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The Messiah Messenger >
The October Messenger Issue #472
The October Messenger Issue #472
Sep 29, 2007
THE Messiah MESSENGER From the Pastor “REJOICING” I do not know if you remember this but on one of my first Sundays at Messiah as your pastor (almost two years ago) I told you of a God-centered exercise utilized by one of my seminary professors and his wife. Based on the “advice” contained in Psalm 118, they would each try to be the first one to say to the other every morning, “This is the day the Lord has made.” The response was then elicited, “Rejoice, and be glad in it.” Over the past several Sundays, our gospel readings have dealt with the human tendency to place too much emphasis on the things of this world to bring us joy. (i.e. human rulers, possessions, wealth). As Christians we profess a belief that “[h]appy are they whose …hope is in the Lord their God; … (Psalm 146:5) We will sing these words as we intone this Psalm on Sunday, September 30th. Do we truly recognize God as the creator of all that is good? In Facing the Giants, the film shown at Messiah recently thanks to Floyd Yager and members of the Men’s Brotherhood, a high school football team struggles mightily to win games until one day the coach decides that their emphasis is misplaced. Yes, they should be giving their best effort and never give up, but they should do so as a sign of their thanks and praise of the source of their skills and their life – God. “Whether we win or we lose we will give thanks and praise the Lord,” says the coach. “And we will never give up.” I am asking our church to do the same thing as we begin another year of Christian education and programs. We do have so much to thank God for: new members, many new children in our Sunday school, the return of some members who were inactive, the combining of the two services into one worshipping community, the possibilities of a new structure and improved facilities… Webster’s defines rejoicing as “the act of expressing joy, festivity.” As we gather for worship each Sunday, as you sit at the dinner table in your home with family and friends, as you breathe in the cool air of a fall afternoon, as you witness the joy of children in church, are you capable of rejoicing? You should be and so should I. After all, “[t]his is the day that the Lord has made….” May the joy of God’s presence be in your heart, evident to others by your actions and forever spread across your face. Noteworthy News WELCOME NEW MEMBERS! On Sunday, September 16th, we had the pleasure of welcoming several people to Messiah as full members of the congregation. Debbie, Alexis, and David Chervinko – This family comes to us from our Child Care Center. Formerly members at St. Lukes, David enjoyed getting to know Pastor Paul during Child Care Chapel, and the family has chosen to make the switch. Alexis and David are enrolled in our Sunday School program. Welcome, Chervinkos! Lorraine Elder, and Jerry and Barbara Valasek – Lorraine is Barbara’s mother, and they have been joining us in worship for some time now. Formerly of St. Andrews Lutheran here in Park Ridge, we look forward to having them with us in the time to come. Charles and Leona Johnson – Charter members of Messiah, welcome back! Chuck and Lee transferred in 2000 when they moved to Arlington Heights and had difficulty commuting to Park Ridge. They have remained in touch (and on our mailing list!), however, and since moving to Des Plaines, have rejoined Messiah. Welcome back! Bob and JoAnn Wood – This couple moved to Park Ridge last year, and has been attending worship with us for some time. They are in real estate, and are quite a treat to be around, owing to a sense of humor that is quickly becoming legendary. Thanks for joining us here at Messiah! PARKING LOT NEWS As many of you know, our parking lot has been a busy place lately. The closing of the underground lot at LGH has made an already bad situation much worse. While we want to be open and welcoming at Messiah, we cannot handle dozens of extra cars in our parking lot when the children are being picked up and dropped off for Child Care (weekdays between 8:30 AM and 1 PM). It is dangerous, unfair to our parents and kids, and we simply run out of parking spaces. On October 1, Messiah begins a contract with the Park Ridge Police to ticket vehicles that do not belong in our lot. Please