Messiah Lutheran Church, Knoxville TN

Thursday, August 19, 2010 - 7:00–8:00 pm

Messiah’s young adults and their friends are invited to join the old guy (Pastor Eric) for a time of theological conversation on August 19, beginning at 7:00 pm, at a location to be announced.

Legend suggests that Martin Luther would occasionally gather with students at a local pub for this sort of theological table talk. Bring a friend and join us as we engage in our own modern day theological table talk about faith, life, church and society.

Beginning this August, I’d like you to join me in an exciting opportunity in spiritual formation and growth in discipleship. I am inviting you to join me as together we read the book Giving to God: The Bible’s Good News about Living a Generous Life by the Reverend Dr. Mark Allan Powell.

Dr. Powell, Professor of New Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, OH, has written a delightful little book, which debunks and then redefines our notion of stewardship. (Wait! Don’t stop reading just because I used the “S” word.) As Powell helps us to see, stewardship is not a bad word. In fact, as he says, biblical stewardship provides “a vision that turns out to be filled with good news for followers of Jesus Christ.” Did you hear that, stewardship is actually good news.

I’d like very much for all of us to read and discuss this biblical vision for stewardship. Thus, beginning in mid-August, Messiah will have copies of Dr. Powell’s book available for purchase, hopefully, at a cost of around $12/book. My hope is that you will read the book as part of a small group of fellow Messiah members with whom you can discuss Powell’s hypotheses. Your Messiah staff and council will be reading and discussing it. Hopefully, so too will our Via de Cristo reunion groups, Book Club, various committees, Theology Pub, and others. Won’t you join us by purchasing a book, reading along, and finding a group to join for discussion?

I have no doubt that if you do, you will find your efforts very rewarding. As theologian Dr. Douglas John Hall says of Giving to God,

“This is a wonderfully readable book on a subject that ought to have priority in the thinking of not only Christians but all human beings on our much threatened planet. Mark Powell’s prose is full of fascinating anecdotes and allusions, making it immediately accessible to the reader. But, it is also based on a biblically and theologically informed wisdom that speaks to the most pressing challenges of church and society in our time.”   

I look forward to reading along with you and hearing your impressions of Powell’s “biblically and theologically informed wisdom.”

The adult Sunday school class meets on the main level in the fellowship hall at 9:45 am each Sunday mornings.

Current study:  Christian Commitment in Today’s World  by Margaret Krych (from Augsburg Adult Bible Studies curriculum)

Study what genuine Christian commitment means in today’s world, and how God’s faithfulness provides the foundation for this commitment.

            July 25 God’s Own Faithfulness (2 Thess. 3)

            Aug. 1  Rising above the Circumstances (Phil. 1)

            Aug. 8  Summer Sunday Brunch

            Aug. 15            Living into the Future (Phil. 3:1b—4:1)

            Aug. 22            Growing in Joy and Peace (Phil. 4:2–14)

            Aug. 29            Upheld by God (Acts 28; Phil. 4:15–23)

2010-2011 WELCA Leaders

Co-Presidents-Lynn White & Denny Blalock; Treasurer-Cristall Mount; Secretary-Kay Shanahan; Faith & Life-Illy Wood, chair; Outreach & Fellowship-Barbara Wilson, chair; Witness & Service-Anne Tinker, chair.

Making Quilts
Wednesday, August 4, 2010

On August 4, 2010, at 5:30 pm, we invite you to join us in making quilts for Lutheran World Relief. We will cut, sew and tie the quilts, so lots of hands will be needed. If you have any questions, contact Anne Tinker.

WELCA Combined Bible Study
Thursday, August 4, 2010

During the summer we are combining the WELCA Morning and Evening Bible Studies. The next study will be Thursday, August 5, 2010. Please join us for a brown bag lunch at 12:30 pm. The study will begin at 1:00 pm. This study is taken from the July/August 2010 issue of Lutheran Woman Today magazine. We will study the final of the three-part series entitled “Pray Always” by the Rev. Gladys Moore. Session three is entitled “Power.” Lynn White will lead the study.

WELCA Covered Dish Dinner
Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010

On Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010, WELCA will sponsor a covered dish dinner in the fellowship hall at 6:00 pm. Our special guest speaker will be Susan Bauer who will talk about her book Choosing Africa. Susan was scheduled to be our guest speaker at the Grandmother/Mother/Daughter Banquet this past February but was unable to be with us because of snow.

Paul Kronau has graciously offered to be our grill cook and WELCA will supply hamburgers and buns. Please bring a covered dish to go with the hamburgers. A sign up sheet will be available.

