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.