Sunday, September 8, was “God’s Work. Our Hands.” Sunday in churches across the ELCA. Here are some highlights showing how God worked through congregations in our synod.
On September 8, members of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Colfax celebrated “God’s Work. Our Hands.” day and converged on Colfax Park with paint brushes, rollers, and push-pull hoes to spruce up the bridge, tables, ball field, and handicapped parking spaces in the parking lot. The children also worked at the church on cards to send to their grandparents and shut-ins. The group at the park was excited to be joined by Bishop Greg Busboom, who was visiting Immanuel to meet the congregation and preach that morning. He donned his work clothes and grabbed a paint brush to help out with the project. He shared that on his way out of town he wanted to go by the school where he had a fond memory of attending a junior high music contest in the 80s.
Christ Lutheran Church and Luther Memorial Church partnered this year to participate in “God’s Work. Our Hands.” While this is not the first time these two congregations have worked together for GWOH, it represents the willingness of both churches to work together for the sake of the gospel in service to our neighbors. There were 44 volunteers who participated in four different service projects. A Thrivent Action Team grant was used to provide sack lunches for the volunteers.
The first project, which took place at Christ Lutheran Church, was bandage rolling for Global Health Ministries. Global Health Ministries collects rolled bandages to provide mission hospitals and rural clinics across the globe that often struggle maintaining the most basic supplies, including bandages, for daily patient care. At the end of the day, 20 volunteers rolled 364 bandages. When volunteers were not rolling bandages, they were invited to make thank you cards for local civil servants.
Another project was to do some seasonal gardening work for the Illinois Veterans’ Home in Quincy. There were fourteen volunteers who volunteered their afternoon in the gardens. It was noted by one of the IVH staff persons overseeing the volunteers that they were able to accomplish in two hours what would normally take them a week to do.
Finally, the congregations had 10 volunteers who did a number of projects at QUANADA, including organizing a clothing closet, food pantry, and some general cleaning of the office area. QUANADA provides emotional, physical, and crisis support for those who have been assaulted or abused. Their services (which are free and confidential) include counseling, advocacy, and a secure shelter in five counties: Adams, Brown, Hancock, Schuyler, and Pike.
Volunteers worked from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., after which volunteers were invited to return to Christ Lutheran for a hymn sing! Then, at 2:00 p.m., volunteers offered reflections about their day of service, sharing where they witnessed God at work throughout the day. The congregations then closed with a word of prayer.
Christ Lutheran and Luther Memorial are excited to join together again later this month for an outdoor worship and picnic. At 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 29, the two congregations will worship together at South Park in Quincy.
On Sunday, September 8, Salem Lutheran Church bore witness to the love and concern God’s people have for one another. They celebrated who we are as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America — one church, freed in Christ to love and serve our neighbor.
On Sunday, September 8, they worked together during their Education Hour to assemble simple items of a towel, soap, toothbrush, comb, and nail clippers into almost 800 personal care kits for Lutheran World Relief.
On Sunday, September 8, more than 60 people between the ages of 3 and 97 stood together and assembled simple items into life-changing personal care kits that will show love and care for people all around the world.
On Sunday, September 8, they saw the culmination of a project that started six weeks ago. A project that consisted of:
- prayers
- a noisy can collection contributions
- donation of kit items
- stewardship gifts used as budgeted Outreach money to purchase kit items
- hands sharing the love of Christ to our neighbor
- knowledge of Lutheran World Relief help to neighbors in crisis growing
On Sunday, September 8, they worked together in a simple, fun, and tangible way to offer comfort to those suffering and express love to our neighbors in need. Often, when natural disasters strike or when war drives families from their homes, our hearts ache with compassion, but we don’t know how to help. On this day … we helped!
On Sunday, September 8, they worked together to help people coping with poverty, disaster, conflict, and more. A Lutheran World Relief kit helps someone to maintain good hygiene and provides dignity and hope in the direst situations.
The people of Salem Lutheran Church are not quite finished.
There will be one more work day on Sunday, October 6, during the education hour, in which 250 more personal care kits will be assembled. Items have all been donated … hands are just needed!
Then on Saturday, October 26, at 11:00 a.m., Salem members will meet at church and load the Salem bus and other vehicles to caravan to St. John’s Lutheran Church in Bloomington to deliver our 43 boxes of 1,032 personal care kits. Thank you, for being a part of “God’s Work. Our Hands.” Sunday! We are the church that shares a living, daring confidence in God’s grace.
