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MESSIAH MESSENGER
The Newsletter of
Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church
185 W. 5th Street
Constantine MI 49042
Our vision is to be a Christ-centered church, extending our boundaries to invite and accept all people.
Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church
Church Office: 269.435.9785
FAX: 269.435.2021
E-mail: secretary@messiah-constantine.org
HOW WELL DO YOU
KNOW YOUR BIBLE?
BOOK OF JOHN
A.
B.
C.
D.
Peter and John
Matthew and Thomas
James and John
Phillip and Andrew
D (6:5-11)
NEWSLETTER
In John’s account of the feeding
of the five thousand, which two
disciples were involved in Jesus’
discussion of how to proceed?
1
OFFICE HOURS
Monday-Thursday 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
(or by appointment)
CHURCH STAFF
Dennis Smith, Pastor
Debby Painter, Church Secretary
Thom Britton, Worship/Music Organist
Theo Outman, Choir Director
COUNCIL OFFICERS
Andy Rockwell, President
Vic Raul, Vice President
Paula Smith, Secretary
MINISTRY CHAIRPERSONS
Jenny Bright, Treasurer
Deb Hart, Christian Ed.
Sue Outman, Congregational Care
Roscoe Hassinger, Facilities Mgt.
Tegan Stuby-Hekter, Resource Mgt.
Sue Kantauskas, Gospel/Mission
Eunice Outman, Invest Fund
Linda Walker, Financial Secretary
Cindie Rockwell, Altar Guild
Joyce Shidaker, Memorial Mgt.
A MESSAGE FROM OUR PASTOR
If asked to name the top five
American holidays, I would start
with Christmas, followed by
Thanksgiving, Easter, New Year’s
Day, and maybe Groundhog Day just
because I think it’s fun to bet against the
rodent. Halloween would not make my list.
Maybe that’s because I don’t have any
grandkids around this time of year to dress
as fairy princesses and super-hero avengers.
Besides, very few kids trick-or-treat to my
far end of the street and I am forced to
consume bags of mini-Mounds bars before
their expiration dates, which somehow never
extend to the next Halloween. Go figure.
It turns out, however, that I am relatively
alone in my curmudgeonly view of Halloween.
According to a recent Harris Poll Halloween ranks
just behind Thanksgiving on the America popular
holiday scale and second to only Christmas in
terms of consumer output.
My first reaction to this Halloween popularity
surge was to lend my voice to the choir of
fundamentalist Halloween haters who have
always known that Halloween was really the
devil’s ploy to lure the young, vulnerable and
weak of mind to the dark side. By the way, does
anyone dress up like Darth Vader anymore?
Upon further reflection, however, I am more
inclined to rejoice in this resurgence of the
patron holiday of Sleepy Hollow. Religious
naysayers are quick to point out that Halloween
has its origins in ancient, Celtic paganism, but it
turns out that much the same can be said of many
of our sacred festivals, including Christmas and
Easter, both of which Christianized earlier
agricultural celebrations.
Halloween, otherwise known as the eve of All
Saints Day, marks a turning of the seasons from
summer’s verdant production and fall’s opulent
reaping to the season of dark dormancy. The
bony trees brace for the snowy onslaught of the
winter that lurks in the deepening shadows. While
some lucky humans prepare to join the migratory
flight south, the rest of us hunker down with the
aforementioned groundhogs, knowing that we’ll
not see our solar shadows for several months to
come. Both spiritually and physically, we prepare
for a long, cold winter.
Though the eve of All Saints Day retains some of
its early Celtic rituals including legions of ghosts
and goblins, it is the hallowing of the saints that
makes this a holy eve and not a devil’s night.
It is a time to remember those who have died,
especially those whose faithful witness to the
gospel has shaped our faith. While the last night
of October portends a season of bleak winter
darkness, we are reminded on this night that
Jesus Christ is the light of the world, the light
no darkness can overcome.
2
The saints who have preceded us through
the portals of death, point us to new life
and renewed hope. We shall name some of
them on the Sunday after. So, have a happy
Halloween and save a few mini-Mounds
bars for me.
************************************
We congratulate RaeAnne
Donoway and Nate Wolfe
on their upcoming nuptials.
We mourn the passing of
Maxine Milhahn who
passed away September
17, 2014.
A big “THANK YOU”
to our Messiah Church
family for all of your
prayers, cards, phone
calls, visits, and of course,
the great food.
We both appreciate all of
you very much.
Matt and Sue Kantauskas
Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church
Church Council Meeting
September 21, 2014 Synopsis
Action Items:
· Approval of August Council minutes
· Approval of Treasurer’s report - noted
that our deficit January - August is
$3,583.89
· Roscoe purchased a new dish washer for
the rental property with council approval.
Discussion:
· There were some questions about how we
compensate substitutes for paid staff.
