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The Messiah Messenger>
The November Messenger Issue #473
October 31, 2007
THE Messiah
MESSENGER
From the Pastor
“FACING CHANGE”
As I write to you today, I do so from home. As you may
know, I spent several weeks at Northwestern Hospital, but I
have been released and I plan on returning to Messiah on
Monday, October 29, 2007. As I write, I do so with a deep
sense of gratitude for all of the support given to me and
my family through words of encouragement, cards, flowers,
food, gifts, phone calls but most importantly, through the
efforts of all of you to keep the church alive and vital
during my illness.
The cellulitis on my left leg (the reason for my initial
hospitalization) is gradually going away, and I am walking
better with each passing day. However, while I was in the
hospital, my kidney failed. I do use the singular when
speaking of my kidney since I received a transplanted
kidney from my brother Bob over 16 years ago. I have never
had any trouble with the transplant until recently, and
have been able to live a reasonably normal life for these
16 years. With this recent setback, I must now spend 3
hours a day 3 days a week on dialysis at an out patient
facility. I was on dialysis for one year in the early 1990s
and was able to continue to work as an attorney with only
small modifications to my normal routines. I anticipate
that this will be the case again during this round of
dialysis.
The good news is that my youngest brother Mark is also a
match for me as a kidney donor. We have already begun the
necessary steps to have him donate a kidney for transplant.
This process will take some time, and if all goes as
planned, the transplant will take place sometime in January
or February 2008. I ask for your continued support and
prayers during this time.
In the midst of this traumatic month, my brother Bob sent
me an email in which visions of change were applied to the
text of Ecclesiastes 3. As I have learned, life is change,
and as someone once said life is also 10% what happens to
you and 90% how you deal with what happens to you. I look
forward to returning to the work of the church, the work I
love so much. I am grateful for the opportunity to
continue, and I am thankful for all of you fellow ministers
who have maintained efforts to build the kingdom of God
while I have been away.
See you soon and God bless you!
Noteworthy News
WE MISSED YOU!
The Congregational Meeting was held on Sunday, October 21,
2007 and we missed those who weren’t there! Please try to
attend these meetings as this may be where decisions are
made about OUR church and we want everyone to have input!
If there is anything you can suggest that would make it
easier for you to attend, please pass your idea along to
the Executive Committee.
Thanks to all those who did attend. This meeting contained
updates about our 2007 initiatives, the building, our
capital building project, the fall stewardship drive, and
Floyd Yager serving as Vanna White while Kristin Yager
explained the Manna program – among other things. We also
discussed the change to one service and got feedback. It
seems that most people like the combined services – seeing
everyone and noting more enthusiasm at the services. A
couple of people mentioned the time, but there did not seem
to be enough issue with that to make any changes at this
time. A very positive note was that Sunday School has had
good attendance with the 9:00 time. So at this point we
will let the schedule change stand to give us more time to
adjust to the time changes! Our next meeting is the Annual
Meeting – scheduled for January 27, 2008 See you there!
~ submitted by Carol Hrodey
CHRISTMAS TREES
As you recall last year we finally decided we needed to
replace our Christmas trees for up around the altar. The
ones we’ve had have gotten quite worn and are starting to
disintegrate! We put out a change jar to collect money for
new trees and checked out the after-Christmas sales.
Unfortunately, it was difficult to find 2 of the same types
of trees at that point in time. So now its time to check
out the pre-Christmas sales! However, the other difficulty
is that the approximately $200 we collected will only
purchase about three-fourths of one of the less expensive
trees – on sale! They are expensive – before or after
Christmas! So if anyone is able to donate some additional
money to cover the cost of new trees, it would be greatly
appreciated! Please just designate that it is for the
Christmas trees! Thanks!!
LIBRARY REMODEL…AND REDO!
Most of you have probably noticed a nice change in our
Library (also called the Agape Room). It has been painted,
some of the old furniture was given to Salvation Army, and
we put in new carpeting. The remodel has greatly improved
the look of the room, and we want to do just a bit more. We
would like to acquire a couple of comfortable chairs and
maybe a SMALL sofa or loveseat to create a grouping around
the TV in the corner. We don’t want to crowd the room too
much, since it is still used as a conference room and
meeting area, but we want to have a place for people to sit
and enjoy multimedia presentations, or to read a book. (It
is, after all, a library.) If you have furniture that you’d
like to donate, please let us know. We are looking for
stuff that is in good condition, is comfortable, and has a
muted color scheme that matches the color and décor of the
room.
