September 2026 Pastor's Letter
Pastor Dustin with Kristen Olochnowicz at National Night Out.
|
All the communions of a lifetime are one communion.
All the communions of all people now living are one communion. All the communions of all people, present, past and future, are one communion. Have we ever sufficiently considered the physical immensity of humanity, and its extraordinary relations with the universe, to realize in our minds, the formidable implications of this elementary truth? - Teilhard de Chardin Dear siblings in faith, What a truly amazing summer we've had in Spirit filled community at Messiah! This might be the first time in my now over twelve years with you all that there wasn't one summer Sunday we didn't have young people in worship. Vacation Bible School was a massive success, and our wide and varied Over 55 Gang events are more popular than ever! It was amazing to see our sister organization, the Rotterdam Community Center, be recognized for its works at Schenectady Pride in June, for the public to galvanize support around our new Mobile Pantry Program at Mohonasen CSD set to launch on September 16th, and for our Community Advocates to speak out against childhood poverty as well. And oh my gosh... all those kiddos playing and building friendships at Messiahstock was such a great joy! As we head into the fall, I think there's two things in particular to highlight. First, be sure to join us as we rally at the beginning of another program year on God's Work, Our Hands Sunday on September 13th, and invite all those kids, grandkids and greatgrandkids to Children's Sunday School which starts that day as we bless our kiddos backpacks! Second, please deeply pay attention to our Messiah at 100 Centennial Campaign, which seeks to raise $140,000 to replace our flat roof, replace the HVAC system in the older part of our building and refurbish our youth room. There will be an All Congregation Event at the home of Bill and Jody Fleming on Friday, October 2nd for this appeal. Please RSVP to Heather Zimmer at [email protected] if you plan to attend. Our Commitment Sunday will also be on Sunday, October 25th. Finally, if you haven't already done so, please submit a story about what Messiah means to you to Heather by September 16th. All stories will be included in a Generosity Storybook commemorating the campaign. Thank you so much, dear friends, for all you do in service to Christ in our Spirit filled community! In hope, Pastor Dustin |
ELCA Upstate NY Synod Advocacy Survey
In less than five minutes you can lend your voice to help shape the priorities of our ELCA Upstate New York Synod Advocacy Task Force as we begin planning for our second Lutheran Day at the Capitol on March 8th and March 9th, 2027. Take the survey today at https://bit.ly/unysadvocacysurvey26 with responses due by September 6th.
Healthy Systems Team Update
Karen Immerman from our synod's Healthy Systems Team gave her initial report to our Congregation Council this past August regarding all the difficulties of spinning off the Rotterdam Community Center last year. Paper copies are available in the office. At our September Congregation Council meeting, we'll make decisions on next steps to take based on the report. If you have any questions in the meantime, please speak with President Scott Heller.
Honor Your Loved Ones with Flowers for Mass!
You can both beautify our worship space for Sunday Mass AND honor your loved ones by purchasing flowers in their honor! The cost is only $10 to be paid in cash or check directly to Judy Becker, who has been faithfully stewarding this program for many years. There is a Flower Chart to reserve a Sunday on the central pillar in the narthex, but at the time you sign up for flowers please write your dedication and enclose $10 in the provided envelopes. You can either put those envelopes in the Bread of Life Food Pantry mailbox, the offering plate or hand them directly to Judy Becker. Dedications will then be listed in the bulletin each Sunday. Thanks so much for helping make worship beautiful in Christ's name!
David and Lore Ellis Landscaping Fund
David and Lore Ellis supported our Spirit filled congregation in many ways throughout their lives, but in particularly, they spent decades caring for our landscaping around Messiah and provided so many beautiful shrubs, bushes and flowers. In April 2025, our Congregation Council voted to create a new David and Lore Ellis Landscaping Fund in their honor. If you'd like to contribute, simply put "Landscaping Fund" in the memo line of a check, select "Landscaping Fund" on tithely or speak with Pastor Dustin.
Newsletter Articles Due
Let's continue supporting Heather by getting newsletter articles in on time. Please send all newsletter articles to Heather at [email protected] by the following dates for the upcoming month: September 20th, October 18th, November 22nd.
Office Hours for Heather and Pastor Dustin
Heather continues to work in-person at Messiah on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:30am - 2:00pm. Pastor Dustin will hold in-person office on Wednesdays at Messiah from 2:00pm - 4:00pm. You can also see any changes to normal office hours on the Parish calendar, found here.
Leadership News
As you can see from looking at our current Committee Roster (digitally linked with a paper copies in the Parish Administrator's Office) there are SO MANY of our members (and some non-member friends!) who have signed up for one of our 23 committees and one of our 6 volunteer lists.
There are now nine committees remaining where we are looking for new leaders:
Faith Formation Ministry Team
Fellowship Ministry Team
Social Action Ministry Team
Stewardship Ministry Team
Worship & Music Ministry Team
If you are interested in serving in one of these roles in the coming year, please speak with Mission Support Chair Ann Marie Gray!
There are now nine committees remaining where we are looking for new leaders:
Faith Formation Ministry Team
- Youth Committee Chair
Fellowship Ministry Team
- Lutheran Men in Mission Chair
- Young Families Chair
Social Action Ministry Team
- Community Service Committee Chair
- Social Justice Committee Chair
Stewardship Ministry Team
- Archives Committee Chair
- Mission Support Chair
- Property & Grounds Committee Chair
- Publicity Committee Chair
Worship & Music Ministry Team
- All set!
If you are interested in serving in one of these roles in the coming year, please speak with Mission Support Chair Ann Marie Gray!
Narthex Art Gallery
Throughout the summer we'll be showing the work of Bob Penn, a long time Messiah member who donated much of his artwork to our Spirit filled congregation upon his passing. There will be a number of additional pieces shared from other Messiah members as well. If you'd like to contribute to our Narthex Art Gallery, please reach out to Steph Palazeke at [email protected]. A massive thank you to Steph for all her hard work on this project!
Messiah Youth Fund Bottle & Can Collection!
Want to help our youth attend the 2027 ELCA Youth Gathering in Minneapolis, Minnesota? We need to start saving now! One way you can support that important work is donating your bottles and cans to the Messiah Youth Fund account at Green Bottle Redemption Center! NOW located at 651 Consaulus Ave, the redemption center is open Tuesday - Friday from 9a - 4p & Saturday from 9a - 2:30p! Thanks so much and please help us spread the word!