#MM289 –  Peace, friends. The “Half Year of the Church” continues in our scripture series this weekend, with another selection from Luke’s Gospel. The parable at hand speaks of a farmer who strikes it rich with a bumper crop. Instead of focusing on how this windfall could benefit his community, he instead dreams of building bigger barns to store it all away for himself. Such hoarding misses the point of living in God’s abundance: take enough to supply your needs and then share what is left for the sake of those who are still hungry and in need. Come and listen for more good news this Sunday in worship.

• Bulletin for this coming Sunday (8-3-25): https://bit.ly/Aug3rdBulletin-MLC25

• ELCA – Call of a New Presiding Bishop: Messiah Lutheran Church is not only part of the Northeastern Ohio Synod (Lutherans in this nearby part of the country), but we are also a member of the nationwide denomination known as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Each of our synods is guided by the pastoral leadership of a bishop (in our case, Bishop Laura Barbins), while our denomination has the privilege of being shepherded by a single Presiding Bishop, Elizabeth Eaton. In August, our national Churchwide Assembly will gather to worship, grow in faith, and work together to faithfully continue in the ministries of the ELCA. Part of the Churchwide gathering this session includes the election and call of a new presiding bishop, and I ask that you pray for our siblings in faith who are part of this important undertaking in the coming month while also giving thanks for the steady leadership of Presiding Bishop Eaton these past years. Bishop Eaton’s daughter, Beckah Selnik, reflected on her mother’s ministry with the church, and I commend her words to you as we mark this turning point in our denominational leadership: https://www.livinglutheran.org/2025/07/ordinary-and-extraordinatory/

• Keep the Heat On! Can you believe that our current church boiler has been in service for 70 years? Unfortunately, it has finally come to the end of its serviceable life and we are looking to raise the funds to replace it before the cold sets in late this fall. Thank you to those who have contributed to the campaign for its replacement – over $6000 has already been given towards our $35,000 goal. Make sure to mark any contributions with a "Boiler" memo so that funds can be attributed properly. 

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