Welcome to Messiah!

Messiah is a community of Christians seeking to live face to face with God, with our brothers and sisters in Christ, and with the most vulnerable. Our faith and our life are rooted in the central Christian practices of every time and place: worship, prayer, celebrating holy baptism and holy communion, helping children grow in faith and knowledge, ministering to our community and the world, speaking for justice and wholeness in our lives and in the world, and inviting anyone to come and be a part of it all. 


We worship at three times every weekend: 

On Saturdays at 5 p.m. we celebrate Holy Communion in a casual, intimate atmosphere with piano and hymns. This service takes place in our Luther Center and lasts about 50 minutes.


On Sundays at 8 a.m. we celebrate Holy Communion with a diverse mix of music and instruments. This service takes place in our sanctuary and lasts about one hour.


On Sundays at 9:30 a.m. we celebrate Holy Communion with a diverse mix of music and instruments. From the second weekend in September until Memorial Day, Sunday School begins after the children's sermon. This service takes place in our sanctuary and lasts about one hour and ten minutes. 


Additionally, on the first Wednesday of every month at 10:30 a.m. we celebrate Holy Communion at Wauconda Care and Rehabilitation Center.


You are welcome here, because God welcomes you. 


What's Happening Right Now

A message regarding online safety and conduct from Messiah's youth director, pastors, and council president


VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL  

"ROAR: Life is Wild, God is Good" is happening June 17-21!

Click here for the registration form.  


UPCOMING EVENTS / SAVE THE DATE


Sun. June 9                                    Pentecost & Anniversary Celeb.

June 17-21       9 am - 12 pm         Vacation Bible School

Thurs June 27  5:30 - 7:00 pm       Summer Community Meal

July 7-12                                        Youth Mission Trip

July 17-21                                      St. Louis Adult Mission Trip

Sat. July 27       5:00 pm                Bilingual Worship & Dinner


JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Messiah Lutheran Preschool & Kindergarten is now hiring for the fall!  We are looking to hire substitute teachers for our preschool and kindergarten classes, and lead teachers in our before & after care program.  Perks include flexible, part-time hours, competitive pay, tuition discounts, and a fun working environment!  Please e-mal Erica at ejawnyj@mlpk.org or Deana at drossi@mlpk.org for more information.


VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES


This year's Summer Lunch Program began Monday, June 3 and runs every weekday through Friday, August 9.  This year we will be serving both children and adults at Cook Park from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm.  For this reason, we will need more volunteers than ever!!  We will have two shifts this year.  From 10:00 - 11:00 am, we will transfer food from Wauconda High School to Cook Park.  From 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, we will serve.  Follow this link to sign up!


The 3rd Annual Adult Mission Trip is scheduled for July 17-21.  We will travel to East St. Louis and partner with Lutheran Social Services of Illinois to help with a prison re-entry project.  All ages (high school and older) and all skill levels are welcome!  Registration begins Sunday, April 28.


The High School Youth Mission Trip will be to Benton Harbor, Michigan from July 7-12.  Contact our youth director Jessica Wallwin for more information.


Help Melt the Snow Deficit: When it rains, it pours...and when it snows, we salt (and plow)!  Mother Nature's gift of an active winter left us with more snow removal and salt costs that planned.  We need additional support to ensure our 2019 budget stays on track.  Our goal in this effort was to raise $10,000.  We are thankful for the approximately $4,800 raise so far.  If you would like to participate, please take a snowflake in the Gathering Place representing your commitment and place your gift in a special offering envelope, or you can donate directly from our website using the "donate" tab at the top of the webpage.  Thank you for everything you do and give to bless Messiah!  - Messiah's Generosity team


EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES


Sunday School is on summer break and will resume in August.


Adult Book Study - Join us for a group study of Pastor Ben's 2018 book, "Sacred Signposts: Words, Water, and Other Acts of Resistance."  What are the most important, sacred "possessions" of Christian people?  And what do they matter in a world that seems to be less and less religious?  Over seven weeks, we'll talk about the Word of God, baptism, Holy Communion, confession and forgiveness, ministry, worship, and the Cross - what they mean, and what they do in our world. Come for one week or all of them!  Childcare is provided.  Sundays at 11:00 am -12:30 pm from April 28 - June 16.


NEED MORE INFO?


Join our email list for more updates (2-3 times per month).


Click here for a full calendar of events.


Pastor's Message: Advocate

When I read or hear the Gospels, one of the important themes I sometimes miss is the grief of Jesus's friends at his absence. They've walked with him, heard him teach, seen him heal, and watched him arrested and executed. They heard the story of his rising from the tomb, and they've seen and even eaten with him afterward. But he ascends to "the right hand of the Father" in Heaven. This just means that he is present wherever the power of God is present--that is, everywhere--and so closer to them, in a way, than ever before. But they can't see him or hear him or touch him as they did. And they grieve this absence. 


At least that's the sense I get from the stories. It's the sense I get when I read the passages of John's Gospel about what will happen after Jesus departs. So it's important that Jesus, before his arrest, promises to them that he will send something he calls the "Advocate." The Greek word has the literal sense of someone called alongside of you, for example when you are on your way to court. It is sometimes translated as "Comforter" or "Helper." Jesus insists that he won't leave them without comfort, or help, or an advocate. But the Holy Spirit will do this for them. If Jesus remained among them as he had always been, they would never be able to stray from him. But with the help of the Advocate, they can go anywhere--even to places where they don't know the language or the culture or the religion. The little assembly of disciples needed Jesus to leave, in fact, if they were going to bring Jesus to the ends of the earth by their words and deeds.


I talked about this passage on a recent Wednesday at Wauconda Care Center, to a group of about ten people. And I thought about how important it is for people who living in permanent nursing care, or with a disability, or in foster care, or with chronic violence at home or on the street, or with toxic air or water, that they have an Advocate. The Holy Spirit who comes alongside us, to strengthen and encourage, to reassure us when we are doubting or hurting or lonely, to advocate for us against the slanders and deceptions of the devil, is the same Holy Spirit who empowers us to strengthen, reassure, and advocate for each other. For Pastor Betty Rendon, who was taken out of her home in her pajamas, taken away from her church and daughter and granddaughter and deported to Colombia last month. We bore witness to her humanity, and to the community that loved her. It wasn't enough. But who would we be--what would the church be--if no voice spoke on behalf of someone in this situation?


In this season of Pentecost, we are given the task of growing into our role as disciples. We are gathered, as those first disciples were, at the feet of Jesus, hearing his words and sharing the presence of his Body and Blood in the sacrament. But like those first disciples we are sent out, with our Advocate beside us, to do hard things, speak difficult truths, and reach places we never expected to go. 


See you in church!