The Annual Women’s Salad Supper and program is scheduled for Wednesday, June 5, at 6:30 p.m.
See the flier above for details and program information.
The women and friends have been working on setting up and decorating the Fellowship Hall for this special, annual event.
Click this link to visit the main newsletter page.
We have updated the MLLC Newsletter Archive page. We have the most recent newsletter, the May 2024 edition, on this page.
This edition provides information about Vacation Bible School, as well as other updates about ministry opportunities available through MLLC in Carmine. Look also for our monthly calendar of events, server schedules, and the like.
The Archive goes back a number of years with copies of our monthly newsletters. Please feel free to look over these to see what we have done and how we have celebrated God’s goodness together.
Click this link to go to our Newsletter Archive Page.
The main page for all updates is located at this link: Click Link
You are invited to participate in this continued ministry of MLLC. Each year for several years the Men in Mission of MLLC have organized the caring work of Christmas Boxes for Port of Houston Seafarers. 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 8,569.
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 12:00 noon. The work will take place in the Parlor, near the church offices. All are invited to participate.
For this year (2024), 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 12 noon of 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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Please provide new items. Consider how to love your neighbor in how you choose and give items.
Address books
Band-aids (fabric)
Small Bible and/or devotional materials
2025 pocket Calendars
Cold weather caps/Balaclavas
Comb
Dental Floss
Antiperspirant/deodorant
Disposable razors
Earbuds/headphones – wireless
First Aid Kit – mini
Flashlight (small) and appropriate batteries
Gloves, light weight for work (Sizes M, L, and XL)
Gold Bond cream
Gold Bond powder
Gum and hard candy
Hot Chocolate (individual serving size)
Key chains
Kleenex – small packs
Lip balm
Lotion
Nail clippers/Nail grooming kit
Nescafe instant coffee
Needles and thread/sewing kits
Notebooks – pocket sized
Mechanical pencils
Pens, ball point
Playing cards
Popcorn – microwave individual packs
Q-tips
Shaving cream
Shampoo/Conditioner/Body Wash – 3-in-1
Snacks – non-perishable
Socks
Stress Ball/Mini games
Sudoku and word search books
Texas souvenirs
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
T-shirts (new) sizes M, L, and XL
Tumblers (insulated)
USB flash drives
Multi-vitamins/Fish oil pills
Whistle, small
Word search books
Sunday, April 7, 2024, is our Potluck Meal and Education Wing Cleanup Day.
After our 10 a.m. worship service we will gather for a meal and some work together. Even if you are less able or unable to work on the clean up, please participate in the fellowship meal. There are already several delicious items planned for sharing with the congregation.
We will be cleaning out the Sunday School rooms of what is left from the MLLC Day Care/School. There will also be We will begin right after worship and invite all members that are able to help to do so. Afterwards, we are planning to have a potluck meal. Please plan to join us and bring your favorite dish, salad or dessert to share. We hope to see you at the clean up!
March 28, 2024
5:45 p.m. at Waldeck Evangelical Lutheran Church, 6915 Waldeck Church Lane, Ledbetter, TX 78946, about 6.5 miles south of Ledbetter.
7:30 p.m. at Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Carmine MLLC
The Maundy Thursday service is one of endings and beginnings. What was begun on Ash Wednesday is brought to a close here today. What begins today does not end until the resurrection of Easter. It is the ancient Triduum, “The Three Sacred Days,” which lead us to Easter: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.
The theme is love, our Savior’s love for us, expressed in the washing of the disciples’ feet, in giving himself in bread and wine, and in dying upon the cross. An invitation to confession is given. The focus is on forgiveness. On Ash Wednesday, we began Lent with a major act of confession and ashes, but we did not receive forgiveness in the absolution. That forgiveness comes now, “in the name and by the command of our Lord,” at the service celebrating Christ’s love. The peace is shared after absolution and seals that forgiveness in a loving embrace, as if embraced by Christ himself.
The lessons of love are read. A new command derives from it: “Love one another.” A new command derives from it: “Love one another.” The name, “Maundy,” comes from the first word of the Latin form of John 13:34: “mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos ut et vos diligatis invicem,” (“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”). At Martin Luther in Carmine we will offer the washing of feet (and hands, for those who prefer it) as part of worship on this holy day.
