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The Messiah Messenger>
The October Messenger Issue #472
September 29, 2007
THE Messiah
MESSENGER
From the Pastor
“REJOICING”
I do not know if you remember this but on one of my first
Sundays at Messiah as your pastor (almost two years ago) I
told you of a God-centered exercise utilized by one of my
seminary professors and his wife. Based on the “advice”
contained in Psalm 118, they would each try to be the first
one to say to the other every morning, “This is the day the
Lord has made.” The response was then elicited, “Rejoice,
and be glad in it.” Over the past several Sundays, our
gospel readings have dealt with the human tendency to place
too much emphasis on the things of this world to bring us
joy. (i.e. human rulers, possessions, wealth). As
Christians we profess a belief that “[h]appy are they whose
…hope is in the Lord their God; … (Psalm 146:5) We will
sing these words as we intone this Psalm on Sunday,
September 30th. Do we truly recognize God as the creator of
all that is good?
In Facing the Giants, the film shown at Messiah recently
thanks to Floyd Yager and members of the Men’s Brotherhood,
a high school football team struggles mightily to win games
until one day the coach decides that their emphasis is
misplaced. Yes, they should be giving their best effort and
never give up, but they should do so as a sign of their
thanks and praise of the source of their skills and their
life – God. “Whether we win or we lose we will give thanks
and praise the Lord,” says the coach. “And we will never
give up.”
I am asking our church to do the same thing as we begin
another year of Christian education and programs. We do
have so much to thank God for: new members, many new
children in our Sunday school, the return of some members
who were inactive, the combining of the two services into
one worshipping community, the possibilities of a new
structure and improved facilities…
Webster’s defines rejoicing as “the act of expressing joy,
festivity.”
As we gather for worship each Sunday, as you sit at the
dinner table in your home with family and friends, as you
breathe in the cool air of a fall afternoon, as you witness
the joy of children in church, are you capable of
rejoicing? You should be and so should I. After all,
“[t]his is the day that the Lord has made….”
May the joy of God’s presence be in your heart, evident to
others by your actions and forever spread across your face.
Noteworthy News
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!
On Sunday, September 16th, we had the pleasure of welcoming
several people to Messiah as full members of the
congregation.
Debbie, Alexis, and David Chervinko – This family comes to
us from our Child Care Center. Formerly members at St.
Lukes, David enjoyed getting to know Pastor Paul during
Child Care Chapel, and the family has chosen to make the
switch. Alexis and David are enrolled in our Sunday School
program. Welcome, Chervinkos!
Lorraine Elder, and Jerry and Barbara Valasek – Lorraine is
Barbara’s mother, and they have been joining us in worship
for some time now. Formerly of St. Andrews Lutheran here in
Park Ridge, we look forward to having them with us in the
time to come.
Charles and Leona Johnson – Charter members of Messiah,
welcome back! Chuck and Lee transferred in 2000 when they
moved to Arlington Heights and had difficulty commuting to
Park Ridge. They have remained in touch (and on our mailing
list!), however, and since moving to Des Plaines, have
rejoined Messiah. Welcome back!
Bob and JoAnn Wood – This couple moved to Park Ridge last
year, and has been attending worship with us for some time.
They are in real estate, and are quite a treat to be
around, owing to a sense of humor that is quickly becoming
legendary. Thanks for joining us here at Messiah!
PARKING LOT NEWS
As many of you know, our parking lot has been a busy place
lately. The closing of the underground lot at LGH has made
an already bad situation much worse. While we want to be
open and welcoming at Messiah, we cannot handle dozens of
extra cars in our parking lot when the children are being
picked up and dropped off for Child Care (weekdays between
8:30 AM and 1 PM). It is dangerous, unfair to our parents
and kids, and we simply run out of parking spaces.
On October 1, Messiah begins a contract with the Park Ridge
Police to ticket vehicles that do not belong in our lot.
Please understand…members are always welcome to park their
cars in our lot, whether for events at church or to go to
LGH. If you plan on parking here, contact the office and
let Jennifer know when you will be there. We ask that you
don’t tell friends or neighbors that it is fine to park
here, unless it is after 1 PM when our lot traffic is
lightest. Violators will be issued one warning from us, and
then we will call Parking Enforcement to ticket repeat
offenders. Police will also be watching for “cut through”
drivers, and those coming in the “exit only” driveway, so
if you do that on a regular basis, we suggest you stop, or
you may receive a moving violation.
