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MESSIAH MEMOS Messiah Fairview Park Issue 2: March 2015

Lenten Soup Suppers

So it's another long week and you're sick of cooking, sicker still of fast food and the add-ed pounds that this brings on. Suggestion: Give yourself and your family a break by stopping at church on Wednesday evenings for a bowl or two of delicious homemade soup, bread, and desserts. And such a bar-gain! $3 per person.

Each Wednesday through March 25 at 5:30 p.m. In the Fellowship Hall

Bring a friend, enjoy a meal, and stay for wor-ship!

Lenten Devotionals

This year, Susan Westcott and Dave Rebeck assembled a Lenten Devotional Guide (The Psalms—Comfort for Weary Hearts) written by our very own! Each day of Lent, a Mes-siah member, faculty, or friend offers a scripture, prayer, and brief reflection. Copies are available on tables around the church. Special thanks to all those who con-tributed to this project. We pray you will listen to and take comfort from God’s Word as it reminds you of God’s never-ending mercy.

Individual reflections are posted each day on the home page of our website, each morn-ing on the Facebook page, and the booklet is available in its entirety on our website: Com-munications—>Downloads—>2015 Lenten Devotion Booklet.

Midweek Lenten Services

Lutherans have a long habit of observing Lent with special Wednesday services, where the focus is on Christ as the heart and center of our faith. Messiah’s 2015 Lenten series con-tinues on Wednesdays. Our theme is God’s command, issued at Jesus’ Transfigura-tion: “Listen to him!” A team of retired pas-tors with strong connections to Messiah will lead this year’s reflections—

Mar. 4: Pastor John Uhle

Mar. 11: Pastor Bob Fitzpatrick

Mar. 18: Pastor Richard Gahl

Mar. 25: Pastor David Kukelhan

The services begin at 7 p.m.

Children’s Choir

Calling all 1st-8th Graders at Messiah Lutheran Church of Fairview Park who like to sing! Join us for Choir during the season of Lent as we prepare to sing on Palm Sunday (March 29th at 11:00am) and Easter Vigil (April 4th) at 7:00pm. For Palm Sunday the Choir will join in the opening proces-sion with palms and will offer a song during wor-ship. For the Easter Vigil service, the choir will perform a fun skit and song about Jonah - and we'll even have a whale!! Rehearsals are on WEDNESDAYS from 6:00-6:45 in the music room. Hope you can join us!

Calling all College Students

Messiah would like to keep in touch with our

college students; you can help. Send a note

to the church office noting your child’s ad-

dress and email. We will be sure to get them

a note in time for Easter!

The Season of Lent

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From the Pastor—

What a winter this has been! First came one of the mildest Decembers ever, with its Un-White Christmas. Then January sprang with a growl and cleared the path for a fierce and bitter February that seemed to bear a particular dislike for people who go

to church. Weekend after recent weekend has been smacked with thick snow, or biting cold, or both. I missed a lot of you, at one point suppressing the thought that the Lord of the weather was testing his saints to find out who was serious about him and who was not. For-give me for letting the thought bubble up in the first place. Pastors too fall prey to the sinner’s penchant for ill-informed and unfair judgment.

That said, let me encourage all of you to make a par-ticular point of checking in at church over these several weeks. It’s Lent. The word means simply “spring,” as in the season. Time was when spring meant spring clean-ing. We tend these days to associate it more with spring training. Both these notions are useful in making sense of the Church’s Lent, and what it’s about.

Take spring cleaning. It used to be a necessary and arduous affair. Some months ago my father, who has taken in recent years to delighting his children with mem-ories of his boyhood, recalled for me how his mother and older sisters would spend a day or two rolling the walls of his grandmother’s house with a special kind of clay, de-signed to lift the winter’s accumulation of soot from the wallpaper. Sooty walls were unavoidable when you burned coal to heat the house. Sooty minds, hearts and souls are unavoidable when you spend your days in a world that runs on the fuel of self-interest. A burst of in-tense exposure to the One who said “No” upon “No” to himself for the sake of undeserving people does won-ders to scrub the self-centered soot from the interior walls of sinners.

