12
Aug 2018
By: Beth Ford, 2018 Council President Sometimes I wait late in the year before I do what many people do at the first of the year when it is resolution time. I just do not always have time to spend in self examination in the middle of the holidays, the end of the semester, regular work, and the general busyness of December and January. This year that self reflection did not happen until June. Better late than never. During my week at the beach without the company of grandchildren, I did a......
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05
Aug 2018
By: Reverend Larry K Richardson, Interim Co-Pastor I just returned from about three weeks of travel and I am now convinced that I never want to leave home again. I expect I’ll get over that aversion to being “on the road” after a while, but not anytime soon. I did, however, get to travel with my granddaughters whose company I enjoyed almost all the time. (I really sound like a grumpy old man, don’t I? Which is exactly the term my wife used.) It is truly extraordinary to see the world through......
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02
Aug 2018
On July 17, Messiah’s Congregation Council tabled a vote on a proposed alcohol policy until August 21. The proposed policy is included below so that comments might be collected. If you have a comment, you may either place a written comment in the president’s mail slot or share your comment with a member of the Council....
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22
Jul 2018
About a hundred years ago, two elm seedlings sprouted side by side along Thunder Road. As the years passed, the twin elms stretched into the sky with a magnificent shade canopy: majestic markers along Kingston Pike. For generations as Messiah sprouted and grew, young and old enjoyed church picnics under their broad expanse. They became beloved members of the Messiah family. Around Thanksgiving 2016, one of them fell. Time had taken its toll, and the Messiah family grieved. Several weeks later, an arborist brought the bad news: the ravages of age had......
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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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