Messiah Lutheran is pleased to announce the installation of The Reverend Edward W. Myers as their new full time Pastor. Following a period of intentional interim ministry under the leadership of Rev. Glenn Boland, Messiah embarked on an exhaustive search before calling Pastor Myers. The Rev. Daryl Peterson, Assistant to the Bishop of the Southeastern Synod, and Rev. Wayne Cobb, Conference Dean, officiated at the service. They were joined by area Lutheran pastors and clergy from other area churches.
Pastor Myers is a graduate of Western Kentucky University, and received his Masters in Divinity from Trinity Seminary in Columbus Ohio. He has served other Lutheran congregations in Kentucky and Tennessee before his call to Messiah Lutheran on Skidaway Island.
Pastor Myers, his wife Brenda and their 2 children have relocated to The Landings on Skidaway Island.
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
The images of the despair and destruction in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti continue to overwhelm us, but they also call forth our response of prayer and generosity.
Paul’s letter to the Romans gives us words of comfort and hope. Paul writes:
We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God (Romans 8:22-27).
Thank you for continuing to hold in prayer the people in Haiti and all those who are working to bring relief. Thank you for your generous financial gifts.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is already working through long-standing partnerships with The Lutheran World Federation and Lutheran World Relief to provide emergency food, water, shelter and medical supplies.
This church is uniquely positioned to provide immediate and ongoing help. The ELCA has committed an initial $250,000 from ELCA International Disaster Response, and we’ve authorized an additional $500,000 as congregations respond both to the immediate needs and long-term rebuilding efforts.
For those of you who would like to support these relief efforts, I encourage you to visit this Web page (www.elca.org/haitiearthquake) or call 800-638-3522.
Our phones are open the entire Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST. One hundred percent of all gifts made to ELCA Disaster Response, designated for Haiti Earthquake Relief, will be used for immediate relief and ongoing recovery.
This is what it means to be the church together in mission for the sake of the world.
I invite you to pray:
Merciful God, hear our cry for mercy in the wake of the earthquake. Reveal your presence in the midst of our suffering. Help us to trust in your promises of hope and life so that desperation and grief will not overtake us. Come quickly to our aid that we may know peace and joy again. Strengthen us in this time of trial with the assurance of hope we know in the death and resurrection of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
In God’s grace,
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
P.S. Thrivent has pledged to match $1 for every $2 their members contribute, up to a total contribution of $1 million from Thrivent. To make your matching gift (up to $250 per person), go to this Web page (www.thrivent.com/helpinghaiti).
And the Lord said, “I will show my concern for you and keep my promise… I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity…plans to bring about the future you hope for”. Jeremiah 29: 11
“…I alone know the plans I have for you…” Boy, wasn’t that the truth! Little could we have known what plans God had in store for Messiah Lutheran when we chose that verse from Jeremiah to guide us during our period of congregational transition. But now we are coming to the end of that journey and he has kept his promise.
Much has been accomplished during our intentional interim ministry. I would like to express my sincere thanks for the support you have given Council during my tenure as your President. You will be excited to know that your congregational officers for 2010 will be Frank Leibgott-President; John Duren-Vice President; Pam Allen-Secretary; and Roger Nord-Treasurer. We are blessed with many talented members that serve Messiah in so many special ways. In particular, we give heartfelt thanks that God sent his servants Pastor Glenn and Carole to be with us throughout this transitional journey. We are better disciples because of their gifts to us.
And now we prepare for another journey…a new journey with a newly called Pastor. Again, who could have known that we would be so blessed as to find Pastor Ed, Brenda, Tate and Annabelle! “…I alone know the plans I have for you”.
As I thought about all these changes over the last few weeks, I found it particularly mysterious that this was all happening during Advent.
—not because Advent is the beginning of a new Church year,
—not because Advent means “arrival” and we have a new Pastor,
—not because it’s a season of preparation and we’ve been “preparing” the parsonage for occupancy,
—and not because it’s Christmas with the coming of Jesus the Christ in his first Advent, but because it’s also the time that we reflect on the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent. In the Second Advent we all participate! With this focus on our involvement and the span of past, present and future, Advent reflects the spiritual journey of us as individuals and as Messiah Lutheran, the congregation. In Advent we affirm that Christ has come, He is present today, and in anticipation of the future consummation we believe that He will come again in power.
As 2010 unfolds and our congregation embarks on our next exciting journey, let’s remember the foundational work of the past years, the present commitment that we have made to grow in discipleship by Praying, Inviting, Giving, Serving, Studying, Encouraging and Worshiping, and above all let’s live in the joyful anticipation of all that God has in store for Messiah Lutheran…He alone knows the plans He has for us and He alone can bring about the future we hope for!
Peace and Grace,
Rob Fritz – Outgoing Congregational President
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