15
Jul 2018
Submitted by Beth Ford I am writing this from the beach where Mike and I are over laughing, over sunning, and over eating with our children, children in law, 4 year old Olivia and 2 year old Emory. There is that old phrase about how if I had known how much fun being a grandparent was, I would have done it first. I knew that grandparenthood would be great fun, but I had not thought beyond the not being ultimately responsible and the being able to spoil small children who were not......
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08
Jul 2018
When my eldest granddaughter was about 4 years old we were exploring the sanctuary of the church I was serving, and she said, “Let’s play church!” I said OK and she directed me to the first pew. “You be the people.” She said. Again, I agreed. I sat down, and she approached the altar. Facing the altar, she chanted, “La, La, La, La, La, La.” Then she turned to me, held her hands out in front of her, and said, “Gimme money.” And that comes close to describing what many people think......
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01
Jul 2018
Submitted by: Raymond and Georgia Phillippi, MLC Delegates Georgia likes to say that we are Synod Junkies and that is very true as we get a kick out of attending the assemblies as guests if nothing else. This year we were privileged to be your voting members at the assembly and for that we thank you. The theme of this year’s assembly was “Reformation 500 – Now What.” Besides the regular business of the assembly, we spent time discerning the future of the Southeastern Synod. Bishop Gordy has announced that he intends......
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24
Jun 2018
Submitted by Beth Ford, 2018 Council President Thirteen cottage meetings. More than 100 participants. Members of the Messiah family for 50 years, and members of the family for one year. All with three important things in common—love for each other, love for this community of faith, and a deep love for all of God’s children. I am sure that I am not the only person who was not sure what to expect as we set off on this adventure of cottage meetings with people with whom we had not necessarily chosen to......
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05
Jun 2018
By: Pastor Larry Richardson, Interim Co-Minister One of my duties as interim co-pastor is to converse with members and former members in an attempt to determine how the congregation got from “there” to “here.” (The starting place is the decline in membership and worship attendance since 2012.) I started by contacting as many former members as I could and asking them to share with me their reasons for leaving Messiah. This information helps Pastor Norma and me (and you) chart a course of future action that will minimize the number of people......
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03
Jun 2018
Messiah’s Cottage Meetings have been completed. There were thirteen Cottage Meetings held between April 15 and May 13. These meetings were attended by 97 people, in small groups of between 6 and 10 attendees. Many thanks to the facilitators: Pastor Larry, Debbie Hampstead, Pastor Norma, and Marta Murrell; and many thanks to the hosts: Norm & Doris Featherston, Illy Wood, Georgia & Ray Phillippi, Mary Ellen Whitson, Larry & Deanna Moeller, Debbie & Bob Hampstead, Tim & Marta Murrell, Jaclyn Levy and Beth Ford & Mike Driskill. Discussion themes were varied. They......
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14
May 2018
Submitted by Marta Murrell | Photographs Courtesy of Larry Warren The day after the hike through the woods in Norris, planned and led by Larry Warren, and before my muscles had time to send signals to my brain about how sore they were, it struck me that in a way our Messiah community is in the woods. Things shifted in our shared faith home when our pastors left. It’s not like there were no challenges before; some of our current challenges have existed for a while, and some others are new. Maybe......
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13
May 2018
I am excited to share with you that my position is now full-time, by decision of the OWLS task force and the Church Council. I am honored and blessed to be able to pursue this calling with all my attention. This will allow me to expand the Parish Nurse Program to include health fairs, grief support, caregiver support, and programs on transitions of life. You will also see more Health Notes in the Messenger My hours will be 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, with adjustments as needed. I encourage......
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12
May 2018
We, here at Messiah, are now in Step 3 of the Transition process. Step 1 Current pastor resigns or retires … A celebration of ministry together. Step 2 Congregation receives Transition/Interim Pastor(s). Step 3 of the Transition period includes a discernment process. During this time, the congregation, along with the Transition/Interim Pastor(s), addresses any issues and/or concerns that need resolution prior to initiating the call process. Also, during this time, the Transition/Interim Pastor(s) provide continuity for pastoral leadership and care. The role of the Transition/Interim Pastor(s) includes assisting the congregation in......
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11
May 2018
Both Pastor Larry and I have had specialized training in Interim Ministry. In our training (from different trainers, times and places) we were taught about the Five Primary Areas of Focus for Interim Ministry. We believe that it might be helpful for all of you to understand what Interim Ministry encompasses. Below is a brief description that we hope will help. Blessings to all as we travel this road of transition together, Pastor Norma Five Primary Areas of Focus during the discernment period of Transition Helping to organize and frame the work......
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