Farewell Event for Pastor David Tinker

Farewell Dinner – February 9

Pastor David Tinker farewell Sunday will be on February 9.  Worship at 10:00 a.m. as usual.

You are invited to gather with the people of Martin Luther Lutheran Church on Sunday, February 9, for a time of thanksgiving and godspeed. Pastor David Tinker and his family, Jennifer, Miles, and James, will be with us on his final Sunday among us.

At worship there will be a time of prayerful end to our ministry together.

After worship there will be a dine in only, catered, fellowship meal. Please RSVP to the church office by Friday, January 31st. Contact the office staff in person, as you are able. You may also call: 979-278- 3388. Please leave a message if no one is able to answer when you call. You may also send an email to: mluther@industryinet.com to share the same information.

Pastor David Tinker Accepts New Call

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Pastor Tinker Accepts New Call

Below is the letter which was sent to both MLLC and Waldeck regarding the pastoral transition for our two churches.  Pastor David Tinker has accepted the pastoral call to serve a congregation in another ELCA synod.  He has given notice that his call at MLLC and contract at Waldeck will end on February 28, including some vacation time at the end of the month for time to move.

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Pastor David Tinker’s final Sunday among the people of the two churches will be February 9.

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Palm Sunday 2015 Pastor Procession 2

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Here is the letter as sent to the two congregations:

Martin Luther Lutheran Church     Waldeck Evangelical Lutheran Church

211 Luther Lane; P O Box 362         6915 Waldeck Church Ln

Carmine, TX 78932-0362                 Ledbetter, TX 78946

January 7, 2025

Dear Friends in Christ,

I write to inform you that I have accepted the call to serve as pastor of Christ Lutheran Church of Elm Creek, Seguin, Texas. My final Sunday at worship will be February 9, 2025. I look forward to seeing you during this final month before I complete my time among you.

During these many years together, you have welcomed me into your lives in numerous joyful, difficult, important, and/or sacred moments. These holy times, such as funerals, illnesses, emergencies, hospitalizations, baptisms, weddings, worship services, Bible studies, and more, have served to help all of us draw closer to Christ. Additionally, these have provided opportunities to build connections between you and me.  I am humbled and honored to have been welcomed into these various moments of your faith and life.

I am ever thankful for your prayers, words of encouragement, reverent feedback, and steadfast partnership in the Gospel over our years together.  It means the world to me, and to any pastor, when the people of the congregation show up for worship on the weekend, volunteer for ministries and outreach, welcome visitors, show heartfelt love for one another, serve neighbors in need, and more as they live out their faith.

I give thanks for our life together, and I pray for you, the people of Martin Luther and Waldeck, in your discernment of pastoral needs for the future.

Yours, in Christ’s Service,

Pastor David Tinker

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Thanksgiving Eve Worship 2024

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Let us Give Thanks to the Lord

Thanksgiving Eve Worship Service – November 27 – 7 p.m.

You are invited to attend the annual Thanksgiving Eve service this Wednesday, November 27, 2024.  The service will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the building of our partner church, Waldeck Evangelical Lutheran Church.  That church is located at 6915 Waldeck Church Lane.  This is at the intersection of FM 2145 and FM 1291, just 6.5 miles south of Ledbetter.

Again this year is that we have invited the other two churches from the Crossroads Shared Lutheran Ministries to worship with us.  The people of St. Paul Lutheran in Shelby and Bethlehem Lutheran in Round Top will join with us for this special time of giving thanks.  Of course, all from the community are invited to participate, even if they are not members of any of these four churches.

Even with the busy schedule of the holiday, it is good to take a notable pause to gather for worship, to pray, to thank Lord, to show our thanks in the Holy Communion, and more.  So, just before the big day, our national day of Thanksgiving, take time to gather with one another to thank the Lord and sing his praise.

Thanksgiving Thanks Banner

Seafarers Boxes 2024 – New Time for Packing

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Christmas Boxes for Port of Houston Seafarers 2024

New Time: 9:00 a.m. on Monday, November 25, 2024

You are invited to participate in this continued ministry of MLLC.  The Men in Mission of MLLC initiated the caring work of Christmas Boxes for Port of Houston Seafarers. This is a congregational project this year. We have heard that the Seafarers Christmas Boxes are needed more now than ever. The total number of boxes given by all organizations for Christmas 2023 was 8,659.

Our love for these neighbors will help them to know the love of God and to make life less difficult for them.  We will be collecting items and preparing the Christmas Boxes for the Port of Houston Seafarers.  The goal for this year is 100+ boxes.

