JANUARY MESSENGER |2016

Messiah Lutheran Church 2850 Guilderland Ave,

Schenectady, NY 12306 E-mail:

office@messiahschenectady.org Emergency Telephone:

(603) 953-8782 www.messiahschenectady.org

Office: (518) 355-2311

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Care and Concern For our greeting care ministry, we have sent our 17 cards for the month of December. If you know of anyone who could use some cheering up, a welcome to our congregation or a special occasion card, please see Judy Becker or call at 374-5104.

Social Action We raised over $600 from contributions and our Christmas concert to help support our family that we adopted for Christmas. We used some of the money for the family, some for the City Mission and a donation for the local man who was burned over 80% of his body in the propane explosion at his home. We are so thankful for your generous support. It is appreciated by all. Our Food Pantry is doing well. We will have a full report in the Annual Report.

WELCA "Save the Date." WELCA will be having their Program Meeting on February 16, 2016 at 7:00 pm. We will have Sarah Etkin-Sefcik, a representative from Community Hospice, speak about Camp Erin. Hostesses are Jill Becker and Betty Friebel.

Men's Group Bowling Night Come join Messiah's mighty men's group for an evening of bowling at Sportsman's Bowl on Crane Street in Schenectady, Wednesday, January 13th at 6:30pm. Total cost is $7 for two games + shoe rental. We're limited to twenty bowlers so please sign-up on the bulletin board in the narthex. If you have any questions, please speak with Rich Becker.

Christmas Caroling Our carolers brought joy to many of our congregation that needed it the most this holiday season!

Christmas Caroling

Our audiences enjoyed singing along to their favorite Christmas Carols.

JANUARY MESSENGER | 2016 2

Property Committee News Our next Property Committee meeting is scheduled for January 5th at 7:00pm. This will be a very important meeting to attend, as we’ll be deciding what capital improvement projects for the year to approve at our annual congregation meeting. If you have any questions or would like to join our committee, please speak with co-chairs Brian Karrel (interior) and Rich Stigberg (exterior).

Confirmation Class Our three younger students (along with their parents) have begun using a new curriculum called Colaborate from Sparkhouse Publishing to study stories of Old Testament.

Learners of all ages are welcome to attend our rich, intergeneration conversations nearly every Sunday at 6:30pm!!! Topics will Be listed in the “This Sunday at Messiah”

section of The Weekly Update, so if you see something that interests you, please join us!

Adult Sunday School: Confirmation Class Revisited Sunday, January 10th through Sunday, February 7th at 9:00am

Don’t remember much from confirmation class? As the beginning of a new

adult education initiative at Messiah, you’re invited to join Dr. Merle Longwood, Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at Siena College and Jean Jones (both relatively new members of our congregation) for an Adult Sunday School series we’re calling “Confirmation Class Revisited.” Topics for discussion will include the following:

January 10th: How Lutherans Understand Baptism January 17th: How Lutherans Understand the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed & the Athanasian Creed (the one we supposedly ascribe to that no one ever talks about and frankly has some really problematic stuff in it). January 24th: How Lutherans Read the Bible & Understand Preaching January 31st: How Lutherans Understand Communion February 7th: How Lutherans Understand the Liturgical Seasons (and especially Lent) Each session will take place either in the Kitchen or the Fellowship Hall (depending on the size of the class) and coffee will be provided. The sessions are designed as standalone conversations, so even if you miss a couple Sundays, you won’t be behind! In order to gage interest ahead of time, please sign-up on the bulletin board in the narthex.

JANUARY MESSENGER | 2016 3

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

So I know, I know, it’s super church nerdy of me… but I’m currently in the early stages of what (I think at least) is an incredibly interesting project. I’m reading some of the most ancient writings of church leaders, from roughly 100 CE – 350 CE, or in other words predominately before Christianity became widespread throughout the Roman Empire. I’ve embarked on this project in order to discern what our sisters and brothers in the faith were thinking and how they were able to spread the good news of Jesus Christ in an often hostile context.

You see, while a majority of Americans still identify themselves as Christian (70.6% according to the most recent Pew study), that number is steadily dropping, and I honestly believe with good reason… For quite a while in our society, Christianity has all too often been identified with antiquated and sometimes even hateful ideas of what’s sinful and what’s not, instead of the good news that God is constantly breaking into everyone’s life with liberating love. Christians have all too often been seen as a close-minded and judgmental group rather than a people practicing radical hospitality. So, by attempting to go back to some of the most ancient of Christian writings, I hope to recover some of the original convictions of our faith that originally made it so appealing.