We look forward to having Susan share with us. Everyone is invited. Pastor Lou Bauer will be here with Susan. Susan will have a few copies of her book with her if anyone wishes to purchase a copy.

Calling all knitters!

Messiah’s WELCA needs your help.  We would like to make gifts to be given to the bride whenever there’s a wedding at Messiah. Please let Angela Kronau (arkronau@knology.net) know if you’re willing to help. Yarn for the gifts will be provided.

Twenty-Third Annual WELCA Convention
September 10-12, 2010

The twenty-third annual convention of the Southeastern Synod Women of the ELCA will be held September 10-12, 2010, at the Hilton Marietta Conference Center, Marietta, Georgia. If you are interested in attending, please speak with Lynn White.

Soap for Lutheran World Relief

“Small Stewards making a BIG IMPACT” was the headline on a recent Lutheran World Relief flier. Groups from all over the world contribute much needed materials for those in need—those affected by decades of conflict and those who are affected by natural disasters. In 2009, 1,271 tons of quilts, health kits, school kits, layettes, and soap were distributed to approximately 750,000 people in 22 different countries. Last year, the people of Messiah contributed 71 pounds of goods for Lutheran World Relief.

During the month of August, WELCA will collect soap for Lutheran World Relief. We ask you to bring wrapped bars of soap and place in the box located in the Narthex.

Haiti Response

This past Lent, the people of Messiah gathered items to make 45 health kits for distribution in Haiti. These were taken by a group from Whitestone Church to Haiti in the early summer. Belated thanks “for being God’s hands and heart to help those in need in Haiti.”

Service Project &
October General Meeting - Oct. 11, 2010

Do you have items around your house that you no longer need or use such as older dishes, glasses, pots, pans, linens, etc.?

It has recently come to our attention that with Knoxville’s Ten-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness, a number of the new residents at Guy B. Love Towers in north Knoxville were previously living on the streets. Their social worker is seeking donations of household items to give to these new residents who are moving into the Towers. We will be collecting donations of household items at our general meeting on October 11, 2010. The meeting promises to be very informative as our guest speaker will speak to us about labyrinths. Everyone is invited.

Craft Fair in November

WELCA plans to host a craft fair again this year on Saturday, November 6, 2010. In addition to a WELCA table and a bake sale table, outside crafters will be invited to participate. We plan to have craft items from Lutheran World Relief again. More information will be coming.

Collection of pop-tabs

We continue to collect pop-tabs for the Knoxville Ronald McDonald House. In June, 15 pounds of tabs were delivered.

OWLs (Older, Wiser Lutherans) sponsor a weekly group—Coping with Loss/Grief Support Group. The group meets in the church library on Wednesdays at 1:00 pm and is led by Lynn White, a retired Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has past experience in facilitating such groups.

Life is certainly filled with changes, and along with those changes we experience different kinds of losses. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 spells out these changes clearly:

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance, a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to tear and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”

Those 8 verses are a thorough description of the different phases we all experience in life’s journey. There is definitely a time “for every matter under heaven.” As we age, it seems as though losses increase, doesn’t it? We retire and are faced with a whole new life schedule. We lose friends and family members along the way in our life’s journey. Those losses naturally bring up a whole lot of different emotions. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any emotion you may be feeling at any certain time. These emotions are natural reactions to the circumstances we may be facing. Emotions are real and grief encompasses a whole tangled ball of emotions. That tangled ball of emotions will be introduced at the first group meeting.

We hope to be a bridge for healing with this group as we share with each other and look at various authorities on the subject. If you find yourself in the position of coping with loss, whether it be health, loved ones, financial, etc., we encourage you to join us on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 1:00 pm in the church library.

The Messiah Book Group will meet Tuesday, April 7 at 7:00 pm in the church library to discuss The Gift of the Jews by Thomas Cahill. The discussion will be led by Georgia Phillippi. Anyone interested is welcome to attend, whether you’ve read the book or not.

Join Messiah Book Group for future discussions

The Messiah Book Group meets every couple months to discuss books. Anyone interested is invited to join the group for one or all of the discussions. The group will meet in the church library at 7:00 pm on the dates listed below for the book indicated.

•           September 13, 2010 - Discussion led by Pat Kopp

Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo’s Forbidden Messages in the Heart of the Vatican
by Benjamin Blech & Roy Doliner

•           November 1, 2010 - Discussion led by Connie Cole

When Bad Things Happen to Good People
by Harold S. Kushner

Other books on the group’s list:

•           Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled,
            Beat-up, and Burnt Out by Brennan Manning

•           The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

•           The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

•           An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor

•           God’s Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most
            Important Question–Why We Suffer by Bart D. Ehrman