#MM299 - Dear Church, REMEMBER. RELEASE. REIMAGINE. 

This weekend we get the chance to dream with Jesus and the historic people of God as we consider what it means to reimagine what God does with the many resources given to us. The Hebrew scriptures in Leviticus direct our attention to a societal practice of caring for folks on the margins: leaving the edges of crops unharvested so that people without food might eat. Mark’s Gospel illuminates another angle of economic needs as Jesus shows us a poor widow putting everything she has into the temple treasury. In what ways might “Our Money Story” continue to be formed this Sunday? What good news might be emerging?

• Bulletin for this coming Sunday (10-12-25): https://bit.ly/OCT12thBulletinMLC25

• New Member Sunday: Please join us in welcoming Dr. Manzetta Jackson, Christian Maier, and Dolores Pelow as new members on Sunday, October 12th. 

• 10/16/25 – Faith Circle: On Thursday October 16, Faith Circle will have a special program from 1:00-2:30 pm. Jim Kulma, a retired ELCA pastor, will share with us his biblical storytelling – which will be fun as well as educational. The congregation is invited to attend.

• 10/19/25 - Welcome to Communion: If you have a young one (or any age!) who is interested in coming to the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion), we will be offering an intergenerational workshop on Sunday, October 19th directly after worship. 

• 10/26/25 – Reformation Sunday Lunch & Learn: Reformation Sunday continues at 11:30am in the Fellowship Hall with festivities after worship including a potluck lunch and educational time with Pastor Jim Kulma. Pastor Kulma will focus on the ELCA’s newest social statement Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-Being of All. If you can contribute to the potluck, please bring a side dish to share! Hot dogs, brats and dessert will be provided by the Connections Team. See flyer for more info!

• Men’s Fellowship Lunch: Our monthly Men’s Fellowship Lunch takes place on the second Wednesday of the month; 12:00pm at Vicinato Pizza, 5080 Mayfield Rd. Please join us if you can!

• Messiah Book Club: The church is looking to start a 2nd book club – given that our ongoing group has reached capacity. Please let the Church Office know if you are interested in leading or participating in this endeavor.

• Preludes and Offertories: If you have a musical gift to share, we would love to include you in an upcoming service. Please indicate your interest and availability via the sign-up genius on the Messiah Website.

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