The Packing Day for the Boxes for Seafarers is Monday, November 25, 2024, at 9:00 a.m.  The work will take place in the Parlor, near the church offices.  All are invited to participate.

 

For this year, please gather items such as these for the men on the ships – you can buy things throughout the spring, summer, and fall drop these off at any time up until 9 a.m. on November 25, 2024.  There is a large blue storage bin for this purpose in the room directly across from the church office.

If you have any questions, please contact Pastor David Tinker

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The Port of Houston Chaplains note this about the list:  Full-sized items are preferred over small travel size.  Please no liquid soap, bar soaps or bottled water.

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Here is the 2024 list of requested items:

Please provide new items.  Consider how to love your neighbor in how you choose and give items.

Band-aids (fabric)

Body Wash/Soap

Dental Floss
Antiperspirant/deodorant
Disposable razors

Gold Bond cream
Gold Bond powder

Hairbrush or comb

Hand wipes

Lip balm
Lotion
Nail clippers/Nail grooming kit

Q-tips
Shaving cream

Shampoo/Conditioner/Body Wash – 3-in-1

Toothbrush/Toothpaste

Baseball caps (new)

Chewing Gum/Hard candy

Earbuds/headphones

Flashlights with batteries

Handkerchiefs

Key chains

Magnets

Mechanical pencils/pens

Needle and thread/sewing kit

Non-perishable snacks

Playing cards

Pocket sized notebooks

Pocket calendars 2025

Socks (new)

Texas Souvenirs

T-shirts (new) sizes M, L, and XL

Word search books/Sudoku books

Raffle Results 2024

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Harvest Festival Raffle Winners 2024

Here are the results of the raffle drawing.  All winners have been contacted about their prizes.

Thank you to all who donated prizes and money for prizes for this year’s raffle.  Also, thank you to all who purchased tickets to support MLLC.  It was delightfully successful. 

The drawing took place at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 20, at the Carmine Hall.  See the photo above of church council members and volunteers managing the drawing.

HARVEST FEST RAFFLE 2024 Winners

  1. John Deere Zero Turn Lawnmower – Robert Baker
  2. John Deere Air Compressor – Dinah Sultanik
  3. 4 Tickets to Texans Football Game – JoLynn Schoenberg
  4. Ingersol Rand Compressor – Susie Markwardt
  5. $300 gift Card – Kevin Stueber
  6. $300 Visa Gift Card – Marc Chapman
  7. $300 Visa Gift Card – Ida Guelker
  8. $300 Visa Gift Card – Clayton Mayer
  9. $200 Visa Gift Card – Gwened Woelfel
  10. $200 Visa Gift Card – Arnold Marcado
  11. $200 Carmine State Bank Visa Gift Card – Betty Porter
  12. $200 Visa Gift Card – Earl Steinbach
  13. ECO Power Cordless Leaf Blower – David Noak
  14. Ego 15” Powerhead Trimmer w/Battery – Maxine Wunderlich
  15. Stihl Garden Preuner – Angelia Neely
  16. $150 Gift Card – Gwened Woelfel
  17. $150 Gift Card – Zachary Weigelt
  18. $150 Gift Card Julie Wantland
  19. $150 Gift Certificate – Abby Majewski
  20. $100 Royer’s Gift Certificate – Dianna Gerland
  21. $100 Visa Gift Card Misty Miertschin
  22. $100 Visa Gift Card – Willie Ashenbeck
  23. $100 Visa Gift Card – Brad Eilers
  24. $100 Walmart Gift Card –Dianna Gerland
  25. $100 Walmart Gift Card – Jeff Gau
  26. $100 Walmart Gift Card – Don Townsend
  27. $100 Round Top Mercantile Gift Card – Susan Ray
  28. $100 Round Top State Bank Visa Gift Card – Kim Sternadel
  29. $100 Gift Certificate – Sylvia Meinen
  30. $100 Visa Gift Card – Joseph Wallace
  31. $100 Visa Gift Card – Pastor David Tinker
  32. $100 HEB Gift Card – Linda Rodriquez
  33. $100 Walmart Gift Card – Lindy Krause
  34. $100 Gift Certificate – Oscar Voelkel
  35. John Deere Tool Box, Prime Guard Booster Cables – Roger Schulte
  36. $50 Gift Certificate, 2 Containers of GuardDog Exterior Wood Screws – Caban Warmke
  37. Gift Certificate for 15 pounds of Sausage, $50 Gift Certificate – Charlet Neidig
  38. $50 Cash – Carmine Country Store; $50 JW Gift Card Gentry Cooper, Jr.
  39. $100 Gift Certificate – Billy Lorenz
  40. $100 Gift Card – Brenda Miller
  41. $100 worth of Car Washes – Jax Ingram
  42. $100 Gift Card to Brenham Quality Meat – Larry Winkelmann
  43. $100 Gift Card – Marilyn Wagner
  44. #100 Gift Certificate – Thelma Hinze
  45. $50 Gift Certificate – Amy Dooley