The Counseling Center continues to park in the 6 numbered
spots along Weeg Way. Honoring a long-standing agreement,
they donate to the church for the privilege to park there,
so please do not use their spaces during the week. Also,
all teachers and staff for Messiah park on the Weeg Way
side, leaving the bulk of the lot closest to the door open
for general parking throughout the day.
You only have to spend about 10 minutes watching children
walking across our parking lot to see how serious this
situation is. Thank you for your patience and attention to
this important matter. If you have any questions, feel free
to contact Jennifer in the church office, or Karen at the
Child Care.
Upcoming Events (Remember: Always check with church office
before you schedule an event – there is a room assignment
calendar maintained by the Office Administrator.)
LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF TRAILER LOADING
October 6, 9 AM – 12 PM & October 7, 12 PM – 3 PM
If you have already signed up to help, great! If you
haven’t, check your schedule! We get churches from all
around our community bringing boxes to send overseas, and
the more hands we have the better. At the time of this
writing, we have not had the "Ingathering". Thanks in
advance to those who helped with it. The totals will be in
the next Messenger.
ANNUAL PET BLESSING
Saturday, October 6, 4 PM
Pastor Paul is continuing the Messiah tradition of a
special service for the blessing of pets in honor of the
Feast of St. Francis! Bring your pet (in a carrier or on a
leash) to the front lawn, and we will hold a short service.
This is a non-denomin-animal service – invite your
neighbors and their animals!
NILES/PARK RIDGE 2006 CROP WALK
Sunday, October 14th, step off at 2:00 PM
The motto is ‘We walk because they walk.’ There are places
in the world where people have to walk miles to get to
school or even just to get their water. So we walk to raise
money to help them. In our local area, families in need can
go to our local Maine Township food pantry, which is
supported in part by this CROP Walk (25% of the money we
raise goes to our food pantry).
Walk with us or sponsor someone who is walking. If you
would like to walk, please contact Trudi Handzel or David
Swanson. If you would to sponsor a walker, visit the table
in the narthex after the Sunday church services, or you can
go on line – there is a quick link on our Messiah home page
that takes you directly to our donation site. Your support
would be greatly appreciated.
CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
Sunday, October 21st at 11:30 AM
We will receive an update on our progress of the building
campaign, and discuss the new worship time change. There
will be a Pancake Breakfast before worship, so we will not
have a pot luck or any lunch during the meeting. All
members are encouraged to attend.
THE 2ND ANNUAL MESSIAH HARVEST FESTIVAL
Saturday, October 27th, 10 AM – 3 PM
There will be a Craft & Vendor bazaar down in the
Fellowship Hall. We will have concessions and a bake sale
with yummy harvest goodies too! We will also have a raffle
- tickets will be available at the Festival, as well as a
prior to the event. Bring a non-perishable food item to
donate to the Food Pantry and receive 1 FREE raffle ticket.
At the same time, we will have a Halloween Fun Fair for the
children in the "Kid's "Corral" (a.k.a. the Multipurpose
Room) with games & prizes, craft projects, face painting,
and more! The fundraising part will come from raffle ticket
sales, and the bake sale. Crafters and vendors will donate
many of the items to raffle off. Outside vendors will pay a
table fee. Members and CC family vendors are requested to
make a donation to the raffle. If you have wares to sell,
contact Julie Holzer about setting up a table.
Tell your friends - entrance to the Festival is FREE, the
proceeds benefit the Building Fund, and this is a GREAT
time to get a jump on that Christmas shopping!!!
REMINDERS!
Naomi Circle Thursday, October 11th at 9:30 AM at Carol
Smith’s house. Call Carol if you need directions to her
place!
Men’s Breakfast Saturday, October 13th at 9:00 AM at Old
Country Buffet in Park Ridge (Dempster and Luther Lane).
Friendship Day October 25 at 9 A.M. Come when you can and
stay as long as you can. Bring your lunch if you plan to be
there at lunchtime. Also a big thank you to all who
contributed to this project, and there were many of you. It
was certainly a whole church project. If you would like to
work at home, contact Eva Thoren or Millie Anderson.
Several ladies have expressed a desire to learn to knit. If
you are interested, contact Carol Smith.
