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

Sign up to help out with PADS!

Our new season of PADS--Providing Advocacy, Dignity, and Shelter--is starting up this weekend! You can sign up here to take a shift with this powerful ministry with homeless adults.


Sunday School, for children ages 3 through 5th grade, begins in worship each week at 9:30am. To register for Sunday School click here for the form. Contact our Christian Education Director, Kristin Isom for more information.


Calling all Middle Schoolers!

Join us for Pathway, Messiah's 3-year Confirmation program designed to prepare middle school students to affirm the promises to affirm the promises that were made for them in Baptism. Wednesday nights during the school year we enjoy Bible lessons, games, retreats, service projects, and small groups. To register for Pathway click here for the form. Contact our Youth Ministry Director, Jessica Wallwin for more information.


Planning Ahead: Preparing for a Faithful and Healthy Future concludes this Sunday, October 7, at 11 a.m. with a presentation on medical decision making from Chaplain Suzanne Martinez of Advocate Aurora Health Care. Don't miss this very important topic! You can RSVP and learn more here. 


Christian Basics, our small groups for people interested in baptism, bringing a child for baptism, joining the church, receiving Holy Communion or Confirmation instruction as adults, or just learning more about the faith we share, starts up again this month. One group meets on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. from October 10 through November 14, another on Sundays at 11 a.m. from October 14 through November 18. You can sign up online or RSVP on Facebook for either Wednesday or Sunday. 


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


Click here for a full calendar of events.


Commitment to Community: Sarah Theriault

I’m Sarah Theriault and I’m honored to serve on Council and as a member of the Generosity Committee. My family has been attending Messiah for about 9 years, often the 9:30 service – often from the "joyful noise" room for the last 3 years.


This week's theme as we kick off the season of giving at Messiah is Commitment to Faith Formation. Everyone has a story for how their faith has formed and what roads let you Messiah. I believe Messiah is a stop on the journey for all of us for a larger purpose. For me, Messiah is forming the faith of my family. We were fortunate to find Messiah a few years into our marriage – no kids and we were amazingly on time then.


Fast forward seven or eight years--two kids, life, careers, adult decisions--and Messiah is the guiding light for everything we are called by God to instill in our children and help provide for neighbors we may never know.


I share this with you because this year's generosity theme is Commitment to Community. We see examples every week of amazing members of this congregation, giving back and sharing Gods word beyond these walls in our community.….and then a beautiful thing happens on Sunday mornings as we are surrounded by everyone here and formed as a community in worship.


All of this is a gift from God but it also takes commitment and financial support on our part. Starting now and through the month of October our congregation will be focusing on commitment. Each week in worship, during this time, we will participate in an act of commitment. Today in worship we will renew our baptismal vows and commit to support one another in these promises. 


Next week we have invited community leaders to worship with us and we will make a commitment to pray for them. And on Sunday, October 21 Messiah will participate in the CROP hunger walk to help fight hunger in our community. Save the date now and sign up in the Gathering Place. Finally on October 28, we will make our financial commitments for 2019. 


On the first day I worshiped in this space I knew I had found a community I needed. Not only that day, but all the days to come. I find great comfort knowing that Messiah will be here for us forming our faith at all stages of our lives. From anxiously watching our son hang from the communion rail  during the children’s sermon, someday sending our kids off to Pathway and amazing experiences at ELCA Youth Gatherings, to maybe in my retirement years being a part of a weekly coffee group with some of you in this room today…caring for each other and carrying out God's work throughout differ chapters of our lives.


It’s easy to take for granted in our busy lives, but it’s not realistic to think all of this can be available without financial support from all of us--keeping the lights on, seats warm in a safe and engaging community for us all to form our faith.


So over the next few weeks I ask all of you to join me and my family in thoughtfully considering your commitment and gifts for the coming year. Maybe you are the decision maker or possibly it’s a great conversation for your entire family. If you have never had a pledge in place or signed up for Simply Giving, consider it. It’s not as scary as it sounds! It is actually rewarding to know even when I’m not here my gifts continue to ensure the doors are open and ready for the next person walking through them.


We will never be able to repay all Messiah will give to our family, but by making a thoughtful financial commitment that is comfortable for our family, we are letting Messiah and our faith community know you can count on us. We are here today because of decades of generosity before us and God's love of each of us in this room.  Thank you for all for your dedication to Messiah and participation to come in the weeks ahead.