Lunches For Learning Fundraiser

Today, the congregation of Messiah Lutheran Church enjoyed a wonderful and authentic Honduran meal while raising money to help the Lunches for Learning Charity. Lunches for Learning Inc. is a nonprofit organization program that provides and supplements a daily lunch for elementary school children by utilizing the cooperative efforts of individual contributors, corporate sponsorship, and the government of Honduras.

Did you know that 60 to 70% of the people in Honduras live in poverty and 20 to 30% of elementary school children drop out so they can search for food? Messiah Lutheran Church in support of the Lunches for Learning Program is working hard to change this statistic. We have adopted the children of the Benito Montoya School. We provide the food and the parents of the school prepare a nutritious meal each day so that our children can concentrate on learning.

We also visit the children of our school several times per year. Just this week, Gerard deJong and Pastor Scott Peterson visited the Benito Montoya School. Check out some pictures from their trip. 

Many thanks to everyone who helped prepare the delicious food for today's meal and to everyone who donated to the cause! Your efforts are making a big difference in the lives of some very special children.

Landscaping

 Have you noticed all of the landscaping changes around the new Sanctuary? Over a two week period, a small Army of volunteers exercised their green thumbs. Through their efforts the ground was prepared, the watering system was installed,  hundreds of plants were planted, edging was installed and a ton of much was moved. Many thanks to everyone who helped with all of this work! And many thanks to everyone who donated to the plant fund at Christmas and Easter!

He Is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

Check out some great moments from this year's Easter Celebration.

"When It Was Yet Dark"
 

"Jesus Christ Is Risen Today"
 

"Minuet"
 

"Alleluia, Praise the Lord Most Holy"


"Christ is Risen! Alleluia!"
 

"Crown Him with Many Crowns"
 

Holy Week 2012

Messiah Lutheran Church kicked off Holy Week with a Palm Sunday procession. Palm Sunday celebrates the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, the week before his death and resurrection. Here are the other services this week:

Apr 4 (Wed)
6pm Seder Potluck Dinner and Learning About Passover Seder Meal

Apr 5 (Thu)
7pm Maundy Thursday Service with Lord’s Supper

Apr 6 (Fri) 
7pm Good Friday Tenebrae Service of Darkness

Apr 8 (Sun) Resurrection of Our Lord 
8:30 am Worship
9:00-11:00 Easter Breakfast
9:45 am Sunday School
11:00 am Worship

Thrivent Builds 2012

Our Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity Project is coming along nicely and everything is on schedule. The Johnson family is really getting excited as they are seeing the home they have dreamed about for so long becoming a reality.  Here are some of the highlights of the progress so far:


• Roof—tar paper is all on, drip edge done, roofers finished shingling today
• Brick pockets are done, ready for brick to be installed
• Pull-down staircase is done
• Platform for AC is built
• Front door is in as well as all the windows
• Back door concrete work is done, back door will be installed Thursday
• Porch is built
• Vinyl starter strips are done; J channel will be finished Thursday
• Hurricane clips, blocking, and deadwood done
• Bird boxes are built; baffles installed
• Rough-in plumbing is complete
• Gable ends have vinyl up; volunteers from Heath, OH, helped with that
• Gable bracing done
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers will rough in the electrical/HVAC on Sat. Once approved,
insulation will be installed. Plans are to insulate the garage ceiling, walls, and door.
• Work for Saturday includes vinyl installation, soffits, and fascia, utilizing multiple teams
• Side walks and patio will be poured soon

Construction of this home will continue through June.  Please consider joining us on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday.  No special skill, training or tools are required.  For more information, please contact Susan Burrer or Gerard deJong.

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.

Habitat For Humanity 2012

Today Messiah Lutheran Church began work on our annual Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity Build. Messiah Lutheran Church participates in this ministry along with a number of Lutheran Churches in the Huntsville area. Our team is sponsored by Thrivent Builds.

Last week the lumber for the project was at Messiah so that congregation members could sign their name and send blessings to the project.