After that comes spring training, a concept that lots of you will grasp better than I do, being athletes as I am not. The idea here is to practice habits, skills, and ideas until they become second nature to a team of people who are working together toward a common aim. For baptized Christians the aim is to shine like stars in a dark, despairing world, as St. Paul puts it (see Philippi-ans 2:15). “Repentance” is the Bible’s term for the set of habits, skills, and ideas that make this happen. Repent-ance means a new way of trusting God, of looking at the people around you, and of thinking about yourself, where all these things are being done with Christ Jesus front and center as the measure of what is true and real, and what is not. So again, a burst of exposure to Christ does wonders to push this process along, all the more since God has promised that when the conversation is all about Christ, the Holy Spirit is in the thick of things with his sleeves rolled up, as the energy that does the push-ing and turns us into people that God beams over.

So Lent for baptized people means sitting with Christ, listening to Christ, looking at Christ, and finally walking with Christ. All this starts with sessions of get-ting together around the Word of Christ. “That’s where you’ll find me today,” Jesus says (Matthew 18:20).

With that I won’t judge, but I will ask: are you serious about your Christian calling? Then let me challenge you to use this Lent to spend some extra time with your Lord. That’s what Lent is meant more. It’s where the cleaning begins, and the training too.

+ + +

Now for some practical details.

First, weekend services this month are going to fea-ture some especially strong and important passages from Scripture. You won’t want to miss them. One of these is John 3:16, perhaps the best known verse in the whole Bible. We’ll hear that on March 15; and helping us to hear what it means for us will be a special guest, Professor John Nunes, who I’m looking forward to meeting for the first time, even as I introduce him to all of you. People I trust tell me that he’s a great preacher. He’s a Lutheran pastor who has been on the faculty of Valparaiso University for the past year and half, in the position previously held by Walter Wangerin, Jr., whose books some of you are familiar with. Professor Nunes served previously as the director of Lutheran World Re-lief, one of America’s premier international aid agencies. That alone speaks volumes about his gifts. He’ll bring a message at both our services on the 15

th, and will also

speak at the Adult Forum that day. His wife, Monique Nunes, is a tremendously talented singer, and will bless our services with her gifts too. It promises to be a very special day at Messiah. Plan on being there!

Second, I strongly recommend our Lenten midweek services this month. They happen on Wednesday, at 7 p.m. You’ll be listening to some pastors you haven’t heard from before, each of them focusing on a word from Jesus that they’ve found to be especially important in the course of their ministry. They’ll want to pass along why it’s vitally important for you too. This is the kind of extra exposure to Christ that’s of the essence in our Christian spring cleaning, and our spring training too.

Finally, let me urge you to make use, day by day, of the Lenten devotion booklet that’s been available at church since the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. You can also find the devotions online, whether on the church website (MessiahChurchFairview.org) or on our Face-book page. These devotions were written by members and friends of Messiah who range in age from 16 to 80. The overall quality is outstanding, and I’m tremendously proud of this congregation that’s been able to produce it. More to the point, I can’t help but thank God for the rich gifts he has blessed us with in each other. By all means, let these gifts bless you as these days of Lent unfold.

—Pastor Burce

Pr. Jerome Burce

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Mission and Outreach A New Look for Palm Sunday

Breakfast

Same great menu Same great food selections Same great fellowship opportunities No ticket prices – What?!?!

Over the past several years, proceeds from our Palm Sunday Breakfast Buffet were used to support a variety of mission trips. This will remain the same. However, there is a difference in ticket prices. As you have been hearing over the past several months, 27 people from Messiah are participating in a mission trip through Mo-Town Missions in Detroit, followed by our four day National Youth Gathering. Our remaining fundraising goal is $14,000. We have planned a variety of projects to reach this goal: Hire a youth for jobs around your home or business (see article on page 9), Mother’s day flower sale, Car Show and Food Truck Fest on June 20 and more.

