#MM310 - Joyful Church, A blessed Christmastide to you and yours! As the sacred season unfolds, we get the opportunity now to sing more of the beloved Christmas carols that stir our hearts and proclaim the good news of God’s arrival among us. Come join the ongoing celebration with Lessons & Carols this Sunday at 10am. Bring a friend if you can! Stay warm and know that God is indeed with us through all of life. 

• Bulletin for this coming Sunday: https://bit.ly/DEC28thBulletin-MLC25

• Birthday Fellowship Hour – Dec 28: Join us for Fellowship Hour after the service for our renewal of Birthday Sunday to honor everyone who celebrates a December birthday. All are invited for refreshments and fellowship.

• De-Greening of the Church – Jan 3: Please join us on Saturday, January 3, 2026 to take down our Christmas decorations. All volunteers are welcome.

• Adult Sunday School – Jan 11: The adult class will begin again on Sunday January 11th, studying either the Gospel of Matthew or the Nicene Creed (2025 marks 1700 years since the historic Council of Nicaea). Let Pastor Paul know if you have a preference for which topic to pursue. 

• Young Worship Leaders: Children of all ages are welcome to serve in worship as readers, and those in grade 5 or older can serve as acolytes. Please see the church website to sign-up and talk to Pastor Paul if you have any questions.

• Pledge Cards and Giving Envelopes: We are still accepting financial pledges for 2026! Please fill out a blue pledge card and return it to the church office; extra cards are available on the table by the bulletins. Giving envelopes can be found outside the church office on the hallway pew.

Dear Church,

I hope this letter finds you well in the new year. As most of you are aware, Messiah has gone through some changes lately as we adjust our staffing to fit our budgetary commitments for 2025. I would like to take a moment to update you on the status of some of the different positions and how we can use your help as a congregation moving forward. 

First, Sheryl Trost volunteered to step down from the Community Faith Facilitator position in favor of focusing on Christian Education with our Sunday School program. While this will take her away from the Connections Team leadership, this has yielded a salary savings as part of the revised budget. The Connections Team will continue their mission with the existing committee members. 

Second, we parted ways with our long-time Custodian, Steve Newcomer. While we have really appreciated his years of service, the required budget cuts made it difficult to sustain a dedicated custodial position. Snow removal will continue under our current contract and the Council has an action item to explore lawn care alternatives. For inside the church, we've contracted with a professional cleaning company that will be in twice a month for a thorough review of the church. This new schedule will require a bit of an adjustment so I'd like to empower the entire congregation to take action to keep our church and building clean if you see an opportunity to do so. 

Third, the Council has authorized the search for a Property Manager/Rental Coordinator position. This new position will help coordinate the property and maintenance activities at the church as well as providing a meaningful focus on generating revenue from our outstanding facilities that will help support our congregation and mission into the future. The job description will be available in the church and online if someone you know is interested in this exciting opportunity. 

Finally, the rest of the church staff took a small pay cut so that we could maintain the important positions that directly affect worship. You may see changes to our bulletin, order of service and music presentation. I'd encourage you to reach out to the Council with any questions about these changes as we navigate our budget for 2025 and beyond. 

In order to better keep the congregation in the loop, I've started posting financial information and the Pastor's report on the bulletin board in the hallway outside the library. In addition, the new job posting can be found there as well. 

As always, your church council is available to answer any more particular questions. 

Best, 

Ben Johnson / Church Council President