This week we used that lumber to construct all of the wall sections in the Habitat Warehouse.  Next week we will meet at the building site to raise the walls.  No special skills are required.  If you would like to participate or learn more about our Habitat Ministry, please contact Virgil Burrer or Gerard deJong.

Here are a few photos from last year's build.

Stephen Ministers Visit New Hospital

Last Sunday amid much excitement, Messiah's Stephen Ministry and friends, pictured here with Madison County Commissioner Dale Strong, attended the ribbon-cutting Grand Opening of the Madison Hospital.  The 60 bed facility (all private rooms) officially opened Tuesday morning.  Messiah's Stephen Ministries hope to begin hospital visits at the new hospital and decided to take advantage of the ribbon cutting to visit the new state of the art facility.

A Stephen Minister is a congregation member who is recruited, selected, trained, commissioned, and supervised by Stephen Leaders to provide one-to-one Christian care to persons in need on behalf of the congregation. Stephen Ministers typically are assigned one care receiver at a time and meet with that person for about one hour each week. Stephen Ministers usually serve for two years, which includes an initial 50 hours of training followed by twice-monthly supervision and continuing education sessions. Stephen Ministry began in 1975. The Stephen Series is now in more than 11,000 congregations from more than 150 Christian denominations, in all 50 states, 10 Canadian provinces, and 23 other countries. More than 60,000 pastors, church staff, and laypersons have been trained as Stephen Leaders (those who oversee and direct Stephen Ministry in the congregation) at a Stephen Series Leader's Training Course. More than 500,000 people have trained as Stephen Ministers in their congregations. More than a million people have received care from a Stephen Minister in a formal one-to-one Stephen Ministry caring relationship, and millions of others have received care from Stephen Ministers in informal ways.  If you would like to learn more about Stephen Ministries at Messiah Lutheran Church, please contact Claire Strand.

Sanctuary Dedication, Feb 19, 2012

On Feb 19, 2012, the congregation of Messiah Lutheran Church in Madison, Alabama celebrated completion of our newly expanded Sanctuary. This event marked the culmination of a multi-year effort. Many thanks to everyone who worked so long and hard to make this day a reality. Many thanks to God for making this all possible.

The Great Piano Caper

Many thanks to everyone who help build the ramp and move the baby grand piano back into the Sanctuary. Moving a 750 pound piano up stairs is no trivial task. Having it sound just as good at the end of the move is a minor miracle. The piano move is just one of a hundred tasks taking place across the Church community as we prepare for Sunday's Sanctuary dedication. Everyone has been working very hard to get the Church ready. After several years of planning, fund raising and hard work, we are all ready to see the culmination of our efforts. Just three more days. Don't forget that there will be a work day on Saturday to put the finishing touches on the Church!

Wheelchair Ramp Number 4

Today the Messiah Carpentry Team built their 4th wheelchair ramp. This ramp was built for a very nice lady in Gurley, Alabama. She is 92 years old and has not been out of her home since October. Or rather I should say she had not been out of her home until today. She was able to roll down her new wheelchair ramp into the front yard.  Previously, the only way should could leave her home was to be physically carried down the stairs.  She was absolutely tickled by her new ramp and told us repeatedly how much this means to her. We were very happy to help her out.

Despite being a really cold day, we had an incredible time using the gifts that God gave us to help out someone in need.

The Messiah Carpentry Team is part of the Outreach Ministries of Messiah Lutheran Church. This team builds wheelchair ramps in support of CASA of Madison County. Madison County Care Assurance System for the Aging and Homebound (CASA) is a non-profit agency located in Huntsville, Alabama that provides services to individuals age 60 and older and to the homebound (wheelchair and bed bound) of all ages. Their programs are designed to enable the elderly and homebound to maintain their independence, dignity, health and safety by providing services that specifically address their special physical and emotional needs.

Here I Am Lord

The Messiah Lutheran Church Adult Choir sings "Here I am Lord!". The choir is Directed by Randall Fields. The Director of Music Ministries is Lois Graff. Please contact Lois or Randall if you would like to learn how your musical talents can be used for the Glory of God at Messiah Lutheran Church. We have ensembles for all age groups and skill levels.

