Welcome to Church of the Messiah!
Mother Elizabeth Ivell
“I am a priest who focuses on the wonder and love of God in the world. I seek to teach and empower people to live out their calling, and I strive to create meaningful worship to build community.”
I have been an Episcopal Priest for nine years. I have strong experience in all aspects of the priesthood, with special gifts in the areas of youth ministry, pastoral care, outreach, and working with community committees.
To see a video message from Mother Elizabeth, click HERE.
From the Wardens:
As wardens we would like to welcome you and we hope that, in addition to checking us out here, you will stop in for a live in-person or Facebook-live service. Our weekly service schedule can be found by clicking on the button titled "Messiah this week of [month day]" on this website's Home page. We also have both vocal and handbell choirs, so come and listen to their beautiful and inspiring musical offerings.
We are so proud of all of the outreach and community service programs we are involved in which include, but are not limited to: Haven of Hope, Cross Roads Camp, Homeless Solutions, North Porch, Senior Resource Center’s Festival of Trees and the local food pantries.
We have a thrift shop that provides a place for the community to pass on gently used items, which then others can pick-up at a great bargain. The Senior Resource Center (SRC) uses space in our building where it provides minimal and no fee classes for seniors.
Parishioners are involved in several garden projects, which provide fresh produce for local food pantries.
We have a social justice group which has been joining with other local denominations. We jointly celebrated a public Juneteenth event and a celebration for International Day of Peace.
Parishioners are active in EfM (Education for Ministry) and Bible study. We are planning to restart our “Dinner with Friends”, frequently know as Agape Meals, with small groups. These dinners allow attendees to share a simple meal, which provides an opportunity to get to know one another on a deeper level. Every week we host a coffee hour, following our main Sunday service, which is a great opportunity for attendees to catch-up with fellow parishioners or to get acquainted with visitors.
This past year we had a “Line and Dine" dancing event, an Artisan Show with local artisans, and attended a play at the Black River Theater. In the first few months of the pandemic, we laughed our way through a Zoom mystery involving the disappearance of our administrative assistant. We had fun planting clues and using props, that were obviously related to certain parishioners, to throw people off. This year we are planning a “Rags to Riches” event where attendees can dress from head to toe in purchases from our thrift shop to win prizes in different categories. We expect this to have us rolling on the floor with laughter. We are also considering hosting an open mic night.
We offer Sunday School during our main service and welcome the children back into church to be with their parents during communion. We offer several special events for children throughout the year including Vacation Bible Camp, Gingerbread House construction and decoration, a Christmas Pageant, pancake toss on Fat Sunday, and an Easter egg hunt with a visit from the Easter bunny.
The original section of our unique building was an old dairy barn. We have several spaces available for use for a small donation.
If you are searching for a place of community which respects all people, their diverse gifts and this planet which our creator entrusted to us, please join us for a service or event! We look forward to meeting you.
Feel free to peruse our website for links and descriptions of all the offerings mentioned above!
Debbie & Merica
Mother Elizabeth Ivell
“I am a priest who focuses on the wonder and love of God in the world. I seek to teach and empower people to live out their calling, and I strive to create meaningful worship to build community.”
I have been an Episcopal Priest for nine years. I have strong experience in all aspects of the priesthood, with special gifts in the areas of youth ministry, pastoral care, outreach, and working with community committees.
To see a video message from Mother Elizabeth, click HERE.
From the Wardens:
As wardens we would like to welcome you and we hope that, in addition to checking us out here, you will stop in for a live in-person or Facebook-live service. Our weekly service schedule can be found by clicking on the button titled "Messiah this week of [month day]" on this website's Home page. We also have both vocal and handbell choirs, so come and listen to their beautiful and inspiring musical offerings.
We are so proud of all of the outreach and community service programs we are involved in which include, but are not limited to: Haven of Hope, Cross Roads Camp, Homeless Solutions, North Porch, Senior Resource Center’s Festival of Trees and the local food pantries.
We have a thrift shop that provides a place for the community to pass on gently used items, which then others can pick-up at a great bargain. The Senior Resource Center (SRC) uses space in our building where it provides minimal and no fee classes for seniors.
Parishioners are involved in several garden projects, which provide fresh produce for local food pantries.
We have a social justice group which has been joining with other local denominations. We jointly celebrated a public Juneteenth event and a celebration for International Day of Peace.
Parishioners are active in EfM (Education for Ministry) and Bible study. We are planning to restart our “Dinner with Friends”, frequently know as Agape Meals, with small groups. These dinners allow attendees to share a simple meal, which provides an opportunity to get to know one another on a deeper level. Every week we host a coffee hour, following our main Sunday service, which is a great opportunity for attendees to catch-up with fellow parishioners or to get acquainted with visitors.
This past year we had a “Line and Dine" dancing event, an Artisan Show with local artisans, and attended a play at the Black River Theater. In the first few months of the pandemic, we laughed our way through a Zoom mystery involving the disappearance of our administrative assistant. We had fun planting clues and using props, that were obviously related to certain parishioners, to throw people off. This year we are planning a “Rags to Riches” event where attendees can dress from head to toe in purchases from our thrift shop to win prizes in different categories. We expect this to have us rolling on the floor with laughter. We are also considering hosting an open mic night.
We offer Sunday School during our main service and welcome the children back into church to be with their parents during communion. We offer several special events for children throughout the year including Vacation Bible Camp, Gingerbread House construction and decoration, a Christmas Pageant, pancake toss on Fat Sunday, and an Easter egg hunt with a visit from the Easter bunny.
The original section of our unique building was an old dairy barn. We have several spaces available for use for a small donation.
If you are searching for a place of community which respects all people, their diverse gifts and this planet which our creator entrusted to us, please join us for a service or event! We look forward to meeting you.
Feel free to peruse our website for links and descriptions of all the offerings mentioned above!
Debbie & Merica