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The MessengerA monthly publication from our Spirit filled church.VOLUME 90, ISSUE 1 JANUARY 2017Messiah Lutheran Church2850 Guilderland AvenueSchenectady, New York ebook.com/MessiahLCThe Month AheadSummer Camp Sunday: AFamily ForumSunday, January 8thimmediately following worshipWow, our kids have developedgreat friendships here in ourSpirit filled community on Sunday mornings, but a week atLutheran summer camp canprovide our young people withfun, faith-filled memories thatwill last life time! Carolyn Fales,a young adult who PastorDustin trained to be a campcounselor way back in 2010,will be on hand after worship totalk about the value of a Lutheran summer camp experience at Camp Calumet onLake Ossipee, New Hampshire.We are a Spirit filled church following Jesus Christ.Pastor Dustin worked at Calumet for TEN SUMMERS, and it’sone of coolest places in theworld! All parents of kids ageeight and up are highly encouraged to attend in order tofind out more about this incredible opportunity!Young Adult CommunityDinnerSunday, January 8th at 4:30pmOur next dinner will be onJanuary 8th at 4:30pm. Weplan on talking a little moreabout Bethesda House, brainstorming some ideas on whatwe can do to help the homeless population of Schenectady, and talk about whyhomelessness happens in thefirst place. Please join us; bringa side dish and even a friend ortwo! Remember that Messiah’sCoffeehouse Worship will beginat 6pm and all are welcome toattend after the dinner.Coffee House Worship:Recharge for the Week Ahead!Sunday, January 8th at 6:00pmAn innovative worship experience that uses the mostancient of Christian traditionsto help us better understandcontemporary life. The Stockade's own Douglas J. Chiltonwill treat us to some incrediblemusic upstairs in the FellowshipHall and communion will beserved more as an actualmeal, similar to how the firstChristians celebrated the Eucharist! Each monthly CoffeeHouse worship is centeredaround a specific faith quest-
January 2017Page 2ion, with this month's being,"What's the deal with baptismanyway?"America's white working class.Please join us even if you havenot joined us before.Congregation Council MeetingTuesday, January 10th at7:00pmIn order to increase transparency, we wanted to startputting a brief note in TheMessenger about what ourcouncil (essentially Messiah’sBoard of Directors) is planningto discuss each month. Mainitems on this month’s agendainclude reviewing two draftdocuments, the 2017 Congregational Budget and anamended Constitution, Bylawsand Continuing Resolutions,both of which we’ll have achance to discuss and vote onduring the Annual Meeting ofthe Congregation on February5th. Other items of interestinclude a report of ourNominating Committee regarding possible new councilmembers, improving our financial reporting methods anddeveloping a long-term theoryof change for our congregation. If you have somethingyou’d like to bring up at ourmonthly council meetings,please speak with PresidentCharlie Zitzmann or PastorDustin.Schenectady County MLKCelebrationSunday, January 15th at2:30pmProctors GE TheatreJoin Pastor Dustin at theSchenectady County HumanRights Commission’s 30th Annual Celebration of the life andministry of the Rev. Dr. MartinLuther King, Jr. Our keynotespeaker will be Dr. Steve Perry,a nationally syndicated authorand educator. Musical performers will include the ourMLK, Jr. and other local schoolgroups.Adult Education BookDiscussion – Hillbilly Elegy byJ.D. VanceTuesday, January 10th andJanuary 24thDiscussions will resume onJanuary 10th at 11am andJanuary 24th at 11 am and7pm. The book we will discuss isHillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance, alook into the struggles ofFaith Formation CommitteeMeetingMonday, January 16th at7:00pmMark your calendars! Our nextFaith Formation CommitteeMeeting is on January 16th at7pm. Anybody that is interested in participating inplanning for future education,book discussions, Lenten gatherings, and special faithformation events is encouraged to attend. We lookforward to seeing you there!Annual Report Articles DueSunday, January 22ndPlease be aware of thisdeadline; all annual reportarticles must be in by Sunday,January 22nd so that theAnnual Report can be mailedout by January 29th. The Annual Report must be mailed outa week prior to our AnnualCongregational Meeting onFebruary 5th. Thank you!Bishop John Macholz atWorship, 90th AnniversaryLuncheon, & Directory ReleaseSunday, January 22nd at10:15amThe bishop is coming! Thebishop is coming! For the firsttime in over a decade, ourUpstate New York Synod Bishopwillbepreachingandpresiding at worship for thekickoff of our 90th Anniversaryyear! Rev. Richard Reiger, abelovedlongtimeformerpastor of Messiah will be joiningus as well. Following worship,we'll have a light potluckluncheon where we'll officiallyrelease our 90th AnniversaryDirectory and hear remarksfrom Bishop Macholz andPastor Reiger about ourchanging context for ministryfrom both the congregationaland synodical perspectives.Please sign up to bring a dishon the narthex bulletin boardand if you have any questionspleasespeak withSusieSchaffer.The Generosity ProjectSaturday, January 28th at9:30amMessiah is hosting a program ofthe Upstate New York Synodcalled “The Generosity Project,” a lively, fun Saturdaymorning interactive experience for all ages! Participantswill explore attitudes and behaviors around money; earning, saving, spending andsharing. Drawing on ourLutheran roots, this eventequips participants to sharehow generosity is an importantpart of who we are as baptizedchildren of God and followers
