Messiah Lutheran Church, Knoxville TN

The ELCA Southeastern Synod office has provided the following information regarding areas affected by last night's storms.

Pastor Sandy Niiler confirmed that the building for Christ Lutheran Church in Cullman, AL has been totally destroyed. There are no reports of injuries of congregation members at this time. Pastor Darrel Peterson from the Bishop's office will travel to Cullman to be with members of Christ Lutheran this Sunday as they plan to go forward with worship on the lawn.

There are no reports of injuries or deaths of Southeastern Synod members thus far.

Churches in the Birmingham and Montgomery areas report that, while some parishioners homes received damage, no congregations sustained substantial damage.

Donations for tornado relief will accepted through the synod office at:

ELCA-Southeastern Synod

100 Edgewood Ave, Suite 1600

Atlanta, GA  30303

KARM (Knox Area Rescue Ministries)

Once every seven weeks, volunteers from Messiah plan, acquire, prepare and serve lunch for 200 to 225 residents of KARM and area homeless at Knox Area Rescue Ministries.

Serving dates in 2011 are:
Feb. 5
April 2
May 28
July 23
Sept. 17
Nov. 12

Six to eight cooks/servers are needed for each date. Cooks should arrive at KARM to unload groceries and start cooking no later than 10:30. The first person there signs in at the front desk. Servers need to be there by 11:00 am. KARM residents are served first at 11:45. The homeless are fed after the residents have cleared the facility. The staff wants us out no later than 1:00 PM. We do not clean up after serving.

If you would like to help in this ministry, a sign up chart is posted in the Narthex about two Sundays prior to the serving date. You may sign up to contribute food, help serve, or both.

Donations of food must be delivered to the church kitchen by the Wednesday prior to serving. A container marked KARM is placed in the refrigerator to collect meat donations. An inventory of the food contributions is taken on Wednesday evening in order to determine additional needs.

If you are interested in serving in this ministry, please call Ann Rita Ditmore or the church office for more information.

Messiah holds a monthly devotional birthday celebration at Lakeshore Mental Health Institute every third Tuesday at 2:30 PM. Consumers (residents) celebrating birthdays during that month are honored by everybody singing Happy Birthday and providing them a present of their choice, either a T-shirt or cap. A brief devotion is conducted by the pastor followed with birthday cake and soda served by the residents.

Donations of women's and men's T-shirts (L & XL) are always needed. There is also a need for three birthday cakes and one diabetic cake each month.

All are invited to join the Lakeshore ministry. If interested in serving in this ministry, please contact the church office for more information.

The name FISH is derived from a Biblical-day symbol of the fish which was sometimes used as a sign of distress, a plea for help from one's neighbor:

FISH of Knox County is an all-volunteer organization, with no paid staff, founded in 1972. FISH attempts to help those in emergency and distress situations in an unselfish, non-judgmental and giving way. FISH is non-denominational and helps anyone of any race or creed.

Working daily through twenty-nine community churches and the FISH Hospitality Pantries, the FISH volunteers responded to some 82,000 calls for help during the last year. Volunteers who work in the collaborative organization are dedicated to showing God's love to our community by helping those who are in need.

Messiah serves in this ministry one day each month. Volunteers from Messiah family members and friends serve as phone answerers and screeners, bag packers, and delivery drivers. If you are interested in serving in this ministry, please call our FISH Pantry coordinator Bill Boys or the church office.

For food assistance, call the FISH Help Line at 523-7900.

WELCA 24th Annual Convention

The Twenty-Fourth Annual Convention of the Southeastern Synod Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will be held September 16–18, 2011 at the Lake Guntersville State Park, Guntersville, Alabama. Anne Tinker and Mary Ellen Whitson will be attending as delegates. The weekend activities will include a Bible Study, two worship services, five workshops, and a pajama party. Women of all ages from the Southeastern Synod are encouraged to attend. Please call Mary Ellen Whitson if you are interested in attending.

Summer Salad Luncheon

All women of Messiah are invited to attend a luncheon at Valerie Biberdorf’s home on Saturday, August 6, at 11:30 AM. WELCA is sponsoring this event as a “meet and greet” time for our church ladies. There will be a brief discussion of upcoming fall and winter activities. The committee is asking each woman to bring a food item. A sign-up sheet for food will be posted at the church. We will carpool from the church at 11:00 AM. Please RSVP to Mary Ellen Whitson by August 2. 

Collecting new bars of soap for LWR

During the month of August, WELCA will be collecting soap for Lutheran World Relief.  Please bring your new bars of soap on any Sunday in August and place in collection basket in the Narthex.

August Bible Study

The August Bible Study will be held Tuesday, August 2, at 10:00 am in the library. The topic will be “Rejoice in the Lord.” Mary Ellen Whitson will lead the discussion.

Fall Bible Study

The Fall Bible Study will begin Tuesday, September 6, at 10:00 am in the library. The focus of the study is “To Follow and To Serve: The Gospel of Mark.” Bring a friend and join the  lively group discussions led by Doris Featherston.

Book Study

The WELCA Book Club will begin a study of Francine River’s book, “Sons of Encouragement: Five Stories of Faithful Men Who Changed Eternity” on Thursday, September 8, at 1:00 pm in the library. The group will be led by Lynn White. Bring a sack lunch and join the discussion. Contact Lynn with any questions. 

Calling all quilters!

The quilting marathon scheduled to be held at the church June 21-23 was cancelled due to the GREAT POWER FAILURE. The event will be rescheduled in August so check your bulletin for the dates. We hope to complete a number of quilts to take to the September WELCA convention for charitable donations.

Holiday Market - Saturday, Nov. 5 — 9:00 am–3:00 pm

Planning is underway for our annual craft fair. It is scheduled for Saturday, November 5, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.

We have invited crafters from previous years to participate, are soliciting additional crafters, and asking each of you to participate in some way.

As usual, WELCA will conduct a bake sale during the Fair and is asking Messiah members to donate items for the bake sale. Doris Featherston has volunteered to coordinate the bake sale portion of our sale. If you plan to participate or donate baked goods, please let her know.

The ladies will also host a space with items from Lutheran World Relief; those beautiful handmade little things. And, in addition, we would like to have a table with small handmade items from our Messiah members. Things such as aprons, crocheted or knitted kitchen scrubbies, crocheted or knitted dish cloths, cosmetic  bags, luggage tags; or, any small items that you enjoy making and would be willing to donate. There are many talented people in our Messiah family and we would like to showcase everyone. If you have some things you’ve made to contribute to this table, please let Helga Wagner know.

If you can help with set up on the Friday before, assist on the day of the sale, have questions, or would like more information or clarification, please contact Helga Wagner.

Micah 6:8 calls us, as Christians, to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly. The LWR Coffee Project helps Lutherans answer that call by righting the injustices faced by small-scale farmers around the world.

The LWR Coffee Project closes the gap between our parish and the kind of communities in which LWR works. By using fair trade coffee and other products in our parish and homes, we guarantee that farmers will earn the income they need to feed their families, educate their children, seek medical care and improve their communities.

What difference can a simple cup of coffee make? José Luis Castillo Vasquez, a member of a cooperative in El Salvador, put it simply: "I want to thank all of the congregations that purchase our coffee. It is thanks to you that we have a seed of hope in our lives."

Fair trade coffee ($6 & $7), tea ($3), hot chocolate ($5), and cranberries ($4) are available for purchase in our church fellowship hall. We use the "honor system"-a basket is provided where you can leave your payment. Look for the display, as pictured above, in the church fellowship hall.