The prayers are said. The table is made ready. The time of the Lord’s Supper arrives, and our Lord is revealed in bread and wine as once he, “revealed himself to his disciples.” It is a solemn moment, but we cannot linger here. Nor could the Lord. His betrayal was imminent.
Before we know it, the markings of betrayal are seen before us. The symbol of Christ in our midst, the altar, is stripped bare. Christ is stripped of his power and glory. Good Friday is inescapable. The powers of darkness work upon him.
In silence, we depart without benediction. The Three Sacred Days continue with the Good Friday service. This will be held at 7 p.m. at Martin Luther in Carmine.
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Worship at MLLC at 7:00 p.m. – a joint event for both churches (Waldeck and MLLC)
We will be remembering the Suffering and Death of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Reading of the St. John Passion account. The Seven Last Words of Christ.
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Worship at MLLC at 7:00 p.m. – a joint event for both churches (Waldeck and MLLC)
Service of Light, Sharing Old Testament Stories, Remembrance of Baptism, First Holy Communion in celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the first of our three worship services celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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6:45 a.m. – Sunrise Service at Carmine Cemetery – a joint event for both churches (Waldeck and MLLC)
Bring a lawn or folding chair for seating at the cemetery. A shorter service, no communion.
9:30 a.m. – Easter Reception in Parlor/Narthex
10:00 a.m. – Festival Worship Service with Holy Communion
After worship – Easter Egg Hunt for the children
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For those who are interested, the schedule for Easter Sunday for our partner church in Waldeck:
Festival Worship at 8:00 a.m. in the outdoor pavilion.
Easter Breakfast at 9:00 a.m. in the Annex
Easter Egg Hunt at about 9:15/9:30 a.m. Listen for announcements of the time.
Here are the various events and worship services for our annual celebration of Holy Week.
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Worship on Saturday at Carmine at 6:00 p.m.
Worship on Sunday at Waldeck at 8:00 a.m. – includes the procession of Palms with the whole congregation.
Worship on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. – includes the Procession of Palms led by the children of the church.
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Click this link for an introduction to Maundy Thursday.
Remembering the Last Supper.
Holy Communion at both churches.
Foot and Hand Washing in Carmine.
First Holy Communion Youth at Carmine
Worship at Waldeck: 5:45 p.m.
Worship at Carmine: 7:30 p.m.
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Remembering the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
Reading of the Passion Account from John.
Worship at Carmine: 7:00 p.m.
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The most ancient special service of the Church. Service of Light. Sharing of Old Testament Stories. Remembrance of Baptism. Initial Holy Communion of the Resurrection Day.
Worship at Carmine at 7:00 p.m. (note that we will not have worship at 6 p.m. that night)
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Sunrise Service at the Carmine Cemetery: 6:45 a.m. Bring a lawn chair or folding chair for seating on the cemetery lawn.
Easter Reception in Parlor at Carmine: 9:30 – 10:00 a.m. Enjoy the fellowship and some delicious food together.
Festival Service with Holy Communion at Carmine: 10:00 a.m.
Egg Hunt to follow worship.
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Festival Service at Waldeck with Holy Communion: 8:00 a.m.
Pot-luck Easter Breakfast after worship ~9:00 a.m.
Egg Hunt to follow worship.
Ash Wednesday services will be at both MLLC and Waldeck Evangelical Lutheran Church. You are invited to choose which one best suits your situation. Both services will offer Holy Communion and the Imposition of Ashes as we begin our Lenten Season.
See the end of this article for more about the ashes of Ash Wednesday.
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Worship at MLLC at 7:30 p.m.
Worship at Waldeck Lutheran Church at 5:45 p.m.
Waldeck Evangelical Lutheran Church is in a shared ministry with MLLC. The Church is located at 6915 Waldeck Church Lane, Ledbetter, TX 78946 – this is about 6.5 miles south of Ledbetter at the corner of FM 2145 and FM 1291. Click here for a map for the church in Waldeck.