January 2017of Jesus. Join Lutherans fromacross our conference by signing up on the bulletin board inthe narthex ASAP. If you haveany questions, please speakwith Pastor Dustin.Youth Group trip to FlightTrampoline ParkSunday, January 29thJoin us for a fun dayof bouncing and flipping. Allmiddle and high school youth(and their friends) are invited. We will be joining for pizzaafter Church service and thenhead over to Flight TrampolinePark for 1 1/2 hours of jumping. Jumpers 10, non-jumpersfree. Sign-up sheet in thenarthex. All jumpers must fill outwaiver prior to arrival.(www.flighttrampolinepark.com)Any questions contact StaceyHodoroski 986-5998Hockey at UnionSaturday, February 4thSaturday February 4 is Messiahnight at Union College. Joinyour Messiah friends and familyand cheer on the nationallyrankedDutchmenmen'shockey team as they playColgate University at Union'sMessa Rink. Tickets are just 6.00. Please sign up on thebulletin board in the Narthex.We currently have 30 tickets,but may have access to moreif we need them. The deadlinefor signup is January 8.Please check with Rich Beckerat (518-461-0034or richbecker2340@gmail.com)with questions.Page 3Souper Bowl of CaringSunday, February 5th at10:15amSuper Bowl 51 is rapidlyapproaching and our confirmation students are onceagain gearing up to supportSICM’s annual “Souper” BowlFund Drive! One hundredpercent of monies raised fromthis drive will be used to helpthe SICM Emergency FoodPantry. Confirmation studentswill be collecting funds in souppots in the back of thesanctuary before worship andduring our Annual Meeting ofthe Congregation so be sure tocontribute to worthy cause!Annual Meeting of theCongregationSunday, February 5th at11:30amOn February 5th we will gatherimmediately following worshipfor our Annual Meeting of theCongregation and then headto the Fellowship Hall for a lightlunch. In addition to adoptingbudget for 2017, we’ll alsoamend our Constitution, Bylawsand Continuing Resolutions,elect new members to theCongregation Council andNominating Committee as wellas appoint delegates to theUpstate New York SynodAssembly, the Hudson-MohawkSynodAssemblyandtoSchenectady Inner City Ministry. If you’re interested in beingnominated for one of theseroles, please speak with PastorDustin. We plan on emailingout the Annual Report byThursday, January 26th and afew hardcopies will be available at worship on January28th. You should have alreadyreceived a copy of our proposed Constitution, Bylaws andContinuing Resolutions for review. Nursery care will beprovided during the meeting.Outreach Committee MeetingMonday, February 6th at7:00pmOn February 6th we will haveour next bimonthly OutreachCommittee Meeting. At our lastmeeting we’ve done sometalking about possible futureWinter outreach events, how tobetter serve our new and
January 2017Page 4disconnected members, Facebook advertising, a possiblenew small Facebook videoseries, and Bring a Friend toChurch Day. Please join us,even if you haven’t attendedany previous meetings!Social Action CommitteeMeetingTuesday, February 7th at7:00pmPlease join us on Tuesday,February 7th at 7pm for our nextSocialActionCommitteeMeeting. If you would like moreinformation on what is plannedand would like to attend,please get into contact withJudy Becker.Stewardship CommitteeMeetingWednesday, February 8th at6:00pmPlease join us on Wednesday,February 8th at 6:00pm for ournext Stewardship CommitteeMeeting. For more information,please speak with Penny Incittior Beth Waugh.2017 Youth & Young AdultLeadership Conference at theUnited NationsMonday, February 20th Wednesday, February 22ndThe New York State Council ofChurches (of which PastorDustin was recently electedPresident) is sponsoring aleadership forum for highschool youth at the UnitedNations.Theseminarisdesigned to equip youth to beadvocates for change andhelp them learn about howfaith inspires young people topursue justice globally andlocally. We've seen greatsuccess in supporting ouryoung adults in various forms ofleadership development thusfar at Messiah, so now it’s timeto support our high schoolyouth in becoming a newgeneration of leaders as well!The cost of the entire event is 400 per participant, whichcovers lodging, travel bychartered bus, two