Missions

Radio Ministry

Stephen Ministry

Freedom In Christ Ministry

Evangelism Outreach

Lutherans For Life

Blind Ministry

Stewardship Moment

Other Missions


Radio Ministry

 

LUTHERAN HOUR:   Listen to “The Lutheran Hour” every Sunday on radio station 1100/KNZZ at 9am.

MESSIAH’S RADIO MINISTRY by Pastor Gary can be heard every Sunday morning at 8:00am on 1100/KNZZ.

For more information about Lutheran Hour Ministries, visit their website at:

 www.lhm.org

 

STEPHEN MINISTERS: 

The After People

Frequently friends will ask, "I know you're involved in Stephen Ministry.  Can you tell me exactly what a Stephen Minister is?"  I like to explain that Stephen Ministers are "After People."

Stephen Ministers are there:

.....after you've washed and returned the last casserole dish.

.....after the divorce papers have been served and the bottom falls out of your life.

.....after the last child honks the horn, waves, and drives away---and the house suddenly seems incredibly empty.

.....after you arrive home following the funeral service and the emotions you've held at bay com crashing in on you.

.....after the relationship has ended but the wounds are still bleeding and painful.

.....after the doctors have said, "There's nothing more we can do."

.....after the door has slammed shut----for the very last time.

.....after the phone call you'd always hoped you'd never get.

.....after you realize the hands on the gold watch you received at your retirement party move more slowly than you ever imagined.

.....after the nursing home director shakes your hand and says, "Welcome to your new home.

.....after the gavel goes down, the handcuffs go on, and your loved one is led away.

.....after the baby has arrived, putting more demands on you than you ever dreamed possible.

.....after you find the pink slip inserted with what is now your final paycheck.

.....after you family and friends have heard your story one too many times, but you still need to talk it out.

Stephen Ministers are the "After People."  We are ready to come alongside you---or your friends, neighbors, coworkers, or relatives---and provide comfort and support for as long "after" as we are needed.  This article was adapted from a presentation made during a worship service by Ernie Bourland, a lay Stephen Leader at Houston's First Baptist Church in Houston, Texas.

If you are in need of a Stephen Minister, the "After People", please contact our church office, 970-245-2838.

   

   FREEDOM IN CHRIST MINISTRY

STATEMENTS OF TRUTH:  "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Gal. 5:22,23). Notice it said fruit not fruits of the Spirit. Fruit comes from something that is living. It is the result of abiding in Christ and the ultimate expression is love, which is the character of God. "We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" ( 1 John 4:16) VOTD pg 106, Neil T. Anderson 

 

FREEDOM IN CHRIST

As a pastor, so often I felt the gap between discipleship ministries in the church and the counseling needs of the body. We subtly send the message that spiritual disciplines and emotional problems are unrelated and that the Bible and prayer are great tools for equipping saints in witnessing, but emotional or relational difficulties are contracted out to the local psychologist. Consequently, we have people filled with Bible knowledge but no resolution to the problems and sins that beset them. In pride and fear we cover the insecurity lodged in our hearts.

The genius of Freedom in Christ is to bring the care of whole persons back into the church - body, soul and spirit - and apply the great New Testament truths of our identity in Christ to the issues that plague us. Freedom in Christ Ministry dares to suggest that the spiritual world impacts all we do, and it equips us to deal with these challenges and gives us the hope of seeing problems actually solved.

This is not "new" truth. This is ancient, New Testament truth that the modern church has neglected to her own hurt. What pleasure it must bring the Savior to see His people rediscovering their identity and authority as His beloved children.

....Sandy Mason, Pastor of Desert View Bible Church, Phoenix, AZ

If you can identify with what Pastor Sandy shared in the above paragraphs and believe there are issues in your life that need to be resolved so you can experience the abundant life in Christ that we all desire, please contact Pastor Gary (245-2838) or Kay Coulson (245-2963) for more information about Freedom in Christ.

 

Evangelism Outreach

"Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you!  As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."  John 20:21

The central idea in mission/evangelism is that of sending someone on a task.  God is a "sending" God, for he sent Abraham, Joseph, Moses and the prophets to fulfill a particular function and calling.  He sent his Son, the Father and the Son sent the Spirit, and the Son and the Spirit send out people.