Please join us at the Palm Sunday breakfast and use this opportunity to make a donation, instead of buying a ticket. In baptism, our congregations promise in-cludes these words, “We welcome you into the Lord’s family. We receive you as fellow members of the body of Christ, children of the same heavenly Father, and workers with us in the kingdom of God.” With your support, we can help fulfill this promise and help these workers be the hands and feet for the kingdom of God.

Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries Friend to Friend prison visitation program engages volunteers who are matched one-on-one with individ-uals who are incarcerated. In addition to monthly vis-its, volunteers write letters and provide support and a vital link to the community for individuals who are in-carcerated, reducing the number of people who return to prison. If you are interested in this program, please contact Lynn Schlessman at 216.861.1838.

Souper Bowl Collection

A hearty thanks for all who donated to our Souper Bowl of Caring on Super Bowl Sunday. We collected a total of $878.46! The Souper Bowl of Caring is a pow-erful movement that is transforming Super Bowl week-end into the nation’s largest youth-led weekend of giv-ing and serving. Watch for details on how we will be putting our donations to serve those most in need in Cleveland.

T.O.R.C.H. Servant Event

Every second Saturday of the month (March 14th) we meet at Messiah at 12:30 p.m. to participate in making a difference to those in need. Our 7th & 8th Grade Con-firmation Youth will be participating in a monthly ser-vice project sponsored by Church Street Ministries. TORCH (Teens Outreach Thru Christian Help) involves young people in a way that allows them to give of themselves while giving them a deeper appreciation of people of different ethnic backgrounds and age groups. We will carpool to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Berea and sign-up for a serving site in the City of Cleveland. A few of the agencies are Lutheran Metro-politan Ministry Men’s Shelter at 2100 E. Lakeside; St. Herman’s House of Hospitality at W. 44th and Franklin and Eliza Bryant Care Center on Cleveland’s east side. We return to St. Paul’s for a light supper and sharing of stories of the day. We’re back at Messiah at 5:30 p.m. Adult drivers are needed to transport our youth as well as join us for an afternoon of service. Questions? Con-tact: Deaconess Jeanette Rebeck (440) 331-2405.

Faith Lutheran, Lakewood

Faith Arts Camp needs interesting shapes and turned pieces of wood (like old chair spindles or trim) to use for an upcoming assemblage/sculpture project. There will be a box in the chapel / fellowship area if you have things to contribute. Contact JoAnn Dickey with ques-tions at 216-403-2779 or joanndickey@gmail.com. Deadline is Easter. (The project is in April.). We could also use small wooden drawers -- roughly 14-inches by 14-inches --that will serve as boxes for these creations.

Building Hope in the City

BHITC’s Understanding Poverty is a course designed to improve outcomes and ministry with the poor. This seminar offers insight into the struggles of people liv-ing in poverty and examines theories of change and hidden class rules. Come learn specific strategies to better meet the needs of the poor.

March 14 9:00 am to 2:30 pm - Training

Bay Presbyterian Church 25415 Lake Rd, Bay Village

8:30 am - Registration This seminar puts into words what many veteran pro-fessionals and ministry volunteers have experienced while working with people in poverty. The cost to attend this workshop is $10. Lunch will be provided for a freewill offering of $5. Sign up here or call Lesa Hess at (216) 281-4673.

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ShroveFest 2015

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2nd Grade Students Receive “First Bibles” Our congregation’s Second Grade students and their parents spent three Sunday morning sessions walking through the Bible together. Students highlighted vers-es in the Old and new Testaments as well as the life story of Jesus. The following students received their “First Bibles” on Sunday, February 22 during the 11 a.m. worship service: Annalies Anderson, Sophia Bau-mann, Shelby Bloor, Elizabeth Hessler, Ell McCarty, Emmet Morris, Sydney Pajer, Emily Quayle, Nikolas Skliros, Caden Vinci and Hayden Wolf. This is an im-portant step for parents as they fulfill their Baptismal Promise to “Place in the child’s hands the Holy Scrip-tures.” May this be just the beginning of spending time reading about God’s love.

