Blessing of Students and Backpacks – August 21 and 22

Blessing of Backpacks

Blessing of Students and their Backpacks – August 21 & 22

Mark your calendars now to plan to attend worship on this special Sunday.  We invite students of all ages to attend worship on Saturday, August 21, at 6:00 p.m., or Sunday, August 22, at 10:00 a.m.  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 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.

Worship will be at our usual times of 6:00 p.m.  on Saturday and 10:00 a.m. on Sunday.  Remember to bring your backpack, if you use one.  Most important is that we gather together in prayer and thanksgiving as we begin our new school year.

Lutherhill Sunday 2015 Students

Here is a photo from our Blessing of Students and Backpacks from several years ago.

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Special note: This will also be our weekend to celebrate our partnership with Lutherhill Ministries.  Our guest preacher for Saturday and Sunday will be Matt Kindsvatter, executive director of Lutherhill Ministries.

Lutherhill Sunday 2015 Matt

February 3 – Worship at Lutherhill

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Special Worship Schedule and Location – February 3

No Service at MLLC on February 3 – Worship at Lutherhill instead.

We will have worship on Sunday, February 3, but it will not be at MLLC. Worship will be held at our local Lutheran Church camp, Lutherhill Ministries.  We will gather for worship at 9:30 a.m. in the Carby Chapel on the camp grounds.  The photo above shows the Carby Chapel from the road and parking lot viewpoint.

After Worship – three options for you

Sunday School for children, led by Lutherhill staff

Refreshments and Fellowship

Refreshments, plus a presentation by Matt Kindsvatter (Executive Director of Lutherhill) regarding their upcoming improvements and expansions of ministry.

 

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

Remember, we will not have a worship service on February 3 at MLLC (or any of the Crossroads Shared Lutheran Ministry congregations)

 

Regarding your offerings:

If you use your MLLC offering envelope or write a check to MLLC, the offerings will be given to the church.

Correction:  Cash donations will be divided evenly between the 4 churches.

There will also be a special basket and special envelopes for donations to Lutherhill’s campaign.  You can also take the envelopes and give by mail at a later date.

 

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 camp map link:  Map.

Here is a close up of the portion 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.

The four Crossroads Shared Lutheran Ministry congregations are:

St. Paul Lutheran in Shelby (Fayetteville)

Bethlehem Lutheran in Round Top

Wadeck Evangelical Lutheran in Ledbetter

Martin Luther Lutheran in Carmine

 

 

Obituary for Gladys Koether

Gladys Koether photo

We remember Gladys Koether

Gladys was a lifelong member of MLLC, and a lifelong resident of Carmine.  Gladys died on April 18, 2018 after a long illness.  Her funeral was held at MLLC on April 21 at MLLC.  The obituary, as printed in the service bulletin that day, is available below.

Her family requested that memorial gifts be given to either MLLC or Lutherhill camp.  Here are ways to make to make those gifts:

Memorial Gifts to Martin Luther Lutheran Church

By mail:  P O BOX 362; Carmine, TX 78932-0362

Make note of this being a memorial for Gladys Koether.

By web site: go to the MLLC secure online giving site:  click this link.

When using the giving site, remember to note your gift amount in the box next to “Memorial Gifts”, and to use the memo box to the right of the amount to note “Gladys Koether”

Questions for MLLC about this gift:  call the office at 979-278-3388

 

Memorial Gifts to Lutherhill

By mail: Lutherhill Ministries

3782 Lutherhill Road

P.O. Box 99

La Grange, Texas 78945-4132

Phone: 888-266-4613              Fax: (979) 249-4032

By their secure giving web site:  click this link.

The Lutherhill giving site has a place on their online form to note memorial gifts, and to write a note to Lutherhill about the gift.  This will help them make sure the gift is noted in memory of Gladys.

 

OBITUARY

Gladys Leona Alma Koether was born October 26, 1932 in Carmine to Gustav and Leonie Weidemann Koether.  She was baptized November 19, 1933 by Pastor Henry Brunotte, and confirmed March 30, 1947 by Pastor Leo Simon at Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Carmine.  Her confirmation verse was Matthew 26:41, “Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Gladys died April 18, 2018 in Giddings at the age of 85.

A lifelong member of Martin Luther Lutheran Church of Carmine, she was the first woman to serve on the church council. Gladys was also a member of the Carmine Chamber of Commerce, serving as president and secretary for many years. She volunteered at Luther Hill doing landscaping and helped in restoration of the Carmine Depot. She also assisted her mother in operation of the switchboard at the telephone company.

