May Newsletter 2023
Dear Wittenberg Friends, Happy Eastertide! It was wonderful to observe and celebrate my first Holy Week with you. I was struck each day by the efforts and commitment of so many of you to bring together worship services that were beautiful, soulful, and faithful. As your new pastor I had much to learn and I was met with the patience and wisdom of many. Thank you. There are a few opportunities in the next few months to deepen our faith, fellowship, and practice at Wittenberg. I want to highlight just a few here. Mission-Vision Workshop, Monday, May 15th at 7:00 pm. Pr. Danielle DeNise, Director of Evangelical Mission of the NC Synod, will lead us in a conversation about forming and writing new Vision and Mission statements for Wittenberg. The statements we have are over ten years old and it is time to begin the faithful process of choosing new words and ideals to express who we are in God’s world. While no radical change is needed, it is the good and faithful work of everyone at Wittenberg to contribute to the expressions and statements we make to our neighbors and ourselves about who we are. Pentecost Potluck and Birthday Party, May 28th following worship. We are planning some BIG FUN for Pentecost. Bring a side dish to share after worship and we will celebrate the life of Christ’s church AND have some birthday fun for everyone! Crafts and games, cake and ice cream will follow a Fellowship Meal! Funeral Planning Workshop, Saturday, June 10th, 1-3 pm. One of the most stressful parts following the death of a loved one is having to plan a funeral that is meaningful for the family and honors the wishes of the deceased. One of the best gifts we can leave our beloveds are clear instructions and selections for our funeral services. I have personally witnessed the deep relief and gratitude felt by family members when they find that their loved one has made many of the hard decisions for them when they were well and supported. Join me in spending time together choosing hymns, scriptures, service music, and other details of funeral or memorial services. We will talk about general aspects of funerals and memorial services and get into the details of making choices and planning together. All are welcome to attend and I hope you will encourage friends and families to take advantage of this workshop. While my knowledge is particular to Lutheran and Methodist settings, folks of all denominations can attend and benefit from the workshop! Finally, if you plan on going out of town for the summer I ask two things: that you let the church know that you will be away for a while - we do worry when we don’t see you for weeks at a time! AND to set up online giving for the time you are away. While many aspects of church “slow down” during the summer, we are still a busy church campus with the same expenses over the summer. Don’t let your offering go on vacation when you do! Many of you have yet another busy season ahead. May all of our graduations, vacations, spring projects, and family celebrations be filled with joy and deep peace all around. Blessings,
We hold in prayer... Our Members: Bill and Kim Fraley, Ed and Faye Harper, John Fisher, Gene Miller, Mildred Peeler, Grieving Families of: Barb Weller, Hal DerrickJohn Marino, Linda Safrit Troutman, Lori Hammill Hartsell, Chase Fritz, Roy Pethel 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. May Birthdays and Celebrations! 02 Jacob Kisamore 06 John Wiles 08 Bill Fraley 08 McKinley Thompson 09 Rick Gober 10 Tim Peeler 11 Christen Brown 12 Carolyn Peeler 18 Diane Ahrens 22 Billy Loflin 22 Kim Shuping 26 Pat Fisher 26 Jabe Fisher 27 Clay Honeycutt |
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
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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...