Photo Directory Update The Messiah Church and School Photo Directory is in the final editing stages. We hope to review the final draft within a week or so with directories distributed within 4 weeks. The delays are related to many chang-es needed to our 8 activity pages of photos, correct captions under portraits and an accurate text roster of membership.

Once received, free directories for those pictured in them will have labeled copies to pick up near the office area. We will publicize their availability. If you were not photographed, but would like a copy, you can save time by pre-paying for a copy at a cost of $6.00 made out to Messiah Lutheran Church and sent to the atten-tion of Deaconess Jeanette. She will keep a record of payments and a directory will be labeled for you to pick up with the others.

Scripture According to 4th Grade Our Messiah Fourth Grade students led a Wednesday Morning Chapel Service. Their heartfelt words are so worthy of children and adults to hear. Each student was to write a reflection on this verse:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, al-ways perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

“Love does not boast.”

We all win sometimes and we can be happy about it too, but we should not get in people’s faces about win-ning. And we should be giving all the glory to God in-stead of ourselves.

“Love always protects.”

I hate to see my brother in trouble. Although I can’t do it all the time because I am human, I will try to with all my might to protect him.”

“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”

To show this you can praise and worship God not the devil. When someone lies to me, then tells me the truth, I focus on the truth and not the lie.

“Love keeps no record of the wrong.”

God doesn’t keep track of your sins. He forgives you. In my life I forgive my friends and treat them how I want to be treated.

“Love does not easily anger.”

An example is where you and friend are fighting and they say something mean. Instead of being mean back, I give them a smile, walk away and pray for them.

Home Devotions

Did you know that Messiah provides ongoing devotion-al books for your personal and family use? Portals of Prayer and Christ in our Home are available quarterly outside of the Mother’s Room. When you finish using your Messiah Devotion Booklet, please pick one up for April-June.

Additional Announcements

SAVE THE DATE

Make plans now to

attend Messiah’s

summertime Vacation

Bible School.

July 27-31

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Upcoming Dates

March 29: Palm Sunday Celebra-tion & Breakfast

April 4: Easter Vigil

April 5: Easter Sunday

May 2: CityServe

May 9: 5K & Fun Run

May 17: Confirmation

May 30: Golf Outing

June 11-13: Garage Sale

June 20: Car Show

Adult Education Hour in March

March 1, 8, 22: Susan Westcott continues an explora-tion of “church words,” and what they mean.

March 15: The Rev. John Nunes, Jochum Professor at Valparaiso University, addresses a topic of his choos-ing. Professor Nunes’s background includes service on the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR), and several years as Director of Lutheran World Relief.

March 29 (Palm Sunday): Pastor Burce explores St. Mark’s Passion with two questions in mind: 1) What sets it apart from the other Gospel accounts of Jesus’ trial and execution? 2) What message is being con-veyed by St. Mark’s distinctiveness?

Notes from the Worship and Music Team About expanding our repertoire

This Lent we’re learning a new musical setting of the liturgy. It comes from the so-called “cranberry book,” otherwise known as Evangelical Lutheran Worship. This is a hymnal that was published in 2006 and is be-ing used widely in ELCA congregations. It comes with a cranberry-red cover, distinguishing it easily from the old “green book” that all of us are used to. To help us through the new setting, we’ve been taking a bit time at the beginning of the services to hear and practice the pieces we’ll be singing—“Lord, have mercy,” “Holy, holy, holy,” and “Lamb of God,” as well as a special verse for Lent as we get ready to hear the day’s read-ing from the Gospels.

