Messiah Episcopal Church

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fundraiser For rebuilidng the church in l'acul, Haiti

Messiah Episcopal Church is excited to announce that one of our members, Jordan Bronston, has provided two icons as a fundraiser to benefit our mission partner L'Epiphanie Parish in L’Acul, Haiti so they can rebuild their church. The first icon to the right is Weep Not for Me and the second icon is Merciful Jesus. Please click here for full photographs of the icons, a description of the icons, and background on Jordan's iconography. Please visit the fundraiser on Go Fund Me to make a donation. We recently received a challenge goal of raising $2,500. If we reach this goal, an additional $1,000 will be donated anonymously to help rebuild the church.

Here's how the fundraiser will work:

Each icon is valued at $700.
When donations from friends and members of Messiah on the Go Fund Me site reach $700, the first icon will be given by Jordan Bronston to Messiah Church.
When the total donations reach $1,400 or more, the second icon will be given by Jordan to Messiah.
All of the proceeds from this fundraiser will be sent by Messiah to L'Epiphanie Parish in Haiti to fund the rebuilding of their church which was destroyed in the 2010 earthquake.
The icons donated by Jordan will become property of Messiah Church to be used seasonally for worship and formation.
You will receive a receipt directly from Go Fund Me / PayPal for tax deduction purposes.

Messiah Episcopal Church has been in partnership with Epiphanie Parish in L’Acul, Haiti since 1995. This includes funding teacher salaries for the K-9 school. L’Acul is a rural fishing village located about 40 miles west of Port Au Prince. The school and church buildings were totally destroyed by the 2010 earthquake. The school buildings were rebuilt by a Finnish organization in partnership with a Haitian construction company.

The church building has never been rebuilt. Thus, church services continue to be held outdoors on the porch of the school building. But the dream of a new church building has never died. The parish, though very poor, has raised money to clear and prepare the land for the new church. They have engaged the work of a local architect to come up with this design that meets all construction rules including being earthquake-proof! Local materials and labor will be used as much as possible with an estimated cost of $110,000. The parish continues to collect funds but does not have the resources to come close to raising that amount of money. Will you help in making the dream of a new church building a reality?

Thank you for supporting our Mission Partner in Haiti!

Annual COFFEEHOUSE & BAKE-OFF

Messiah’s Annual Coffee House and Bakeoff is going virtual! On Saturday, February 6 at 6:30 PM, our annual evening of diverse performers and indulgent treats will be presented virtually. We’ll gather to chat and “share” treats (see below) from 6:30 - 7:00 PM. Then we’ll enjoy performances from 7 - 8 PM. Please contact Jeff Kidder by January 24 if you have a song or poem (short story, dance, joke…) to share that you think might entertain or enthrall! Jeff would love to have performers record their piece ahead of time at Messiah's Loft (he will provide the technical set-up, camera, mics, etc.). You can also record your piece at home and email it to Jeff. .

VIRTUAL BAKE-OFF: The Fellowship Team requests that any past winners of the Coffeehouse Bake-Off email their winning recipes to Kristen Kidder by January 20. The recipes will be sent out a week before the Coffeehouse so you can prepare and enjoy the winning recipe of your choice during the event!

Belonging

Join us for our new Belonging to Messiah three week class starting on Sunday January 10 at 5:30 PM on Zoom. If you have never been part of a Messiah Newcomers experience since you began worshipping with us, this is the place for you! Email info@messiahepiscopal.org for more information or to signup.

SAVE The dates

Save the Date for our Ministry Fair on Monday January 25 at 6:30 PM on our Wonder.me platform. This is a great opportunity to hear from Rev. Dave on the state of ministry during the pandemic, plan for the future when we are back in person, and connect with your own ministry group members in small group gatherings.

Save the Date our Annual Meeting on Sunday January 31 at 1:00 PM on Zoom. The Annual Report will be sent out electronically prior to the meeting. Please contact the main office if you would like a paper copy mailed to you.

Links to both of these events will be sent to members via email.

pop up church is here!

“Pop Up Church” is in-person, outdoor worship Saturdays at 4:00pm. Each week the following groups, up to 50 individuals per week, will be invited for a short, 30 minute spoken service of Holy Communion. Some instrumental music, but no singing. A short reflection will be shared.

Our greeters will welcome you, ask you the COVID-19 questionnaire, and invite you to be seated in socially-distanced sections. Please bring your own camp/lawn chair and a mask. A contribution box will also be available for loose offerings for Pop Up Church costs.

Our Pop-Up services of Holy Communion will truly "pop up" this winter. Each Tuesday Staff will plan a Pop-Up Service only if the weather forecast indicates temps above 20F with passable road conditions, as well as having a volunteer team in place. That week's Pop-Up service will be communicated via Church email, and spaces can be reserved by RSVP to the Church. If the weather turns dangerous with temperatures below 20F or the roads become treacherous, we will cancel via email to all those who RSVP'd that Saturday by 3pm. Please respond to the email invitation you receive or call the church office at 651-698-2590 to sign up for Saturday Pop-Up Worship.

Learning more about race in america

Messiah's Missions and Outreach Committee created a list of resources for people who want to do more reading, watching, and learning around the issue of race in America. We'd like to share the list with you so we can continue learning together.