Here is the list of the donated items for the raffle.  

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Turkey and Dressing Dinner 2024

Turkey 2024

Annual Turkey and Dressing Dinner

is Coming Soon

You are invited to participate in the Turkey and Dressing Dinner on Sunday, November 10.  This is sponsored by the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (WELCA) of MLLC.  This year the meal will be served to go only by drive through.  The drive through will be set up in the parking lot across the street from the church and near the Mission and Ministry Building, located at 250 Augsburg Ave, Carmine, TX 78932.  This is to the west of the main church building.

Tickets are sold in advance only and cost $15/each.  See flier above for full details on buying tickets.

This fund raiser supports the general work of the Women of the ELCA through MLLC and beyond.

On this same day will be the annual WELCA Thankoffering Service.  Worship at 10 a.m.  This is a service led by the women of MLLC.  The devotion will be led by our special guest speaker, Denna Hardin.   All are welcome.

Reformation Sunday at Lutherhill 2024

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Worship on Reformation Sunday

Special Worship Schedule and Location – October 27

No Service at Waldeck on October 27 – Worship at Lutherhill instead.

We will have worship on Sunday, October 27, but it will not be at MLLC. Instead, worship will be held at our local Lutheran Church camp, Lutherhill.  We will gather for worship at 9:30 a.m. in the Carby Chapel on the ground of the camp.  The photo above shows the Carby Chapel from the road and parking lot viewpoint.

The camp is located at:

3782 Luther Hill Road

La Grange, Texas 78945

The entrance to Lutherhill is on FM 2145, about 5 miles south of the Waldeck Church.

After Worship – kids time

Sunday School for children, led by Lutherhill staff

We look to have a strong showing from the people of Waldeck Evangelical Lutheran Church, and all the Crossroads churches, for this special event.

Remember, we will not have a Sunday morning worship service on October 27, at Waldeck (or any of the Crossroads Shared Lutheran Ministry congregations).

Saturday Evening Worship Service – October 26

At MLLC we will offer their usual, Saturday evening service on October 26, at 6 p.m.  –  All are welcome.

Reformation Sunday

The Crossroads Shared Ministry Committee chose this date for our shared worship service due to it being a special day for Lutheran Christians.  October 31, 1517, was when Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses on the Castle Church Door in Wittenberg, Germany. See this web page for more about the 95 Theses:  https://mllccarmine.com/martin-luthers-95-theses/ 

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Regarding your offerings:

The offering at the 4 Church service may be given as follows –

  1. By your regular offering envelope from your respective church.
  2. Cash or check – Checks pay to your chosen church

The offering will then be separated by tellers –

  1. Envelopes will go to each respective church
  2. Checks (without envelopes) will go to the Church shown as the payee
  3. All cash will be counted and given to the Lutherhill Ministries to support their facilities expansion.
  4. There will also be a separate basket at the back of the church for separate & special donations toward Lutherhill’s capital campaign that has been underway for funding the construction of a new dining hall and retreat facilities near Carby Chapel.

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Getting to Lutherhill

We encourage you to bring folks who may be uncomfortable traveling to the camp on their own, or who would need a ride.  This will be a wonderful event for all ages.

Lutherhill is located just north of La Grange at 3782 Lutherhill Rd, La Grange, TX 78945. Once you enter the main camp entrance, you will be heading east.  Follow the long gravel road until you see the signs for Carby Chapel.  This will lead you to follow a road to the left/north, which leads to the chapel.  This part of the camp is depicted on the map noted right below on this page.

Carby Chapel is in the north central part of the camp.

Here is a close up of the portion of a map with Carby Chapel and nearby parking.

This is a once a year special event in which we gather with our group of 4 Crossroads Shared Lutheran Ministry partner churches for a time of worship and learning.