Season of Giving

Tis the season of giving and that is exactly what Messiah Lutheran Church is doing. This week, several members of the Messiah Congregation collected up the gifts from our Angle Tree and delivered them to the Downtown Rescue Mission. This year we collected gifts for more than 30 children.

The Downtown Rescue Mission is a nonprofit organization serving the homeless living throughout northern Alabama and southern Tennessee. For more than 30 years, the Mission has saved lives and has had a profound impact on thousands of others by providing Christ-filled, enriched and compassionate services to those in desperate need.

In total, an estimated 200 children from the community will be coming to the Mission to receive toys at the annual Christmas Children's Party on Friday, December 23.  This event is organized and executed by Mission staff and volunteers. The program has always been a wonderful experience that is fun for both adults and children of all walks of life.

Messiah also delivered clothing and gifts to Jamie, the social worker at Madison Crossroads Elementary School. Jamie immediately picked out a jacket for a boy who needs one. She also picked out presents for the last few children she needed gifts for.

Messiah also provided a bag of books and a set of puzzles for Health Establishments at Local Schools (HEALS) which is an non-profit health clinic next to Madison Cross Roads.

Many thanks to the Messiah Outreach Team and all of the congregation members who so generously provided the gifts and clothing for these great causes. You have touched many lives and have shared God's love and blessings.

If you would like to learn about additional opportunities to help those in need, please contact Janell Zesinger or the Church office.

Milestone Christian Academy

Last week several members of Messiah Lutheran Church visited our adopted school, Milestone Christian Academy. While there, they delivered gifts from the congregation and spent time visiting with the school staff. Milestone Christian Academy, a division of Milestone Development Inc., was founded in 2008. It is a Christian based nonprofit organization that began as a small after school program serving only 25 children's in Huntsville, Alabama. It has now expanded to a new facility, and is licensed to provide service for over 100 children.

Milestone is unique, in that it offers a sliding fee scale based on income, for qualifying parents, who are employed or attend and educational instrtution. With the help from donations and grants, Milestone provides schalarships for tuition. Enrollment consists of full paying clients, single family homes, homeless children, and children under protection service. Milestone serves children from 6 weeks of age to 12 years. Their program offers more than just "child care". They provide a rich, nurturing environment for children's cognitive, social and physical growth in a fun learning enviorment.

Milestone believes that children are a gift and reward from GOD. They are capable, active leaners, constructing their knowladge through exploration, investigation, story, and play.

 If you you would like to learn how you can help Milestone Christian Academy, please contact Claire Strand.

Related Articles

Messiah Lutheran: Milestone Christian Academy

Dec 29, 2010

Messiah Lutheran: Milestone Children's Corner

May 02, 2010

Steeple Raising, December 14, 2011

On December 14, 2011 Messiah Lutheran Church raised its new steeple as part of the Sanctuary Expansion Project.

Wheelchair Ramp 3

On Saturday, the Messiah Carpentry team constructed another wheelchair ramp for a gentleman in Huntsville.  Despite a chilly morning, the ramp was constructed in a record time of just two hours on the work site.  So this record begs the question, Why was the ramp constructed so quickly?  Was it because everyone wanted to get out of the chilly air?  Maybe.  Was it because we didn't have to make a single trip to the hardware store?  Maybe.  Was it because we we had 11 carpenters show up for this build?  Maybe.  Was it because Joe Stuart fed us an awesome breakfast of Sweet Potato Pancakes and Hot Sausage?  Probably not, but that didn't hurt and it sure got everyone energized.  The real answer is that after building several other wheelchair ramps, we have generally figured out how to get the job done without a lot of wasted energy.

These wheelchair ramps are built in support of CASA of Madison County which provides them free of charge to aged and homebound people.  The Messiah Carpentry Team is led by Owen Wasmoen.  If you would like to participate in a future wheelchair ramp build, please contact him for additional information.