WNALC News

St. John's Evangelical Church

Vilmar, Iowa

Pastor Trina Petersen has shared an open invitation to join together in prayer on Monday evenings at 8:46 pm (EST). To join, please call (712) 832-8330, access code: 107 5527#

But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” (Luke 8:46 NIV)

 

St. John's Evangelical Church

Vilmar, Iowa

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:10-11 ESV)

 

As a result of the design and construction of the church building of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church – Vilmar (Iowa) there is some sound echo in the sanctuary, so in an attempt to help absorb it, the Church Council asked their sewing ministry group if they would stitch together a special project for the church. Five ladies created a 5-piece cross and stained glass quilt that spans the length of the back wall of the balcony. A couple of the men made brackets and got the quilt hung in place. We are very appreciative of these parishioners who gave their time and talents to complete this project, and applaud their willingness to serve the church with their gifts.

Story submitted by Monica Edeker

Emmanuel Lutheran Church

Fayetteville, Arkansas

Sharing the Peace Project: each week we asked members to send in a 3 to 5 second video clip of them sharing the peace. The clips were edited into a short video montage & played during the Sharing of the Peace part of the service. It was great to see faces & hear voices by having members share a piece of their lives by sharing the peace.

Story submitted by Tiff Wimberly

Union Lutheran Church

Salisbury, North Carolina

Congregations across the United States are doing what is necessary to meet for services!

Drive-In Service with Pr. Heidi Punt

New Beginnings Lutheran Church

Mahomet, Illinois

Our Wrapped In Prayer sewing group has been meeting in a member’s front yard during the pandemic. We keep our distance as necessary, BYOB & chair, & we have a great time feeding our social needs on a weekly basis!

Story submitted by Sally Roth

Cancelled Postage Stamps

Does your church collect cancelled postage stamps? This has been a popular mission of Lutheran women’s groups for many years. Even though there are fewer & fewer pieces of stamped mail, our church continues to save the stamps. The organization that took them stopped their program, but I have found another one that ya’ll might be interested in trying!

The Sisters of the Holy Cross, located in Notre Dame, Indiana, is one organization that still collects cancelled stamps. All you must do is cut the stamp off the envelope; being sure to leave at least 1/4 inch around the stamp. Bag them up & mail them to the Sisters. That is all there is to it! (Just to give you an idea — approximately 1,000 cut stamps equal 1 pound! That is a lot of stamps!)

When the Sisters receive the stamps, they prepare & sort them. They then sell sets of stamps at auction to collectors to raise money for their ministry projects.

Sisters of the Holy Cross
Stamp Ministry
100 Augusta Hall — Saint Mary’s
Notre Dame, IN 46556-5014
Telephone number: 574-284-5660

You can find their information here as well: www.cscsisters.org/ways-to-give

STAMP WISH LIST

Stamps in mint (uncanceled) or fine/very fine condition
Foreign stamps
U.S. Commemoratives
Stamps with postage values of $1 or more, such as Washington and Jackson, Redwood Forest Priority Mail, Bixby Creek Bridge Express Mail, etc.
Albums

Happy stamp collecting!

Submitted by Pat Dittrich
Peace Lutheran, Rosenberg, TX

Calvary Lutheran Church

Brookfield, Wisconsin

Calvary Lutheran welcomed Lynnae Douglas as pastoral intern. Lynnae is a recent graduate of the North American Lutheran Seminary in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. She & her husband Caleb have three sons: Eli, Nathaniel & Joel.

Submitted by Marcella Nelson

New Beginnings Lutheran Church

Mahomet, Illinois

Wonderfull World Retreat took place on Saturday, January 25, 2020 at WonderFull World NBLC!

Thirty women “traveled” to each of the seven continents, exploring the wonders of a woman’s heart, such as “I wonder if I matter to God” & “I wonder where God is when life is hard.”

Submitted by Lisa Schwartzentraub

Calvary Lutheran Church

Brookfield, Wisconsin

A soup & chili cookoff is a great way to get together & chase off the cold of January!

