2025 Habitat for Humanity House Construction Begins

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LCR volunteers will begin building another Habitat for Humanity house with the Lutheran Coalition for Habitat. This time the house will be built in Canton for a deserving family that has completed an extensive qualifications process.  Workdays will be Saturdays in January through April from 8:45 am – 3:00 pm.

Join us on one of the build days (see the list below) or consider making a donation to the Lutheran Coalition for Habitat to help support this vital ministry.

To get details, enroll for the build, or donate go to: https://www.lutheranhabitat.org/

 

About the Lutheran Coalition for Habitat

The Lutheran Coalition for Habitat for Humanity is an organization consisting of 12 Lutheran Churches located in Cobb, Fulton and Cherokee counties who have agreed to partner with local Habitat for Humanity affiliates to eliminate substandard housing. The Coalition has been building houses since 1993 and has built at least one and sometimes two houses per year. Our motivating belief come from James, Chapter 2: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works.” The Lutheran Coalition for Habitat is a 501(c)3 organization.

 

Build Dates for 2025

Workdays are on Saturdays from 8:45 to 3:00. Please select the “2025 Build” tab for more detailed information.

1/18/25 First Nail, First floor walls – FULL

1/25/25 First Floor Walls

2/1/25 Second Floor System

3/8/25 Siding – Week 2 – FULL

3/15/25 Exterior Painting

3/22/25 Exterior Painting

4/12/25 Pre-Landscape

4/19/25 Landscape

 

Save the Date: Taste of Habitat – September 12, 2025

The 21st Annual Taste of Habitat Fundraising Event returns on September 12 from 7 – 9 pm at St. David’s Episcopal Church at 1015 Old Roswell Road, Roswell, GA. This is located between Holcomb Bridge Road and Mansell Road.

Our goal this year is to raise $40,000 to build Habitat homes in Metro Atlanta.  More than 60 fabulous chefs from the Lutheran Coalition for Habitat churches will be sharing the foods they love to make.  It’s a fun “date night” (adults only) with outstanding food & drink, great fellowship, and live music.  There will also be a Silent Auction and trivia contest!

If you have any questions, need additional information, or want help scheduling a work day, please contact John Osberg at josberg@bellsouth.net or (678) 687-3232.

Clear Out Clutter and Support Hurricane Relief with Electronics Recycling

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Join us on February 8 from 9:00 AM to noon in the LCR parking lot to recycle your old electronics and securely shred documents, all while supporting hurricane relief efforts!

Now is your chance to recycle those old electronics and shred documents to clear up some of your post-holiday clutter at our free community event in the parking lot of LCR.

Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, in partnership with Data Delete Recycle, invites the community to recycle all obsolete and outdated electronics. RAM Shredding will be securely shredding and recycling your old documents. Proceeds from the event will benefit hurricane relief efforts.

 

Support our Mission Partners Through Giving Tuesday

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Giving Tuesday (December 3 – the Tuesday after Thanksgiving) has been set aside as a day focused on giving. Join with other Georgians and donate to one of our mission partners on Giving Tuesday through the GA Gives website links below.
You can also donate to support Guatemala, Meals on Wheels, Knitters for Peace, LCR Blanketeers, LCR Shepherd Staff, Brumby Elementary Food Pantry by designating a gift on our website.
Damage in Asheville, NC from Hurricane Helene

Western NC Disaster Relief Trip This December

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By Mark Brosch and John Osberg

Many of you have expressed an interest in volunteering your time and talents to help the victims of Hurricane Helene.   Though we are beginning the holiday season, and it is obviously not the best time of year to plan time away from home.  But there are so many victims suffering every day now, in so many ways, and in so many places because of the disaster it is a bit daunting to figure out where the best place for us to serve is.  The answer to the question of when the best time to help is obvious:  ASAP!