Dennis explained that the Synod has
guidelines which our church follows.
· Tegan Stuby Hekter explained the
derivation of funds in an income account
labeled “investment savings”. She is
continuing her research into this issue.
· We discussed the funding for Chuck
Wagon. Members donate deserts, and
Deb Hart has donated the rest of the food.
· Sue Outman updated the council on her
research into insurance for the Food
Pantry.
THANK YOU!
Our Progressive Dinner
was a success. Eighty-seven
people enjoyed a variety of
salads at the Lutheran Church, a hearty hot
meal at the Methodist Church and yummy
desserts at 1st Congregational. $948.00 was
donated for the Constantine Church Association
voucher program!
CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING
Sunday, October 12th after
Worship Services.
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MONDAY NIGHTS
AT THE MOVIES
(All movies subject to change depending on availability.)
September 29 - Philomena (Pg-13; 2013) Stars Judi Dench and Steve Coogan.
London journalist Martin Sixsmith (Coogan) is approached by the daughter of Philomena Lee
(Dench) who had her infant son, Anthony taken away when she was a teenage inmate of a
Catholic convent fifty years ago. Martin arranges a magazine assignment about her search for
him that eventually leads to America. Along the way, Martin and Philomena discover as much
about each other as about her son's fate. Furthermore, both find their basic beliefs challenged.
October 6th - God is Not Dead (PG; 2014)
Stars Shane Harper and Kevin Sorbo. Present-day college freshman and devout Christian, Josh
Wheaton (Harper), finds his faith challenged on his first day of Philosophy class by the dogmatic
and argumentative Professor Radisson (Sorbo) who begins class by informing students that they
will need to disavow, in writing, the existence of God on that first day, or face a failing grade.
As other students in the class begin scribbling the words "God Is Dead" on pieces of paper as
instructed, Josh finds himself at a crossroads, having to choose between his faith and his future.
Josh offers a nervous refusal, provoking an irate reaction from his smug professor. Radisson
hands him the ultimatum that sets the rest of the rickety plot in motion: Either Josh drops the
class, or else he has to take to the podium and try to prove the existence of God to Radisson and
his fellow students over the course of the next three sessions.
October 13 - Heaven Is For Real (PG; 2014)
Stars Greg Kinnear, Kelly Reilly, Sonja Burpo, and newcomer Connor Corum. When four-yearold Colton Burpo made it through an emergency appendectomy his family was overjoyed at his
miraculous survival. What they weren’t expecting, though, was the story that emerged in the
following months. Colton recounts the details of his amazing journey with childlike innocence
and speaks matter-of-factly about things that happened before his birth ... things he couldn't
possibly know. Todd and his family are then challenged to examine the meaning from this
remarkable event.
October 20 - The 100 Foot Journey (PG; 2014)
Stars Manish Dayal, Helen Mirren, Om Puri, Charlotte Le Bon. A story centered on the Kadam
family, who when displaced from their native India move to France, open a restaurant across
the street from a Michielin-starred French restaurant owned by Mme Mallory. The chilly chef
proprietress gets wind of it and her icy protests against the new Indian restaurant a hundred feet
from her own escalate to all out war between the two establishments -- until Hassan's passion for
French haute cuisine and for Mme. Mallory's enchanting sous chef, Marguerite combine with his
mysteriously delicious talent to weave magic between their two cultures and imbue Saint-Antonin
with the flavors of life that even Mme. Mallory cannot ignore.
October 27- Horses of God (NR; 2014)
Stars Abdelhakim Rachid, Abdeliah Rachid, Hamza Souidek, Ahmed El Idrissi Amrani. Ten
year-old Yachine and his 13-year-old brother Hamid live in Sidi Moumen, an impoverished
slum on the outskirts of Casablanca, where everyday violence, mental illness, corruption, and
dope-dealing compete with fantasies of escaping to Western Europe to earn scads of money or
dreams of making it as a professional soccer player. They are subject to the lure of religious
fanatics who blame their misfortune on "the imperialist Zionist conspiracy" and offer a
"community of new brothers" to those who will submit to the discipline of martyrdom. Nabil
Ayouch's deeply moving film has been lauded for its "brutal poetry" and the realism with which
it depicts how insidiously and cynically fundamentalists ply their trade.
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WE PRAY FOR GOD’S
HEALING PRESENCE IN THE LIVES OF
THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE
Agnes Blough, Ruth Burns, Lillian
Carter, Brian Deller, Murph Doyle,
Judy Elliott, Heidi Feldman, Steve
Freese, Lincoln Hoffmaster, Heather
Hughes, Denise Kantauskas, Sue
Kantauskas, Shirley Lipscomb,
Linda Lytle, Linde (prounced Lind-ie), Marie,
Delores Neely, Jake Persing, Heather Philips,
Nancy Preston, David Schafer, Amanda Stump,
Ron Schuen, Patty W., Marlyn Wigren, and
Sam Yacono.