Submitted by Marcella Nelson

Saint Martin Lutheran Church

Atlanta, Georgia

Saint Martin Lutheran Church was founded in Atlanta, Georgia in late 2019 by 22 Lutherans from the area looking to focus their faith on biblical teachings & traditional Lutheran liturgy. From the outset in July, the Holy Spirit was at work making all things fall into place. The NALC was excited to add a seed congregation in urban Atlanta. Brookhaven United Methodist Church welcomed us to their worship space, which proved a good central location for a congregation drawing its membership from all around the metro area.
Our first service was on December 1, the first Sunday in Advent & the first Sunday of the church year, which seemed a perfect choice for a new beginning. We had 95 in attendance on that first day, including many supporting our efforts from other area churches & even a pastor from Bloomington, Illinois to deliver our first sermon. We were blessed with a volunteer organist, choir members, supply pastors from the area & coffee fellowship following each Sunday service. On Christmas Eve we had a joint service with our host church, combining Methodist & Lutheran traditions, for a joyous celebration of the birth of our Savior. 2020 promises to be a year of growth for Saint Martin. We look forward to starting adult Sunday school, planning outreach projects for the community & forming a circle for Women of the NALC. Come visit us when you’re in Atlanta! Submitted by Gretchen Buchanan

Zion Lutheran Church

St Marys, Ohio

Zion Lutheran’s women’s group hosted a baby shower for two young women recommended by the Auglaize Family Life Center. These young women decided to raise their babies when they faced an unexpected pregnancy.

Submitted by Sheila Westrick

Hope Lutheran Church

Cedar Hill, Texas

Christmas Brunch & Silent Auction on December 7, 2019, to raise money for our missionaries! Our program is called ‘The First Christmas Gift’. 48 people attended & we raised over $1000!

Submitted by Linda Brower

Bethany Lutheran Church

Laurens, Iowa

On Saturday, October 26 the women of Bethany Lutheran Church hosted an area gathering of the Women of the NALC & guests. There were 39 women in attendance from the NALC churches in Ruthven (Zion), Gilmore City (First Lutheran), Eagle Grove (Samuel Evangelical) & Laurens (Bethany). In addition, there were guests from the Methodist churches of Laurens & Marathon, the First Christian Church of Laurens, & guests from out of the area. A 90-minute program consisted of three phases. The first was a welcome & prayer by Becky Braesch followed by a report from Liz Klappenbach & Dr. Linda Bieri of Bethany on the national meeting of the Women of the NALC in Indianapolis. The second was the singing of five hymns accompanied by Ruth Steinkoenig, along with the history of each hymn (Becky Braesch) before it was sung. The third was each attendee introduced themselves & gave a brief talk about their church & their faith-life journey. An extensive salad luncheon was provided by Shirley Kruse & her kitchen crew from the women of Bethany (you will never leave a NALC church hungry). Those in attendance had a wonderful time & recommend that this type of area gathering be facilitated throughout the Iowa Mission District.

Submitted by Sheldon Bieri

Salem Women of the NALC

West Alexandria, Ohio

The Salem Women have collected donations to create health/hygiene & cleaning kits to provide disaster relief for the Dayton, Ohio area following the devastating tornados & for the flood victims in the Midwest. As of date they have assembled over 500 health kits & approximately 300 or more cleaning kits for cleanup. The kits that are not used locally will go to the NALC Disaster Response. They’ve also sent a request to the local Kohl’s since the employees have been so helpful with purchases for the kits – response TBA!

First English Lutheran

Lennox, South Dakota

Women’s guest night: Carolyn Carlson had a trunk show of dozens of her quilting projects. Girl Scouts & their leaders/moms did all of the kitchen work! Fun was had by all!

