Church changes time, but not the message

Published 12:55 am Saturday, May 9, 2015

A change of time for Sunday worship at The Lutheran Church of the Messiah will not affect the message preached.

“You will still be hearing the gospel,” the Rev. J. Richard Sawyer said.

Sawyer, who is the pastor at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and School in Flowood will be serving as interim pastor at the local church following the resignation of the Rev. Gary Osburn.

Email newsletter signup

Sign up for The Vicksburg Post's free newsletters

Check which newsletters you would like to receive
  • Vicksburg News: Sent daily at 5 am
  • Vicksburg Sports: Sent daily at 10 am
  • Vicksburg Living: Sent on 15th of each month

“The time change is to accommodated my scheduled,” Sawyer said. “I have a congregation here in Brandon. I will take a little break after the service and then it will take me an hour to drive to Vicksburg.”

Sawyer said he thought the time change could be beneficial for the local congregation.

“They could stay after for bible study, have potluck dinners and invite the public. This could be a real positive,” he said.

Sawyer grew up in Florida he said, and received his Masters of Divinity from Concordia Lutheran Seminary, in St. Louis.

In the future, Sawyer said he is hoping to offer classes at the church, which will focus on the history of the Lutheran church and other denominations since the time of the reformation.

“While the church is going through this adjustment phase the congregation is still planning on reaching out to the community,” Sawyer said.

The Lutheran Church of the Messiah holds an annual GermanFest each year in the fall. Last year, was the church’s 26th annual event. Bratwursts from Milwaukee are served along with and a whole host of German fair including specialty desserts.

For more information about Lutheran Church of the Messiah, call 601-636-1894.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

email author More by Terri Cowart