Ground Breaking and First Communion

Pictures from this morning's Dual celebration. On Feb 14th, 1993 Messiah Lutheran Church broke ground for its church on HWY 72.  We also celebrated First Communion for five young messiah members. More to follow.

Messiah Lutheran Church Cookbook

New Messiah Lutheran Church (MLC) Cookbook   In order to help commemorate MLC's 25th anniversary, we are compiling a new cookbook that will contain the favorite recipes of our congregation members.  Our goal is to have the cookbook available to purchase by Memorial Day weekend.  

We need your help!  We have lots of wonderful cooks (including guys) in our congregation. We know that because we have tasted your delicious food at our potlucks and on other occasions.  This is your chance to finally tell us what that secret ingredient is in your dish.  Please contribute 3-5 of your favorite recipes.  The cookbooks will be professionally published and will contain special pages of interest, a table of contents, an index, helpful cooking hints, and recipe category dividers.  And most importantly, your recipes will be published with your name. These cookbooks are sure to be treasured for years to come. 

Download the Recipe Collection Sheet or pick up a copy of the form at the welcome center in the narthex. Please consider contributing several of your favorite recipes to make this an excellent cookbook that we can enjoy for years to come.

The cookbook committee includes Kimberly Dennig, Barbara Azzam, Cheryl Byers, Bonnie Webb, Toni Daniel and is chaired by LeeLinda Baggett.  If you have questions, let us know. We are ready to type your recipes into the cookbook so bring on your favorite ones.

Wheelchair Ramp Build, 31 Jan 2015

Completed Wheelchair Ramp

2 Corinthians 9:7 

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

What an awesome day!

It started with a need.  A woman in Harvest, Alabama needed the ability to safely enter and exit her home.

A community came together to make that  happen.

Messiah Lutheran Church in Madison, Alabama in cooperation with CASA of Madison County organized a team to build a wheelchair ramp for this woman.  This was not the first wheelchair ramp built by the carpenters of Messiah Lutheran Church.  This was the 30th Ramp built by this group.

And even though a lot of work was accomplished today, it hardly felt like work at all.  The enthusiasm of this group was overwhelming and spiritually uplifting. It started at 7:00 in the morning when the group met at a restaurant for breakfast and continued throughout the day.

And it was also a day of passing on our ramp building skills to the next generation of ramp builders who had such a positive attitude and worked so hard.

Messiah Lutheran Church builds these ramps in partnership with CASA of Madison County.

CASA (Care Assurance System for the Aging and Homebound) 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.

CASA's mission is to provide needed services to aging/homebound individuals that allow them to remain at home and age in place. Our 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.

We give special thanks to Jim Fossum and Thrivent Financial for providing lunch for the team and for their ongoing support of our community activities. Thrivent Financial is a financial services organization that helps Christians be wise with money and live generously. We offer a broad range of products and services – including life insurance, annuities and mutual funds – along with guidance from financial representatives nationwide. For more than a century we've helped our nearly 2.4 million member-owners make wise money choices that reflect their values. And we provide opportunities for them to be even more generous where they live, work and worship.

If you would like to participate in a future wheelchair ramp build, please contact the Messiah Lutheran Church Office at 256-721-0041.

Click here for some additional photos of today's build.

Messiah's church-wide "E100" begins.

Messiah Lutheran's church-wide "E100:The Essential One-Hundred Bible Reading Plan" kicked off for all ages during the January 11th Sunday School hour.  

"E100," which has an accompanying guidebook for both adults and children, guides participants towards deeper knowledge and understanding of the world's greatest book, through daily weekday readings, prayer, personal reflection and discussion.  

Every Sunday, adult participants will gather during the Sunday School hour (9:45 to 10:45) in the Parish Hall where Pastor Scott Peterson will begin with a brief introduction and period of instruction along with some Q and A.  The later half of the hour will feature small group discussion and reflection.  The children's text follows the same reading schedule as the adult's text and will extend the learning through richly illustrated guidebook and craft activities.   Individuals may also study along independently.