The Exhortation on Ash Wednesday invites us into the season of Lent. Here is that Exhortation as presented in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW) – the book used at Martin Luther Lutheran Church:
Friends in Christ, today with the whole church we enter the time of remembering Jesus’ passover from death to life, and our life in Christ is renewed.
We begin this holy season by acknowledging our need for repentance and for God’s mercy. We are created to experience joy in communion with God, to love one another, and to live in harmony with creation. But our sinful rebellion separates us from God, our neighbors, and creation, so that we do not enjoy the life our creator intended.
As disciples of Jesus, we are called to a discipline that contends against evil and resists whatever leads us away from love of God and neighbor. I invite you, therefore, to the discipline of Lent—
self-examination and repentance, prayer and fasting, sacrificial giving and works of love—strengthened by the gifts of word and sacrament.
Let us continue our journey through these forty days to the great Three Days of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
We are very blessed by the opportunity to work side by side with the people of Waldeck Evangelical Lutheran Church. Together we are glorifying God, loving our neighbors, and loving one another.
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On Ash Wednesday, the community of faith comes face to face with two realities. First, we confront our own mortality. None of us lives in this life forever. Secondly, all of us are sinners and need to confess our sin to God. These two themes (death and sin) are brought together in light of God’s redeeming love in Jesus Christ. As the Apostle John says in 1 John 1:9b, “…(God) who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The confession of sin on Sundays reminds us, “In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us all our sins.” The Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) confession also included, “To those who believe in Jesus Christ he gives the power to become the children of God and bestows on them the Holy Spirit.”
The “ashes” of Ash Wednesday are rooted in the ancient worship of both the Jewish and Christian communities. They are a sign of mortality and penance. Even though we have used the imposition of ashes in our Ash Wednesday worship for many years, they still may seem new or uncomfortable to some of us. What we should remember about the ashes is they are a visible sign of our cleansing and rebirth, both a recognition of our daily dependence on God for life and a promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
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The ashes are not compulsory by any means. You may choose, if you wish, to remain in your seat during the imposition of ashes. But remember that they are a powerful and visible way to participate in the call to repentance and reconciliation. If you choose to participate, come forward at the appropriate time in the liturgy with others desiring the ashes. The pastor will dip his thumb in the ashes and trace the sign of the cross on your forehead. Afterwards, return to your seat and the liturgy will continue.
Ash Wednesday Questions adapted from the work of Pastor Thomas Weitzel. He served at a neighboring church to Pastor David Tinker when they were both serving congregations in western Indiana.
Just a friendly reminder…
This Sunday, January 14, 2024, is the regularly scheduled congregational meeting of Martin Luther Lutheran Church of Carmine, Texas. Worship is at 10 a.m. The meeting will follow at approximately 11 a.m.
Voting members – confirmed members of MLLC who have been active (this means: the individual has received communion of record at MLLC and given a donation of record to MLLC) in 2023 and/or 2024 – are asked to participate.
At this meeting there are several normal items of business for the voting members to address. Among this are:
2024 Budget
Church Council and other elected positions
Shared Ministry Contract with Waldeck Evangelical Lutheran Church – they will be voting on this same contact on the same day.
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Additionally, we will be receive the reports of the various ministry areas and groups of the congregation.
You are encouraged to be in prayer for faithful discernment and Holy Spirit led action as we move into the new year together.
On Saturday and Sunday, February 10 and 11, 2024, we will have a special opportunity to view products and creations in olive wood created by the hands of Christian artisans in and around the Holy Land region. The Rishmawi Family has been designated as the representative for these wonderful Christian artisans and has been authorized to show their olive wood carvings.
These items will be displayed on tables in the parlor (the room near the Sanctuary and the church offices). The items will be available both before and after our regular worship services. These are on Saturday, February 10, at 6:00 p.m., and on Sunday, February 11, at 10:00 a.m.
Most, if not all, of the items on display will also be available for purchase. The sale of these items supports the Christian families and their ongoing witness to the Gospel in the land of Jesus’ birth and ministry.
