#MM280 - Beloved Church, Pastor Paul is away this week. The Rev. Jon Paulus will lead us in worship on Sunday, June 1.

• Bulletin for this coming Sunday (6-1-25): https://bit.ly/4ko9CSc

• The Future of Christian Education at Messiah – June 1: Please join us to discuss the future of Christian Education and Sunday School at Messiah after church on Sunday June 1. We will meet in the high school Sunday School room. All voices and ideas are welcome!

 •  (NEW ITEM) Men’s Fellowship Lunch – June 11: Noon on the second Wednesday of each month at Vicinato’s Pizza (5080 Mayfield Road, Lyndhurst).  

• 2nd Annual Messiah Summer Picnic – June 22: Please join your Messiah family for a morning of outdoor worship, food, and fun. We will meet at Wiley Park (610 SOM Center Rd by the Mayfield Village Police Station) at 10am. First, we will gather in worship together under the pavilion. After worship we will enjoy a potluck lunch with hot dogs, burgers, and water provided by the Connections Team. Following lunch, there will be plenty of time for games and fellowship. The only thing you need to bring is yourself. However, feel free to bring a lawn chair, your favorite dessert or side dish for sharing, and/or a lawn game to enjoy. Wear comfortable clothes - we might even put together a multi-generational kick-ball game!

• Vacation Bible School: Messiah will not be offering a VBS program this year. However, we are thrilled to let you know that our students have been invited to participate in Lord of Life’s VBS Program, which will take place June 9-13. This is a wonderful opportunity for your child to engage in faith-filled activities, make new friends, and grow in their spiritual journey. Additional information, including registration details, can be found at the following link: https://www.loloh.org/VBS2025.  

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