She helped her friends and neighbors by cutting hair. She also worked at B&S Sales and Service in Carmine, and was also employed at Brenham Heating and Air Conditioning for 47 years.

Survivors include her sister, Pauline Poehls Fischer; nieces Paula Barrick, and Kalisa Pomykal and husband, Brice; great-nieces and nephews: Jon Jankowiak and wife Shauna, Bobbie Hughes, Tammi Hughes, Kody Fox and Hunter Pomykal; great-great niece and great-great nephew, Kandyce Hughes and Ryler Boyer, as well as special cousins Joe and Beverly Cucuzza.

Gladys was preceded in death by her parents, and brother, Barry Lee Koether.

Serving as pallbearers are Hunter Pomykal, Jon Jankowiak, Bobbie Hughes, Gary Smith, Kevin Stueber, Stacy Tyner, Royce Lehrmann, and Hollis Lehrmann. Honorary pallbearers are Delbert Stiewert, Kody Fox, and Joe Cucuzza.

Memorials may be directed to Martin Luther Lutheran Church of Carmine, or to Luther Hill.

Special thanks go to Stacy Tyner and Stacia Carmean.

 

 

Lutherhill Sunday – August 13

 

 

Lutherhill-Logo

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

Cans for Camping

Aluminum Cans making a Positive Difference for Youth

For several years the Men in Mission of MLLC have been collecting aluminum beverage cans for a special purpose.  They are working to help make sure young people from MLLC get some help to attend Lutheran Church Bible Camp at Lutherhill.  In recent years this men’s ministry group has quietly collected these cans to raise money from selling these through recycling.  This year the Men in Mission were able to provide $50.00 per youth member for their participation a summer camping program at Lutherhill.

The Men in Mission have not been alone in this. They have had significant support from many people who donate enough cans each year to provide this encouragement and assistance to many youth.   They don’t really know all who those who make the donations. This is because the donation center is outside in a quiet corner of the church facilities.  Every week kind, and generally anonymous, individuals drop off bag upon bag of empty aluminum beverage cans to help our youth.

You can be part of this happy cause as well.  Simply set aside your used aluminum beverage cans.  Then, when you are on your way to worship, or heading to or through town, simply grab your bags of cans and leave these at the donation station.

The donation station is on the north side of the building – the side facing US 290.  This is under the covered part of the  drive through, drop off entrance to the fellowship hall.  These photos show the can receptacles in the context of the north entrance.  The station is open 24 hours a day.

Thank you all for your partnership in ministry at MLLC.  Together we are making disciples of Jesus Christ and sharing God’s love to the ends of the earth.

Lutherhill Weekend 2015

ActLoveWalkTriangleLogo Lutherhill smaller still

Joyful Weekend

We celebrated God’s love for the world and we celebrated our partnership with Lutherhill Ministries on the weekend of August 22-23, 2015.  Our guest speaker from Lutherhill was Matt Kindsvatter.  He serves as the Executive Director of Lutherhill Ministries.  Matt is a familiar face at MLLC, since he has been a guest preacher several times over the years.  Matt was the preacher at both the Saturday evening and Sunday morning services.

Lutherhill Sunday 2015 Matt

MLLC Kids Get in on the Act

Several of the youth from the congregation participated in the service.  The Lutherhill staff members worked with the youth to prepare a skit for use in worship on Sunday.  The skit reminded the congregation to share God’s love with others.  Here is a photo of the MLLC Thespians in action.

Lutherhill Sunday 2015 Skit

Making a Joyful Noise

Lutherhill staff members lead the music on Sunday.  All of the songs were ones which were sung at camp during the summer 2015.  This gave us a taste of the joyful songs which the youth sang while at camp this year.

Lutherhill Sunday 2015 Singing

Blessing of Backpacks and Students

We continued our annual tradition of blessing our students and their backpacks.  This Sunday was the weekend just before most of our students returned to school.  We invite students of all ages to come forward.  From year to year the age range varies depending upon who is present on the day.  Some years the grade level ranges from nursery school to graduate school.

Lutherhill Sunday 2015 Students

We are very thankful for the wonderful ministry we do with Lutherhill Ministries.  About 15 youth from MLLC attended Summer Camp at Lutherhill this year.  We look forward to an even better year in 2016.  Here is a photo of three of our youth working on dining hall clean up at Lutherhill in August 2015.

Lutherhill at Camp for Newsletter Sep15

Lutherhill Weekend August 22 & 23

Lutherhill-LogoWe invite you all to a very special event here at MLLC.  On the weekend of August 22-23 we will welcome Matt Kindsvatter, the executive director of Lutherhill Ministries.  He is familiar to many people in MLLC.  We know him from his previous visits to MLLC, and because many of our youth have attended summer camp at Lutherhill over the years.

