Pastor Tami's eNote - February 9, 2024

Dear Messiah Family,

This is going to be a longer than usual eNote today because I took a week off last week and there is much going on around Messiah Church. Last week, I was in San Diego visiting my mother. We had a wonderful time visiting and getting a lot personal and business matters accomplished for her. As an added bonus, we were able to have several dinners with my siblings who live in the area. (Here’s one picture to share with you.) Messiah family, I am so grateful to be part of a church that understands and supports their clergy and staff having time away to renew and refresh their relationships as well as our souls. Thank you.

This Sunday

I will conclude this series with a message titled Doubt and the Existence of God. Having faith does not mean we do not have doubt and having doubts or questions about your faith does not make you a bad Christian. We all have doubts and that’s okay because doubt can lead to a deeper faith. When wrestled with honestly, doubt can help us examine our faith carefully and ask questions like “Does God really exist?” How would you answer that question? I look forward to sharing with you just three of the reasons why I believe in God.

This is also Scout Sunday, a day each year when we honor scouts of Troops 3570 and 5570 and Cub Scout Pack 388. It is also an opportunity for them to say thank you, Messiah Church for your support. The scouts will participate in a processional, be recognized for their good deeds as well as assist in greeting guests at the front door, ushering, reading scripture, and giving testimonies. I hope you’ll plan to join us for this special day of worship and community at Messiah Church.

We also continue with the second session of our speaker series, Honoring our Differences. The last session was so well attended with (60+) that we are moving this one to Heritage Hall beginning at 9:35 am with coffee and treats. This week’s topic; Why Racial Justice & Diversity? Do we, as a church, understand the barriers to racial justice and equity that exist in our own communities? Are we aware of our own, often subconscious, biases toward other races and ethnicities? In this session, speaker Kevin Ward, Executive Director of Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners, will help us examine subconscious beliefs and behaviors that may keep us from being inclusive and welcoming to persons of color. I look forward to hearing Kevin’s presentation.

Ash Wednesday
Can you believe that the Lenten season is upon us? Next Wednesday, February 14, we’ll gather for Ash Wednesday worship. We’ll begin the evening with an optional, free soup supper will be served in Heritage Hall from 5:30-6:15 pm. Everyone is welcome - no RSVP needed. The worship service begins at 6:30p and is designed for all ages to foster reflection and response as we begin the Lenten season. Guided by scripture and song, this worship experience prepares us for the next 40 days "in the desert" and will remind us that, in every season, God is still God and there is a reason to worship. This blended worship experience provides space for contemplation and prayer; an opportunity to pause, reflect, and turn our minds and hearts back to God.

This worship service will be offered in person and live streamed. In-person worship will include interactive prayer stations for all ages.

Oz Sponsorship

The opening night of The Wizard of Oz is just five weeks away. The actors, directors, set and costume designers, musicians and ticket team have been hard at work since last December to be ready to take you to the merry old land of Oz. This production is an essential part of our community outreach and the life of our church. If you’d like to make a financial gift to offset production costs, either as an individual or a business, donors will be listed in the show program or may chose to donate anonymously. To become an Oz Sponsor: Click here to donate online or drop a gift in the mail or in  the church office. Please make checks payable to Messiah Church. In the memo, indicate “Oz Sponsor” AND your name or business as you would like printed in the show program OR write "Anonymous."

New Online Giving Platform

Finally, if you currently have scheduled recurring gifts to Messiah Church with Vanco you should have received an email this week from Phil Weiler, our Director of Operations, letting you know that that we are transitioning to a new giving platform called Subsplash Giving and explaining how to make the change in your giving from Vanco to Subsplash.

Our hope is that this will offer a more accessible and streamlined experience both for those who give online, and for our finance team. This giving platform will also work seamlessly with a new Messiah Church app, which is coming very soon. We're making the final adjustments on the app now, and I'm excited to share more about that with you by the end of this month.

In addition, if you'd like to start a recurring gift (or make a one-time gift to Messiah) using our new platform, you can do so here. We are thankful for your ongoing and generous support of the ministries of Messiah Church.

Whew, that was a lot of information to share. Thank you for sticking with me. I am grateful to be a part of a faith community that is so active in sharing the love of Jesus with the world.

In Christ's love,
Pastor Tami

Tami Luckhardt
Messiah Church Senior Pastor
(763) 473-6968 ext. 103
tluckhardt@messiahchurch.org