I arrived in Madison, Wisconsin late last night after a roughly 15 hour drive for a bit of vacation, but before heading to bed I discovered the quote above while reading a 4th century bishop named Athanasius of Alexandria. I found it so powerful because Athanasius was exiled five times by four different Roman emperors for his belief that Jesus was both fully God and fully human… that God had completely chosen to show up in the real life stuff of the human experience. And in reading the quote above, I realized one of the main reasons why were having so much success at Messiah… it’s because we proclaim that very sort of God in everything we do!!! A God that fully shows up in every aspect of our lives in the person of Jesus Christ… a God that shows up in all the hard, difficult stuff and all the silly stuff too… not just at church. As we prepare to rock another new year together, I invite to you ponder how God in Christ is showing in your life, oftentimes in the most unexpected ways as well.

May God’s peace be with you,

Pastor Dustin

JANUARY MESSENGER | 2016 4

Readings for January

Prayer List

If you have a friend or loved one you would like to add to our prayer list, please

complete a “prayer request card” which can be found on the Ushers’ Table in the back

of the Sanctuary.

PLEASE PRAY for Members: Dave Ellis, Lore Ellis, Carol Jurewicz, Marion Lewis, Bob

Reisinger, Susie Schaffer, Tom Town, Theo Wegner. Friends and family: Kiki Axer, Donna

Biler, Tom Chilton, Terri Dufeck, Kathy Faina, Jocelyn Fairlee, Emily Fonda, Makayla

Gainswith, Anna Gifford, Barb Hamlin, Maryann Jacobs, Kathleen LaPointe, Pamela

Laws, Victoria Lindman, Randy Marks, Joan Maybee, Syliva MacFarlane, Joe Ritzo, Alicia

Rizzo, John Roberge, Hazel Rodriguez, Chris Sabatini, Nzinga Smith,

Kay Snodgrass. Loved ones serving our country and others:

Jason Maione, Ken Ryan, Tim Zakriski.

January 3rd Jeremiah 31:7-14 Psalm 147:12-20 Ephesians 1:3-14 John1:[1-9]10-18 January 10th Isaiah 43:1-7 Psalm 29 Acts 8:14-17 Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

January 17th Isaiah 62:1-5 Psalm 36:5-10 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 John 2:1-11 January 24th Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 Psalm 19 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a Luke 4:14-21

January 31st Jeremiah 1:4-10 Psalm 71:1-6 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 Luke 4:31-30

Lesser Festivals and Commemorations 1/1 Name of Jesus 1/2 Johann Konrad Wilhelm Loehe renewer of the church, 1872 1/6 Epiphany and Vespers 1/15 Martin Luther King Jr., renewer of society, martyr, 1968 1/17 Antony of Egypt, renewer of the church, c. 356 1/18 Confession of Peter Week of Prayer of Christian Unity Begins 1/19 Henry, Bishop of Uppsala, martyr, 1156 1/21 Anges, martyr c.304 1/25 Conversion of Paul Week of Paul, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity ends 1/26 Timothy, Titus, and Silas, missionaries 1/27 Lydia, Dorcas, and Phoebe, witnesses to the faith 1/28 Thomas Aquinas, teacher, 1274

JANUARY MESSENGER | 2016 5

Youth Group Ice Skating Trip All middle school age youth and above are invited to enjoy some lunch after worship and then head out for an afternoon of ice-skating at Empire Plaza in Albany on Sunday, January 10th from 12:00 – 2pm. Cost of skate rentals is $4.00 and please signup on the bulletin board in the narthex.

Annual Congregational Meeting: January 31st, 2016

Mark your calendars for January 31st which is the day we will gather immediately following worship for our Annual Congregation Meeting and then head to the Fellowship Hall for a light lunch. In addition to adopting our budget, we’ll also approve a new capital improvement plan for the year, elect three new members to Congregation Council and appoint delegates to both the Upstate New York Synod Assembly and to Schenectady Inner City Ministry. We plan on emailing out the Annual Report by January 13th and hardcopies need to be available by January 17th, so if you’re a committee chair, be on the lookout for instructions about filling out your committee’s report. A limited number of hardcopies will also be available the day of the meeting and nursery care will also be provided.

Epiphany Vespers Wednesday, January 6th at 7:00pm Join members of our Outreach Committee for an evening vespers service celebrating Epiphany, a feast day commemorating the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus, and thus Christ's first physical manifestation to all of humanity. Following vespers, we'll engage in conversation about how to share the gospel with all in our local community.

MINISTER OF THE MONTH

In order to help our rapidly growing congregation better get to know each other AND to recognize the important ministries so many folks engage in here at Messiah, we’re starting a new article in The Messenger called “Minister of the Month.” Do YOU have an idea for someone to nominate for “Minister of the Month?” Simply let someone on the Congregational Council know and we’ll be sure to discuss it at our next meeting.