Story submitted by Verlyss Jacobson

Home of Peace Orphanage

Bariadi, Tanzania​

My trip to Tanzania in East Africa began in 2002 at the age of 70. I’ve always wanted to be a missionary & I always wanted to go to Africa. My first trip was with Pastor Campbell & two others went with me to visit our partner church, located in the town of Bariadi, in the Bariadi District. Upon our arrival we wasted no time in visiting villages in the area. We visited with the people in each village & each time we were given a soda. During the day we visited at least seven villages & yes, a soda each time. By the end of the day the sodas began to build up in our bodies. There were no rest areas close by & it was not a comfortable feeling. This was not the most important thing going on but was very memorable to each of us. We were there for two weeks & it went very fast. As we said goodbyes, I promised to return the next year.
I returned the next summer for three months. I stayed with Pastor Mkaro & his wife who had only been married a few months. Pastor spoke English but his wife was not fluent. We managed with smiling & gestures to help understand what each was saying. We got along just fine. The services on Sunday started at 8:00 a.m. & after the first service we went to a village for another service. Some of the villages were quite a distance. It was an enjoyable time with the people in the villages & sometimes I gave a message with the help of an interpreter. During those three months I met many orphans; usually boys, because the girls stayed at the homes doing work, some taking care of smaller children. One day I commented to the pastor that they needed an orphanage because there was no place close for the children to have a safe place for them to stay. The Pastor agreed with me about an orphanage. I began praying a lot for several days about this because I had no information myself on building an orphanage. One day I heard a small voice say to me “if you don’t do it, it won’t get done.” I had never had God speak to me in this way before. I then asked the Pastor to get plans & how much it would cost. Several days went by & finally the plans for the orphanage & how much it would cost were given to me.
It was soon time for me to return home. When I got home, I showed the plans & amount of money for the orphanage to my Pastor. My Pastor looked it over & slowly gave his approval. I was not very happy with the response I got but would let it settle for a while. One day I received a phone call from a person who asked me if I would like to go to a church & tell about the work in Tanzania. I jumped at the opportunity & was asked to speak at more churches. It was wonderful! The money started to come in to fund the orphanage. To make a long story short, the building of the orphanage began in 2003 & was finished in 2009.
The people in the church in Bariadi started to gather children for the orphanage. We started small, a few children at a time. We took children who had no mother or father & were around three or four years of age. Luckily, it wasn’t hard to find sponsors for the children. We now have 24 children & the sponsors pay $60 per month per child. There are seven children who go to secondary school & this costs more money. It costs an additional $200 per child for a year of school. In 2020, nine more students will be ready for secondary school.
It is a choice for them: either they attend school, or their education is finished. I wish I could work a miracle for them, but luckily, I have something better! I TRUST IN GOD. I cannot tell you how important school is to the guardians for these children. They will do a lot for them so that they get good schooling. These children have nothing to back them up. They have nothing. I pray that they will receive what is needed for each one & they will get a good beginning in their life. If you would like more information, please contact me:

Marjorie Beam

P. O. Box 253, Jackson Center, OH 45334

937.596.6883

OR

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

P. O. Box 328, Jackson Center, OH 45334

937.596.6516

Michigan Mission District WNALC Retreat

Thirteen women from four of the eight churches in the Michigan Mission District gathered on April 21, 2019. We began with worship, joining the clergy who were also meeting & were able to witness the installation of our new dean, Pastor Steve Hartten from St. Joseph, MI. We introduced ourselves & then assembled over 33 flood buckets from donations & Thrivent Action Team funds. We joined the clergy for lunch & then were led in a Sola Publishing Bible study. Each church brought ideas to share that stand out in their church & made a table display to see. To finish we did a yarn activity that showed us how many similarities we have. Thank you to St. Paul (Evart), St. Thomas (Trufant), & Peace (St. Joseph) for coming. Also, biggest thanks to Redeemer (Owasso) for hosting!! Hope to see you at the next one!

On Saturday May 4th, the Christ the King Women’s Ministry sponsored a brunch for the women of the church. Since it was the day that the Kentucky Derby ran, our theme was “Derby Day” & women were invited to wear their loveliest hats & partake in a tasty buffet featuring a Kentucky favorite: Kentucky Hot Brown Sliders. There was a lot of fun & much enthusiasm for the new Women’s Ministry program. We are now working on developing a leadership team for the group & planning future activities including opportunities for spiritual growth, service & fellowship.