About favorite hymns:

Lutherans do lots of singing, and the hymns or songs we sing serve lots of purposes. One of these is to help us reflect on the Word of God that we’re hearing on a

particular day, or a particular thing that’s happening in the liturgy, like a baptism, or Holy Communion. So our worship planners pay close to attention to the words of the hymns they pick. Hymns and songs also estab-lish moods, and help to us to feel certain things, and here the music becomes especially important. Almost all of us have favorite hymns that touch us in special ways, and it’s important to include these in the singing we do together as a congregation. Last year we start-ed compiling a list of Messiah favorites, using respons-es to a questionnaire that was in bulletins in late spring or early summer. If you look carefully in your bulletins this Lent, you’ll spot at least one of these appearing in the singing lineup at every service. If you’d like to get your own favorite added to the list, drop a note to the church office.

Bits & Pieces

Special thanks to Mr. Kairis for the care of Messiah Lutheran School while Mrs. Casselberry was on

leave!

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8 Please complete this form and return it to the church office.

Yes, The ____________________Family

will attend.

We will have _____# of People enjoying

breakfast.

I/We would like to donate the following:

Fresh Cut Fruit Salad Bowl _______

Bakery/Muffins/Pastries _________

(We will make arrangements to drop off all do-

nations to the Messiah Kitchen on Saturday 3/28

between 4 to 6 p.m. or early Sunday morning.)

Name:______________________________

Phone #: ___________________________

I/We would like to volunteer my time to

help with:

Hall Set-up Fri., (3/27) 1:00-4:00 p.m. _____

Kitchen/Serving/Busing 7:30-9:30 a.m. _____

Kitchen/Serving/Busing 9:30–11:30 a.m. _____

Clean-up Hall/Kitchen 11:30–1:00 p.m. _____

Join us between or after the worship services for our annual Palm Sunday fellowship tradition.

Members of our congregation have graciously donated their time, culinary talents, baking skills, and

much more. Our resident Chefs are gearing-up, our bakers are at the ready...now all we need is you!

Cooks, Bakers, Buffet Line Servers, Table Bussers, Coffee/Juice Station Runners, etc. are needed. Con-

tact Jackie Dudra at 440-979-0676 or jmdudra@gmail.com to volunteer.

Messiah Lutheran Church Palm Sunday

All-you-can-Eat Breakfast Buffet

March 29, 2015, 8 a.m.—11:30 a.m.

Donations Support our Summer Mission Trip to

Detroit and National Youth Gathering

Carving Station:

Slow Roasted Turkey Breast

Smoked Turkey Breast

Baked Ham

Beverages:

Coffee

Tea

Orange Juice

Milk

Hot Buffet Featuring:

Regular and Bananas Foster

Pancakes

Hash Browns

Scrambled Eggs

Sausage

Side-Bar Featuring:

Fruit Salad

Biscuits & Honey

Unlimited Homemade Bakery

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Scrap Metal Fundraiser

Copper, metal, and aluminum scrap items will be col-lected the second Saturday of every month from 9:00-10:30 A.M. Trucks will be waiting outside the atrium at Messiah. This is an environmentally friendly, no cost fund raising project to help our high school youth attend the National Youth Gathering in Detroit this summer.

Please save items such as: • metal and aluminum

cans • bottle caps and lids • aerosol cans • keys • cords from broken appli-

ances (contain copper wiring)

• metal pans and lids • wire hangers • broken Christmas lights (contain copper

wiring) • old toasters • musical instruments • aluminum siding and gutters • steel shelving • metal swing sets • fencing • pipes and sinks

Please contact Ron Coulter (440-667-0452) to ar-range pickup of items or for additional information. As you start spring cleaning around the house, gar-age, and yard, please keep this fundraiser in mind!

Messiah Youth Group is Ready

to Get the Job Done

Messiah Youth Group is headed to Detroit from July 12-19 to attend the National Youth Gathering. Our three program theme days are Proclaim Community, Proclaim Story, and Proclaim Justice. What better way to begin than in our own community. You can help send our youth to Detroit. For a free-will dona-tion, a student or team of students will come to your house with an adult to complete various job re-quests. Work will be done March 25th through June 30th. To participate, complete the information below and return to the Church office. If you have any questions, please call Darlene Waugh at (440) 331-2405.

