to the many generous members and friends of the Messiah Lutheran Church congregation, the team was able to raise over $1,500.  We aren't done yet though.  There is still a chance to help support this important cause.  On Wednesday, September 8th, Messiah Lutheran Church will conduct a Spaghetti Supper Fund Raiser during the first Wednesday Night Cafe of the Year.  All proceeds from this event will go to support the ALS cause.  You are invited to attend the Spaghetti supper at 5:30 PM on September 8th at Messiah Lutheran Church.  If you would like to help with the event, please contact Mary Mast or the Church Office.

If you would like to make a donation directly to the cause, please visit the Team Messiah Page on the Walk To Defeat ALS Website.

Dinner Theater 2010 - Beatles Review

Question: What do you get when you mix Asian food with British Music?

Answer: A great meal and awesome entertainment.

On Saturday, Messiah Lutheran Church conducted it's annual Dinner Theater.  A great Asian themed meal was prepared by Songae Wasmoen, Jill Casey, Anita Dejong, and the ladies from Korean Holy Hill Church. The meal included asian cucumber salad, rice, BBQ short ribs, wontons, fried veggies and a lovely coconut concoction for desert.

Many of Messiah's youth members served as wait staff for the evening.

After dinner, it was time to strike up the band and take a day trip through the sixties and seventies.  The choir and music ensemble performed some rousing renditions of many of our favorite Beatles Tunes including: Day Tripper, Hard Day's Night, Can't Buy me Love, Sergeant Pepper and All You Need is Love. Some of the solo and Duet performances of the evening included:

• When I'm Sixty Four - Ed and Mary Ann Stasiak
• Two of Us - Betty Greene and Laura Peterson
• Fixing a Hole - Gerry Myers
• Let it Be - Lydia Scroggins
• Yesterday - Bob Gustafson
• Love Me Do - Phil and Heather Pederson
• Octopus' Garden - Laura Peterson
• In My Life - Melissa Gurner
• Here Comes The Sun - Betty Greene
• While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Ric Birdson
• Hey Jude - Phil Pedersen

The finale performed by the entire ensemble was "The Long and Winding Road" which brought down the house.

This year's show was produced by Dick Azzam and Laura Peterson.  The music director of Messiah Lutheran Church is Lois Graff and the Choir Director is Randall Fields.

The music ensemble included Dick Azzam (bass guitar), Ric Birdsong (guitar), Bob Davis (guitar), Lois Graff (keyboards), and Gretchen Perry (Violin).

The choir included: Robin Douglass, Betty Greene, Derlene Jeter, Linda Zutter, Barbara Azzam, Jan Murphy, Laura Peterson, Mary Ann Stasiak, Larry Frakes, Terry Frakes, Bill Murphy, Gerry Myers, Phil Pedersen, Art Rockett, Bob Gustafson, and Ed Stasiak.

Special thanks to the decorating committee: John and Derlene Jeter, Betty Greene, Linda Zutter, and Robin Douglass.

The proceeds from this event will be used to support our Guatemalan Mission and the Church's Music Ministries.

If you would like to learn how you can participate in one of the many music groups in Messiah Lutheran Church, please contact the Church Office.

Kit Ministers Pack Boxes With Love

The Kit Ministers of Messiah Lutheran Church continue to prepare kits for Lutheran World Relief (LWR).  Last year Messiah supported Lutheran World Relief with 970 Layette Kits, School Kits, and Health Kits.  This year the Kit Ministers have set their goal even higher.  They intend to prepare over 1000 kits which will be used by LWR to support those in need around the world.  Every day in 35 countries, Lutheran World Relief works to combat the causes of poverty and the dignity it robs from people’s lives. We advocate for Fair Trade that helps farming families and artisans earn a better income. We teach people to better care for themselves, their communities and the environment. We teach people how to be less vulnerable to natural disasters. We advocate with and for them for policy change that more fairly represents them. We counsel them after manmade and natural disasters, and help them recover with material aid. We do all of this exclusively with partners from the communities we serve. Our partners help us remain incredibly efficient and effective. Our partners let us help people help themselves…for a day when they won’t need us at all.

Would you like to help the Kit Ministers in their mission?  Please contact Rhonda Gaede or the Church office for more information.  You can also make a designated offering to the kit ministries by marking your offering envelope with "Kit Ministries".

