#MM325 – Blessed Eastertide, dear Church! Christ is risen!
As the next Sunday dawns, John’s Gospel draws us into a key resurrection story of the early disciples. The familiar scene finds Thomas absent when Jesus appears among the disciples. What has he missed? Why is he not with them all? Perhaps this “missed connection" invites us to also press into the mystery of the stories of God’s new life for the world: Can it really be, that resurrection is real? We want to experience it, too! Thankfully Jesus is persistent, and keeps breaking open the doors we’ve closed around ourselves. Where might the path be leading us in the days to come?

• Bulletin for this coming Sunday, 4/12: https://bit.ly/April12thBulletin-MLC26

• Mother’s Day Clothing Drive – April 19 thru May 10: LMM is requesting donations to support the women in Work Force Development. The women need basic, everyday items. See page 23 of the Bulletin for suggestions. NOTE: The items listed are guidelines. If you find a less expensive or different brand of one of the items listed that you would prefer to donate, feel free to do so. 

• Men’s Lunch: Come join for conversation and support every 2nd Wednesday of the month, noon at Vicinato’s in Lyndhurst.

• Pub Theology Easter Break: Pub Theology will not gather in April. We’ll be back at Mulligan’s on Monday, May 11.

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