Walk for Water

Did you turn your faucet today and get water for your shower, your laundry, and your dishes? It is something we take for granted and is always there. If there is a problem you pick up the phone and get it fixed.

Now imagine having to walk 3 miles each day to fetch water for your family. You carry 5 gallons of water (weighing about 40 pounds) each and every day. This is a fact of life for many people in developing coun-tries. The Mission and Ministry committee would like to ask for your help with this.

You have seen, and will continue to see, small M&M containers by the church offices-next to a wishing well. Please take several. After enjoying your M&M’s fill the containers with quarters and put them in the wishing well. It is as easy as that.

The exciting thing is that our Youth who are attend-ing The Youth Gathering in Detroit this summer will get to experience walking for water. They will also be able to bring our donations with them! This is the primary offering collection for The Gathering. We can support our global community in a big (and yet oh so easy) way and our youth at the same time.

Even more exciting? There is a family in the ELCA willing to match donation up to $1 million! We can be a part of this in a very simple way.

Want even more information? Go to: www.elca.org/walk4water or talk to the Mission and Ministry Com-mittee

2015 Rise Up Initiatives

Name:___________________________________

Phone:___________________________________

Address/

City:_____________________________________

Job “Wish List” (no minimum)

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

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For Online Giving To Messiah

Messiah’s website, www.messiahchurchfairview.org offers a way to contribute online. Look for the “Donation” tab at the top of any page on the site. Clicking on it will take you to a secure giving page supplied and managed by Vanco Services, through Wells Fargo;

Contribute by using your online bill-pay feature;

Contribute with your smart phone by using our QR code.

When giving online, consider using the electronic check option. This is much less expensive for the Church than debit/credit card transactions.

Matching Gift Programs

Many companies offer matching gift programs to ed-ucational institutions and other non-profit charitable organizations. Messiah Lutheran Church and School qualifies as one of these organizations. We have been blessed to receive matching gifts over the years from the Benevity Impact Fund, Key Bank, Lubrizol, PNC, Progressive Insurance, Sherwin Williams, Thrivent Financial and more. Check with your Human Resources Department if this benefit is available to you. Don’t miss out. This is the easiest matching gift program available. Questions? Contact Darlene Waugh, (440-331-2405).

Thrivent Choice Dollars

If you are a Thrivent member you may have Choice Dollars to direct to Messiah Church & School. Choice Dollars are free to members and provide an oppor-tunity to give back to a charitable organization. Mes-siah is registered as one of the many charities in this program. Your 2014 Choice Dollars expire on March 31, 2015; please direct them now. To take advantage of this program call 1-800-847-4836 and say ‘Thrivent Choice’. If you need additional help, call Darlene Waugh at 440-331-2405.

Urgent Boiler Update

From Marty Uhle, Council President

Our new boilers have been providing us with heat during this brutal winter, using approximately 29% less natural gas! The project has been a success and is performing as planned.

During the upgrade of our boilers, the old pumps used to move the hot water have begun to fail. These were not part of the original plan and we were hopeful that they would continue to serve us into next year or longer.

However, these pumps and related parts must be replaced now. The cost to investigate, repair, and replace these parts is approximately $9,000. Work is being done in early March and the bill will need to be paid by the end of April.

Can you join me in making an additional contribution to pay for this vital work? Please send your check to the office and mark the envelope for the Boiler Pro-ject. You have stepped up when needed in the past, and your support now is needed to finish this work.

Thank you for your consideration.

Parish Nurse—Nancy Mickan

On the second Sunday in March and April, I will be doing blood pressure screenings in the church office between services and after the 11 am service. Any-one wishing to contact me can do so at 440-777-3869 (home phone). If you would like to meet with me or arrange a home visit, please call me at home.

