Category: outreach - Page 2 - Lutheran Church of the Resurrection

Collecting Essential Midwife Kits for February Mission Trip

December 22, 2025/in adults, churchwide, outreach, serve, stories/by Communications Team

What we collect here will be used in the moment of birth.

We are again assembling Mid-Wife Kits to send to Guatemala with the Mission group going in February. Some of the items that we will be collecting are bath towels, wash clothes, ivory soap, 36″ squares of muslin or cotton fabric and receiving blankets.

In January look for a display with tags listing the items and quantity that are needed. Have questions: contact Marge Mynhier mdmynhier@bellsouth.net

Rethink Giving: ELCA Good Gifts

December 12, 2025/in adults, children, community, outreach, serve, stories/by Communications Team

This Christmas season, you are invited to share hope through ELCA Good Gifts. Instead of traditional presents, you can give meaningful items like honeybees, a piglet, clean water, or vaccinations for a child. Each gift supports ministries around the world and helps families build stability and health.

Whether you give in honor of someone you love or simply want to make a difference, these gifts become part of God’s work of caring for neighbors near and far. Visit goodgifts.elca.org online to explore more.

Saplings in the Garden!

October 24, 2025/in children, churchwide, community, fellowship, outreach, serve, stories, youth/by Communications Team

The Saplings group that meets on our church campus spent time in The Promise Garden this week planting garlic and bunching onions! It’s always a joy to see young hands at work: learning, growing, and helping care for God’s creation.

(Photos shared with permission from the Saplings Director.)

Join us for a Pet Blessing!

September 30, 2025/in adults, children, churchwide, community, fellowship, outreach, serve, worship, youth/by Communications Team

Bring your pets—furry, feathered, or scaled—for a joyful afternoon service of animal blessings in the spirit of St. Francis.

We’ll also be collecting donations for the Homeless Pets Foundation, a local nonprofit that rescues cats and dogs from high-risk shelters in Georgia. Working with Beyond Pets Animal Hospital, the foundation specializes in caring for medical and at-risk pets, giving them the second chances and loving homes they deserve.

Requested Donations

Cleaning and Medical Supplies
Non-latex gloves (sizes Medium and Large)
Sanitizing wipes
Hand sanitizer
Paper towels
Laundry detergent

Dog Supplies
Exercise pens
Kongs (all sizes)
Nylabones (all sizes and flavors)
Rope toys
Assorted toys (durable and washable)
Dog treats (all shapes and sizes)
Large jars of peanut butter
Large rolls of Natural Balance dog treat
Soft (baby) blankets
6′ nylon leashes
Nylon martingale collars – petite, small, medium

Cat Supplies
Washable toys (without small detachable parts like bells, buttons, strings, etc.)
Cat wand toys
Catnip
Cat treats
Washable cat beds
Plastic litter pans (approx. 16″ x 12″)
Plastic scoops
Cat nail trimmers

Gift Cards to Purchase Supplies
PetSmart
Pet Food Express
Petco
Staples
Office Depot
Costco
ACE Hardware
Home Depot
Gas Gift Cards

Miracles Take Time: Building Confidence and Hope for Young Women

September 10, 2025/in adults, churchwide, community, outreach, serve, stories/by Communications Team

Rev. Karen Castillo, president of the Augustinian Lutheran Church of Guatemala (ILAG), describes her church’s work for women and girls not as something miraculous, but as a gradual awakening within their communities.

ILAG, one of the Lutheran World Federation’s newest member churches, joined in 2018. Today it has 17 congregations in three regions of Guatemala, most of them in remote areas serving indigenous communities where female leadership has not traditionally been welcomed.

From the beginning, ILAG has been shaped by a commitment to education and equality. That vision started with Castillo’s parents, who founded the church 29 years ago, and it continues today through Casa Milagro, or Miracle House—a boarding school for girls on ILAG’s campus in Guatemala City.

Casa Milagro houses 15 girls, ages 10–20. Its purpose is to help young women repair their self-esteem, become empowered against abuse, and prepare to support themselves through education and small-business training.

“We listen. Our policy is to never tell congregation members what they need. We listen to what they want. Our ministries come from the needs of the people,” Castillo explains.

Through this listening, Casa Milagro was born. While families were initially hesitant to send their daughters, trust slowly grew. Today, girls at Casa Milagro not only learn that abuse is unacceptable but also gain the courage to speak up, return to their villages with confidence, and share their experiences with their communities. Each girl attends alongside a “buddy” from her village, ensuring mutual support when they return home.

Castillo acknowledges the challenges of leading in a male-dominated society but points to the slow transformation of both men and women in the church as they studied scripture together and discovered a vision of equality rooted in God’s love.

Casa Milagro graduates are visible signs of this transformation. They return to their communities not with superiority, but with humility and strength, modeling new possibilities for girls and women across Guatemala.