Note: The adult "E100 Challenge Guide" book was made available to participants for a suggested donation of $8.00 each.  If you are interested in the course and need a guide book, please let the church office know as additional books will likely be ordered soon.   The January reading schedule is posted on page 3 of  the January 2015 newsletter and will be sent out to the membership in this week's E-News.

Messiah marks 25 years of its Charter opening and welcomes newest members!

(excerpt from Sunday Bulletin, Dec 14th, 2014)

On December 17th, 1989, after worshipping for eight months,  the mission start at Messiah Lutheran took that first critical step toward being an organized Congregation.  Then worshiping in the United Rubber Workers' Union Hall Auditorium, 113 brave souls signed their names or inked their fingers (if they were infants/toddlers) on the membership charter.  The membership charter was open three more Sundays in the months that followed and closed on May 20th, 1990 with 159 charter members. 

On Sunday December 14th, Messiah celebrated the charter opening in a most fitting way by welcoming  fifteen new members to the Messiah Lutheran Church congregational rolls.  

During both services charter members in attendance were asked to stand so that they could be recognized. Post service receptions in the Fellowship Hall saw  Messiah members "young and old" enjoy the multitude of treats brought by volunteers. The reception was coordinated by the 25th Anniversary committee members, Judy Starkloff (who is a charter member) and Greg Kilby, who currently serves as Messiah's Fellowship Chair.

The next  25th Anniversary event will be on February 15th 2015, when Messiah marks the February 14th, 1993 Ground-Breaking for the church.  

New member photos and details about upcoming 25th anniversary events can be found in the upcoming E-news and newsletter.

Article and Photos by Meredith Kilby 

The sounds of Christmas resonate at Ring and Sing 2014

Messiah's 16th Annual Ring and Sing Concert took place on Sunday, December 14th.  The concert featured the musical talents of Messiah's several handbell groups, the adult choir, the Luthermen quartet and the vchurch's instrumental ensemble.  The event was emceed by Rhonda Gaede, who also serves as the director for the church's handbell choir, Notabella.

Notabella, which is comprised of youth and adults, started things off with "The First Noel" and were joined by flutist Michelle Bono on "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming." 

While  ringing was very much the center stage of the event, there was plenty of singing, too!  The audience sung several traditional Christmas Carols accompanied by the church orchestra and newly installed pipe organ.  Lois Graff, who is Messiah's organist and Director of Music Ministries, directed the instrumental ensemble which is comprised of youth and adults musicians.

The Adult Choir performed "Away in the Manger."  Messiah member Dick Azzam arranged the familiar tune to four parts for the occasion and also directed. 

The Luthermen, an all male quartet, sung "Silent Night" with the addtion of Messiah's Beth Gloe. The foursome also sang the spiritual "Rise Up, Shepherd and Follow."

The Cherub Choir,  led by Messiah's Outreach Director, Claire Strand,  sang and rang  "Jingle Bells" and sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus.   Messiah's youngest choir expanded it's numbers greatly this past year and sported brand new choir robes for their performance.

Along with a handbell trio, the handbell quartet returned to play "Caroler's Hoedown"  complete with cowboy hats.  This challenging and humorous piece never fails to delight the youngsters in the audience.

Another tradition of Ring and Sing is the audience participation segment.  Notabella players distributed the octaves of chimes and their corresponding Christmas Carol music books. "If the word is circled, you ring... if it's underlined... you stop it from ringing. It's as simple as that!"  explained Ronda Gaede to the audience.

The family friendly and light hearted evening ended with a Christmas Cookie reception put on by church volunteers.  The event is sponsored by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.  Donations were collected to benefit the Madison Public Library.

To view additional pictures from the evening:

View additional photos from Ring and Sing 2014

Submitted,

Meredith Kilby

Organ Dedication - October 26th

Messiah Lutheran Church's Dedication of Pipe Organ and Organ Recital was held Sunday October 26th at 3:00 pm. Messiah's recently expanded sanctuary was once again filled with the beautiful tones and melodies that can source from a pipe organ.  A tremendous number of folks came out to celebrate the long awaited day!