Opportunities

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MUSIC FOR TUESDAYS

at 12:10 p.m.

Spring 2015 Schedule

Messiah Lutheran Church 21485 Lorain Rd, Fairview Park, OH 44126

Phone (440) 331-2405 www.messiahchurchfairview.org

Bring your lunch; we’ll provide coffee, tea, cookies, and a great variety of

music in the Church Sanctuary. Concerts conclude within the hour. Free-

will offering is appreciated. Come when you can, leave when you must.

3/3 David Gooding, organ Germany – Pachelbel, Buxtehude, Muffat

3/10 Mary Beth Ions, violin; David Gooding, piano

3/17 Diane Menges, soprano; Lisa Bell, piano American Songs

3/24 Robert Thompson, baritone; David Gooding, keyboards

Music of Lent and Easter

3/31 David Wittmer, tenor, Laura Avdey, mezzo soprano; David Gooding, keyboards

Britten – Canticle II, Handel – Messiah Selections

4/7 Chris Toth, organ Ever the unexpected

4/14 Sean Gabriel, flute; David Gooding, keyboards

Seldom heard works from the Baroque Era

4/21 Laura Avdey, mezzo soprano; Carole Weinhardt, soprano; David Gooding, piano

Duets and Arias from opera and oratorio

4/28 Lutheran West High School and Singers, Ron Muth, Director

5/5 Monica Berens, mezzo; Will Jean, baritone; David Gooding, piano

Roaming about the Great American Songbook

5/12 Mary Beth Ions, violin; David Gooding, piano

[all programs are subject to change]

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Gourmet Prayer

Submitted by Priscilla R.

Hinsch

The Healer

By Patricia Richards

Lord, today I feel so sick

In my body and my soul,

And I’m going to ask you, Jesus,

If You’d like to make me whole.

Lord, You mended broken hearts,

And healed all kinds of diseases;

And I know You’re here beside me –

The Balm of Gilead is Jesus.

Dear Jesus, please touch and heal me –

I know You feel what I feel;

I believe you’ll make me better,

Because by your stripes I’m healed.

FAMILY NEWS

BAPTISMS IN FEBRUARY

BENJAMIN CASSELBERRY

(TIM & HELEN CASSELBERRY)

CAMRYN THOMAS

(JOE & ANNIE THOMAS)

IN MEMORY

DAVID PAVLIK

FEBRUARY 5, 2015

NEW MEMBERS

CHARLES & YVONNE BEAMER

PHIL BRUNEAU & ERIN KRUEGER

JOY SAELZLER

Easter Vigil Comes To Life!

This year, Messiah Church will hold a unique Easter Vigil on Saturday, April 4th - the

night before Easter, at 7pm. This service of darkness and light will feature scriptures

brought to life! Come worship as we enter with candles led by the Christ Light. Hear

the creation story read - and painted; the great Exodus story sung - by the congrega-

tion; a children's choir sings about Jonah - while in a whale; and noisemakers are

sounded throughout the

congregation as part of

participating in the story

of Shadrach, Meshach,

and Abednego. Hear

about a new heart and a

new spirit as children

gather around the bap-

tismal font and trade

rocks for hearts - and

more. Finally, rejoice as

the resurrection is an-

nounced half way

through the service and

the communion liturgy

of Easter is celebrated

by all! Come celebrate

with us!