And what would a library be without the books? Thanks to
Messiah member John Wiberg, we are working on improving
that area as well! John received his undergrad degree in
English Literature from Augsburg College in Minnesota, and
completed five grad level courses in library sciences at
Dominican University. He is volunteering his time and
know-how to organize and categorize our library. He has
pulled out some books that he thinks people will like and
put them on the small cart in the room. He has also said
that he would welcome donations of books with the following
criteria:
• Published since 2001
• Non-traditional journeys in life and worship
• Women’s spirituality
• Other faith traditions, i.e., Judaism, Islam
• Inspirational books from mainstream denominations (i.e.,
poetry books of Rev. Judy Morrison, Augsburg Press)
Donations can be left in the library with a note saying
what they are for. John will catalog new entries, and put
them out for folks to borrow. When you borrow a book,
please leave a note saying which book and when and who
borrowed it. Paper and pencils are provided in the Library.
Thanks!
ANNUAL STEWARDSHIP DRIVE
Our Fall Stewardship Drive has BEGUN! Pledge Packets have
been mailed out. Over the next several weeks, we will hear
from people in the congregation about what giving means to
them. There will also be several special articles inserted
into upcoming bulletins to aid in reflection and prayer
about your opportunities for sharing your abundance.
Commitment Sunday is set for November 18th.
Upcoming Events
(Remember: Always check with church office before you
schedule an event – there is a room assignment calendar
maintained by the Office Administrator.)
CHRISTMAS CHARITIES ARE HERE!
Collecting from Nov. 25-Dec.10
Once again we will be collecting goods to help out those
less fortunate than ourselves. For The Night Ministry,
serving the homeless of Chicagoland, we put hats, gloves,
and scarves on our Giving Tree in the narthex. We are
looking for mostly adult items, and asking that they be
STURDY, WINTER ITEMS, rather than “magic gloves” which are
very thin. The Child Care Center and our Cub Scout Troop
are also collecting gloves for this ministry…THANKS!
Deadline for donations is December 10th – the Night Bus
will be delivering the items to people in need on December
18-19, so they need to pack everything up before that.
Also, we are doing LSSI’s Gifts for Kids again this year.
Gift tags will be available in the narthex. Pick a tag,
purchase a present, and bring it wrapped to church by
December 10th to be sent to LSSI in time for their
Christmas Party. Gift cards are also welcome…remember, you
can use our Manna program, deadline December 2nd, delivery
of cards on Dec. 6th!
REMINDERS!
Naomi Circle Cancelled for this month, will return in
January.
Men’s Breakfast Saturday, November 10th at 9:00 AM at a NEW
LOCATION, Jimmy’s Restaurant, 1440 Rand Road in Des
Plaines. Join us for fellowship and the best fresh-squeezed
orange juice in town!
Friendship Day November 15th at 9:00 AM, the THIRD Thursday
due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Come when you can and stay
as long as you can. Bring your lunch if you plan to be
there at lunchtime. We will not meet in December. 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 November 7th @ 9:00 AM (Meet in Workroom,
library busy.)
Leadership Team November 11th @ 11:30 AM
Executive Committee November 12th or 14th @ 7:00 PM (Meet
in Pastor’s Study)
COMING IN DECEMBER…
Sunday School Christmas Program
Christmas Cookies for Shut-ins
Christmas Worship Services
This Month in Worship
WORSHIP SCHEDULE AND READINGS
All Worship Services are at 10:15 AM.
November 4 – All Saints Sunday
Daniel 7:1–3, 15–18; Psalm 149; Ephesians 1:11–23; Luke
6:20–31
November 11 – Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Job 19:23–27a; Psalm 17:1–9; 2 Thessalonians 2:1–5, 13–17;
Luke 20:27–38
November 18 – Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Malachi 4:1–2a; Psalm 98; 2 Thessalonians 3:6–13; Luke
21:5–19
November 22 – Thanksgiving Day
Joel 2:21–27; Psalm 126; 1 Timothy 2:1–7; Matthew 6:25–33
November 25 – Christ the King
Jeremiah 23:1–6; Psalm 46; Colossians 1:11–20; Luke
23:33–43
ADULT FORUM SCHEDULE
November 4 – Topic to be announced
November 11 – Jews for Jesus, “Christ in the Passover”
November 18 - Topic to be announced
November 25 – Celebration Sunday, no Adult Forum
SPECIAL SERVICES IN NOVEMBER
On Sunday, November 11th, we will hold our annual Thank
Offering to support the programs of the WELCA. Special
envelopes will be provided, and checks should be made out
to Messiah Church Women.
On Sunday, November 18th, we will have Commitment Sunday.
This is the day we present our pledges to Messiah for 2008
in a special offering service.