Watch, dear Lord, with those who wake or
watch or weep. Tend the sick, rest the weary,
bless the dying, and soothe the suffering. Shine
your light of love on them and walk with them,
that they may know the peace and comfort of
your presence. Amen.
WOMEN OF THE ELCA MEETING
Stewardship/Business Meeting.
Tuesday, October 14th at 2 p.m.
in the Church Library.
FAITH NIGHT AT THE
KALAMAZOO WINGS
HOCKEY GAME
Come join us for one more
sporting event before the
snow falls (we hope) on
Friday, November 7, 2014
for Faith Night at K-Wing
Stadium. Game time is 7:30 p.m. and we will
leave the church parking lot at 6 p.m. Prior to
the game there will be some guest speakers.
There is also a program following the game but
we do not plan to stay for that as it will be late.
If you would like to stay, please plan your own
transportation. The cost per ticket is $12.00.
Deadline to sign up is October 26, 2014. A
sign-up sheet is available on the table in the
Narthex. Questions?? See Tom Rockwell or
Joyce Shidaker.
THIS MONTH’S BIRTHDAYS
Graham McGlothlen
Cindy Kline
Joyce Shidaker
Chris Smith
Nathan DeMeyer
Beverly Lewis
Alexandra Harrison
Pat Portinga
Richard Chrisman
Mary Smith
Amanda Mead
Norma Moord
Lois Lucas
Ann Gerst
Carole Seymour
Brock Michalek
Malcolm Stamp
Martha Hochstetler
Walter Hekter, Jr
10/02
10/03
10/03
10/04
10/04
10/07
10/07
10/08
10/10
10/10
10/11
10/12
10/12
10/13
10/14
10/22
10/22
10/28
10/30
THIS MONTH’S ANNIVERSARIES
Robert and Cassandra Bellaire
Halsey
10/01
Chad & Karen Bojanich 10/11
Jean & Debra Hart
10/11
ANNUAL PICNIC ON GEORGE’S FARM
Gone us on George’s Farm for our
Halloween Party, Sunday October
26th from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Kids
(and adults) are encouraged to wear
their costumes. There will games,
prizes and the usual food. Bring a
chair and a dish to share. Hot dogs and buns,
the fixings, and drinks will be provided.
ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER
Have you an email account and
would prefer to get the newsletter
electronically? Please call the
office and let them know at
269.435.9785. Or email at
secretary@messiah-lutheran.org
5
KIDS’ CORNER
CHILDREN’S
CHUCK
WAGON
There will not
be a Chuck
Wagon this month.
NOISY OFFERING
The Noisy
Offering
for October
has been
designated for
the Constantine Church
Association (CCA)
Voucher Program.
PIGGY BANK
COLLECTION
We collected
$100.00 from the
kids’ piggy banks
for our local
mission project,
Confirmation
Camp for our kids. In case
you don’t remember, each
child has a piggy bank and
when they do chores at
home, they earn money for
our missions projects, all
year round.
***********************************************************************************************************
FOOD PANTRY SUNDAY
The last Sunday of the month has been
traditionally Food Pantry Sunday at
Messiah. Don’t forget to bring in a
non-perishable item for the Food Bank
Sunday, October 26th. CURRENT
FOOD BANK NEEDS: corn, crackers, tomatoes,
fruit cocktail.
NEWSLETTER DEADLINE
Please remember that in order to
have events shown in the November
Messiah Messenger, it must be added
to the church calendar (located
outside the church office), placed in
the newsletter box in the church office, or given
to the church secretary no later than Monday,
October 20th.
6
SOUP LABELS AND BOX TOPS
FOR EDUCATION
There is now a box on the
Fellowship Table for you to
donate your
Box Tops For Education and
Campbell’s Soup Labels For
Education. These will be given
to the Constantine Schools. Also being collected
at the pull tabs off of cans for
various charitable organizations.
So please take a minute to
cut off the label or box top
and help Constantine’s
school children.
BOARD MEMBER NEEDED
We are asking for a volunteer to
represent our church for a one
year term on the Constantine
Community Soup Kitchen Board.
It involves a one hour meeting
four times a year. Your first
meeting would be March, 2015. To volunteer for
this position, talk to Sue Outman. She has been
our rep for five years and wants and needs a break.
Sue will continue to organize our “crew” to cook
and serve the 3rd Monday of every month at the
Soup Kitchen.
CHOIR PRACTICE
Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.