WELCA Board October 3rd @ 9:00 AM
Executive Committee October 16th @ 7:00 PM
Child Care Board October 17th @ 7:00 PM
COMING IN NOVEMBER…
Christmas Charity Opportunities
Thanksgiving Worship Service
Annual Stewardship Campaign Begins
This Month in Worship
WORSHIP SCHEDULE AND READINGS
All Sundays feature worship at 10:15 AM.
October 7 – Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Habakkuk 1:1–4; 2:1–4; Psalm 37:1–9; 2 Timothy 1:1–14; Luke
17:5–10
October 14 – Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
2 Kings 5:1–3, 7–15c; Psalm 111; 2 Timothy 2:8–15; Luke
17:11–19
October 21 – Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost
Genesis 32:22–31; Psalm 121; 2 Timothy 3:14—4:5; Luke
18:1–8
October 28 – Reformation Sunday
Jeremiah 31:31–34; Psalm 46; Romans 3:19–28; John 8:31–36
ADULT FORUM SCHEDULE
In conjunction with showing the Facing the Giants movie, we
will also be holding some bible studies based on themes
found within the movie. These will take place at our Adult
Education Hour at 9:00am on Sunday mornings through
October. The topics will be:
October 7 - "Pray for Revival" and "Be an Encourager"
October 14 - Summary and Review
October 21 – Congregational Meeting, no Adult Forum
See next month’s Messenger for November topics
CONGREGATIONAL BIBLE STUDY TEXTS
October 7 - Psalms 26-30
October 14 - Psalms 31-35
October 21 - Psalms 36-40
October 28 - Psalms 41-45
And…
Adult Midweek Bible Study continues! It is not too late to
join the Wednesday morning (10 AM) or Thursday evening
(6:30 PM) group as we explore the intriguing and mysterious
Gospel of Thomas.
WORSHIP HELPERS
October 7 October 14 October 21 October 28
10:15 10:15 10:15 10:15
Acolytes Kevin K Tait J Jenni H TBD
CommAsst Pat K Julie J Vikki H TBD
Readers Peter F Kristin Y Valeria B Laura H
Worship Asst John F Carol S Char L Diane B
Projection Jim H Jim H Jim H Jim H
Ushers Tom J,
Bob B,
Russ S,
David H
Greeters * Jackie S Jackie S Jackie S
Counters David H,Val B
FLOWERS AND BULLETINS
The sign-ups for flowers and bulletins are in the narthex
by the hall to the Educational Wing. Flowers are $30, and
the Bulletins are $10. Envelopes are provided next to the
sign-up calendar, or you may simply write “Flowers” or
“Bulletin” on your regular envelope in the Other box.
PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO PAY FOR YOUR FLOWERS OR BULLETINS!
Note to all those purchasing flowers: Your flowers are
yours to take home!
If you wish to donate them to one of our shut-ins, please
be sure to
let the Altar Guild know. Thanks!
October 7– Flowers are given in honor of Chuck and Nancy
Boomer’s 25th anniversary. Bulletins are given by the
Kovach family in honor of Daniel’s 16th birthday.
October 14 – Flowers are given by Kevin Kovach for
Daniels’s birthday.
October 21 – Flowers are given by Dave and Donna Hanson.
October 28 – Flowers are given for Ricky Reeve’s 9th
birthday. Bulletins are given by John and Sue Fox in honor
of the anniversary of Andrew’s baptism.
Messages
FOUR CEMETERY LOTS AVAILABLE TO MESSIAH CONGREGATION
The church currently has the deed to four contiguous lots
in The Garden of Meditation at Memory Gardens Cemetery on
Euclid Avenue just west of Rand Road in Arlington Heights
(approximately 6 miles from the church). These lots were
given to the church in 1984 and are currently valued at
$2800 each. The grantor wanted the church to offer them to
the membership and perhaps to a family who could not afford
to pay full price for cemetery lots.
If you are interested, please talk to Pastor Paul within
the next several weeks. If no one from Messiah is
interested, the lots may be offered for sale to the general
public beginning on November 1, 2007. Be advised that any
actions taken on these lots are ultimately to be decided by
the Messiah Executive Committee
Getting the Word Out
With all the activities going on at Messiah, we often try
to get press releases in the local newspapers. If you have
a Messiah event that you wish to publicize, send your
complete article or press release, along with the name and
contact information of the person it is going to, into the
CHURCH OFFICE. It will be proofread for errors and then
submitted to the newspaper on our letterhead, from our fax
number, or from our email address. Thank you.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
After 12 years serving as Chair of the Memorial ,
Honorarium, and Thanks to God fund, I have resigned. Karen
Black is now the chair.