We have welcomed our Christian brothers and sisters from the Holy Land to MLLC over the years for we are united in our faith in the saving work of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Body of Christ stands together in faith, hope, and love.
The tradition of Olive wood carvings in the Holy Land has been handed down from father to son since the 12th century. Due to the difficulties the last few years in the Middle East, tourism has been dramatically reduced and these folks have suffered greatly. This is causing the Christian community to immigrate to different countries leaving the Christian population at 2% today from 25% fifteen years ago.
We invite you to visit their display tables and view some of the finest handcrafts available from the Holy Land. This Family strives to bring these fine carvings to our church.
You can view these beautiful items On-Line @ http://www.bethlehem-art.com/
“We call on our churches worldwide to recognize that the very presence of the Christian communities in the Holy Land is threatened by the severity of the present conflict and by the economic devastation the conflict has caused. When the Mother Church is endangered, the entire Churches must be involved “ – The Christian Bishops of Jerusalem
We grieve and we give thanks for the life and ministry of William T. “Sonny” Marth. He died on Friday, December 15, 2023, after a recent decline of his health.
The funeral will be at MLLC on Monday, December 18, at 10 a.m. Burial will be at the Carmine City Cemetery following the service. A memorial luncheon will be back at the church following the committal service. All are welcome at all events.
Information about memorial contributions is on this page after the obituary. Please consider supporting this organization with monetary gifts in memory of Sonny.
THE OBITUARY
William “Sonny” T. Marth Sr.
January 6, 1934 — December 15, 2023
William “Sonny” T. Marth, Sr., 89, of Carmine, Tx passed away on December 15, 2023. Visitation will be from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Sunday, December 17th at Memorial Oaks Chapel. A Funeral Service will be held at 10:00 on Monday, December 18th at Martin Luther Lutheran Church of Carmine with burial following at the Carmine City Cemetery.
Sonny was born on January 6, 1934, in Carmine, TX to Reinhard and Anita Oberrender Marth. He was baptized on April 29, 1934, and confirmed on March 21, 1948, both at Martin Luther Lutheran Church of Carmine, Texas. His confirmation Bible Verse was John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”” Sonny was united in marriage on March 8, 1958, to Dorothy Siegmund by Pastor George Reck and they were married for 65 years.
He was a member of Martin Luther Lutheran Church and the Carmine Volunteer Fire Department. At Martin Luther Lutheran Church he served on the most recent Pastoral Call Committee in 2011-2012, and in various other areas of ministry.
William was most notably a caregiver much of his life. Starting after a brief stent in the Army, he was released early to come home to help take care of his younger siblings when his father died.
He loved his wife Dorothy beyond measure and took very good care of her throughout their 65+ year marriage.
His career was as a well-respected machinist in Houston, working for Cameron Iron Works. He also ran his own business as a machinist.
Sonny enjoyed learning. He especially enjoyed learning about cooking and gardening as evidenced by his many books and magazine subscriptions about them. He acquired a love of cooking at an early age. He was always looking for ways to improve his garden and shared his knowledge with others. As a Master Gardener (Fayette County), he enjoyed helping Round Top-Carmine elementary children and various children at the Round Top Family Library learn about gardening. He loved canning and preserving the fruits of his labor, which he shared with family and friends. Sonny absolutely loved to cook and was not afraid to try new recipes!
Sonny cared deeply about people and dedicated many hours to Carmine Cemetery Association, Carmine Lions Club, Carmine Hall, and serving on Carmine City Council. He gave so much of his time to helping others through these organizations and various fundraisers. He will truly be missed.
He was preceded in death by his parents; daughter, Deborah Marth; sister, Ruth “Tootsie” Schneider; brothers, Reinhard John “R.J.” Marth and Ralph Wayne “Butch” Marth.
He is survived by his wife, Dorothy Marth; son and daughter-in-law, William “Billy” and Susan Marth of Waxahachie; sister, Jo Ella Littlejohn of Brenham.
Memorial gifts are encouraged for:
Martin Luther Lutheran Church of Carmine
P O Box 362
Carmine TX 78932-0362
Online Giving
or a charity of one’s choice.
Martin Luther Lutheran Church 