JANUARY - AUGUST
GENERAL FUND
TREASURER'S REPORT
INCOME
EXPENSES
PROFIT/LOSS
$ 86,840.23
$ 90,432.82
$ (3,583.59)
INK CARTRIDGE RECYCLING
Messiah can receive a cash refund
on any used inkjet cartridges
carried by Movie City video store
in White Pigeon and credit toward
purchase on cartridges not carried
by the store. The pastor’s office printer uses
discount priced cartridges carried by Movie City.
Recycling your used cartridges in this way can
save Messiah several dollars in printing costs.
Bring your used cartridges to the church office
and help Messiah cut costs.
CROP WALK
The 2014 Crop Walk is scheduled for
Sunday, October 5th. Registration is
at 1:15 p.m. here at Messiah and the
walk starts at 1:30 p.m. It’s not too
late to sign up individually, as a family, or as a
group. You may pick up pledge sheets from Sue
Outman or Pastor Dennis. 25% of all funds
raised this year will go to the
Constantine Food Pantry.
SOUP KITCHEN
Messiah’s next turn at the Soup
Kitchen is Monday, October 20th.
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8
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THOSE WHO SERVE IN OCTOBER
5th
Assisting Minister:
Lector Minister:
Usher Ministers:
Communion Ministers:
Coffee Ministers:
Acolyte and Communion Assistant:
ATV Tech:
12th
Assisting Minister:
Lector Minister:
Usher Ministers:
Communion Ministers:
Coffee Ministers:
Acolyte and Communion Assistant:
ATV Tech:
19th
Assisting Minister:
Lector Minister:
Usher Ministers:
Communion Ministers:
Coffee Ministers:
Deb Hart
Deb Hart
Janis Jones, Butch Seymour
Jody Bowersox, Veleta Smith
Cindie Rockwell, Carol Seymour
NEEDED
Brock Michalek
Theresa Chrisman
Eunice Outman
Matthew Kantauskas, Dave Knisely
Deb Hart, Janis Jones
Berne and Janet Heign
Paige Brown
Leah Stiver
Paula Smith
Sue Outman
Andy Rockwell, Tom Rockwell
Theresa Chrisman, Sue Outman
George Diffenderfer, Cheryl Hart,
Bruce Wyman
Acolyte and Communion Assistant:
ATV Tech:
NEEDED
NEEDED
26th
Assisting Minister:
Lector Minister:
Usher Ministers:
Communion Ministers:
Coffee Ministers:
Acolyte and Communion Assistant:
ATV Tech:
Deb Hart
Theresa Chrisman
Janis Jones, Dave Knisely
George Diffenderfer, Paula Smith
Sue Outman, Joyce Shidaker
Paige Brown
Leah Stiver
Sanctuary Ministers:
Altar Guild Ministers (All Month):
Donut Pick-up (All Month):
Steve and Carol Boland
Karen Bojanich, Linda Walker
Janis Jones
9
Movie Night 6:30 p.m.
27
Movie Night 6:30 p.m.
Soup Kitchen
Newsletter Deadline
20
Columbus Day
Movie Night 6:30 p.m.
13
Physician Assistant Day
6
Monday
Open Space 9:15 a.m.
Movie Night 6:30 p.m.
Worship 10:30 a.m.
Food Pantry Sunday
Deadline K-Wings Sign-up
Picnic on George’s Farm
4:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
26
Evaluate Your Life Day
Open Space 9:15 a.m.
Worship 10:30 a.m.
19
Open Space 9:15 a.m.
Worship 10:30 a.m.
Council Meeting
12
Do Something Nice Day
World Teacher’s Day
Open Space 9:15 a.m.
Worship 10:30 a.m.
CROP Walk 1:15 p.m.
5
Sunday
Mother-in-law Day
10
Bald and Free Day
Card Night 6:00 p.m
28
National Pumpkin
Cheesecake Day
21
W/ELCA Meeting 2:00 p.m.
14
7
Tuesday
Bible Study 5:00 p.m.
Choir Practice 6:30 p.m.
29
National Nut Day
Bible Study 5:00 p.m.
Choir Practice 6:30 p.m.
22
Bible Study 5:00 p.m.
Choir Practice 6:30 p.m.
15
Bible Study 5:00 p.m.
Choir Practice 6:30 p.m.
8
Bible Study 5:00 p.m.
Choir Practice 6:30 p.m.
1
Wednesday
Card Night 6:00 p.m.
Card Night 6:00 p.m.
Thursday
Card Night 6:00 p.m.
30
Card Night 6:00 p.m.
23
Bosses Day
Card Night 6:00 p.m.
16
Fire Prevention Day
9
2
October 2014
Wear Something
Gaudy Day
World Smile Day
31
National Bologna Day
United Nations Day
24
17
10
3
Friday
Make A Difference Day
25
18
Sweetest Day
RaeAnne Donoway and
Nate Wolfe Wedding
11
4
Saturday