understand…members are always welcome to park their cars in our lot, whether for events at church or to go to LGH. If you plan on parking here, contact the office and let Jennifer know when you will be there. We ask that you don’t tell friends or neighbors that it is fine to park here, unless it is after 1 PM when our lot traffic is lightest. Violators will be issued one warning from us, and then we will call Parking Enforcement to ticket repeat offenders. Police will also be watching for “cut through” drivers, and those coming in the “exit only” driveway, so if you do that on a regular basis, we suggest you stop, or you may receive a moving violation. The Counseling Center continues to park in the 6 numbered spots along Weeg Way. Honoring a long-standing agreement, they donate to the church for the privilege to park there, so please do not use their spaces during the week. Also, all teachers and staff for Messiah park on the Weeg Way side, leaving the bulk of the lot closest to the door open for general parking throughout the day. You only have to spend about 10 minutes watching children walking across our parking lot to see how serious this situation is. Thank you for your patience and attention to this important matter. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Jennifer in the church office, or Karen at the Child Care. Upcoming Events (Remember: Always check with church office before you schedule an event – there is a room assignment calendar maintained by the Office Administrator.) LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF TRAILER LOADING October 6, 9 AM – 12 PM & October 7, 12 PM – 3 PM If you have already signed up to help, great! If you haven’t, check your schedule! We get churches from all around our community bringing boxes to send overseas, and the more hands we have the better. At the time of this writing, we have not had the "Ingathering". Thanks in advance to those who helped with it. The totals will be in the next Messenger. ANNUAL PET BLESSING Saturday, October 6, 4 PM Pastor Paul is continuing the Messiah tradition of a special service for the blessing of pets in honor of the Feast of St. Francis! Bring your pet (in a carrier or on a leash) to the front lawn, and we will hold a short service. This is a non-denomin-animal service – invite your neighbors and their animals! NILES/PARK RIDGE 2006 CROP WALK Sunday, October 14th, step off at 2:00 PM The motto is ‘We walk because they walk.’ There are places in the world where people have to walk miles to get to school or even just to get their water. So we walk to raise money to help them. In our local area, families in need can go to our local Maine Township food pantry, which is supported in part by this CROP Walk (25% of the money we raise goes to our food pantry). Walk with us or sponsor someone who is walking. If you would like to walk, please contact Trudi Handzel or David Swanson. If you would to sponsor a walker, visit the table in the narthex after the Sunday church services, or you can go on line – there is a quick link on our Messiah home page that takes you directly to our donation site. Your support would be greatly appreciated. CONGREGATIONAL MEETING Sunday, October 21st at 11:30 AM We will receive an update on our progress of the building campaign, and discuss the new worship time change. There will be a Pancake Breakfast before worship, so we will not have a pot luck or any lunch during the meeting. All members are encouraged to attend. THE 2ND ANNUAL MESSIAH HARVEST FESTIVAL Saturday, October 27th, 10 AM – 3 PM There will be a Craft & Vendor bazaar down in the Fellowship Hall. We will have concessions and a bake sale with yummy harvest goodies too! We will also have a raffle - tickets will be available at the Festival, as well as a prior to the event. Bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the Food Pantry and receive 1 FREE raffle ticket. At the same time, we will have a Halloween Fun Fair for the children in the "Kid's "Corral" (a.k.a. the Multipurpose Room) with games & prizes, craft projects, face painting, and more! The fundraising part will come from raffle ticket sales, and the bake sale. Crafters and vendors will donate many of the items to raffle off. Outside vendors will pay a table fee. Members and CC family vendors are requested to make a donation to the raffle. If you have wares to sell, contact Julie Holzer about