Baobab Blast - Vacation Bible School

Last week 43 children from Messiah Lutheran Church and other area churches participated in Baobab Blast a vacation bible school experience.  At Baobab Blast, the kids received a message of God’s unconditional love. They participated in activities to help them understand how to build nurturing relationships with God, family, and others. They also participated in the mission project, Africa Jam, in which they learned how to help expand God’s community.  Africa Jam is a youth empowerment organization serving more than 10,000 young people in Cape Town, South Africa.  The children also shared some of the music and bible verses they learned during vacation bible school at the Sunday worship service.  Please watch the video to see a sample of their music.  Special thanks to Dorothy Seitz the leader of this years vacation bible school and the 30 adult and youth volunteers who helped make the Baobab Blast a wonderful and enriching experience for all of our children.

Mission Trip to Lutheran Church in Guatemala

Editors Note: The following Story and photographs were submitted by Bill Emerson, one of the missionaries on the recent trip to Guatemala.

Between 18 and 26 June 2010 four members of the SE Synod visited Iglesia Luterana Agustina de Guatemala (ILAG). These were Bill Emerson, Dennis Fry, and Christina Daniel, all from Messiah Lutheran Church, Madison, AL, and Glenna Mason, from Christ Lutheran Church, Prattville, AL.

The ILAG is headquartered in Guatemala City and the Lutheran Center consists of three buildings, two of which have been built in the last three years, and are used by visitors and for classes and church services. One of the new buildings has four dormitory style rooms on the first floor, with each room having space for six people. Above these rooms are the new chapel and a storage area. The second new building has a kitchen and dining area and above that a large class room. This was the center for the SE Synod representatives while they were in Guatemala City.

On Saturday morning, June 19, the SE Synod visitors painted a wall at the ILAG center, then in the afternoon several native/indigenous women and their children visited ILAG. Glenna Mason helped teach sewing to the women while the others taught the children crafts and Bible stories, and supervised them at play.

Sunday morning we all attended a church, La Resurrección (The Resurrection), which ILAG has supported for several years. While it is in a poor neighborhood the building itself has greatly improved over the last four years and now has a nice floor, a roof, good pews, and is painted. When Bill Emerson first visited the church in 2007 it had a dirt floor and the cinderblock walls were unpainted. Missionary Amanda Olson de Castillo helped conduct the church service. After returning to the Lutheran Center we attended the chapel service at the center. In the afternoon we painted a large railing on the roof of the newest building.

On Monday, 21 June the group left Guatemala City and traveled north over the mountains and through the highlands in preparation for visiting two villages, which we reached the afternoon of Tuesday, 22 June. Each village contained about 12 families. Esther de Castillo and the younger Padre Horacio Castillo were the trip leaders. The last part of the trip included a 2-1/2 + hour ride over rough roads and a ½ hour hike through some muddy trails and crossing a few streams. We reached Bella Vista about noon and attended a two-hour church service, then met with village leaders and had a late lunch.

We then took a boat ride to another village, Porvenir de los Martires, where we helped dedicate a brand new church building and participated in the initial service in the building. We spent the night at this village. We left Porvenir de los Martires on Wednesday, June 23, and took a boat upstream for several miles where we met our van and driver so we could return to Guatemala City, where we arrived about 10:15 pm.
Bishop Horacio Castillo had been hospitalized with a hand injury and he was at the ILAG center when we returned and is recovering well. The SE Synod group, with Amanda, toured Guatemala City and then we visited a school sponsored by ILAG. We taught crafts related to Bible stories to the children at the school.
After a visit to Antigua on Friday, we left on Saturday, 26 June for a return to Atlanta!

Stephen Ministries

The PBS “Religion and Ethics” news show recently aired an eight-minute feature about Stephen Ministry. You can watch online on the PBS web site: www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/tag/stephen-ministry ...just click on the April 9, 2010 “Stephen Ministry” feature.



"Christ Caring for People through People"

What is Stephen Ministry?
Our congregation's Stephen Ministry equips lay people to provide confidential, one-to-one Christian care to individuals in our congregation who are experiencing difficulties in their lives.  Stephen Ministry is a confidential ministry: The identity of those receiving care and what takes place in each caring relationship remains private.

Who can benefit from having a Stephen Minister? 
Anyone who has experienced a change in life that has resulted in stress or loss may benefit by meeting with a Stephen Minister. Throughout life, there are times when each of us needs the care and Christian friendship that a Stephen Minister can provide.

Would you like to learn more?
Please visit the Stephen Ministries Page at www.mlutheran.org.

Habitat Home Dedication

This week members of Messiah Lutheran Church along with other Huntsville area Lutheran Churches helped dedicate a new home for the Cowan family. In just three months an empty field was transformed into a home. This home was constructed in conjunction with Habitat For Humanity and Thrivent Builds.  Many thanks to all of the Messiah members who donated their time and talent to help build this wonderful house. In early 2011 we will begin a new home and hope that more members of Messiah will have and opportunity to participate in this great project.