Our first ever minister of the month is Penny Incitti, who officially joined our Spirit filled church with her husband Ernie in the fall of 2014. Both her and Ernie and have been incredible blessings to Messiah. Penny currently services as Financial Secretary, Congregational Council Secretary and as “Lead Parsonage Décor Consultant” since Pastor Dustin doesn’t really have good taste and Willy Bear rarely has opinions about such matters. She’s also helped make improvements to the Parish Administrator’s office by painting and building additional mailboxes for our many volunteers. Ernie has contributed to our congregation in many ways as well, including serving on the Stewardship Committee and as the male member of our SafeChurch Response Team.

Her and Ernie and have three children, Brian, Lauren and Matt. After staying home for years to raise their children, Penny went back to teaching and eventually retired from Schenectady City School District after teaching 5th grade for fifteen years! She enjoys wood working projects and being outdoors. Penny has traveled to Africa on a Habitat for Humanity trip to build houses and looks forward to another trip like this in the near future!

Why in the World!?! | Flower & Bulletin Dedications

In order to help new and old members alike to get to know the many idiosyncrasies of our Spirit filled church, we’ve started a new regular article in The Messenger called “Why in the World!?!” Every month we’ll explain about how something works or why something is the way it is in our congregation, so if there’s any questions you’ve had that you’d like to be answered, simply speak with Pastor Dustin… others folks probably have the same questions!

Ever wonder how we get our beautiful altar flowers each and every Sunday? Most weeks a member of our congregation will purchase flowers in memory or in honor of a loved one. Simply sign-up on our Flower Chart in the narthex for a specific week and make sure a dedication slip gets into Rachel’s mailbox in the Parish Administrator’s office. The cost for regular altar flowers is $10.00, which should be given to Bill Becker in cash. After service you can either take the flowers home or we can bring them to one of our homebound members.For Christmas Eve & Easter Sunday there are also special flower dedications you can sign up for using inserts that tend to show up in our weekly bulletins a few weeks ahead of time. Want to recognize a loved one but your specific Sunday is already taken? You can also dedicate our Sunday bulletin! There’s another set of slips on the same pillar in the narthex as the flower chart. Just fill it out, attach $6 (cash or check) and put it in Rachel’s mailbox in the Parish Administrator’s office!

JANUARY MESSENGER | 2016 6

Our Presiding Bishop’s Monthly Letter

In order to help connect our members to the wider work of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, we’ll begin including Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton’s monthly column for “The Lutheran” in the Messenger. If you’re interesting in receiving your own subscription of “The Lutheran” each month either digitally or in hard copy, please speak with Pastor Dustin.

Putting the Pieces Together 2016 dedicated to setting directions, priorities across all the church

by Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton

It has been just more than two years since I began this call. I’m often asked what has been the greatest surprise. Certainly the amount of travel has been a surprise, but the greatest has been the complexity and scope of the ELCA. As bishop of the Northeastern Ohio Synod, I had a pretty good grasp of the ministries in its 20 counties, but now my territory includes all of the counties in all of the states and the Caribbean, along with international partnerships.

This church does a lot. All over the world. All of the time. At your churchwide office, spreadsheets track the progress of the six goals we set for ourselves in the 2013-2016 operational plan. This just tracks the work of churchwide staff, not that of congregations, synods, social ministry organizations, colleges and universities, seminaries, conciliar relationships, camps, campus ministries, separately incorporated ministries, federal chaplaincies and missionary personnel.

At its November 2015 meeting, the ELCA Church Council received the report of the Theological Education Advisory Council. One of the striking revelations in this report was the number of ways we deliver theological education in the ELCA. We do this through seminaries, of course, but also through colleges and universities, lay schools, certificate programs, synodical schools and congregational schools. This can be seen as a rich flourishing of creative and diverse delivery of theological education, or it can be seen as a symptom of a disconnected approach. With the best intentions, groups within the church see a need and develop a solution for a particular issue without considering what else might be in place or even how the solution fits in with the mission of the whole. We have one synod that has two lay academies and neither one knew the other existed.

The ELCA constitution states: “The congregations, synods and churchwide organization of this church are interdependent partners sharing responsibility in God’s mission.” This is constitutional language for “We are church together.” Some days we are, but many days and in many ways we aren’t. I’m not singling out theological education as an egregious example, but as one instance among many where we aren’t really connected with each other. This exposes the cultural sense that the church is a voluntary association like the Rotary or the Girl Scouts, where one can come and go as one chooses, and not a new creation joined to Christ in baptism.

