OUTREACH

We were able to make $1536.58, and we received $500 from Thrivent to add to this amount, for a total of $2036.58 for our scholarship fund.  In order to accomplish this event we totaled 294 man hours to do this.  This included all the planning, cooking, preparing the venues, cleaning up, etc. by so many volunteers.  That would amount to $8.03 cents an hour.  Not bad for most of being retired folks!!  Plus, we are able to donate $225.23 to our Baretooth Food Bank.  Well done!!

We have some wonderful leftovers.  On the 23^rd of August we are having a congregational meeting.  We are going to have a brunch to have biscuits and gravy, waffles and sausages, and coffee and juice.  Please plan on attending to enjoy. these delicious treats. 

We are truly a blessed place in Messiah.

Shirley Overton, Outreach Chr.

Chirstmas Kids Shoppe

I am pleased to announce that The Christmas Kids Shoppe received a gift of $500 from the Montana Synod Outreach and  Growing in God's Field II Committee.  The committee based our gift on Messiah's reliance upon grace as an operating principle and our emphasis on openness and hospitality.

We are hoping to use part for advertising, which we have not had the funds for in the past.

We will send them a report in January of 2010 on how the funds were used and how it has impacted our ministry.

Shirley Overton, Outreach Chr.

FAMILY LIFE

Tupperware Party

When:  Sunday, Aug 16

Time:  9:30-10:30

Where:  Messiah’s Lawn

Shirley Hanson is a Tupperware Dealer from Laurel.    All of her products on display will be for sale that day.   A percentage of Shirley’s profit will be donated to Messiah’s Building Fund.     Come and check it out.

 THANK YOU!

A Big Thank you to the congregation for the prayer and financial support for the annual Denver Urban Servant Corps Youth trip last month!  Highlights included boxing perishable and non-perishable food items, moving them across town and then distributing them to homeless persons; worship at Shorter African Methodist Episcopal church, Bible study, Elich's amusement park and seeing the Colorado Rockies win a baseball game.  We really appreciate this experience to live out our faith in Jesus - Katie Atherly, Lydia Buescher, Dusty Downing, Eli Nordstrom and Holly Sorrells. 

FESTIVAL OF NATIONS SUNDAY
Festival of Nations Sunday -Worship August 2, 8:30 a.m. early service takes place at Messiah and the 2nd service will be 11:00 a.m. at Lion's Park.  Come worship as we give thanks for God's gift of all nations singing hymns from around the globe and celebrate Holy Communion at both services. 

SUBSTITUTE  FOR ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

We are looking for someone who would be willing to be trained in the essential tasks of this position. When the Admin. Assistant is not available (vacation, day off, illness, etc.) there would be someone who could handle the essential tasks such as bulletin preparation.  Please contact Kathy Schilling at the Church Office if you have an interest.

 
KEEP US INFORMED 
Let the office know if we don’t have your birthday or anniversary dates, or if you have a phone number or email address that has changed.

Our Innkeeper leaders are Andrea and Bob Holmen.  Their helpers are Kurt and Martie Brenne, Dave Jurkovich, Mary Ames, Nancy Smith, D.J. Rosekelly, the Wilkers, and the Farnhams.

Thanks for your service!

There are a few open slots on upcoming months, please sign up if you haven’t done so in awhile. 

After many, many months of research, discussions, input from the people of Messiah and extensive prayer  to discern God’s will for the future mission of Messiah Lutheran church, it is time to define the next steps. The Messiah Church Council is calling a Special Congregational Meeting on Sunday, August 23 for the purpose of voting on two Resolutions.

All members and friends are invited to attend and participate in the discussion; however, only voting members (18 years & older) of Messiah Lutheran will have the opportunity to vote.

Resolution #1

Be it resolved that the congregation of Messiah Lutheran Church wishes to purchase the land on Hwy 212 currently owned by the Faithful Land LLC at a price not to exceed $550,000 and to engage Ann Bailey of Kairos and Associates, Inc. to assist the congregation in a Capital Campaign.

Resolution #2

Be it resolved that the Messiah Lutheran Congregation directs the Church Council to place the current building and land on the market for sale.

BACKGROUND

Land to Relocate our Facility

Because our current land is located in a residential area with limited parking and visibility was well as room for expansion, possible sites for relocation was of interest.  A favorable site was purchased by the Faithful Land LLC in June 2007 at a cost of $550,000.  The purchasing group has made the mortgage payments and other expenses since the time of purchase. The intent of Faithful Land LLC has been to hold the land in trust for the church for three years, to give the congregation an opportunity to explore their interest in purchasing the land. The Faithful Land investors are willing to sell the land to Messiah Lutheran for $550,000.  The Faithful Land investors are also prepared to donate approximately $250,000 toward the purchase price of the land. The land has recently been appraised at $760,000. The Mission Investment Fund of the ELCA and First Interstate Bank of Red Lodge are both willing to provide a loan to Messiah Lutheran Church to purchase the land.