Matt will be our preacher at both of our weekend services.  Invite your family and friends for these special times together.  Let’s give Matt and the Lutherhill staff members a great MLLC Carmine Welcome!

Saturday, August 22 at 6 p.m. – Matt will preach at a typical MLLC Saturday evening service.

Sunday, August 23 – three special events in one day

8:30 a.m. – children and youth invited to arrive early to prepare a skit for use in worship.  These young people will meet with Lutherhill staff in the new Mission & Ministry building to prepare a brief skit which will be presented in the 9:00 a.m. worship service.  There is no reservation needed, simply arrive at 8:30 and join in the fun.

9:00 a.m. – worship in the Sanctuary.  Matt and some Lutherhill staff members will lead all of our music this day.  They will teach us and lead us in singing camp style songs.  Matt will also preach at this service.  Our youth will present the skit which they have prepared.  This skit will take the place of the children’s sermon for this day.

10:15 a.m. – Sunday School – Lutherhill staff will lead a children’s Sunday School lesson in the Mission & Ministry building.  We have enjoyed their leadership in the past as they have come to do this over the years.

This summer we had a large group of MLLC youth attend camp at Lutherhill.  This special weekend is a way to celebrate the great summer experience we had at Lutherhill.

Here is a photo of Matt Kindsvatter and Pastor David Tinker after a recent meeting to plan for this special Sunday.

Tinker Kindsvatter Aug15

Confirmation Sunday

Confirmation Graphic List

Join us for a special event, Sunday, May 3.

We will gather for worship and to support five youth from MLLC who are affirming their Baptism in the Rite of Confirmation.  You are invited to worship with us on this very special Sunday.

Note this special change of our Sunday Schedule for this Sunday only:

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

Worship will be at 10:15 a.m.

We will resume our normal schedule on the weekend of May 9-10.

Here is our usual schedule:

Sunday Worship at 9:00 a.m.

Sunday School at 10:10 a.m.

Worship on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month at 6 p.m.

The Sacrament of Holy Communion is offered at our regularly scheduled Sunday morning and Saturday evening worship services.

The worship service on May 3 – Confirmation Sunday – will be filled with joy and prayer as these young people formally say “yes” to God has first done for them in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism.

Please keep these young people in prayer as they grow in their faith and service in Christ.

These students are:  Faith, Jed, Dana, Aaron, and Dylan.

The Confirmation Program at MLLC includes the following:

A school year of study of God’s Word.  Included in this is a general survey of the story of Scripture with an emphasis on how it fits together.  Our relationship with Jesus Christ is emphasized.

A school year of study of Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, Theology and the Lutheran movement of Christianity.  Our relationship with the people of God is emphasized.

A Summer Camp experience at Lutherhill Camp near La Grange, TX.

A Great Week at Lutherhill

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The kids from MLLC and Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Round Top have had a great week together at Lutherhill.  Lutherhill Ministries is the area ELCA Lutheran Camp.  It is within the territory of and supported by our own Gulf Coast Synod.

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There were learning and fun events.

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Chapel time.

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Pool time.

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Meals and visiting with Pastor David Tinker and Pastor John David Nedbalek.  And some clean up time.

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And some experience with wildlife.

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Thank you to the people of both congregations who made this wonderful week of adventure, fun, learning, service and worship happen.  Also thank you to the families of our youth who worked to make it possible for these young people to have this experience in their faith.

Youth at Lutherhill Camp

MLLC BLC Lutherhill group 2014

This is a busy week at Lutherhill Ministries in La Grange, TX.  Along with youth from a wide variety of communities there is a combined contingent of campers from MLLC and our neighbor ELCA congregation, Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Round Top.  Five youth from MLLC were joined by several others of our friends in Round Top.  They have been spending the week at this excellent camp. See the photo above with all the kids from these congregations – and an extra friend or two.

Several of the youth have attended camp at Lutherhill several times.  One of the youth has lost count, for he has gone to Lutherhill maybe 4, 5 or 6 years in a row.  Some are having their first experience at this camp, and are hoping for many more summers.

We at MLLC are big supporters of Lutherhill and Lutheran/Christian Camping programs.  We also offer a partial “campership” for MLLC members who would like to participate in the summer camp programs at Lutherhill or other Lutheran summer camping programs.

We will post more photos from this week at camp in the next couple of days.  Remember to keep these youth in your prayers as they grow in Christ through the camping programs of Lutherhill Ministries.