Although his main mission was to atone for sin on the cross, Jesus was also sent to preach the Good News to the multitudes and to heal their diseases.  This twofold pattern applies to those whom Christ sends out today, for the church must preach the gospel and do good works of love and kindness in the world.  While some limit the church's mission to evangelism, her more comprehensive task is to be salt and light in the world, enriching lives and lighting the way for those who walk in darkness. 

    Holy Spirit, breathe in me the innocence of Christ to make me a child of God.  Keep me safe in the arms of my dear Father forever for the sake of Jesus.  Amen.

If you are interested in serving the Lord through Evangelism, please contact Pastor Gary, 245-2838.

 

Lutherans For Life (LFL)


Second Sunday every other month after late service (approx. 12:00 noon). We believe that God gives the gift of life to all people, at every age and in every condition. We also believe that the God who demands respect for life also offers compassion for the living. We want to speak, and be examples, to the church and society on these and related issues including chastity, post abortion healing and family life. As an organization and individuals, we strive to be witnesses for life issues from a Biblical perspective.  

SOME WEB SITES WORTH A VISIT

www.davethomasfoundationforadoption.org   Check out their survey regarding adoption facts.

www.pluggedinmag.com  Great place for parents and youth pastors to stay in touch with the latest on movies and music, as well as other pop culture -- staying in tune with our youth.

www.prolifeinfo.org  Interested in learning more about current pro-life subjects, consider visiting this site.

www.lutheransforlife.org  Don't forget to visit this site!

www.briomag.com  Focus on the Family's teen girls' magazine.

www.breakawaymag.com  Focus on the Family's teen boys' magazine

Our Lutherans For Life  here at Messiah needs you to take a stand against the flood of abortion, assisted suicide, and euthanasia.  The Church (you) is compelled by God’s Word to speak out and act on behalf of those who are vulnerable and defenseless.  To join, contact a member:  Carl Boydstun at 241-9479.  Be a sandbag against the flood!  Be a sandbag for God.

 

 

 

  

For more information and the current Lutherans For Life Newsletter, check out the Messiah Newsletter link.

 

   

Blind Ministry

 

LBM Opens Four More 'Outreach Centers'

Four more "outreach centers for the blind"- in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Daytona Beach, Fla. - opened in October, Detroit MI and Maplewood MO in January, bringing to 28 the number of centers opened Synod-wide since 1999.

The outreach centers, are designed to assist blind people by offering such things as computer training, lessons on reading braille, workshops on topics of interest and weekly Bible studies. They also typically offer a free dinner once a month for blind people and their families.

While the centers offer practical living assistance, they are much more than just "support groups," according to Rev. Dave Andrus, director of Lutheran Blind Mission. Their primary focus and goal, Andrus says, is to share the Gospel with blind people, since some 95 percent of the 10 million blind and visually impaired people in the United States are "unchurched."

The centers, he says, "will show and speak God's love in a way [blind people] need." They also are helping to "reconnect churches with people who are hurting in society."

During a visit to the outreach center in Toledo, Ohio, in November, Andrus met Odell, who came to learn braille. Odell, 51, has been blind all his life.

"How much Odell will learn, I don't know," Andrus said. "I do know that he felt as though a group of people cared about him and for him. He even came back the next day to the worship service."

Andrus, who is himself blind, says he is hoping that the number of LCMS outreach centers for the blind will double within the next year because of the need for reaching blind people, who are often "hidden" from society. There are blind and visually impaired people in virtually every community, he said, and "most of these people are not connected to church or to God."

If you would like to receive information about the services of Lutheran Blind Mission or ways to support the mission, please call (800) 433-3954 or e-mail us at blind.mission@lcms.org.

 

 

STEWARDSHIP THOUGHTS

Our gifts are God's property; we are the stewards of his property whether it be money, talent, or time, whether it be Christmas or any Sunday in the church calendar. So this season if it be a gift to your family or to your church, remember you can pray to Christ for guidance on the giving he's enabled you to do for his mission( John 15:5 ). For further information on or if you would like to be a part of the Stewardship Board contact the church office.

  OTHER MISSIONS   

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Roxanne Lewis, Vice President, Shirley Robinson, Treasurer, Cinda Hetherington Fraternal Communicator/Coordinator for Messiah Lutheran Church and School

OUR LOCAL LCEF (Lutheran Church Extension Fund) Representative is Allen Weber, 970.257.7625.  Feel free to contact him with any questions. 

LCMS World Mission News
 


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09/19/2007