Lutherhill Sunday – August 13

Posted by mllccarmine in Announcements, Youth and tagged with camping, children, Lutherhill, Lutherhill ministries, LYO, youth August 8, 2017

We are very excited about Lutherhill Sunday 2017. We have enjoyed having staff from Lutherhill visiting at MLLC during this time of year for a number of years now. We invite you to be part of this special Sunday of learning, fun, fellowship, music, and a joyful message.

Lutherhill Ministries is the camping and retreat ministry in our Synod. Lutherhill offers programming through Lutherhill Camp in La Grange, TX, the Zion Retreat Center in Galveston, TX, and through destination day camp programs in various congregations in Texas and Louisiana.

Here is the plan for this special Sunday:

9:00 a.m. Sunday School hour – Lutherhill staff will lead singing and learning with the children. They will also work with the children to prepare and present a skit at worship later that morning. Bring your student to the fellowship hall so he or she can participate in this special time together.

10:00 a.m. Worship with Lutherhill staff leading music with Camp Style songs. Lutherhill Ministries Executive Director, Matt Kindsvatter, will be our preacher at worship. He always brings an uplifting and joyful message. Matt will also present information and updates about Lutherhill Ministries.

Here is Matt at a previous Lutherhill Sunday at MLLC. We are very thankful to have such an amazing camping ministry right in our county.

Lutherhill Sunday 2015 Matt

Theme Verse for Lutherhill 2017

“Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.”Romans 5: 1-2

What does this mean?

Guided by Romans 5, Martin Luther reimagined what living as followers of Christ meant. Luther sought to reform the practices of the church so that the Christians might rejoice more fully in the grace-filled love of God.

In celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, we will explore how we are called to continually Reform, Reimagine, and Rejoice!

Summer Camp Graphic

Bernice Pratt Funeral Information

Posted by Pastor David Tinker in Obituary and tagged with Carmine, death, Fayette County, funeral, obit, obituary June 10, 2017

Bernice Pratt for Web Site

Remembering Bernice Pratt

We give thanks for the life and ministry of Bernice Pratt. For more than a year Bernice had been the oldest member of MLLC. She celebrated her 94th birthday with her church family on Mothers Day Weekend – May 14, 2017. The photo above was taken on that day.

Visitation at Memorial Oaks Chapel in Brenham – Tuesday, June 13 – 5:30 -7:30 p.m.

Funeral at MLLC on Wednesday, June 14 – 10:00 a.m., with a meal to follow.

More will be posted here as information becomes available.

Please remember to keep her family in your prayers.

City of Carmine Egg Hunt – April 15

Posted by Pastor David Tinker in Announcements April 14, 2017

Carmine Egg Hunt image

The City of Carmine organizations are working together to offer an egg hunt for children on Saturday, April 15. We at MLLC are thankful for the opportunity to serve our community alongside other caring people in Carmine.

The Egg Hunt will be held at the park in the middle of town on Saturday, April 15 at 10:30 a.m. Here is the flier for the event with all the details – click this link.

Vigil of Easter – April 15

Posted by mllccarmine in Announcements and tagged with Baptism, Holy Communion, Lutheran, Three Holy Days, Triduum, Vigil of Easter April 12, 2017

EasterVigilCandles

The Great Vigil of Easter

Saturday, April 15, 7 p.m.

Click this link to view a blog post from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) regarding this service and its connections with Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

Click this link to view a blog post by our own Jennifer Clark Tinker which tells about her experience and joy related to attending the Great Vigil of Easter each year.

An Introduction to the Vigil of Easter

Like the children of Israel who watched and waited through the night for the Lord of the Exodus, we too come together this night to watch and wait for the Lord of the Resurrection. We come, as Christians have come since the first century, to keep vigil and to prepare ourselves for the arrival of the Bridegroom who is chief host and guest at the Resurrection feast to come.