"Lord, Use Me" - Music Camp 2010

(Video Credit - Bonnie Jane Peterson)

This week, 41 children from Messiah Lutheran Church participated in an original musical production entitled "Lord, Use Me" during the Church's annual Music Camp. Music Camp is a week long event in which the youth practice during the week and then perform during both Sunday worship services.  "Lord, Use Me" teaches that God can and does use us to be his messengers in this world.

In addition to practicing for the musical production, the children also enjoyed music, drama, arts and crafts, recreation, snacks and afternoon activities. If you watch the video above, you will easily be able to tell that the kids had a great time based on all of the smiles on their faces.

We give special thanks to the small army of adult and teen volunteers who helped make Music Camp a success this year.

The Music and Lyrics for "Lord, Use Me" were written by Pastor Scott Peterson and our Music Director, Lois Graff.

Happy 20th Anniversary

On Sunday, May 30th, Messiah Lutheran Church celebrated its 20th anniversary. The event was filled with special music, displays, food, and best of all visits by old friends and family including many of the founding members of the church. There is no telling what the next 20 years will bring to Messiah Lutheran Church, but you can be sure that it will be filled with same love and energy that marked the first 20 years. If you would like be a part of Messiah Lutheran Church during our second 20 years, please contact the Church office at (256) 721-0041 for more information.

Building Houses With Second Hand Goods

This week Messiah Lutheran Church conducted a rummage sale and bake sale in order to raise funds to support Habitat For Humanity. Messiah Lutheran Church along with eight other Lutheran Churches from the Huntsville Area are sponsoring the construction of a habitat house. Habitat for Humanity builds "simple, decent, and affordable" housing. The Homes are built using volunteer labor and are sold at no profit.



Thanks to the many generous donations of goods and strong support from the community, we were able to raise over $1,800 to support this worthy cause.



Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity is a homebuilding and advocacy alliance between Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Habitat for Humanity. This alliance seeks to increase Habitat's capacity to build more homes and promote donations, volunteerism, and worldwide homebuilding trips by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' members.

Each spring, Messiah Lutheran Church along with the other Lutheran Churches in the Huntsville area sponsor a house as part of the Thrivent Builds Ministry.

You don’t need any special skills to participate. Just a willingness to help. If you would like to learn more about how you can help support Habitat For Humanity, please visit our Habitat web page, or contact the Church office at

Confirmation Sunday

Seven new warriors for Christ were confirmed at Messiah Lutheran Church this week. These seven were confirmed into adult membership of the Lord's Church by affirming the faith they entered in Baptism:

The confirmands are:

• Luke Myers
• Adam Neely
• Gina Saladino
• Michael Spence
• William Strand
• Alejandro Velazquez
• Rachael Wier

At Messiah, we sponsor a two-year confirmation program for eighth and ninth grade students. Confirmation at Messiah is about faith formation, not simply faith information. We focus upon being the church not teaching about the church. Our program includes learning events, fellowship events, service events, worship events. If you are interested in Confirmation classes for yourself or your child, please talk to Pastor Peterson or call the Church Office at 721-0041.

Messiah Youth Starve to Help Starving Children

The junior and senior youth of Messiah Lutheran Church participated again this year in the 30 Hour Famine.



World Vision's 30 Hour Famine is a worldwide movement of students who are serious about serving God and fighting hunger - all on an empty stomach.  For 30 hours, participants get a taste of hunger by not eating - something more than a billion people around the world experience every day. And by doing fundraising activities, community service projects, and learning more about the facts of world hunger, students are changed in amazing ways as they help others and save lives.




During the event, for 30 hours, participants must abstain from eating food, and instead they typically drink water, fruit juices, or other liquids. Games, fund raisers, and other events may also take place to help teach and educate the participants and others about world hunger all over the world. It is also a time for education and awareness of world hunger, and an understanding of how people go without food for long periods of time. Our youth conducted a fund raising car wash to raise funds.



The youth led the Sunday Worship Service during the second day of their famine. They gave a temple talk, provided the music and delivered the sermon.








After starving all night, praying, leading worship service, raising money to feed the hungry, and washing cars, it was finally time to break their fast.




The youth all left with a greater understanding of the plight of the hungry. They all left with a belief and an understanding that we can all make a difference and have the responsibility to help our fellow man.




The 30 Hour Famine is a World Vision event in 21 countries. It started in 1971 when 14 Calgary, Alberta teenagers staged an event in a church basement to raise money for World Vision.

Thousands of teens across the U.S.,Canada, and several other countries participate to raise money and then fast for 30 hours. However, individuals can raise money and fast by themselves. In 2006, over $11.6 million dollars were raised in the United States.