Thank you for all your support.
Millie Anderson
Manna Order Dates
Remember to order your Manna cards on October 14th. Cards
will be available for pick up on the 18th. We have made
over $750 this year already!!
Youth Corner
PANCAKE BREAKFAST/CONGREGATION CELEBRATION
Sunday, October 21st at 9:00 AM
This will be our first Pancake Breakfast of the year, and
we invite all Sunday School, Confirmation, and Adult Forum
families to attend. This is a great chance to get to know
each other, and to share some of what we have been learning
during Christian Education Hour. Come one, come all! We
have some new Sunday School families this year, lets make
them feel welcome!
SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS NEEDED
Sunday school has grown this year, and we are looking for a
few friendly volunteers to help teach the units. Each unit
is 4 weeks, and all materials are provided to you in
advance by Sunday school. You just need to read them over
in advance and then be prepared to work with about 20
smiling faces. For dates of the units, check the website or
contact Kristin Yager at 847-692-6260 for more info.
Messiah Ministries
REV. PHIL KNUTSON LETTER FROM AFRICA
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I noted with great interest the recent ELCA Assembly
adoption of proposals for a full communion relationship
between the ELCA and the Moravian Church in America and the
five-year initiative to promote study of the Bible called
“Book of Faith: Lutherans Read the Bible.”
A Moravian, George Schmidt, arrived in South Africa in 1737
as the first missionary to work among the indigenous
people. The first Lutheran missionaries to South Africa
came from the Berlin Missionary Society in 1834. Today
eighteen Lutheran churches in 11 different countries and
the Moravian Church in Southern Africa are members of the
Lutheran Communion in Southern Africa (LUCSA) which is the
regional expression of the Lutheran World Federation in
Southern Africa.
In addition to my responsibilities as ELCA Global Mission
Regional Program Assistant in Southern Africa I continue to
work with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern
Africa (ELCSA) and the Lutheran Communion in Southern
Africa (LUCSA) on several Christian education initiatives.
For the past few years I have worked with a team of
translators to edit and produce the annual ELCSA Almanac in
seven of the eleven official languages in the Republic of
South Africa. The ELCSA Almanac is based on the Moravian
Losungen or Daily Watchwords which is produced in Herrnhut,
Germany. This tradition was started by Count Ludwig von
Zinzindorf in 1724 when he gave Moravian refugees on his
estate two Bible verses each evening. The ELCSA Almanac
contains the pericopes for each Sunday as well as daily
readings from the Old and New Testaments. This little book
is an indispensable devotional and worship resource for
individuals, families and pastors in Lutheran and Moravian
congregations throughout Southern Africa.
A three-book Sunday School Teachers’ Resource Living
Together in Christ has just been published by the Lutheran
Communion in Southern Africa (LUCSA). I have also been
privileged to be part of this team effort with eight
curriculum writers from various LUCSA member churches in
Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa. The books
provide a Biblical framework for Sunday School ministry and
emphasize that the purpose of Christian education is to
help equip members of all ages to participate in God’s
mission.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support for our
family, the work of the ELCA Global Mission and our
companion churches in Southern Africa.
May God bless you as you read, study and proclaim the Good
News in Jesus Christ and participate with others in God’s
Mission locally and globally.