First, we must break the darkness of the night. Like the virgins in the parable, we must light our vigil lights. Our light will be a very special light, for it is the light of Christ which burns atop the Paschal candle and which dispels the darkness — of night, of sin, of death. Our light will be a constant reminder of the Resurrection victory during the coming season, at every baptism and at every funeral. But for now, it will burn in vigil as we await the Bridegroom.

When we have settled into our pews for the watch, we hear the storytellers among us sharing the stories of our faith — the stories of God’s salvation history and the covenants which he made with our people. These are our “family” stories. We listen. We sing. We watch. And we wait for the feast to come.

After hearing our stories, we make our last minute preparations to meet our Lord. All must be right for the feast. On some years those among us who have not yet joined us are brought into membership with us this night, making all who are here part of the Church family, known as the Bride of Christ. Each year, so that the whole family is prepared, each of us reaffirms our faith through the Apostles Creed. As we interact with the water and the Lord, we hear and we feel that grace which was given to us through our baptism.

We are nearly ready. The time is close. We prepare the room and set the table for the Feast of Victory, the First Holy Communion of this greatest festival day of all. And then at last He comes! The Resurrection victory is won! The Bridegroom has come through the darkness to claim his Bride, the Church, to be his own. This is the feast of victory! In the end flowers and banners must adorn the space, for our time this evening and tomorrow will be a feast to remember.

Our Celebrations of the Resurrection of Jesus

The Great Vigil of Easter – 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 15 – see the introduction below. Shared with Waldeck Lutheran Church.

Easter Sunrise – 6:45 a.m. on Sunday, April 16, at the Carmine Cemetery. Bring a lawn or folding chair for seating. Shared with Waldeck Lutheran Church.

Easter Festival – Sunday April 16. Opportunities at both MLLC and Waldeck

MLLC Schedule:

9:00 a.m. – Sunday School

10:00 a.m. – Festival Worship

~11:15 a.m. – Easter Egg Hunt

Waldeck Schedule:

8:00 a.m. – Festival Worship

~9:00 a.m. – Pot-luck Easter Breakfast – bring an item to share

9:30 a.m./After Breakfast – Easter Egg Hunt

Good Friday – April 14

Posted by mllccarmine in Announcements and tagged with cross, Good Friday, Holy Week, Jesus Crucified April 12, 2017

jesus-christ-crucifixion-395

We will gather together on Friday, April 14, at 7 p.m. at MLLC to remember the events of Good Friday. This is our annual remembrance of the dramatic sacrifice of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin.

Introduction to Good Friday

We begin our liturgy as we ended the Maundy Thursday Liturgy: in silence. What was begun then continues this day as we journey with our Savior from the Last Supper, the stripping and humiliation, to the cross and tomb. Good Friday is the second day of the Triduum, the “Three Sacred Days” of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday with its Vigil of Easter.

The Good Friday Liturgy is marked with austerity, silence and reflection. The chancel itself is bare from the Maundy Thursday “Stripping of the Altar”. There is no organ music except to accompany the hymns. Everything focuses on our adoration of the crucified Christ, reigning from the throne of the cross.

The service of Tenebrae is an ancient Holy Week devotion which began in the 7^th or 8^th century, or possibly earlier. The name “Tenebrae” means shadows. The service takes its name from the ceremony of extinguishing in succession all the lights in the sanctuary, casting it into total darkness which is symbolic of the disciples’ desertion of our Lord, and of his death and burial.

The purpose of the Tenebrae Service is to aid us in realizing the total impact of the darkest day in the history of the world, the day Jesus died on the cross.

The opening portion of the liturgy includes no praise. It proceeds directly to the Invocation and Prayer of the Day. It is a simplified version of our Sunday Liturgy of the Word. The chief acts are the reading of the Passion of St. John and the Bidding Prayer for the needs of our world.

Following the final hymn is a meditation on the Seven Last Words of our Lord which he spoke from the cross. After each word is read, there will be a prayer and silent meditation. Lights and one candle will be extinguished after each meditation until the sanctuary is in darkness.

