10
Apr 2019
Beth Ford, 2019 Council President It took Samuel three times, but he finally knew that it was the voice of God calling him. Samuel loved and obeyed God, but the first thing that he had to do was listen and hear. The story of the little boy Samuel has been persistently in my mind as we move through our interim time together. The most important question that we pray to be able to answer is “What is God calling us to do?” Like Samuel, we love God, and we want to be......
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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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29
Jul 2018
Submitted by: Kristin Kennedy for the Benevolence Team On a very rainy day in January 2006, a woman stopped by the church office in her hour of desperation. She resembled a soaking wet, frightened kitten. She needed financial assistance to be able to stay in a recovery program—her last hope of getting out of the deep darkness which ruled her life at the time. Messiah came to her aid. The Benevolence Team’s thought was, “If we are going to help someone, let’s REALLY help them.” We determined that we would pay her......
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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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29
Jun 2018
Focusing on Hope: A Six-Week Bereavement Workshop During this six-week workshop, through education and support, we will honor our individual grieving process as we learn to focus on hope while living with our loss. The definition of “loss” includes, a loss of a loved one, loss of a long-established situation, a relationship, a life-style change resulting in loss. This work shop is free of charge, open to all adults who are coping with loss. The Workshop will held on your choice of Mondays and Saturdays at Messiah Lutheran Church. Mondays Sept. 10......
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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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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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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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