Messiah Lutheran celebrates the newly installed pipe organ (shown upper left)
dedicated into service on Sunday, September 26th, 2014

The Dedication featured several readings of scripture and a dedication prayer.   Bob Gustafson talked on the mission and construction of the organ.   Pastor Scott Peterson led the Organ Search Committee working closely with Bob, Messiah's Director of Music Ministries, Lois Graff, along with the expert consultation of Mark Moorehead, principal organist at Trinity Methodist Church of Huntsville. The Organ features over 800 pipes and is located within the upper level of the east transept of the newly expanded altar space.  

Pastor Peterson spoke on the joyousness of the occasion, connecting Psalm 46  to Martin Luther's writing the hymn "A Mighty Fortress is Our God."    Psalm 46 was then sung (without accompaniment) by the congregation which then led directly into Mark Moorehead's jubilant introduction on the organ of that most famous of Luther's hymns, complete with trumpet played by Bryan Page. Singing hymns accompanied by organ had officially returned to Messiah Lutheran Church! 

The dedication continued with a talk on "Music and Martin Luther" given by Dagmar Miller. Messiah's Notabella Bell Choir, led by Rhonda Gaede,  performed  "Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken" by Haydn.   Messiah's choir, directed by Randall Fields,  was wonderfully rounded out by volunteers from All Saints Lutheran Church of Huntsville.  The choir performed Wood's Jubilate Deo (Psalm 100) and concluded with Mendelssohn's  Verleih uns Frieden. 

Organist Joshua Coble performing on Messiah Lutheran's
newly installed pipe organ, built by George Miller.

Finally it came time to feature the newest pipe organ in Madison County.  For the recital, Messiah secured the remarkable talent of organist Joshua Coble .  Coble, a Huntsville native, is a current candidate for the Doctoral of Musical Arts for Organ Performance at the University of Alabama.  Coble, who serves as the principal organist at Mountain Brook Baptist Church in Birmingham, presented several works that would provide the listeners an opportunity to listen to the wonderful range and capabilities of the newly installed organ.  He performed four works, clearly demonstrating the fitness of the instrument for future recitals and performances.

After the Dedication and Recital concluded, a reception was held for all in attendance. The reception was coordinated by Mary Ann Stasiak with the generous help of Jan Murphy and many many others.

Indeed, arriving at this day was the result of countless contributors and answered prayers and now that it is place, it will continue to bless our mission, our ministry and the music at Messiah Lutheran Church! 

We hope you will come to Sunday Services to hear this wonderful Instrument in Action.

You can also hear more this Saturday Night, Nov 1st.  The Music at Messiah Classical Concert Series will feature the choral ensemble "Huntsville Collegium Musicum" who is presenting Thomas Luis de Victoria's  Officium Defunctorum,  at 7:30 pm at Messiah Lutheran.  Organist Betty Augsburger will be playing several pieces just for organ as well.

Photos by Joe Stuart

Messiah's Family Friendly Halloween Party Held Oct 25

Fourteen Chili Recipes Competed for Annual Trophy

The annual Messiah Lutheran Chili Cookoff featured fourteen delicious recipes made by members and youth in the congregation.   Upon their arrival to the Parish Hall, the entries were carefully numbered in the kitchen so that judges could sample and also mark their tasting cups to track which chili was which. The variety of flavors that were brought were astounding and each recipe stood on its own as being delicious! Thanks to all who brought the chilis and various sides that were also donated.

In what was a very close decision, it was Amy McCarthy's chili recipe that took the coveted trophy for Best Overall Chili.   Bridie Ryan's chili was selected as the Runner Up.  Melanie Mooneyham's chili recipe was awarded the Spiciest Chili Award. 

An assortment of characters made up the costume contest this year.

After enjoying some games led by members of Messiah's Youth Program, the costumed children were brought back into the Parish Hall for the costume contest.  Each was introduced to the audience by Larry Ryan, who "officiated" the Saturday evening event.     The winners in the various age categories are shown above.   (Additional photos will be posted soon)! 

Older Wiser Lutherans (OWLS)

The Older Wiser Lutherans or OWLS as they are known 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, a visit to the Botanical Garden, to attending the "Living Christmas Tree" concert.  