After the lights are all extinguished, the congregation will stand as the Paschal Candle is carried from the sanctuary reminding us of the burial of Jesus. A loud noise, made by the closing of a Bible, will remind us of the closing of the tomb. This announces the fulfilling of the Scriptures and the completion of our Lord’s work on the cross for us.

The Paschal Candle (called the Christ Candle during Advent/Christmas) will not return until the beginning of the Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. On Good Friday we recognize that Jesus was fully dead and was placed in the borrowed tomb.

Note: The return of the Paschal Candle moments after the loud noise is a form of the Good Friday service designed to be used in those congregations which do not have the Great Vigil of Easter.

All will leave in silence to return tomorrow as we wait in vigil and then celebrate our Lord’s Resurrection at the Great Vigil of Easter. At the Vigil tomorrow evening we will have the first Holy Communion in celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Schedule for the rest of Holy Week:

Easter Vigil – Saturday – 7:00 p.m. – in sanctuary – a joint service for both MLLC and Waldeck.

Resurrection Sunday:

Resurrection Sunrise service at 6:45 a.m. at the Carmine Cemetery – a joint service for both MLLC and Waldeck

(Bring your own chairs for seating at the cemetery)

Waldeck Festival Service – 8:00 a.m., followed by a Pot-luck Easter Breakfast. Also and Easter Egg hunt will happen around 9:30 a.m.

MLLC Festival Service at 10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary

Egg hunt for the children. ~11:15 a.m.

Maundy Thursday – April 13

Posted by mllccarmine in Announcements, Youth and tagged with First Communion, First Holy Communion, Foot Washing April 12, 2017

CommunionBreadWine

Maundy Thursday is April 13

We will gather for the observance of Maundy Thursday on April 13, at 7:30 p.m. You are invited to this first of the Three Holy Days of Holy Week.

There will also be a Maundy Thursday Service at our Shared Ministry partner church – Waldeck Lutheran Church – at 5:45 p.m.

An Introduction to Maundy Thursday

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 Day of Resurrection. It is the ancient Triduum, “The Three Sacred Days,” which lead us to the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord: 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, 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 a strong statement of forgiveness in the absolution. That bold announcement of forgiveness comes now, “In the mercy of almighty God,” and “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” at the service celebrating Christ’s love.
The lessons of love are read. 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.”). This self-giving love is demonstrated in the washing of feet. 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, for 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 tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. We will also gather on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. for the Vigil of Easter.

First Holy Communion

At this special service there will be 7 young people who will be receiving their First Holy Communion. In preparation for this day they made the bread for use at the service on Maundy Thursday. Here is a photo of this year’s group.

First Communion Group 2017

Holy Week Schedule 2017

Posted by mllccarmine in Announcements and tagged with Easter Sunday, Great Vigil of Easter, Holy Week, Three Holy Days, Triduum April 4, 2017

Holy Week Schedule

We invite you to participate in the special worship and devotional opportunities for Holy Week 2017 at MLLC. Here is the schedule of events:

Palm Sunday – April 8 & 9

Worship on Saturday at 6:00 p.m., Sunday at 10:00 a.m.

Palm procession and entering into Holy Week. Holy Communion.

The Holy Triduum – the Three Holy Days: Thursday through Saturday

Maundy Thursday – April 13

Worship at MLLC at 7:30 p.m.

First Holy Communion, presentation of Bibles to First Communion Students, the washing of Feet – following the example of Jesus (we will also offer the washing of hands), Stripping of the Altar.

There will also be a Maundy Thursday Service at 5:45 p.m. at Waldeck Lutheran Church, our shared ministry partner. The Church is located at 6915 Waldeck Church Lane, Ledbetter, TX 78946 – this is about 6 miles south of Ledbetter at the corner of FM 2145 and FM 1291.

Good Friday – April 14

Worship at MLLC at 7:00 p.m. – a joint event with Waldeck Lutheran Church

Remembering the Suffering and Death of Jesus Christ our Lord. This will include the reading of the St. John Passion account from chapters 18 and 19. This is a shared even with Waldeck Lutheran Church.