Capital Fund Appeal

To raise funds for the new land and a new facility on that land, a capital fund appeal is planned to take place in the fall of 2009.  After interviewing four potential Capital Campaign consultants, the Church Council recommends engaging Ann Bailey of Kairos and Associates.   Ann Bailey would work intensively with the congregation and various teams in a Capital Fund Appeal effort over the next four months.   She would then continue to follow our progress on this project for three years. The cost for her services is $24,800. The cost of these services would be an expense of the fund appeal and paid for with the dollars raised. In the near term, payments for Ms. Bailey’s services will be made from the existing Building Fund.

Sale of Current Site and Facility

The national average for the sale of church buildings is two years. The potential for sale is enhanced because Messiah’s building could be renovated for other purposes and an additional lot is included. In any case, because the asset of the property (appraised at $350,000) would be part of the funding of the new building project, it is critical to put the property on the market. Should a sale occur before completion of a new building the following could be options to bridge the transition: 1) attempt to negotiate a lease to stay in the current building or 2) temporarily relocate to another community building such as a school or church. No actual sale of the property will occur without a congregational meeting and vote.

Financing

It is estimated that with the purchase of the land and a new (approximately) 8900 square foot building,  the total project cost would be about $1.75M of which $250,000 has already been raised. Proceeds from the sale of the current site (if sold) will apply to the project cost (there is no debt on our current site).  Additionally the outcome of the Capital Fund Appeal will apply to project costs and may well determine if the project can proceed in total or needs to proceed in phases. The Mission Investment Fund of the ELCA has expressed interest in providing financing for the new building. Their loan terms change monthly, but the current interest rate is 6%. First Interstate has not been approached about financing the building.

Your presence at this Special Congregational Meeting is important, so we hope you will make plans now to attend. We ask for God’s guidance that we will be a spirit-led people, continuing to discern God’s will for Messiah Lutheran.

LETTER FROM BISHOP JESSICA CRIST

“Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many.  If the foot would say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body.  And if the ear would say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body….Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”  I Corinthians 12: 14-16, 27

 
June, 2009

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

In fifty days the ELCA Churchwide Assembly will begin.  Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson has called the church to 50 days of prayer preceding the Assembly, and I invite you as well.  During these fifty days there will be a lot of preparation for the Assembly.  Worship will be planned, resolutions will be fine-tuned, guest speakers will be confirmed, meetings will take place.  But what happens in Minneapolis is not all we are as a church.

In the next fifty days, the work of the church goes on.  Weekly worship will take place in congregations large and small, rural and urban.  Food banks will provide food for the hungry.  Nursing homes will care for the elderly.  In the next fifty days, new missionaries such as Josh and Susie Magyar will have their initial training and orientation.  Outdoor ministries and camps will proclaim the Gospel to campers young and old.  Campus pastors will prepare for the opening of school in the fall.  In the next fifty days, Vacation Bible Schools will stretch congregations and young people to find new ways to hear and tell the old, old story.  “Jesus, Justice and Jazz” will engage tens of thousands of teenagers in a church that is bigger than all of us.  In the next fifty days, Lutheran Disaster Relief will respond to crises, Lutheran Social Services will create forever families.  In the next fifty days we will be the Church in many places, and in many ways.

Paul’s image of the church as the Body of Christ is meaningful for us, especially as he reminds us how much we need each other.   I ask you, in the next fifty days, and beyond, to pray for the whole church, to seek wisdom for the whole church, and to seek the unity of the whole church.  I ask you to listen to one another, especially those with whom you disagree, and not to jump to conclusions about what the Church may or may not do in Minneapolis in August.

At the end of our Synod Assembly, when two pastors who had been on opposite sides of the sexuality debates read a joint resolution of mutual trust and harmony, it was a powerful moment, and the assembly concurred.  I shared that moment with other ELCA Bishops, and one used it as a “snapshot of new creation,” in his closing sermon at their Synod Assembly.

Friends, let us work together on being that new creation, by God’s grace, proclaiming the Good News to all creation.  “Now you are the body of Christ, and individually members of it.” You are in my prayers.

In Christ,

 Bishop Jessica Crist

 Congregational Retreat at Christikon

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL AT MESSIAH: 

Join the fun at Gadget’s Garage!  AUGUST 10-14 from 9 AM - Noon.

We will explore Bible stories in creative ways.  

We will learn that through Jesus God’s Always Doing Great, Exciting Things (G.A.D.G.E.T.) 

Fill out the registration form in the red basket in the narthex.  

For more information, call Gina Farnham at 446-9818.

The Messiah newsletter is available electronically.  If you would like to help save time, money and resources, please send your email address to churchoffice@180com.net to be added to the email mailing list.