lunchesand one breakfast. Youth canchoose to join the group for aBroadway show and dinner inTimes Square on Tuesday nightas well, which will be anadditional charge. By startingnow however, we can supportour young people through avariety of fundraising efforts atMessiah and elsewhere. Ifyou're interested, please speakwith Pastor Dustin or sign up onthe bulletin board in thenarthex by December 18th.Save the Date: FreedomSummerOn February 21, 2017 at 7:00pm, we will be viewing a movietitled "Freedom Summer" produced by Cyndee Readdean,SICM President Shirley Readdean’s daughter. This filmpremiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. "FreedomSummer" expertly combinesarchival footage and photoswith contemporary interviewsto recall the pivotal 10-weekperiod in 1964 when hundredsof activists, black and whiteworked together to registerAfrican-American voters inviolently segregationist Mississippi. This film is a well-shapedand powerful reminder of atime in recent American historywhen shite supremacy wasdecisively and courageouslyundercut (per Variety Magazine).Community Office HoursTuesdays, 12:00pm - 2:00pm atAnnabelle’s CaféJoin Pastor Dustin at the localfavorite eatery of Messiahmembers, Annabelle’s Café at2621 Guilderland Avenue righthere in Rotterdam. He’ll beavailable most Tuesdays from12:00pm - 2:00pm, meetingwith members of the congergation and our local neighborsalike. Have a faith question?Looking for a new church?Need help planning an eventor new ministry? Be sure to stopby!
January 2017News You Can UseWorship & MusicAre there any old hymns thatyou would love to hearbetween Epiphany and April?Please get in contact with JillBecker, Rianne Johnson, orPastor Dustin. We would love tosing some older hymns to kickoffouryear-long90thanniversary celebration butneed your help!Social ActionDecember brought more blessings to the food pantry. Wereceived a food donation fromAAA and 3 cases of soup fromAmedore Homes. We are verythankful as the donationshelped increase our inventoryimmensely.We served 9 families this month(15 adults and 7 children.) Weare looking for volunteers forJanuary, February, and Marchto help in the pantry on the 2ndand 3rd Mondays of themonth. There will be a sign-upsheet on the bulletin board.Also posted will be thefollowing list of items that thepantry uses most frequently:Canned fruitTomato sauce – small, mediumand large cansCanned mushroomsOilKetchupCoffee – regular and decafCoffee creamerNoodlesPlain RiceHamburger HelpersStewSloppy JoesPancake Mix – CompletePancake SyrupDish SoapPage 5Again, thank you all so muchfor your support.Confirmation Class NewsOur confirmation students willbegin their study of Lutherantheology this month. They’realso finalizing learning covenants and will participate in ournew monthly CoffeehouseWorship Service as well. If youknow a 7th, 8th or 9th gradeyouth who might benefit fromthis powerful faith formationexperience, please speak withPastor Dustin. We’d love tohave some new folks join us!Youth Group NewsIt might seem a long way offbut we’re beginning to getorganized for the 2018 ELCAYouth Gathering, taking placefrom June 27th to July 1st, 2018.If your youth will be enteringhigh school by the summer of2018, make sure they attendthisincredibleformativeexperience with over 30,000ELCA youth across the country.We’ll be joining with youth fromother local ELCA congergations as well, so stay tunedfor more details. If you haveany questions, please speakwith Pastor Dustin.Historian/90th AnniversaryThe 90th Anniversary DirectoryTaskforce is now buckling downin final preparation for theJanuary 22nd release of ourpictorial directory. The picturesall look great; thank you somuch Rich Becker for donatingyour time to take these. If youhaven’t received an email withyour family’s pictures andwould like to have them,please reach out to Rianne atoffice@messiahschenectady.organd she will gladly email themto you. If you do not haveemail,don’thesitatetocontact her at work (Mondays& Wednesdays 10am-4pm) orfind her after a Sunday service.We have gone through manyhistorical pictures and havepicked out some highlightsfrom the 1940s to present. Aposter board will be created toshowcase pictures we thinkyou all will appreciate. Also,please look on the bulletinboard in the narthex for asignup sheet for our 90thAnniversary Kickoff/Visit fromthe Bishop potluck that will beheld after our January 22ndservice!Rich Hallett MemorialAccessibility Fund AnnouncedFollowing the suggestion frommultiple members of thecongregation, last month ourCongregation Council votedto create a new AccessibilityFund in memory of Rich Hallett.It is our hope that moniescollected will eventually payfor a new wheel chair lift orelevator for our building as wellas a handicap accessiblebathroom. To contribute to thisfund, simply place a check inthe offering plate with “HallettFund” in the memo line. If youhave any questions, please seeFinancialSecretaryPennyIncitti.
