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.


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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.