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March Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

March 1 8:30a Holy Communion 9:50a Education for All 11a Holy Communion 7p Men’s Tennis

2

7p Joy Ringers 7:30p Men’s Basketball

3

12:10p Music for Tuesdays 7p Boy Scout Troop 421

4 9:10a School Chapel 10a Bible Study 5:30p Soup Supper 6p Children’s Choir 7p Lenten Service 8p Young Men’s Bible Study

5

7p Choir Re-hearsal 7:30p Adult Volleyball

6

9:15a Wom-en’s Bible Study (GIFT)

7 5:30 p Holy Communion

8 8:30a Holy Communion 9:45a Youth/Parents Gathering Meeting 9:50a Education for all 11a Holy Communion 12-2p Detroit Gathering Devotions 7p Men’s Tennis

9 7p Church Council 7p Joy Ringers 7:30p Men’s Basketball

10 7a Faith at Work 12:10p Music for Tuesdays 7p Boy Scout Troop 421 7p Cub Scout Troop 815

11 9:10a School Chapel 10a Bible Study 5:30p Soup Supper 6p Children’s Choir 7p Lenten Service 8p Young Men’s Bible Study

12 7p Choir Rehearsal 7:30p Adult Volleyball

13 9:15a Wom-en’s Bible Study (GIFT)

14 9-10:30 Scrap Metal Recycling 12:30 p T.O.R.C.H. Youth Service Event 5:30 p Holy Communion

15 Visiting preacher and presenter: John Nunes 8:30a Holy Communion 9:50a Education for all 11a Holy Communion

7p Men’s Tennis

16 7p Trustees 7p Deacons 7p Joy Ringers 7:30p Men’s Basketball

17 12:10p Music for Tuesdays

18 9:10a School Chapel 10a Bible Study 5:30p Soup Supper 6p Children’s Choir 6p Usher Training 7p Lenten Service 8p Young Men’s Bible Study

19 7p Choir Re-hearsal 7:30p Adult Volleyball

20 9:15a Wom-en’s Bible Study (GIFT) 7th & 8th Grade Dance

21 5:30 p Holy Communion

22 “Youth Sunday” 8:30a Holy Communion 9:50a Education for all 9:50a Lector Training 11a Holy Communion 12:15p Lector Training 7p Men’s Tennis

23 7p Joy Ringers 7:30p Men’s Basketball

24 12:10p Music for Tuesdays 7p Boy Scout Troop 421 7p Cub Scout Troop 815

25 9:10a School Chapel 10a Bible Study 5:30p Soup Supper 6p Children’s Choir 7p Lenten Service 8p Young Men’s Bible Study

26 7p Choir Rehearsal 7:30p Adult Volleyball

27 9:15a Wom-en’s Bible Study (GIFT)

28

5:30 p Holy Communion

29 Palm Sunday

8-11:30a Palm Sunday Breakfast 8:30a Holy Communion 9:50a Education for all 11a Holy Communion 7p Men’s Tennis

30 6p Easter Sun-day Rehearsal 7p Joy Ringers 7:30p Men’s Basketball

31 12:10p Music for Tuesdays

7p Boy Scout Troop 421

April 1 6p Children’s Choir

2 Maundy Thursday

9:10a Maundy Thursday Ser-vice 7p Maundy Thursday Ser-vice

3 Good Friday

Noon & 7p Good Friday Service 8:30p Ser-vice of Dark-ness

4 Easter Vigil

3p Easter Egg Hunt at Bain Park 7p Easter Vigil

14

Non-Profit Org. US. Postage

PAID Cleveland

Ohio 44126 Permit No. 3829

Messiah Lutheran Church

21485 Lorain Rd,

Fairview Park, OH 44126

Phone (440) 331-2405

www.messiahchurchfairview.org

Dated Materials

Issue 2

March 2015

Drawing in to Christ . . . Building up in Christ . . . Sending out for Christ. . .

To the glory of God, through the strength of the Spirit.

Messiah Memos

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

HOLY WEEK AT MESSIAH

Palm Sunday

Saturday, March 28th & Sunday, March 29

th

Sunday Breakfast Buffet & Procession of Palms

Holy Week

Maundy Thursday (April 2nd

): 9:10 AM & 7:00 PM

Good Friday (April 3rd): Noon, 7:00 PM, & 8:30 PM

Easter

Easter Vigil (April 4th): 7:00 pm

Sunday, April 5th at 6:30 AM (Bain Park Cabin),

7:45 AM, 9:00 AM, and 11 AM