January 2017Grapevine NewsBeth Waugh’s GrandsonBrandon & his wife Amandajust had twin boys at 3:00 a.m.on December 26th. Theirnames are Hunter, weighing 6lbs. 15 oz. & Cooper, weighing5 lbs. 11 oz. They have a 3 yr.old sister, Mira.Mabel Thiessen, daughter ofRachel Davis and AdamThiessen, will be having herbaptism on January 15thduring our service. A receptionwill be held upstairsafterwards. Congratulations,Mabel & Family!Hanna Avery just recentlycelebrated her sweet 16 and isnow the holder of a learner’spermit!Look out, Messiah, JohnCrowther just got his license!He is more than welcome todrive our lawn mower and dothe lawn after the snow melts!Congratulations!Congratulations to KierstenBecker, who was named AllSuburban Council secondteam goalie in just her first yearon the Guilderland varsitysoccer team!Mrs. Kreischer would like tosend out a thank you to allwho have sent her beautifulcards; your words of comfortand your prayers are verymuch appreciated.Page 6Thank You from Pastor DustinI want to sincerely thankeveryone for contributing tothe generous Christmas gift Ireceived this year. I plan onusing those funds to outfit mefor further winter adventures inthe Adirondack High Peaks crampons and an ice-axe aretop priorities! Thank you again!
January 2017Page 7DECEMBER MINISTER OF THE MONTH: Pete JonesCongratulations to our January 2017 Minister of the Month,Pete Jones! Growing up in Gloversville, NY; going to college inPlattsburgh, NY, Pete Jones moved to Schenectady in Januaryof 1973. Over the next 40 years, Pete worked in the HealthcareIndustry; the first 35 years at the former St. Clare’s Hospital,followed by two years and Ellis Medicine, a brief job as aconsultant and winding up at Schenectady Community ActionProgram in February of 2011. At SCAP, Pete is involved in agrant that trains low-income citizens in Healthcare Professions.Outside of work, Pete serves on several non-profit Boardsincluding Concerned for the Hungry, a project he has been involved in for 37 years. He alsocoordinates the Schenectady and Saratoga Job Fairs. He has been married to his wife, Jean foralmost 45 years and together they raised 5 children. They now take great pride in theirgrandchildren – ages 6 months to 17 years and look forward to their 7th, due later this month. Petehas been involved in Messiah for 2 years. He has helped with the Community Family Fun Day andcurrently serves as Co-Treasurer of the church.PARISH ADMINISTRATOR’S LETTER: Rianne JohnsonI really didn’t want to do a writing on New Year’s Resolutionssince that is super cheesy, but I would really like to talk about theprogress I’ve made with my learning covenant and how I’d like togo about furthering my progress this year.I’m continuing to make great progress! For my first goal, discernwhat God is calling me to do with my life; I’ve indeed found whatI would like to do with my life. I’m working harder than ever tostudy for my nursing school entrance exam which will help me goin the right direction. I’d like to do more journaling and biblereading and will improve that this year. My social skills aresignificantly better than they were when I first became ParishAdministrator; I did a reading on January 1st and had a lot lessanxiety than I typically do. I am currently planning on doing a temple talk at some point in thefuture. Another goal I had was to gain further knowledge about Messiah, the ELCA, Lutheranism,and church liturgy. I have many plans on how to learn even more; Pastor Dustin has loaned me anice stack of books to read to help me out with that. The two big goals that I am going to primarilyfocus on this year are learning how to effectively organize a community and plan communityevents and discover ways to make Messiah more appealing to young adults. In order to chip awayat those two goals some more, I will be doing some learning about transformational ministry andhow it may help out the young adult group. I will also begin to plan our first group volunteerproject. Needless to say, January will be a very busy month for me! (I’m so glad I have a vacationcoming up in 35 days – I’m really going to need it before Lent!)
January 2017Page 8PASTOR’S LETTER: REV. DUSTIN G. WRIGHTJesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father hassent me, so I send you.’- Saint John 20:21Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,We all sometimes need a reminder once in a while, but generallyspeaking, we have a pretty good idea what God’s mission is hereon Earth. Just like the verse above, God is constantly at work inour lives and the life of our community to proclaim peace, toproclaim hope, to proclaim, to proclaim liberating love. Not onlydo we have a good idea about God’s mission, but here atMessiah at least, we consistently and boldly state our congregation’s purpose as part of God’smission, “to be a Spirit filled church following Jesus Christ.”By golly, based on the fantastic work of our Stewardship Committee, we even have goals for theyear ahead in life together at Messiah:1. Increasing congregational leadership capacity and leadership development programming.2. Diversifying our me
The Messenger A monthly publication from our Spirit filled church. office@messiahschenecta