The Great Vigil of Easter – Saturday, April 15

Worship at MLLC at 7:00 p.m. – a joint event with Waldeck Lutheran Church

Service of Light, Services of Readings, Remembrance of Baptism, First Holy Communion in celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Resurrection of Our Lord – Easter Sunday

April 16

6:45 a.m. – Sunrise Service at Carmine Cemetery – a joint event with Waldeck Lutheran Church

Bring a lawn or folding chair for seating

9:00 a.m. – Sunday School

10:00 a.m. – Festival Worship Service with Holy Communion

After worship – Easter Egg Hunt for the children

For those who are interested:

Waldeck Lutheran Church Easter Sunday Schedule:

8:00 a.m. – Festival Service with Holy Communion. This will be outside in the covered pavilion, as weather permits, or inside as needed.

After worship – Easter Breakfast. This will be a pot-luck meal, and you are invited to bring a food item to share.

Worship Time Changes April 2

Posted by mllccarmine in Announcements and tagged with change, new, new worship time, schedule March 29, 2017

1000 am worship time

New Worship Schedule for MLLC begins on Sunday, April 2.

Please make note of this new schedule.

Sunday School will continue to be at 9:00 a.m.

Sunday Worship will now be at 10:00 a.m.

Saturday worship services will continue as they have been:

2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month at 6:00 p.m.

This change follows a congregational vote on Sunday, March 5. At that meeting the congregation voted to continue the shared ministry with Waldeck Lutheran Church and to shift the worship time to 10:00 a.m. on Sundays. This change was made, in part, to provide more time for Sunday School and to provide some time for transitions between Sunday School and Worship.

Waldeck Lutheran Church will continue to offer worship on Sundays at 8:00 a.m., followed by Sunday School at 9:15 a.m.

James Schoenberg Obituary

Posted by mllccarmine in Announcements, Obituary March 23, 2017

James Schoenberg

We remember a friend of MLLC and the Carmine Community, James Schoenberg. His memorial service will be held at MLLC on Saturday, March 25, at 11:00 a.m.

Here is the obituary:

James “J.W.” William Schoenberg

Memorial services for James Schoenberg, 79 of Carmine, Texas, are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 25, 2017 at Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Carmine, Texas with Rev. David Tinker officiating. A reception and light lunch will follow the service in the church fellowship hall.

James William Schoenberg was born on July 22, 1937 in Carmine, Texas to Rudolph and Bessie Falba Schoenberg. He was baptized in Dime Box, Texas and graduated from Round Top-Carmine High School in 1955. On June 30, 1973, James married Jo Lynn Neutzler in Carmine, Texas. James was a home builder and a cattle rancher. He was a member of the Carmine Lions Club, the Carmine Volunteer Fire Department, the Carmine Chamber of Commerce, the Round Top-Carmine Young Farmers, and a lifetime member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. He enjoyed hunting, taking care of his cattle, watching the Houston Astros, attending the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and most importantly, spending time with his grandson. James was called home by our Heavenly Father on Monday, March 20, 2017 at the age of 79 years.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Rudolph and Bessie Falba Schoenberg.

James is survived by his wife, Jo Lynn Schoenberg of Carmine; their daughter, Jacquelyn and Arnold Mercado of Houston; grandson, Lance William Mercado of Houston; two daughters, Senette Schoenberg Stevens and Kristin Schoenberg Oliver; grandson, Shane L. Stevens; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Branch & Delores Neutzler of Austin, Charles Rudy & Fay Weigelt of Austin, Kay Schmidt of Giddings and Darrel & Vicki Neutzler of Carmine as well as numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.

Honorary pallbearers will be Joys Baird, David & Jennifer Mohr and the members of the Carmine Volunteer Fire Department and First Responders.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Martin Luther Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 362, Carmine, Texas 78932, the Carmine Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 217, Carmine, Texas 78932 or to the charity of one’s choice.