On Thursday, November 22, we will have our annual
Thanksgiving Day worship service at 10:15 AM.
WORSHIP HELPERS
November 4 November 11 November 18 November 22 November 25
10:15 10:15 10:15 10:15 10:15
Acolytes Kevin K Tait J Kevin K Andrew F Holly N
Communion Assistants Pat K Julie J Brad K John F Cindy N
Readers Donna B Sam H Jake S David S Cindy N
Worship Assistants David S Vikki H Pat K David S Char L
Projection Jim H Jim H Tait J Jim H Peter F
Ushers Chuck S,
Jackie S,
Tom J,
Russ S Chuck S,
Jackie S,
Tom J,
Russ S Chuck S,
Jackie S,
Tom J,
Russ S Chuck S,
Jackie S Chuck S,
Jackie S,
Tom J,
Russ S
Greeters Dorothy N Dorothy N Dorothy N Dorothy N
Counters David H,
Millie A David H,
Millie A David H,
Millie A David H,
Millie A
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!
November 4 – Flowers are given in honor of John and Sue
Fox’s 28th wedding anniversary.
November 11 – Flowers are given in honor of Jarrett Lobitz
turning 5 years-old.
November 18 – Flowers are given in honor of Edith and Rick
Reeve’s 23rd wedding anniversary. Bulletins are given in
honor of our parents 23rd anniversary by Marissa and Edith
Reeve.
November 25 – Flowers are given by John and Sue Fox in
honor of Andrew’s 11th birthday. Bulletins are given by
Donna Hanson.
Calendar
See our Calendars Page for upcoming events
Messages
Thanks for Everything
I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to the
congregation, the pastor, the women’s club, and the
teachers of Messiah. Perhaps you said a prayer, paid a
visit, provided a home cooked meal, cookies at Christmas,
or offered a hug and words of encouragement. These may have
been small gestures, but to my family and me they were
strength, hope, and encouragement to get through some very
difficult and uncertain times.
I am pleased to say that my heart transplant was successful
and I am doing very well and enjoying a normal life again.
This ordeal has proved the power of faith and prayer. Thank
you and bless you all.
Richard Levy and Family
LGH Thanks
Dear Julie Holzer,
What a wonderful gift you and your group created on CRAFT
NIGHT for our NICU babies! These gift bags were just
delightful and filled with so many wonderful items. Thank
you for remembering the smallest of our patients with such
a caring contribution. We look forward to partnering with
Messiah on this very special project. Please know that we
deeply appreciate your effort in coordinating this
donation. May you all be blessed for your compassionate
service within our community.
With warm regards,
Linda Bensing, Child Life Specialist
New Tax Exempt Letter
If you use our tax exempt letter when purchasing retail
items, the current letter expires January 1st. New letters,
good until 2010, are available in the church office in the
file on the desk labeled “Tax Exempt Letters.” Help
yourself, or stop in during office hours.
Manna Order Dates
Remember to order your Manna cards on November 11th.
December orders will be taken on the 2nd and the 16th to
help with Christmas shopping!!!
Special stewardship article
STEWARDSHIP IS A WAY OF LIFE
Stewardship is more than money. It is how we live, as well
as how we give. Financial stewardship is not just the
portion of our money we give to the Church or other good
causes. Giving represents just one part of a bigger
picture, and faithful living entails at least 4
considerations:
1) How we acquire money
Martin Luther encouraged everyone to view his or her
occupation as a calling from God. The following quote,
attributed to Martin Luther, summarizes his thinking: “The
maid who sweeps her kitchen is doing the will of God just
as much as the monk who prays – not because she may sing a
Christian hymn as she sweeps buy because God loves clean
floors.” We can all be worthwhile stewards by pursuing
occupations that involve us in useful and worthwhile
activities.
2) How we regard money
Life is a gift. Stewards are encouraged to view their
material possessions as gifts of God and to be thankful for
them. With all the Bible’s warnings against storing up
treasure on earth (Matthew 6:19), it might be easy to go
overboard and end up despising material things as
inherently ungodly. But, Jesus himself enjoyed a good
banquet (Matthew 11:19). Those who view life as a gift and
who receive all things, including life itself, with
gratitude are likely to be the happiest people on earth.
Among their number are faithful Christian stewards who
realize that everything come from God and who view their
material good as unmerited blessings to be received with
glad and grateful hearts.
