Staff Ext.

Senior Pastor Richard Steensma ................................................................................. 112 Associate Pastor Matthew Albright .................................................................................. 113 Coordinator of Kids Ministry & Electronic Media Allison Burkhow......................................................................................... 111 Director of Preschool Annie Bilski ....................................................................................................... 114 Director of Parish Music

Kay Knutson ................................................................................................... 123 Office Administrator & Choir Director Heather McAllister .............................................................................. 110 Administrative Assistant JoElla Kath ....................................................................................................... 124 Bookkeeper Lowell Brutlag ............................................................................................. 172 Facilities Manager & Technology Coordinator Curt Flor ............................................................................................................... 125 Custodial Assistants Ron Boyce Dave Anderson

Church Office Hours Monday-Friday...................................8:00 am to 4:00 pm

Phone Number ........................... 763-784-1786

Sunday Schedule Worship 7:30, 8:45, 11:00 am Education Hour 10:00 am

Lenten Worship Wednesdays 4:00 & 6:00 pm

Church email Address messiah@messiah-lutheran.org

Church Web Site messiah-lutheran.org

Messiah Messiah Lutheran Church—Mounds View, MN

Sharing The Savior Developing Disciples

Pastor’s Corner

“What are you giving up for Lent this year?” It’s a question I’m asked every year. Have you ever given something up for Lent? Chocolate? Pop? Sweets? Complaining? I worked with a pastor who was an avid Coke drinker. Each and every year he would give up Coke. It was always fun to see him on Easter morning smiling from ear to ear with a celebratory Coke in his hand.

The “tradition” of giving something up for lent goes back many years. But why? The season of Lent, which began on Ash Wednesday (February 26) is a 40 day journey in which we remember the temptation of Christ in the wilderness. The idea of “giving something up” is supposed to serve as an act of remembrance, remembering what Jesus ultimately gave up on the cross.

While there is no scripture that tells us or even suggests the idea of us having to give something up, it can certainly serve as a wonderful experience. If indeed we are going to give something up, whether it be for dietary reasons or just to delay some sort of pleasure, remember the reason. Jesus gave everything up for you. He gave His very life so that you would have life. Life now and life eternally. He paid the price for all of our sins. He gives us the gift of grace to receive and to share with one another.

During our Lenten journey, as we remember not only what Christ has done, but why He did it, may God continue to strengthen our faith in Him as we thank God for what He has done for us.

Sharing the Savior • Developing Disciples,

Pastor Rich Steensma, Senior Pastor Email: rsteensma@messiah-lutheran.org

Our LWML Spring Rally is scheduled for Saturday, April 18th at Mt. Olive in Anoka. Please mark your calendars and save the date. $8.00 registration fee. Watch for more information regarding the activity and donation in the News and Notes. I'd be glad to car pool- so contact me if interested- Linda S 651-508-1680 .

HAVE A HEART

February: the month devoted to love. Stores are filled with heart-shaped boxes of candy and

heart-shaped cards and vases of flowers with heart-shaped gift tags. All this is available for the

consumer so that he can find the appropriate expression of his devotion to his loved one. If

that expression of love has been preceded by a year of thoughtful and loving words and deeds,

it is welcomed and cherished by the recipient. If not, it is just an empty ritual, done out of duty

rather than true devotion.

Our relationship to the Lord is similar. He, too, desires our sincere devotion, not empty lip

service. “The Lord says: ’These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with

their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.’” (Isaiah 29:13).

Stewardship is serving, helping, giving, but love is the basis for stewardship. Without love, our

good deeds are empty and without merit. The first act of true stewardship is to “love the Lord

your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy

6:5). Jesus called this the most important commandment (Mark 12:29, 30). With that love for

the Lord in us, we are enabled to be good stewards. Then we can do acts of good stewardship,

acts of true devotion. We are enabled to…..

“Give generously to Him and do so without a grudging heart” (Deuteronomy 15:10).

“Carefully observe His decrees and laws with all your heard and with all your

soul” (Deuteronomy 26:16).

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for

men” (Colossians 3:23).