setting up a table. Tell your friends - entrance to the Festival is FREE, the proceeds benefit the Building Fund, and this is a GREAT time to get a jump on that Christmas shopping!!! REMINDERS! Naomi Circle Thursday, October 11th at 9:30 AM at Carol Smith’s house. Call Carol if you need directions to her place! Men’s Breakfast Saturday, October 13th at 9:00 AM at Old Country Buffet in Park Ridge (Dempster and Luther Lane). Friendship Day October 25 at 9 A.M. Come when you can and stay as long as you can. Bring your lunch if you plan to be there at lunchtime. Also a big thank you to all who contributed to this project, and there were many of you. It was certainly a whole church project. If you would like to work at home, contact Eva Thoren or Millie Anderson. Several ladies have expressed a desire to learn to knit. If you are interested, contact Carol Smith. WELCA Board October 3rd @ 9:00 AM Executive Committee October 16th @ 7:00 PM Child Care Board October 17th @ 7:00 PM COMING IN NOVEMBER… Christmas Charity Opportunities Thanksgiving Worship Service Annual Stewardship Campaign Begins This Month in Worship WORSHIP SCHEDULE AND READINGS All Sundays feature worship at 10:15 AM. October 7 – Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost Habakkuk 1:1–4; 2:1–4; Psalm 37:1–9; 2 Timothy 1:1–14; Luke 17:5–10 October 14 – Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost 2 Kings 5:1–3, 7–15c; Psalm 111; 2 Timothy 2:8–15; Luke 17:11–19 October 21 – Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost Genesis 32:22–31; Psalm 121; 2 Timothy 3:14—4:5; Luke 18:1–8 October 28 – Reformation Sunday Jeremiah 31:31–34; Psalm 46; Romans 3:19–28; John 8:31–36 ADULT FORUM SCHEDULE In conjunction with showing the Facing the Giants movie, we will also be holding some bible studies based on themes found within the movie. These will take place at our Adult Education Hour at 9:00am on Sunday mornings through October. The topics will be: October 7 - "Pray for Revival" and "Be an Encourager" October 14 - Summary and Review October 21 – Congregational Meeting, no Adult Forum See next month’s Messenger for November topics CONGREGATIONAL BIBLE STUDY TEXTS October 7 - Psalms 26-30 October 14 - Psalms 31-35 October 21 - Psalms 36-40 October 28 - Psalms 41-45 And… Adult Midweek Bible Study continues! It is not too late to join the Wednesday morning (10 AM) or Thursday evening (6:30 PM) group as we explore the intriguing and mysterious Gospel of Thomas. WORSHIP HELPERS October 7 October 14 October 21 October 28 10:15 10:15 10:15 10:15 Acolytes Kevin K Tait J Jenni H TBD CommAsst Pat K Julie J Vikki H TBD Readers Peter F Kristin Y Valeria B Laura H Worship Asst John F Carol S Char L Diane B Projection Jim H Jim H Jim H Jim H Ushers Tom J, Bob B, Russ S, David H Greeters * Jackie S Jackie S Jackie S Counters David H,Val B FLOWERS AND BULLETINS The sign-ups for flowers and bulletins are in the narthex by the hall to the Educational Wing. Flowers are $30, and the Bulletins are $10. Envelopes are provided next to the sign-up calendar, or you may simply write “Flowers” or “Bulletin” on your regular envelope in the Other box. PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO PAY FOR YOUR FLOWERS OR BULLETINS! Note to all those purchasing flowers: Your flowers are yours to take home! If you wish to donate them to one of our shut-ins, please be sure to let the Altar Guild know. Thanks! October 7– Flowers are given in honor of Chuck and Nancy Boomer’s 25th anniversary. Bulletins are given by the Kovach family in honor of Daniel’s 16th birthday. October 14 – Flowers are given by Kevin Kovach for Daniels’s birthday. October 21 – Flowers are given by Dave and Donna Hanson. October 28 – Flowers are given for Ricky Reeve’s 9th birthday. Bulletins are given by John and Sue Fox in honor of the anniversary of Andrew’s baptism. Messages FOUR CEMETERY LOTS AVAILABLE TO MESSIAH CONGREGATION The church currently has the deed to four contiguous lots in The Garden of Meditation at Memory Gardens Cemetery on Euclid Avenue just west of Rand Road in Arlington Heights (approximately 6 miles from the church). These lots were given to the church in 1984 and are currently valued at $2800 each. The grantor wanted the church to offer them to the membership and perhaps to a family who could not afford to pay full price for cemetery lots. If you are interested, please talk to Pastor Paul