3) How we manage money
The Bible says more about money management than we might
suppose. As a general rule, the Bible tells us to use
money, not to hoard it. The best example is the rich fool
that Jesus tells of in Luke 12:15-21. This man has so many
goods that his barns will not hold them. But, he is going
to die and discover the truth of that old adage; “you can’t
take it with you.” (See Psalm 49:17; 1 Timothy 6:7) The
opposite of hoarding may be squandering, and the Bible does
not denounce the former so as to recommend the latter. So,
saving money for some definite purpose is not the same as
storing away more than we ever intend to use. To get this
right, to avoid both hoarding and squandering, we need to
have a plan…a budget. We need to think through our
intentions and prayerfully submit them to God, asking, “How
much should I set aside for this or for that?”
4) How we spend money
All that we are and all that we have belong to God.
Therefore, we are to use all of our money in ways that
please God. If we begin to do this, we will not miss out on
the pleasures of life. The most important point here may be
a simple recognition that using our money as faithful
stewards of God involves more that just giving to churches,
charities, and other worthy causes. God definitely wants us
to give some of our money away, but God is also interested
in what we do with the rest of our money.
Stewardship is a matter of faithful living. Such faithful
living is a response to the gospel: recognition of the good
news that the rule of God has come near, that Jesus Christ
is our Lord, and that the Holy Spirit will direct us to be
the people God want us to be and have the abundant, joyful
lives that God wants us to have.
Messiah Ministries
LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF TALLY
Our Lutheran World Relief parish projects were loaded on
the trailer the weekend of October 6 and are now on their
way to New Windsor, Maryland for distribution. A thank you
goes to everyone who helped, both with InGathering on
September 27th and with the trailer loading. Special thanks
to Don Kovach, our “lone male” on InGathering day! And
thanks to all who contribute to this project every year…it
is certainly a “whole church” project. This year with the
help of donations from the congregation and Child Care
Center, the Friendship Circle was able to assemble and ship
the following:
40 quilts
38 health kits
47 layettes
(LWR is no longer accepting men and women’s clothing, only
the layettes, quilts, and health kits.)
We invite anyone who is interested to join the Friendship
Circle in a worthwhile activity from 9 AM to 2 PM on the
fourth Thursday of each month.
“He won’t forget the love you have shown his people.”
Hebrews 6:15
God bless you, Eva Thoren, Chairperson
2007 CROP WALK RESULTS!
Thanks to everyone who sponsored, encouraged, or
participated in the CROP Walk for Hunger this year! Below
are the preliminary results provided by Church
World Service:
207 walkers including 4 dogs.
$14,752.26 deposited with Church World Service
$3,146 collected from on-line donations
We got back all but 2 lawn signs (they were "borrowed!")
We will be able to contribute approx $700 from our Friends
account after "incentives"
are paid for.
Milestones
BIRTHDAYS
Viviann Markech, 11/1
Grace Palos, 11/1
Valeria Bowman, 11/3
Charlotte Baumgartner, 11/5
Lisa Paulus, 11/7
Robert Reter, 11/7
Katelyn Hamden, 11/8
Alexis Chervinko, 11/11
Laurance Johnson, 11/12
Richard Reeve, 11/15
Mary Jo Marchetta, 11/17
Shannon Hall, 11/18
Carolyn Kopij, 11/19
James Rosequist, 11/19
Joseph Milios, 11/20
Terri Hogan, 11/22
Kirsten Kaufman, 11/23
Carmen Loverme, 11/24
Donna Hanson, 11/25
Betty Stinnett, 11/25
Reena Wagner, 11/25
Mark Wilson, 11/26
Andrew Fox, 11/27
Alex Wagner, 11/27
Jenny Stabb, 11/28
ANNIVERSARIES
John and Sue Fox – 11/3/1979, 28 years
Scott and Allison Allemeier – 11/7/03, 4 years
Rick and Edith Reeve – 11/24/1984, 23 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 October 25, 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: Irene Luck, Dave and Donna Hanson, Robert Bisgard
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:
Elvira Beyer
Chuck Boomer
Joe & Evelyn Burval
Lee Cercone
Ruth Corkill
Mr. Dennis
Franny Dietrich
Larry Dietrich
Ardene Ejnik
Chris Jacobsen
Kennet
Richard Levy
Nancy Maher
Joey Olson
Aidan Ray
Mary Reter
Gloria Solum
Pastor Paul Stolz
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 let the office know if you are moving! Thanks!
Nobody moved this month!
The
Messiah
Messenger
In this issue…
Facing Change
We Missed You!
Christmas Trees Needed
Christmas Charities Opportunities
New Library Remodel
Special Services This Month
Thanks for the Prayers
Thank You from LGH
Lutheran World Relief Totals
CROP Walk Wrap Up
Special Stewardship Article
Memorial Report for October
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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