We have decided that to make the greatest impact, and to immediately help at least some of those struggling, we are organizing a trip to North Carolina Wednesday, December 4 through Sunday, December 8.  Some volunteers may chose to leave early Thursday morning instead.  We have been invited to stay at Lutherock Camp and Conference Center at Newland, North Carolina (near Banner Elk/Boone, NC). The travel time is about 5 1/2 hours. We are fast-tracking this effort knowing there are many details still needing to be firmed up.

The Lutherock Camp itself has received significant damage from Hurricane Helene. It is estimated that over 2,000 trees were downed.  In addition, considerable damage was done to various buildings including the retreat center and the office building.  But the camp can accommodate, and is able to adequately function, for disaster response teams now.  We are focusing on this volunteer opportunity for two main reasons:

  • First, until the damage repairs are substantially completed, Lutherock will be unable to operate the camp facility for the hundreds of campers that are already scheduled to arrive in the spring.  They envision many of the campers will also be helping provide disaster recovery services to the community.  (FYI – Over 50 youth organizations have contacted Novusway, the owner of Lutherock, Lutheridge and Lutheranch, regarding volunteer opportunities for over 700 young adults.).
  • Second, Novusway is working with Lutheran Disaster Response (Carolinas) to provide lodging for volunteers coming to the Asheville/Boone area to help with overall disaster recovery efforts.  Please read the description below provided by Novusway.
All the details are not flushed out yet, but here is what is known at this time:
  • In attempt to beat the first snow, a trip is planned for leaving the afternoon of Wednesday, December 4th (or early morning Thursday, December 5th) returning Sunday, December 8th.
  • The biggest need seems to be for assistance with tree removal.  Also needed are volunteers to do drywall work, painting, laminate flooring installation and deck repair.  A complete work list will be provided as the date approaches and the number of volunteers is known.
  • There will be some cost for food and lodging.  We will provide that information as soon as it is known.

Please prayerfully consider volunteering to help Lutherock recover from the ravages of Hurricane Helene.  It was severely damaged but will, with God’s help and servants like us, be ready to host campers in the spring and other sorely needed disaster response volunteers.  We need your expression of interest and availability! 

Listening to God, 

Mark Brosch  + John Osberg 

Email the church office to get connected with Mark or John
 

Note from Novusway Camps:
Dear Camp Friends,
We remain overwhelmed by the realities of this situation, including what our staff and neighbors are experiencing. Today, we can finally share with you that we have been working closely with Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) Carolinas since Sunday to partner in providing disaster response efforts based out of both Lutheridge and Lutherock. This will be for groups of adults, college students, and youth. This won’t simply be summer groups, but year-round opportunities for years to come – as that will be needed. LDR is in this for the long haul and so are we!
Our goal is to provide a place apart that serves as a base camp for groups to do disaster work throughout Western NC. Logistics are forthcoming, and we are confident it will happen. We have been doing this type of work through our Luther Springs camp in Florida for years.

Hope Amid the Wreckage

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By John Osberg

Last month, I went up to north GA and SC for disaster response volunteering. It really affected me emotionally this time. I didn’t see flood damage—that’s further north in NC. But seeing so many devastated families really hurt me.

The winds weren’t as strong as tornadoes or the hurricane, but Helene was an incredible wind event like I’ve never seen before. Mile after mile, in all directions, huge trees were downed.

The group picture of our team shows a truly fun group that was amazing to work with. Three-fourths of the team were Methodists, and we stayed at a Methodist church camp in the NOVEMBERa area. Mark Brosch, our team leader, kept everyone busy and productive. I have to call him the Eveready battery bunny (from that old commercial). He worked harder than anyone and even woke up early to fix us all eggs and bacon.

I ran a brand-new, high-end 50cc Husqvarna chainsaw. It was an amazing machine! The picture of me with the little guy, Erik, captures a special moment. Earlier, out of the corner of my eye, I saw him watching me running that loud chainsaw. He went inside, grabbed his own set of music headsets that looked like my hearing protection, and gave me that look like, “I’m ready, coach!” He pulled himself up on the tailgate and joined me while I was taking a break.