God, through Ezekiel, promised, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will

remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in

you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

This promise He has fulfilled in His Son, Jesus, Who has followed His Father’s decrees and kept

His laws for us. As we strive to live fruitful lives of stewardship, at the same time, we rest in

Christ Who has been the perfect steward for us.

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ALTAR GUILD

Twyla Vosika

Sandy Remme

Naomi Hanson

USHERS

7:30 R. Roehl & N. Roehl

8:45 B. Brolsma, C. Hayes,

J. Kvitrud

11:00 B. Bargman, H. Bargman,

M. Johnson

MISSION TRIP

SCHOLARSHIPS

Scholarships are available to help

members take short term mission trips

and servant events. Typically servant

events are local; mission trips are beyond

our geographic area. See details on the

January Newsletter front page. For

additional information or to donate

toward scholarships, contact Steve Pickel

(651)343-5015 or Ron Bardal (651)353-

2549

READERS

March 1:

7:30 R. Roth

8:45 Messiah Youth

11:00 Messiah Youth

March 8:

7:30 B. Gaynor

8:45 R. Cobian

11:00 E. Udomah

March 15:

7:30 G. Ness

8:45 J. Norell

11:00 A. Hitzeman

March 22:

7:30 R. Roth

8:45 B. Stadler

11:00 B. Sherman

March 29:

7:30 B. Gaynor

8:45 B. Brolsma

11:00 L. Radtke

6

GREETERS

March 1: March 8:

7:30 M. & J. O’Shea 7:30 M. & B. Stickley

8:45 H. & R. Hanson 8:45 J. & E. Hildebrandt

K. Tjosvold C. Baumgartner

11:00 J. Romani 11:00 J. Carlson

L. Radtke B. Smith

March 15: March 22:

7:30 P. Hildreth 7:30 V. & I. Beyer

D. Rossbach 8:45 J. & K. Kinzie

8:45 B. & J. Kath J. Goldsmith

D. Eggers 11:00 M. & C. Johnson

11:00 M. & D. Hodges

March 29

7:30 G. & G. Garner

8:45 J. & A. Fey

N. Hanson

11:00 J. & D. Rust

LWML Our LWML Spring Rally is scheduled for Saturday, April 18th at Mt. Olive in Anoka. Please mark your calendars and save the date. $8.00 registration fee. Watch for more information regarding the activity and donation in the News and Notes. I'd be glad to car pool- so contact me if interested- Linda S 651-508-1680 .

7

WOM We had 23 members and guests attend our February WOM meeting. Elizabeth Arnold from Wishes & More shared information of the organization and helped us cut and tie 24 fleece blankets for newborn and preemie babies. Making hygiene kits for Days for Girls was February 15 and another success.

WOM will meet April 14 with potluck dinner, meeting and assemble layette kits for Global Health Ministries. Bring a friend and join us. LWML Spring Rally is April 18th at Mt. Olive in Anoka. More information to follow.

Messiah’s March Food Drive! The month of MARCH is a pivotal month for our food shelves. MN

Food Share matches all donations given—both food and money! Lists of most-needed items will be available at church. Let’s generously

bless our food shelf in March!

CANA (Conversation,

Adventure, Nibbles and Wine)

Bingo Night on Friday,

March 27, 6:30 PM

An event for all women of

Messiah (wine tasting not

necessary to come to this event)

Questions: Dayle Boyce

(612)801-7520

8

When moving, changing address and/or

phone, please notify the church office.

On Sunday, March 1, we welcomed the following new

members into the family of Messiah:

Matt & Haley Albright; Donn Baumgartner; Jaret & Viktoriya Folstrom; Dave & Naomi Golnitz; Jonathan Gosz; Neale Ho Shue & Elizabeth Heinecke, Mirella & Nils Ho Shue; Kate Kupcho; Tony & Renee Lach; Marcus Lipscomb,

Juliette, Angelina & Rameses; Julie McManus; Zach & Brooke Meyers, Taylor & Leila; Annaline Newman; Bill & Nancy Pieper; Jo Ritter; Aaron & Caitlyn

Stromberg, Addison, Ava & Reagan; Keith Swan; Luke & Jen Valerius, Laney & Julian