Milestone Children's Corner

This week Bill and Marcie Emerson from Messiah Lutheran Church presented a check for almost $3000 and additional school supplies to Gia Mitchell and Zefross Moss, directors of the Milestone Children's Corner. Messiah Lutheran Church has adopted the Milestone Children's Corner as one of our local outreach ministry projects.



Milestone Children’s Corner, a division of Milestone Development Inc., was founded in 2008. They are a Christian based nonprofit organization governed by a board of directors. They began as a small after school program on Drake Avenue serving only 25 children. They have expanded to a new facility, and  are now licensed to provide service for 140 children. Milestone is unique because it offers a sliding fee scale based on income, for qualifying parents, who work are attend school. With help from grants and donations, they provide scholarships for tuition. Enrollment consists of full paying clients, human service clients, homeless children, and children under protective services.



Milestone Children’s Corner, a Division of Milestone Development Inc., is a Christian based, nonprofit 501 (c) (3) Childcare development center serving the community of Huntsville, Alabama.  Their ultimate goal is to bridge the gap in early childcare education in socially disadvantaged communities.  They desire to teach Christian values, respect for others, and self confidence.  Their focus is to help low to moderate income families with the challenges of quality childcare, afterschool care, and community resources.  With the help of their dedicated staff, volunteers, grants, and donations, they provide a safe, loving, educational environment where children can “Learn, Grow, and Explore.”
Philosophy: Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

If you would like to learn more about Milestone Children's Corner, please visit their website www.milestonechildrenscorner.org.

Tweens Visit Huntsville Botanical Garden

This month, the Tweens of Messiah Lutheran Church visited the Huntsville Botanical Gardens.

The 112 acres of the Huntsville Botanical Gardens includes a seasonal butterfly house, and aquatic, annual, daylily, fern, herb, perennial, rose, and wildflower gardens, as well as a nature path and collection of flowering dogwood trees. Tremendous Treehouses offers fun, interactive hand-crafted tree houses for kids of all ages.



And many aren’t just your regular, run-of-the-mill backyard tree houses. Some were designed and built by local architects, builders and even a local high school! The tweens had a great time visiting the gardens and climbing in the tree houses.



The Tweens are one of the youth groups at Messiah Lutheran Church.  They are made up of children in the 3d, 4th, and 5th grade.  They usually conduct an activity each month.  In October they visited a corn maze.  If you would like to learn more about the Tweens, please contact the Messiah Lutheran Church Office at (256) 721-0041.  

Mission To Honduras

For several years now, Messiah Lutheran Church has been a sponsor of an important ministry called Lunches For Learning.  Throughout the year, Messiah Lutheran conducts fund raising events to raise the funds to support the program. And in November we celebrated our schools first group of 6th grade graduates.  This March, Claire Strand and Lois Graff made the first mission trip to visit our school in person.



The goal of the Lunches for learning program is simple. It offers the children a nutritious meal each day in school to encourage the children not to drop out in order to search for food. The program provides the raw ingredients for the meals and the parents of the school volunteer and take turns preparing the food in their homes and take it to the school.



While visiting, Lois and Claire had the opportunity to meet with the students, parents and teachers. They even got to try a little cooking Honduras style.



While visiting the school, the children of the school performed a song for the visitors. The song was led by Alex who instructs the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grades.



Did you know that:
60%–70% of the people in Honduras live in poverty.
20%–30% of elementary school children drop out of school each year so they can search for food.
Most of the children complete little if any education, but if they can make it through just the 6th grade, they will have a much greater chance at a productive life.

Jesus is alive in the ministry of the Lunches for Learning program.  As John said, "He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him".  Jesus is here and he wants to be seen.  If you would like to learn more about the Lunches For Learning Program, please contact the Messiah Lutheran Church office at (256) 721-0041 or visit our webpage.  

Easter Sunday Service

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

Messiah Lutheran Church joined together to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ!



All of the members of the Messiah Lutheran Church Family participated in the celebration. The music ministries of Messiah Lutheran Church pulled out all of the stops to make sure that the celebration was a memorable one. The musical groups included the Choir directed by Randall Fields.



And the Notabella Bell Choir directed by Rhonda Gaede. There are Bell Choirs for all experience levels.




The instrumental ensemble is conducted by Lois Graff our musical director. The ensemble consists of talented musicians of all ages.



There was even a special Easter sermon for children of the Church.



Messiah Lutheran Church is a dynamic and growing Church Family. On Easter Sunday we had over 450 members and visitors joining together in celebration. If you would like to learn more about Messiah Lutheran Church, please visit our website or contact the Church Office at (256) 721-0041. We would love for you to become part of our family.

Related Articles

• Easter Egg Hunt 2010
• Senior Youth Easter Breakfast 2010