August Witness 2023
Dear Wittenberg, In our scriptures this summer we are dwelling in the parables of Jesus. These stories are important to our faith because they help us identify with the teachings of Christ in deeply personal ways. We can see ourselves in the parables, they can be personal to us. The parables give us good questions, help us to learn what God is calling us to do or to be in our lives. Most importantly, the parable stories help us connect our lives to the living Word of God. Because we've been taught just "one way" to read the Bible, we sometimes treat the parables more like morality tales or fables rather than stories to hear in new and challenging ways. When we stick to one interpretation of the parables we can miss how they are alive today In much the same way we tell our own stories about our own lives with only one lesson in mind. Some stories tell of a time when we were especially good or heroic or kind. Another story tells of a time we acted badly or were disappointed or disappointing. All of these stories become a kind of autobiography that we carry with us. But our stories are also ways that we can reflect and examine how God has been active in our lives. Once I was telling a friend a story about a time I had acted out in a really disappointing way. I told her this story as an act of confession, letting her know some of my failings. My friend, an especially good chaplain, responded: Stop telling that story about yourself to yourself. Whew! Allowing myself some compassion helped me have perspective, helped me see that my disappointing actions were part of a path to healing, to connecting with my own feelings, to finding a way to ask God for forgiveness that I could not give myself. So I want to ask you to think of a story you have told about yourself. A story where you are either the hero, the villain, the fool, or the victim. Think about how you can tell this story from another perspective to see how God is active in your story. What is the lesson you can learn from this story from the perspective of who you are now? The stories we tell ourselves lead us to create our identity. The stories we tell about others help cement who they are in our lives. Are you telling loving and generous stories or are you finding the worst of yourself and living with that story? How is God showing up in your story? Blessings, Pastor Heather Wittenberg Friends! You can now order t-shirts, water bottles, and tote bags with our new Wittenberg seal! Pick your items. Securely check out through the vendor sight. Your item will be printed and shipped directly to you. Wittenberg receives the proceeds from the sale to benefit our ministries and community! Order here: This servicesn't cost the church any money! This company prints and sells directly to the consumer and sends proceeds from the sale of the items! In the fall we can change to long-sleeved shirts, sweatshirts, insulated coffee/tea cups, and more! We can also change the colors offered and the colors of the seal. Since we are using the service for free we can pick from a limited selection of five items at a time. The items ship directly to You! No need to distribute or bulk order! We are so excited to introduce the Blessing Box to the community! Thanks to Social Ministries, Property, Lutheran Men and especially Mike Crowell for making this project a reality! Truly a team effort. For the first couple of months we will monitor the box daily. Taking inventory of what's needed, making changes, cleaning up any messes, adding items. If you are able to help with this process, please let Pastor Heather know! Volunteering and an hour, one day a week would make a difference. Thank you for supporting this community resource! Homecoming is September 10th! Rev. Dr. Katherine Shaner, Professor of New Testament at Wake Forest School of Divinity will be out guest preacher. Please bring a dish to share at a potluck meal after worship. If you'd like to pick up some invitations to send please let Pastor Heather know! We want to make sure everyone is invited and need your help with making that happen! Meals on Wheels – August 2023- During the month of August, MOW will once again partner with Faithful Friends Animal Sanctuary for AniMEALS fundraiser to collect pet food and donations to support the pets of Meals on Wheels clients and the cats and dogs at Faithful Friends. Donations will provide wellness checks, grooming, spay/neutering, vaccines, medical care, and pet food for the “fuzzy buddies” both agencies serve. Throughout the month, pet food donations may be dropped off at Meals on Wheels, Faithful Friends, Barnhardt Jewelers, Hughes Plumbing Supply, the Stitchin’ Post, or Lazy 5 Animal Hospital. You can also donate online at mowrowan.org. Our own Alexandra Fisher will be attending the Meals on Wheels American National Conference in Phoenix, Arizona this month and has been asked to be a panelist and speak on the AniMEALS program in Rowan County. This program is a nationally published case study and Alexandra wrote multiple national grants for Rowan County that led to significant contributions for our local AniMEALS program. See attached flier about the PAWSitively PURRfect Night Out, August 3rd. Next delivery team for August 7-11: Brenda Marcum and Sandra Phillips
We hold in prayer... Our Members: Bill and Kim Fraley, John Fisher, Gene Miller, Mildred Peeler Grieving Families of: Larry E. Hammill, Janet Allen Graham, Barb Weller, Hal Derrick, John Marino, Linda Safrit Troutman, Lori Hammill Hartsell, Chase Fritz, Active Duty: J-Hylton Tucker, Dominic Minor, Noah Wiles, J. Michael Shuping, Adam McCombs, Daniel S. McDonald, Toler Alexander, Bitt Bryant, Jake Earnhardt, Bobby Wheeler Deployed Military: Dorian Pine, Dakota Mace, Isaac Jones, Anthony Burton, Brandon Smith We hold always in prayer the victims of gun violence, chronic and acute illness, mental health struggles, our partner agencies in mercy and assistance to our neighbors and all those who we lift to God’s care in our hearts or aloud. August Birthdays and Celebrations! 03 Jane Faggart 04 Linda Phillips 04 Brandon Harrison 07 Naomi Brown 10 Gary Drye 14 Allie Jones 15 Susan Beatty 16 Joy Fisher 17 Nena Jones 24 Tracie Rowell 30 Joyce Yates |
Wittenberg Lutheran Church 114 West Bank St. GQ P.O. Box 345 Granite Quarry, NC 28072 704-279-4505 www.wittenberglc.org |
Wittenberg Lutheran Church
Here's your monthly newsletter!
This month at Wittenberg is all about the Book of James. This short New Testament book is a public epistle, meaning that it is addressed to a general audience, like us! This book offers wisdom for living a life as a Jesus-follower. While Luther called this book the “straw epistle,” it is an excellent example of how the Law and Gospel work together to guide and inspire us. September’s sermons will focus on the Book of James all through September and we will begin a study of James on September...
Dear Wittenberg Community, August is a time of preparation for many of us. Even for those of us who are far away from the practicalities of an academic year, August and September still feel like a new beginning in many ways. Maybe I’m in “back to school” mode as well because I thought this fall might be a good time to talk about some parts of our worship service. One way that we prepare for our worship services both seasonally and each week is with the Prayers of Intercession. These prayers...
Hey Congregation, don’t forget our Back to School Bash! You can help out by donating the items found on the flyer and/or volunteer to help before and on the August 3rd distribution day. Sign up on the clip board found on the display at church or call Linda Trier at 757-899-0503. Thank you! Our prayers and "good goodbye" are with Jane Faggart as she continues her journey of faith at Cross of Christ Lutheran in Concord. All our classes are FULL for 2024-2025. We are super excited. Since we...