Story submitted by Kim Isiminger

Christ the King

Evans, Georgia

Grace Lutheran Church Women

Eaton, Ohio

Our GLCW have a unique way of collecting our yearly Thank Offerings! We use empty frosting containers with a slit in the lid to collect coins. We add the wording, “A daily gift, a daily prayer…if not the gift, at least the prayer.”

At our annual ‘Thank Offering Service’, led by our women, everyone walks to the front of the altar to empty their cans into a metal tub. Everyone can hear the clanging of the noisy change & the rustle of the bills.

Story submitted by Elsie Burkle

Thank Offering Boxes

We have Thank Offering boxes for daily use for anyone in our church who wants them. Those who take are instructed to put in a place they see every day. Say a prayer & put in a coin or bill each day. In November during a special service at our church we collect them to be blessed & give the donations to a selected cause.

Our last donation went to our missionaries in Asia, Chris & Emily.

Faith Lutheran

Sturgeon Lake, Minnesota

&

Holy Trinity

Kettle River, Minnesota

The NALC women from two congregations recently teamed up to fill 40 hygiene kits for Union Gospel in Duluth, MN. With the help of congressional donations & a Thrivent Action Team we were able to purchase shampoo, deodorant, soap, combs, toothpaste & disposable razors to complete the kits. The best part was the appreciation with which they were received!

Calvary Lutheran Church

Brookfield, Wisconsin

Jonathan, Carrie & Rachel Federwitz recently visited Calvary Lutheran Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin. They serve with Wycliffe Bible Translators & Lutheran Bible Translators in Papua New Guinea. Jonathan serves as a pilot & Carrie as a school teacher.

There are 800 different languages spoken in Papua New Guinea. As of 2018, 240 of these languages have a New Testament. There are 170 language translation projects in progress in the country. Thanks to all who support the work of Wycliffe & Lutheran Bible Translators around the world with their prayers & finances.

See LBT.org or Wycliffe.org for more information.

Story submitted by Marcella Nelson

Immanuel Lutheran Church

Lebanon, Wisconsin

After six months of hard work & prayers, the new elevator at Immanuel Lutheran Church of Lebanon Wisconsin was finished & granted permission by the state to be operational. On Friday, March 15th, it was used for the first time for Grandparents Day! It is a blessing for our elderly & handicapped members to be able to attend our chapel service & on Sunday, March 17th the smiles on the faces that utilized the elevator were a joy to behold. We are blessed that we did not have to borrow any money from outside institutions to finance this almost $450,000 project. Glory be to God!

Story submitted by Jessie Phillips

First English Lutheran

Lennox, South Dakota

The women of the church have served the supper for Ash Wednesday for years! This year’s menu included chicken noodle soup, chili & scrumptious desserts!

Story submitted by Verlyss Jacobson

St. Paul Lutheran Church

Rosenberg, Texas

St. Paul is one of a few churches in Rosenberg that host “Coffee with a Cop” about once a month. They invite all the local first responders to stop in to have coffee & goodies in their fellowship halls for a couple of hours one morning.

Now that we’re in the middle of the cold winter months, why not offer hot chocolate &/or hot tea as well? It is a chance to thank our local cops personally plus a chance to fellowship & visit with each other. A win/win situation!

Story submitted by Pat Dittrich

Calvary Lutheran Church

Brookfield, Wisconsin

Calvary Lutheran Church of Brookfield, Wisconsin recently hosted Paul Oman, Artist & Pastor, of Amery, Wisconsin. The congregation was delighted as he painted the sermon during our worship service & then later painted with our Sunday School children. Pastor Oman has a unique ministry of sharing the gospel through painting murals, particularly while preaching. He can be contacted to bring his talent to your congregation through his website: paulomanfineart.com or on Facebook: facebook.com/paul.oman2.