OWL packing bags for Weekend Food Program

Sometimes the OWLs work on outreach projects like a recent event where they enjoyed a potluck dinner and then helped pack bags of food for the Weekend Food Program.  This program provides grocery bags full of nutritious food and snacks for scores of hungry Madison school children. The bags contain lots of food items, ranging from fruit and vegetable cups to cereal and soup to ensure that the children don't go hungry during the weekend.

A recent report released by the Food Research and Action Center (frac.org), said 23.4 percent of respondents in Alabama said they didn't have enough money to buy food at some point. The report said Alabama is the second hungriest state in the nation.

OWLS at Oktoberfest

And sometimes the OWLs get together just for fun and to enjoy each other's company like their recent Oktoberfest.

If you would like to learn more about this group or would like to attend one of their events, please contact the Church Office at (256) 721-0041.

Click here for more photos of OWLs Events

Pipe Organ Dedication

After an absence of more than 3 years, a pipe organ is being heard in Messiah Lutheran Church again.  The expansion of the sanctuary required a different pipe organ to fill the space.  

This custom built, refurbished organ was designed by Miller Organ Company with the rich textures of a solid foundation, adding tonal variety and color with reeds and mixtures.  The fine workmanship of the organ builders and the acoustics of the MLC sanctuary combine to give the pipe organ a lively presence and glorious sound.

Thank you to all who gave gifts to the pipe organ fund, to all the workers who gave their time and skills to ready the space, and to all who undergirded this project with prayer.

On Reformation Sunday, October 26^th at 3 p.m., Messiah Lutheran’s pipe organ will be dedicated to the glory of God.  May this instrument complement the proclamation of God’s Word and give praise and glory to our Lord.  Soli Deo Gloria

Wheelchair Ramp Build, 11 Oct 2014

Today, the carpentry team from Messiah Lutheran Church in Madison, Alabama completed another wheelchair ramp for a gentleman in Huntsville, Alabama.

The Messiah Team with the Home Owner on the Completed Ramp

Our ministry is to provide a means for those are homebound to be able to safely enter and exit their homes. We try to build about one ramp per month.  And we have a lot of fun doing it.  If you would like to help us with this very fun and very rewarding ministry, please contact the Messiah Church Office at (256) 721-0041.

Messiah Lutheran Church builds these ramps in partnership with CASA of Madison County.

CASA (Care Assurance System for the Aging and Homebound) 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.


CASA's mission is to provide needed services to aging/homebound individuals that allow them to remain at home and age in place. Our 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.


Click here to see additional photos of today's build.

Stewardship Temple Talk

Today Richard Webb gave a powerful (yet humorous) temple talk on stewardship.

Stewardship is graciously managing the time, talent and treasures given to us by God.  To put it another way: STEWARDSHIP is our response which shows gratitude to God for all God has entrusted to us.

If you haven't already done so, please fill out your estimate of Giving card, which wraps up the fruits of your time and talent as one of God's stewards at Messiah Lutheran.

Walk to Defeat ALS 2014

Team Thrivent Messiah at the 2014 ALS Walk

Once again this year, Messiah Lutheran Church supported the Walk to Defeat ALS.  ALS has taken the life of several members of our Church including Steve Pesto and Deana Glover.

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.

Messiah raised money for our part of the fight with a spaghetti dinner fundraiser.

Spaghetti Fundraiser for Walk to Defeat ALS

This year, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has taken the Country and the Internet by Storm.  Millions of Americans have accepted the challenge so far.  Eight members of our congregation decided to accept the ice bucket challenge after the Spaghetti dinner.  Here are a few videos of their challenges.




Thanks to everyone who helped support this year's Walk to Defeat ALS.  As of the time of writing of this blog article, the ALS Organization has raised over $70 Million Dollars.  We are praying that this money will finally allow researchers to find a cure for this terrible disease.

Here are some additional photos from the Spaghetti Dinner and the ALS Walk.

Narthex Carpet

You may have noticed a little change in the Narthex this week.  A team of volunteers ripped up the old carpet, repaired the floor and laid some attractive new carpet squares in a custom designed pattern.