within the next several weeks. If no one from Messiah is interested, the lots may be offered for sale to the general public beginning on November 1, 2007. Be advised that any actions taken on these lots are ultimately to be decided by the Messiah Executive Committee Getting the Word Out With all the activities going on at Messiah, we often try to get press releases in the local newspapers. If you have a Messiah event that you wish to publicize, send your complete article or press release, along with the name and contact information of the person it is going to, into the CHURCH OFFICE. It will be proofread for errors and then submitted to the newspaper on our letterhead, from our fax number, or from our email address. Thank you. FOR YOUR INFORMATION After 12 years serving as Chair of the Memorial , Honorarium, and Thanks to God fund, I have resigned. Karen Black is now the chair. Thank you for all your support. Millie Anderson Manna Order Dates Remember to order your Manna cards on October 14th. Cards will be available for pick up on the 18th. We have made over $750 this year already!! Youth Corner PANCAKE BREAKFAST/CONGREGATION CELEBRATION Sunday, October 21st at 9:00 AM This will be our first Pancake Breakfast of the year, and we invite all Sunday School, Confirmation, and Adult Forum families to attend. This is a great chance to get to know each other, and to share some of what we have been learning during Christian Education Hour. Come one, come all! We have some new Sunday School families this year, lets make them feel welcome! SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS NEEDED Sunday school has grown this year, and we are looking for a few friendly volunteers to help teach the units. Each unit is 4 weeks, and all materials are provided to you in advance by Sunday school. You just need to read them over in advance and then be prepared to work with about 20 smiling faces. For dates of the units, check the website or contact Kristin Yager at 847-692-6260 for more info. Messiah Ministries REV. PHIL KNUTSON LETTER FROM AFRICA Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I noted with great interest the recent ELCA Assembly adoption of proposals for a full communion relationship between the ELCA and the Moravian Church in America and the five-year initiative to promote study of the Bible called “Book of Faith: Lutherans Read the Bible.” A Moravian, George Schmidt, arrived in South Africa in 1737 as the first missionary to work among the indigenous people. The first Lutheran missionaries to South Africa came from the Berlin Missionary Society in 1834. Today eighteen Lutheran churches in 11 different countries and the Moravian Church in Southern Africa are members of the Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa (LUCSA) which is the regional expression of the Lutheran World Federation in Southern Africa. In addition to my responsibilities as ELCA Global Mission Regional Program Assistant in Southern Africa I continue to work with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (ELCSA) and the Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa (LUCSA) on several Christian education initiatives. For the past few years I have worked with a team of translators to edit and produce the annual ELCSA Almanac in seven of the eleven official languages in the Republic of South Africa. The ELCSA Almanac is based on the Moravian Losungen or Daily Watchwords which is produced in Herrnhut, Germany. This tradition was started by Count Ludwig von Zinzindorf in 1724 when he gave Moravian refugees on his estate two Bible verses each evening. The ELCSA Almanac contains the pericopes for each Sunday as well as daily readings from the Old and New Testaments. This little book is an indispensable devotional and worship resource for individuals, families and pastors in Lutheran and Moravian congregations throughout Southern Africa. A three-book Sunday School Teachers’ Resource Living Together in Christ has just been published by the Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa (LUCSA). I have also been privileged to be part of this team effort with eight curriculum writers from various LUCSA member churches in Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa. The books provide a Biblical framework for Sunday School ministry and emphasize that the purpose of Christian education is to help equip members of all ages to