Rev. Phil Knutson
Milestones
BIRTHDAYS
Anthony Reeves, 10/5
Linda Stolz, 10/5
Sandra Downie, 10/6
Darryl Hanson,10/7
Daniel Kovach, 10/7
Zachary Elder, 10/9
Julie Berzins, 10/12
Anthony Demonte, 10/12
Tommy Hanson, 10/16
Candace Zaucha, 10/17
Weston Bukar, 10/19
Gary Corkill, 10/20
Michael Herak, 10/25
David Kaufman, 10/26
Neil Hauser, 10/29
Ricky Reeve, 10/30
ANNIVERSARIES
Charles and Nancy Boomer – 10/2/1982, 25 years
Carmen and Barb Loverme – 10/10/1964, 43 years
Russell and Linda Raymond – 10/11/1969, 38 years
Ron and Theresa Duty – 10/27/1974, 33 years
Tom and Kim Hanson – 10/29/1993, 14 years
Messiah Leadership for 2007
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
President: Carol Hrodey (262) 652-3187
Vice President: Vikki Hanson (847) 823-2117
Secretary: Nancy Boomer (847) 678-3048
Treasurer: Brad Kovach (847) 297-4883
Financial Sec.: David Hanson (847) 296-6796
EXTENDED LEADERSHIP TEAM
Stewardship: Floyd Yager
Evangelism: David Swanson
CCC Director: Karen Black
CCC Board: Donna Berzins
Maintenance: Vic Berzins
Capital Campaign: Dave Kaufman
Property Committee: Various Members
WELCA: Eva Thoren
Brotherhood: Rich Seggeling
Christian Education: Kristin Yager
Confirmation/HS: Edith Reeve
Adult Forum: John Fox
Choir: Pat Daniels
Music: Tom Daniels, Sue Fox
Memorial Report
This report is as of September 24, 2007.
All gifts to the Memorial Fund are automatically
acknowledged to the giver by a personal note, which
includes a confirmation of the amount. Unless otherwise
designated, all gifts go into the Property Reserve Fund.
Addresses and envelope numbers on memorial cards or checks
are much appreciated. The purpose of this report is to
confirm that gifts are received and properly allocated. If
you don’t see your gift listed here after 2 months, please
contact Karen Black.
IN MEMORY OF JOHN “SKIP” HANDZEL, SR.
Given by: Don and Mary Jane Kovach, Valeria Bowman, Audrey
Krell, Char Lobitz, Chuck and Jackie Steigerwald, Roy Sues,
George Hrodey, Joyce Tjhio, Mildred Anderson, Mr. and Mrs.
Tom Perzentka, Vernon and Carol Frost, Donna Dwyer, Doris
Preinitz, Eva Thoren, Charlotte and Bill Baumgartner, Carol
Hrodey, Paula DiVita
Fund: Property Reserve
Given by: George Hrodey, Carol Hrodey, Paula DiVita
Fund: Capital Campaign
IN MEMORY OF SKIP AND LORRAINE HANDZEL
Given by: Nancy and Les Herak, Joyce Johnsen
Fund: Property Reserve
IN MEMORY OF LORRAINE HANDZEL
Given by: Brian and Julie Logan, Casey and Lorraine
Koszczuk, Joe and Jackie Soscczyk, Scott and Janice
Casagrande
Fund: Property Reserve
Did You Know That…?
We received no information from anyone this month! Come on,
surely you have something you’d like to share!!!
(We still want interesting facts and tidbits about YOU!
Send them in to the office!)
Prayer Requests
Please include the following individuals and families in
your prayers this month:
Vivian Beyer
Chuck Boomer
Sue Bruce
Joe & Evelyn Burval
Lee Cercone
Ruth Corkill
Mr. Dennis
Larry Dietrich
Ardene Ejnik
Chris Jacobsen
Kennet
Richard Levy
Nancy Maher
Julie Parsons
Aidan Ray
Mary Reter
Gloria Solum
Pastor Sally Terrell
Linda (Rodin) Ufkes
We also want to remember in our prayers our military
personnel:
Jason Koesler, Tim David, Lars Johnsen, Kevin Ward, and
Patrick and Claudine Ward.
Directory Changes
Please call the office for New Members information
New Members’ Info
The
Messiah
Messenger
In this issue…
Rejoicing
New Members Join Messiah
Parking Lot Problems
LWR Trailer Loading
Annual Pet Blessing Service
Niles/Park Ridge CROP Walk
Congregational Meeting
Harvest Festival and Fun Fair
Adult Forum and Bible Study
Cemetery Lots for Sale
New Advertising Policy
Letter from our Missionary in Africa
MESSIAH LUTHERAN CHURCH
1605 Vernon Avenue
Park Ridge, Illinois 60068
Church Staff
Rev. Paul Stolz, Pastor
Jennifer Schneider, Office Administrator
Karen Black, Child Care Center Director
Vic Berzins, Director of Property Maintenance
John Handzel, Property Maintenance
Worknesh Deressa, Custodian
Tom Daniels, Director of Music
Sue Fox, Organist
Angela Berger, Bookkeeper
Messiah Lutheran Church 1605 Vernon Avenue Park Ridge, IL 60068
p 847.823.6984 f 847.823.6996
Office@messiahparkridge.org
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