If that old carpet could talk, what stories it could probably tell. It had been in place for over twenty years. During that twenty plus years it served as the welcome mat for our Church.  It welcomed God's people during thousands of Church services, Lenten services, Advent services, Weddings, Funerals, Concerts and a host of community activities.  And though that carpet had served us faithfully and well, it had outlived its serviceable life.

The hardest part of the carpet project was removing that twenty plus year old carpet from the floor.  A number of techniques were used, but they all required a bunch of old fashioned elbow grease.

New Carpet Design

Once the old carpet was removed, the new carpet was installed using a design created by Meredith Kilby. The design features a center motif that resembles both the empty tomb (Christ’s resurrection) as well as a simple church structure.  Upon entry to the church, repeated elements intentionally guide the eye, and hopefully feet, towards the center of worship at Messiah, our sanctuary.

To the left of the design (towards the fellowship hall) a pathway points the visitor towards fellowship, community, and service at Messiah.  To the right (towards the education wing) a similar pathway heads towards the education wing where a hopscotch pattern emerges to beckons all ages towards spiritual growth and the learning of His Word.

The three carpet tones being used for the design are blue (representing the waters of baptism), red (fire of the spirit)  and gold (Worship/King).   The blue tone was selected to coordinate / relate to the existing wall to wall carpet that exists in the Fellowship Hall and down our church hallways.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this project a success.

Now that the carpet in the Narthex has been replaced, there is still more work left to be done.  In the coming years, we will be replacing additional sections of carpet throughout the Church.

Here are some additional photos of the Narthex Carpet Project.

LWR Blankets and Kits 2014

We humbly dedicate our gifts of love to you. We ask that you bless the fruits of our labor and the whole work of Lutheran World Relief, that together we may minister to our neighbors in need.

Today at Messiah Lutheran Church, we dedicate a year's worth of work by two of our ministries.  The Comforters and the Kit Ministers produced hundreds of items that will go to Lutheran World Relief in support of global ministries.

Lutheran World Relief is a non-profit organization that works with local partners to provide lasting solutions to poverty, injustice and human suffering.

The goal of LWR is to help communities cope with and recover from emergencies in ways that promote lasting improvements in people’s living conditions

Mission Quilts: When you make and send a Quilt, you are not only comforting someone you have never met, but providing an object that is useful in ways you probably never imagined. In addition to being a cozy, clean new bed cover, it can be:

• a baby carrier, tied around a mother’s back;
• a market display, spread on the ground and piled with vegetables;
• a sack for transporting those goods to market;
• a sunshade;
• a shawl; and most importantly
• a constant reminder that someone, far away, cares a lot.

This year the Kit Ministers produced and packaged approximately 750 school kits, 300 personal care kits and 300 Baby Care Kits.

Personal Care Kits: When LWR distributes Personal Care Kits, it’s often to people who have lost everything. In the wake of an earthquake, or having fled from violence as their homes were overtaken, they clasp a towel from a faraway place, with a bar of soap, a toothbrush…and washing up, they know that they have not been forsaken by the world.

Baby Care Kits: A Baby Care Kit from LWR is like a promise. It says to that baby, Your needs will not be neglected by this world. You matter to us. When you send Baby Care Kits, you provide encouragement by welcoming these little ones into an international community that cares. Baby Care Kits are distributed as part of emergency and relief efforts, to be sure, but they are also given out as part of LWR health initiatives to encourage women to seek prenatal care. One such initiative in Mali provided training for local prenatal health care workers, who were given Baby Care Kits to distribute when they assisted with births. These kinds of programs help more babies in rural, poor areas receive a healthy start in life. We hope you will join us in this effort!

School Kits: Why school supplies? To the children who receive School Kits, these supplies mean the difference between getting an education or not. Public school is usually free, but in the places where LWR works, even a few required supplies, like pens and paper, may be more than many families can afford. And when parents can only afford to send one of their children to school, girls rarely get priority…yet the education level of mothers has the biggest impact on development.

The Comforters meet each Tuesday at 10 am.  If you would like to participate in the Comforters Ministry, please contact Annette Joens.

The Kit Ministers meet in the evening.  If you would like to participate with the Kit Ministers, please contact Rhonda Gaede.

Here are some more photos of these two ministries in action.