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The four Crossroads Shared Lutheran Ministry congregations are:

St. Paul Lutheran in Shelby (Fayetteville)

Bethlehem Lutheran in Round Top

Waldeck Evangelical Lutheran in Ledbetter

Martin Luther Lutheran in Carmine

Raffle Tickets 2024 Harvest Festival

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Tickets Still Available

The Harvest Festival and Homecoming celebration is on Sunday, October 20, 2024.

Worship at 9:30 a.m., including confirmation class recognitions for years ending with 4 or 9.

Meal serving 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – some tickets may still be available at the door.

Raffle Drawing begins at 12:30 p.m.

See this link for details about this annual event.

You can still buy raffle tickets for our 2024 Harvest Festival and Homecoming.  This is our biggest raffle ever.  We have 44 prizes ranging in value from $100 to over $3,000.

You can buy the tickets at the church office, which is open Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. You can call the church office at 979-278-3388 to arrange for purchase of the tickets.

Tickets will also be available at the Carmine Hall during the Harvest Festival and Homecoming, up until the drawing at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 20.

Special Events – August 17 & 18

Blessing of Backpacks The weekend of August 17-18 offers a combined special event for our congregation. We will offer our annual Lutherhill Sunday and our annual blessing of students and their backpacks. Both will be offered at our regular Saturday 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. services. . .

Special Reception

On Sunday morning, August 18, we will offer a reception both before and after our 10 a.m. worship Service.

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Lutherhill Sunday

We will welcome our longtime friend, Matt Kindsvatter, Executive Director of Lutherhill Ministries.  For most the past decade he has joined us in August to share about Lutherhill and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with us.  We are thankful for our partnership with this area ministry.  Our cooperative work with our Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a major part of our support and direction of this camping and retreat outdoor ministry. Pictured is Matt Kindsvatter at a Lutherhill Sunday some years ago. Lutherhill Sunday 2015 Matt Lutherhill Staff to Lead Sunday School Class There will also be a special Sunday school class at 9 a.m. led by some of our staff friends from Lutherhill.  Get your children, grandchildren, and younger friends together for a fun time of learning, prayer, and play.  This will be held in the Fellowship Hall.  Remember, Sunday school is offered at 9:00 a.m. each Sunday. Blessing of Backpacks Blessing of Students and their Backpacks At each of these services we will pray for students of all ages and situations. It is not required that the students bring a backpack, but, if the student has one, he or she is encouraged to bring it. This is an opportunity for students to be involved in their faith every day of the week. We connect their school life with how these students grow and learn as an extension of their connection with Jesus. We involve students of a wide variety of situations. Over the years we have involved students in preschool through various types of graduate school. We have involved students who are enrolled in public schools, private schools, and home school programs. We have involved students who are quite young through those well into their adult years. The important and joyful thing is that our students are present with us and God. We are also showing that we support them in their growing and learning.

Lutherhill – Blessing of Backpacks

Lutherhill-Logo

The weekend of August 17-18 offers a combined special event for our congregation. We will offer our annual Lutherhill Sunday and our annual blessing of students and their backpacks. Both will be offered at our regular Saturday 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. services.

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Lutherhill Sunday
We will welcome our longtime friend, Matt Kindsvatter, Executive Director of Lutherhill Ministries.  For most the past decade he has joined us in August to share about Lutherhill and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with us.  We are thankful for our partnership with this area ministry.  Our cooperative work with our Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a major part of our support and direction of this camping and retreat outdoor ministry.

Pictured is Matt Kindsvatter at a Lutherhill Sunday some years ago.
Lutherhill Sunday 2015 Matt

Lutherhill Staff to Lead Sunday School Class
There will also be a special Sunday school class led by some of our staff friends from Lutherhill.  Get your children, grandchildren, and younger friends together for a fun time of learning, prayer, and play.  Sunday school is offered at 9:00 a.m. each Sunday.


Blessing of Backpacks
Blessing of Students and their Backpacks
At each of these services we will pray for students of all ages and situations. It is not required that the students bring a backpack, but, if the student has one, he or she is encouraged to bring it. This is an opportunity for students to be involved in their faith every day of the week. We connect their school life with how these students grow and learn as an extension of their connection with Jesus. We involve students of a wide variety of situations. Over the years we have involved students in preschool through various types of graduate school. We have involved students who are enrolled in public schools, private schools, and home school programs. We have involved students who are quite young through those well into their adult years. The important and joyful thing is that our students are present with us and God. We are also showing that we support them in their growing and learning.