His parents were still dazed by their loss, and I told them they’d look back on this as a bad dream sooner than they think. I swear they stood up taller, like a load was lifted off their shoulders.

Hope is a powerful thing. That’s why I do disaster recovery volunteering.

Building, Serving, and Connecting: Highlights from God’s Work, Our Hands Weekend

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Bob Wills was so inspired by the impact of the God’s Work, Our Hands team at YELLS, of which he was a major part, that he went to the Wednesday Morning Men’s Group and suggested that they sponsor additional updates to the YELLS facility. This was quickly agreed. So, just a couple of weeks after the initial effort on September 7, Bob led a team to replace 12 light fixtures in addition to the original 6 done on God’s Work, Our Hands weekend. Thanks to Bob, Kirk Gadebush, Ron Kostamo, and Don Auenson for installing the additional light fixtures and the entire Wednesday Men’s Group for funding the purchase.

We want to thank all of the congregation for supporting this year’s God’s Work, Our Hands activities. We had 37 people give their time and talent on Saturday morning at YELLS, MUST, and the Promise Garden. At YELLS they installed new lighting and chair rails, repaired drywall, painted walls, and organized supplies. At MUST they put together nearly 200 food packages and in the Promise Garden they built two large raised beds, erected deer protection posts/line/scare tape & pinwheels, and spread mulch. There was also work assembling and planting a vertical herb garden and blueberry bushes that continued into Sunday.

On Sunday morning between services, we had many dozens more of the congregation in the Gathering Room. They visited six ministry tables representing LCR Blanketeers, Special Needs Cobb, Guatemala, Shepherd Staff, MUST Ministries and Knitters for Peace and joined in the work of these ministries. Comforting blankets were prepared, ornaments were made, prayers, bible verses and messages of comfort were written, hygiene kits for the homeless were assembled, information was shared and new volunteers recruited. In addition, two staff tables provided general information and crafts for children. 

Special thanks to the Fellowship Team for providing refreshments to the work crews on Saturday and a special breakfast for all on Sunday.

Everyone had a great, productive and rewarding weekend celebrating the work done by these and the other LCR ministries throughout the year.

We surely felt God’s work being done by our hands.

 

Stitching Hope & Comfort

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Creating handmade items to bring warmth, support, and care to those in need, both locally and beyond.

Knitting is an ancient craft dating back to Biblical times. Proverbs 31:19 explains the spinning staff and spindle were used to make thread that was twisted into yarn.

Knitters for Peace originated in January, 2000. Over the years, the group has made various knitted and crocheted items for a variety of organizations. Our current outreach focuses are hats and scarves for MUST; baby hats and blankets for Northside Hospital’s NICU; baby hats and octopi for Kennestone Hospital’s NICU; as well as potholders, dish cloths and scrubbies for Special Needs Cobb homes and octopi for the residents of those homes.

The Prayer Shawl ministry also started in 2000 for our congregational family who are hospitalized, homebound with an illness, or other situations and need some comfort. In the summer of 2019, Pocket Prayer Crosses, a mini version of a prayer shawl, started to have a portable source of comfort someone could keep in their pocket. These have been added to Blessing Bags for MUST, sent to Guatamala for our ministry there, as well as given out by Shepherd’s Staff when they make visits. We often have people ask for one to give or send to a family member or friend in need.

The Knitters for Peace ministry group meets twice a month in the evening (1st and 3rd Tuesday at 7 pm in the LCR library). All knitters and crocheters are welcome. If you don’t know how to knit or crochet, we can help you learn.

We are a casual small group where we come together to enjoy fellowship and crafting. If you are not able to make the meetings but want to knit or crochet at home, no problem. We can provide you yarn and instructions.

For more information or to get involved contact:

Lyn Ruswinkle at laruswinkle@comcast.net or Sandy O’Donnell at sodonnell317@aol.com