As Peter wrote to the churches in Asia Minor: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10). God created the church. God has put us together through baptism as the body of Christ. You just don’t opt in or out of that. Looking through the lens of Martin Luther’s explanation of the eighth commandment, I believe that good and faithful members, congregations, synods and the churchwide organization have tried to carry out God’s mission. The issue, I think, is that the mission has become at once universal and very particular. We are doing everything and we are doing it in pixels — pixels that don’t come together to make a complete picture.

Throughout 2016 we — all of us — are going to take a look at the future directions and priorities of this church. We will build on the work already done on this issue. We will engage all the expressions of this church, it will be part of the work of the 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, and it will clarify and sharpen our mission. Apart from God our work is in vain. This process must depend on the Spirit’s guidance. This isn’t merely a technical problem to be solved, but a time for this church to engage intentionally and consistently in a process of communal spiritual discernment. We aren’t just inviting God into this process at the beginning and thanking God at the end. Instead we, as a church, will open ourselves up to the invitation of God to be part of God’s reconciling work through Christ in the world. Join me.

Your participation in these ministries is appreciated. If you cannot serve as scheduled, please arrange to switch with someone.

Worship Assignments for January 3 – February 28

January 3 January 10 January 17 January 24

January 31 February 7 February 14 February 21 February 28

Assisting Minister

Anthony Miller Pamella Ford Linda Klein Kristen

Olochnowicz Betsy Ryan Anthony Miller Susie Schaffer Pamella Ford Linda Klein

Crucifer Kiersten Becker Kendra Lavenia Devin Hodoroski Hanna Avery Mark Lavenia Olivia Tedford Kiersten Becker Kendra Lavenia Devin Hodoroski

Acolyte Hannah Borski Gabby Nadeau Hannah

Crowther Kyle Avery Hannah Borski

Hannah Crowther

Kyle Avery Hannah Borski Hannah

Crowther

Lector Rich Becker Kody Schaffer Rich Stigberg Brian Karrel Beth Waugh Margaret Glennie

Amaya DiGiovanni

Rich Becker Kody Schaffer

Ushers Paul Bode

John Crowther Phil Davis

Susie Schaffer Pamella Ford

Marilyn Barnett Bill Becker

John Diegel Susie Schaffer Beth Waugh

Paul Bode John Crowther

Kendall Fleming Danielle Sefcovic

Bill Becker John Diegel

Phil Davis Susie Schaffer

Greeters Allison Bode

Nancy Stellrecht Cheryl Borski

Hannah Borski

Beth Waugh Laura

Underkoffler

Betty Friebel Barb Sandmeyer

Cheryl Borski Tammi Crowther

Allison Bode Nancy

Stellrecht

Marilyn Barnett Laura

Underkoffler

Tammi Crowther

Cheryl Borski

Betty Friebel Barb Sandmeyer

Altar Guild Beth Waugh Betsy Ryan

Dotty Diegel Tina Bascom

Pamella Ford Denise Larrabee

Joyce Gresham Barb Sandmeyer

Betty Friebel

Betsy Ryan Beth Waugh

Jill Becker Grace

Olochnowicz

Dotty Diegel Tina Bascom

Pamella Ford Denise

Larrabee

Joyce Gresham Barb Sandmeyer

Betty Friebel

Bread Baker Dotty Diegel Jean Jones Linda Klein Baker Needed Baker Needed Baker Needed Baker Needed Baker Needed Baker Needed

Nursery Vanessa Ford-

Roether Diane Fisher

Molly Karrel Amber Hodoroski

Melissa and Amaya

DiGiovanni

Erica Lavenia Kendra Lavenia

Vanessa Ford-Roether

Diane Fisher

Hannah Borski Hanna Avery

Molly Karrel Amber Hodoroski

Melissa and Amaya

DiGiovanni

Vanessa Ford-Roether

Diane Fisher

December 27 – February 6

10:15am - Eucharist

10:15am - Eucharist

10:15am - Eucharist

10:15am - Eucharist

10:15am - Eucharist

Pastor Rev. Dustin Wright Office Hours Mon-Thurs 10a-1p Parish Administrator Rachel Davis Office Hours Mon/Wed – 9a-2p Council President Charles Zitzmann

Messiah Lutheran Church 2850 Guilderland Avenue Schenectady, NY 12306

MESSIAH LUTHERAN CHURCH Our Mission-

To be a spirit filled church following Jesus Christ. We will welcome all people into our fellowship

so that we may all worship, praise, sing together and learn from one another. With Jesus as our example we will spread

the Word of God.

Please join us for Sunday Worship at 10:15am.