Resurrection’s day of service became the incentive for an evolving, sustainable partnership that has been created between area fire departments, our church-sponsored Boy Scout troop, and church volunteers.
We provided a community-wide public safety service by installing carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms, and changing batteries in existing devices. Scouts learned to use new tools to do a carbon monoxide detector installation, and a father was able to teach a new skill.
A senior who is legally blind with COPD and on oxygen received on-site health education for improved breathing from an assistant fire chief while a carbon monoxide detector was installed by team members. Another homeowner expressed gratitude to have a broken smoke alarm replaced to “give her peace of mind.” As part of the installation visit, gift bags were shared as team members visited with homeowners while others installed devices or changed batteries. Each team received statements of appreciation for the volunteer efforts and device donations. As requested by the homeowners, referrals were made to local fire departments for additional fire protection or safety assistance.
A debriefing immediately followed when teams returned from assigned homes. We shared “what I liked,” “it would help if …” and “next steps”; a written summary was shared with fire departments and the congregation.
Volunteers decided to expand the “soft opening” event to a quarterly basis and reach out to other community organizations and donors for support. This project prompted Godfrey Fire Department to implement a smoke detector installation program and allows the newly established partnership to supplement the Alton Fire Department smoke alarm program.
We purchased devices with Thrivent financial assistance, member donations, and Alton Lowes and Home Depot donations and discounts. Support from two local fire department administrators and our congregation created a thorough, new program infrastructure. One additional fire protection district was added to the partnership prior to an installation and a fourth is being invited. We already have six approved applicants waiting for January 2025 event.
God was most certainly present with us as we proclaimed his love in our local communities!
God is working to feed the hungry, putting the hands of those in the Southern Conference to work packing meals for those in Honduras, Guatemala, and Arizona Indian Reservations.
Eighty-seven people packed an astonishing 10,152 meals in under two hours during a Southern Conference “God’s Work. Our Hands.” event. The event took place at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Marion on September 22 in partnership with Lifeline Christian Ministries and drew folks from across the Southern Illinois area, from all walks of life, and from nine different churches and organizations.
Children whose head barely cleared the tables, youth (including members of the local high school student council), grandparents, retirees, a wheel-chair user all helped in the assembly line process. Some measured and weighed the dry ingredients. Others sealed and labeled the meal packs before they were put into shipping cartons by yet more volunteers. Still others made sure each assembly line continued to run smoothly. Each assembly line would cheer when they had a shipping carton filled.
“You just participated in a miracle. Jesus used five loaves and the hands of the disciples to feed 5,000. God used your hands to pack over 10,000 meals. That’s 10,000 hungry people who will be fed,” Pr. Marlin Otte, Dean of the Southern Conference told those gathered for the closing blessing.
The meals will be delivered to where they are needed in Honduras, Guatemala and Arizona Indian Reservations.
Planning the event took six months. The executive committee of the Southern Conference contacted Lifeline Christian Ministries after hearing about their efficient assembly-line process. Lifeline provided the know-how and arrived with everything that was needed for an estimated $4,200. “Meeting the cost was an exercise in trust. We [the Southern Conference] had nowhere near the funds needed. We had to trust that the God’s work is not over, that the Holy Spirit continues to call, gather, and enlighten us,” a committee member recalled. Donations eventually totaled $3,640; the actual cost was $3,687.12 a difference easily made up out of the Southern Conference treasury.
This was the second year Our Lord’s hosted the First Responders Breakfast. Congregation members prepared a hearty breakfast and served more than 75 first responders and their families. Firefighters, EMTs, police officers, dispatchers, emergency room workers, and hospital employees were invited. Both dine-in and delivery service options were offered. First responders from Collinsville, Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Maryville, and Troy attended the breakfast.
The local community was also involved in the First Responders Breakfast. Donations from Thrivent, Silly Grandma’s Sweet Creations (Troy), Bobby’s Frozen Custard (Maryville), Dunkin Donuts (Troy), McDonald’s (Alton, Bethalto, Edwardsville, Godfrey, and Hamel), and A Sign Shoppe (Caseyville) contributed to making the breakfast a community success.
Our Lord’s also recognized the ongoing ministry of its crafting group, Our Lord’s Crafters. Throughout the year, a dedicated group of members meet monthly, sewing quilts for people in need. In the past year, 41 lap quilts were made by the women of the group. The quilts will be given to the residents of Elmwood Nursing and Rehab Center in Maryville. As part of the “God’s Work. Our Hands.” worship, we prayed for the crafters that made the quilts and asked that the quilts provide comfort to the residents that receive the gifts.