participate in God’s mission. Thank you for your continued prayers and support for our family, the work of the ELCA Global Mission and our companion churches in Southern Africa. May God bless you as you read, study and proclaim the Good News in Jesus Christ and participate with others in God’s Mission locally and globally. Rev. Phil Knutson Milestones BIRTHDAYS Anthony Reeves, 10/5 Linda Stolz, 10/5 Sandra Downie, 10/6 Darryl Hanson,10/7 Daniel Kovach, 10/7 Zachary Elder, 10/9 Julie Berzins, 10/12 Anthony Demonte, 10/12 Tommy Hanson, 10/16 Candace Zaucha, 10/17 Weston Bukar, 10/19 Gary Corkill, 10/20 Michael Herak, 10/25 David Kaufman, 10/26 Neil Hauser, 10/29 Ricky Reeve, 10/30 ANNIVERSARIES Charles and Nancy Boomer – 10/2/1982, 25 years Carmen and Barb Loverme – 10/10/1964, 43 years Russell and Linda Raymond – 10/11/1969, 38 years Ron and Theresa Duty – 10/27/1974, 33 years Tom and Kim Hanson – 10/29/1993, 14 years Messiah Leadership for 2007 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President: Carol Hrodey (262) 652-3187 Vice President: Vikki Hanson (847) 823-2117 Secretary: Nancy Boomer (847) 678-3048 Treasurer: Brad Kovach (847) 297-4883 Financial Sec.: David Hanson (847) 296-6796 EXTENDED LEADERSHIP TEAM Stewardship: Floyd Yager Evangelism: David Swanson CCC Director: Karen Black CCC Board: Donna Berzins Maintenance: Vic Berzins Capital Campaign: Dave Kaufman Property Committee: Various Members WELCA: Eva Thoren Brotherhood: Rich Seggeling Christian Education: Kristin Yager Confirmation/HS: Edith Reeve Adult Forum: John Fox Choir: Pat Daniels Music: Tom Daniels, Sue Fox Memorial Report This report is as of September 24, 2007. All gifts to the Memorial Fund are automatically acknowledged to the giver by a personal note, which includes a confirmation of the amount. Unless otherwise designated, all gifts go into the Property Reserve Fund. Addresses and envelope numbers on memorial cards or checks are much appreciated. The purpose of this report is to confirm that gifts are received and properly allocated. If you don’t see your gift listed here after 2 months, please contact Karen Black. IN MEMORY OF JOHN “SKIP” HANDZEL, SR. Given by: Don and Mary Jane Kovach, Valeria Bowman, Audrey Krell, Char Lobitz, Chuck and Jackie Steigerwald, Roy Sues, George Hrodey, Joyce Tjhio, Mildred Anderson, Mr. and Mrs. Tom Perzentka, Vernon and Carol Frost, Donna Dwyer, Doris Preinitz, Eva Thoren, Charlotte and Bill Baumgartner, Carol Hrodey, Paula DiVita Fund: Property Reserve Given by: George Hrodey, Carol Hrodey, Paula DiVita Fund: Capital Campaign IN MEMORY OF SKIP AND LORRAINE HANDZEL Given by: Nancy and Les Herak, Joyce Johnsen Fund: Property Reserve IN MEMORY OF LORRAINE HANDZEL Given by: Brian and Julie Logan, Casey and Lorraine Koszczuk, Joe and Jackie Soscczyk, Scott and Janice Casagrande Fund: Property Reserve Did You Know That…? We received no information from anyone this month! Come on, surely you have something you’d like to share!!! (We still want interesting facts and tidbits about YOU! Send them in to the office!) Prayer Requests Please include the following individuals and families in your prayers this month: Vivian Beyer Chuck Boomer Sue Bruce Joe & Evelyn Burval Lee Cercone Ruth Corkill Mr. Dennis Larry Dietrich Ardene Ejnik Chris Jacobsen Kennet Richard Levy Nancy Maher Julie Parsons Aidan Ray Mary Reter Gloria Solum Pastor Sally Terrell Linda (Rodin) Ufkes We also want to remember in our prayers our military personnel: Jason Koesler, Tim David, Lars Johnsen, Kevin Ward, and Patrick and Claudine Ward. Directory Changes Please call the office for New Members information New Members’ Info The Messiah Messenger In this issue… Rejoicing New Members Join Messiah Parking Lot Problems LWR Trailer Loading Annual Pet Blessing Service Niles/Park Ridge CROP Walk Congregational Meeting Harvest Festival and Fun Fair Adult Forum and Bible Study Cemetery Lots for Sale New Advertising Policy Letter from our Missionary in Africa MESSIAH LUTHERAN CHURCH 1605 Vernon Avenue Park Ridge, Illinois 60068 Church Staff Rev. Paul Stolz, Pastor Jennifer Schneider, Office Administrator Karen Black, Child Care Center Director Vic Berzins, Director of Property Maintenance John Handzel, Property Maintenance Worknesh Deressa, Custodian Tom Daniels, Director of Music Sue Fox, Organist Angela Berger, Bookkeeper
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