At LCR, we are honored to partner in this work. You’ll have an opportunity to support the Milagro Women’s Education Center at our upcoming Guatemala Gala on Friday, September 12, 2025, 7:00–9:00 PM at the Atlanta Country Club. Join us for dinner, speakers, and a raffle benefiting this life-changing ministry.

Read the full interview with Rev. Castillo at lutheranworld.org/news/guatemala-miracles-take-time-and-trust

Help Empower Girls in Guatemala: Gala and Service Project This September

August 5, 2025/in adults, children, churchwide, community, outreach, serve, youth/by Communications Team

Mark your calendars for Friday, September 12 at 7:30 PM and join us at the Atlanta Country Club for an evening of dinner, fellowship, and celebration in support of the Milagro Girls School. This special gala is one of the key ways we sustain our connection to and care for the students of Milagro.

Pastor Karen Castillo will be our keynote speaker for the evening, and the program will include both a raffle and auction featuring exciting items. Tickets are available for individuals or you can reserve a full table for ten guests. Sign-up will be available online soon. Watch our communications for the link!

As part of our God’s Work. Our Hands. weekend, the Guatemala Partnership Team invites you to help create a meaningful gift for each of the 19 girls currently enrolled at Milagro. We’ll be making personal jewelry gifts to send with our love and encouragement during Pastor Karen’s visit. No experience needed—just come lend your hands and your heart.

Your participation is vital to the success of this event and our ongoing partnership. To learn more or get involved, contact Suzanne at suzanne@demost.net

MUST Ministries Serving Summer Lunches for 30 Years

July 3, 2025/in adults, children, community, outreach, serve, stories/by Communications Team

This summer marks the 30th anniversary of the MUST Ministries Summer Lunch program, which now provides food to nearly 8,000 children each week. What began as a grassroots effort to deliver simple lunches in brown paper sacks has grown into a vital food program. Today, each Kids’ Kit includes five breakfasts, five lunches, snacks, and drinks—enough to nourish children for a full week.

For many kids, school lunches are their only reliable meals. When school is out, MUST steps in to fill the gap and prevent hunger during the summer months.

LCR is proud to support this important work. In May, Heather and Dana delivered a $3,800 donation to MUST Ministries, designated specifically for the Summer Lunch program. This gift will provide hundreds of meals to children in our community.

To learn more or to help pack and deliver meals, visit mustministries.org/summer-lunch

Faith on the Ground: A Lutheran Response to Hurricane Helene

June 12, 2025/in adults, churchwide, community, fellowship, outreach, serve, stories, updates/by Communications Team

by Mark Brosch

Eleven people from three different Lutheran Churches traveled to Avery County North Carolina to offer helping hands to people who were devastated by Hurricane Helene. The trip was of benefit to the victims and heart wrenching but rewarding to the volunteers.

It is projected that recovery from this storm, in this area, will take up to 20 years. Until it can be seen firsthand, it is hard to imagine, and even harder to communicate the devastation that was caused by this “once in forever” storm. Mountain creeks turned into raging rivers. Severe flooding at 4,600 feet in elevation. Mudslides and landslides. Trees down everywhere, bridges washed out (in many cases, still), homes severely damaged at best, totally gone at worst. Personal belonging ruined or lost. Lives lost.

The base camp for this team of volunteers was Lutherock Camp and Conference Center (A Novusway campsite). Located in the heart of Avery County, on the west side of Sugar Mountain, Lutherock took a massive hit from Hurricane Helene. Roads washed out, estimate of 2,000 trees downed, rooms flooded. There was concern at one point that the camp would be in condition to have “camps” in 2025. But thanks to the many volunteers and donators Lutherock will open for business the first week in June.

Part of the team’s efforts on this trip was to finalize some projects (replace rotted cabin floor, tree and debris removal, install deck railing that was wiped out by mudslide) that needed to be done before camp could open. Mission accomplished!

The major work done by the volunteers was working with two “clients” (better name than “victims”) in the Avery County Community. These two projects were coordinated through Western Carolina Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR). One team worked on the house of a single mom with three kids. The goal was to start the installation of flooring throughout the entire house. The team stayed a bit longer on Saturday and finished the entire house. Mission accomplished!

The other team worked at a house owned by a senior couple . Their house was built elevated 8” above ground level. At the peak of the flood, seven inches of water got into the house. Not as far along the recovery road as others, this team’s goal was to do debris and trash removal and paint the interior of the house. The team got all the walls and ceilings painted throughout the house and the deck was cleared to the point where the couple could sit outside and dream of moving back into their house. Mission accomplished!

Of course, there were the evening dinners and social hours that are such a meaningful part of a trip like this. Meeting new friends, sharing, joking, playing games and just relaxing make for a perfect recovery time. Mission accomplished!

But the real mission that is accomplished on a disaster recovery trip like this is what the volunteer takes home. In this case, what is received is much better than what is given. Receiving the appreciation, the smiles and looks of “there is hope” from the Clients is something that is never forgotten. Hopefully, there will be other trips in the future that others will be able to experience “Mission Accomplished”!

Click the images below for a glimpse into this project!