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.

Stephen Ministers Commissioned

This week four members of Messiah Lutheran Church joined the ranks of the Stephen Ministers.  Mary Mast, Jacquie Fry, Sarah Walker, and Barbara Azzam completed the 50 hours of required training and were commissioned to serve among us in this caring ministry.


Stephen Ministries' Core Purpose is summed up in the words of St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians.

"To equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12-13).


In Stephen Ministry congregations, lay caregivers (called Stephen Ministers) provide one-to-one Christian care to the bereaved, hospitalized, terminally ill, separated, divorced, unemployed, relocated, and others facing a crisis or life challenge. Stephen Ministry helps pastors and congregations provide quality caring ministry for as long as people need it.

If you would like to learn more or would like to discuss the possibility of becoming a Stephen Minister, please contact Claire Strand.

Habitat Build is Off to a Good Start

This year's Habitat for Humanity build is off to a good start.  Last week, several members of Messiah Lutheran Church along with members from other Huntsville area Lutheran Churches began to build a new home.  The first step in the process was the assembly of the wall sections in the Habitat For Humanity Warehouse.

On March 26th the construction will continue with the wall raising which will be conducted at the building site at 6334 Banks St., NW, Huntsville, Alabama.  Extra hands are always needed. You don't need to have any special skills.  You just need a willingness to help.  If you would like to learn more, please contact Gerard deJong or Virgil Burrer.

Capital Campaign Forum

On February 13th, 2011, Messiah Lutheran Church conducted a forum during Sunday School hour in support of the Capital Campaign for our Sanctuary Expansion.

Much has happened at Messiah Lutheran Church since 1990. A quick look around at any worship service reminds us of God’s abundant blessings to us. In 1994, largely through the labors of members, the building was completed and provided a home for our ministries. In 2005, we completed our educational wing that provided five much-needed classrooms and a large youth room. In 2006 we dedicated our new parish hall, an audio room, and a much larger kitchen. Our continued growth has led to space issues. Of course, overcrowding on about two Sundays a month is a nice problem to have, but it is time to plan for our continued growth. As Bonhoe!er emphasized, “The church is only the church when it exists for others.” Our purpose with this appeal is to expand our worship area by about fifty percent.

Our goal for this capital program is $600,000. This project will provide a strong financial base for needed improvements for our facility so that we may better reach out to families. The short-term benefits would be to provide space for growth. The longterm benefit could be a fifty percent increase in our overall mission.

Information to help everyone determine their part will be provided in various ways. This will include Bible reading and reflection, prayer, and opportunities to learn more about different ways of giving. Everyone in the congregation will be encouraged to participate and grow in generosity as we help each other gain a vision of what our congregation can be and do. Three information sessions on the expanded facility will be held to answer questions. These will held be during Sunday School hour on Feb. 13, 20, and 27.

Additional Information

• Sanctuary Expansion Plans
• Capital Campaign: Building to Share God's Story Page
• Blog Article: Capital Campaign Kickoff Event

Building to Share God's Story

From 2011

On Sunday, February 6th, 2011, the congregation of Messiah Lutheran Church gathered together to kick off the campaign to raise the funding for the proposed Sanctuary Expansion.

The congregation was joined by Dr. Eugene Grimm who visited the Church, preached the sermon and led a special adult forum to discuss the capital funds campaign.  Pastor Grimm is a Stewardship Key Leader of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  He is a specially trained pastor, not a professional fundraiser.  For over forty years Pastor Grimm served Lutheran congregations in Ohio.  He also served as a stewardship specialist for the ELCA in the three synods of Ohio for nearly twenty-one years, a position from which he retired in 2008.  He will return on March 12-13 for the culmination of the capital appeal.

Our capital campaign will continue on Sunday, February 13th with a adult forum at 9:45am.

• We will review the schedule of events for the campaign, the planned design of the expanded sanctuary, and discuss the plans for New Facility Fund giving during the Capital Fund Appeal. 
• We will hear from several MLC members on previous construction projects and the one we are considering. 
• We will also discuss the gift chart our Stewardship Key Leader, Pastor Eugene Grimm, has prepared for us.

OWLS Spend Night In Italy

Mama Mia That's A Spicy Meatball.  On January 29th, the Older Wiser Lutherans (OWLS) of Messiah Lutheran Church in Madison, Alabama dined at Terranova's Restaurant in Huntsville Alabama as their monthly outing.  The OWLS are a fun loving bunch and apparently the word is getting out.  The OWLS set a new attendance record with 30 members attending this event.  During this delightful evening event, the OWLS were immersed in an authentic Italian experience as they shared fellowship with one another. Terranova's provided an authentic Italian backdrop with ambiance unlike any other in the Tennessee Valley with bona fide Italian antiques, artifacts, and memorabilia, and Italian mood music which allowed all in attendance to savor their delicious dishes.

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.  If you would like to learn more about the OWLS, please contact Jan Murphy or the Church Office.