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.

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.

Compassionate Community Response: A Fundraiser for Hurricane Relief

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Read more

The Power of Kindness

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For our Back to School Blessing last month, we shared a backpack tag that said “Be Kind.” Kindness is a powerful force in the universe and a much needed commodity in our current political and social climate. As we continue into the fall and the 2024 presidential election heats up even more, we wanted to offer an excerpt from a sermon by Rev. Adam Hamilton, the Senior Pastor, United Methodist Church of the Resurrection near Kansas City, as a witness to kindness in politics. 

What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

Someone asked, “If we believe the other party is wrong about some really critical issues, are we simply to be nice and not address these serious differences?” No—we should stand up for what we believe in. But too often we do that with rancor, in a way that merely pushes people away from what we believe. That only further polarizes us. Micah 6:8 offers us a better way.

Today we’ll focus on kindness, and how it might just be the key to saving American democracy. We find one model for this in the relationship between Senator Orin Hatch, conservative Republican from Utah, and Senator Ted Kennedy, liberal Democrat from Massachusetts. These two were often adversaries in the Senate but cared for one another as friends. Shortly after Kennedy’s death in 2009, Hatch noted, “I have to say that we became very dear friends. That doesn’t mean we didn’t fight each other. We fought each other like tooth and tongue but afterwards, we’d put our arms around each other and laugh about it… and we passed a lot of very important legislation together, and I will greatly miss him.” Plant Seeds of Kindness and see what grows

Kennedy and Hatch both fought for justice as they understood it. Their understandings of what justice looked like, and the proper role of government in how to achieve it were at odds with one another, at times. Yet even in fighting for justice, their fight was tempered by kindness.

The Hebrew word for justice was mishpat. But with it, we also need to learn the Hebrew word for kindness, hesed. The word hesed appears 250 times in the Hebrew Bible, pointing to its critical importance for the Bible and the Jewish faith. Like the New Testament Greek word AGAPE, it is so important in the Bible, and with such varied nuances, that it is impossible to capture the full depth of its meaning with a single word.

Hesed includes a concern for another person, and in this sense it is sometimes translated as COMPASSION. It is a commitment to provide care or help for another person, and in this sense it is sometimes translated as KINDNESS. It is at times providing aid to someone who has no right to expect this kindness from you, and in that sense it is MERCY.

And there are times it expresses a deep commitment to and relationship with another person, and in this sense it is often translated as STEADFAST LOVE or LOYALTY. In this last sense, a husband and wife can show hesed to each other. Friends are meant to show hesed – steadfast love – to each other. Steadfast love is a primary attribute of God’s character and relationship to humanity. It is with reference to God’s care for humankind that we find the word most often appear in Scripture. In the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, 174 of the 250 times hesed is used are translated as steadfast love.

What God demonstrates towards us–compassion, kindness, help, mercy, loyalty and steadfast love—is what we’re meant do for others. This was why Micah said that the LORD requires mishpat and hesed of us.

At a wedding I tell couples, “This is what you are signing on for–compassion, kindness, mercy, and steadfast love.” It is not just a feeling, and often it is not a feeling at all. It is an orientation towards others, a dogged determination to help, care for and bless them. This is how we’re meant to live our lives towards all others, not only spouses. It is how God cares for you, and how you are called to care for one another. It is how we are to live towards our fellow human beings. This is what Orin Hatch and Ted Kennedy shared in their relationship.

Hesed—kindness, compassion, and mercy—might just be the critical answer to our polarization and divisions. It won’t instantly solve our differences. At times, our differences are our strength—they are meant to make us better, stronger, smarter and coming up with better solutions. We should have vigorous debate about our challenges and problems, with two or more sides working to come up with our best assessment of the challenges and problems we face, and the best solutions to address these. The debate in politics is intended to be constructive, but that often requires compromise, and always must have the best interests of our country at heart and not just of “our” side.

What does the LORD require of you? To do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.

Want to learn more about how you can engage in a campaign for kindness? Visit campaignforkindness.com

 

 

Our Walk with ILAG – Iglesia Luterana Augustina de Guatemala

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By: Suzanne Demosthenes

To understand our partnership in this ministry one needs to come to know our partners. ILAG’s focus has always been to minister to those on the fringe of society, the forgotten, the discounted. At the end of the 16 year civil war in Guatemala those who had fled largely to Mexico but also beyond returned to their homeland. However these refugees were not allowed to reclaim their homes, but rather were deposited in rural regions that were unfamiliar and undeveloped with no infrastructure or resources. Essentially they were left to make their own existence. These were the individuals that ILAG chose to minister to and this was the nidus of the rural communities that now comprise the eighteen congregations of ILAG. They span the various regions of Guatemala. From the outset ILAG recognized that to teach and embody the love of Christ and the saving grace of the Gospel encompassed addressing the quality of the people’s daily lives: their health, education, nutrition, and livelihood and so the ministry of this church has struggled to do.

In 2012 LCR began its walk alongside ILAG. Pastor Bob Bear was among the first…“I have always been amazed as to the effect global missions have, not only on those we serve and visit, but also on the lives of those who participate. Because of the personal relationships shaped over many years in our partnership with ILAG, our ministry in Guatemala has been especially meaningful and will always remain so to me, locked in my heart.”

And the memories impact us still:

Mike Mynhier: “On one of our trips to the village of La Israel we helped families install efficient and vented wood cooking stoves in their homes to replace the open fire cooking rings they were using. These new stoves used less wood, eliminated burn hazards to the young children, and reduced health issues of smoke inhalation to the women. For a couple of nights I was a guest of one of the families who had just received a new stove. The last night, before going to bed I went outside to wash in the rain barrel at the back of their house. I will never forget seeing the young mother of the house, alone in the cooking area, lightly patting her new stove with one hand as she slowly walked all the way around it with a contented smile on her face. Yes, what we do for Guatemala has a great impact and is worth it!”

Jill Gadebusch: “We traveled with 8 members of LCR to ILAG in February 2012. (Pr. Bob Bear, Mike Mynhier, Betty Didicher, John Didicher, Karl Sidor, Kirk Gadebusch, Jill Gadebusch and Adele Dengel (Jill’s mother). The theme of the mission trip was Puedo Ayudarles? (May I help you). During our time at ILAG Betty, John, Bob and Mike prepared meals for the leader’s conference, while the rest of the group painted, reinstalled a tile floor and repaired the water system. A satisfying part of serving was watching the participants in their studies intently learning more about Christ and the church. The participants were warm, compassionate and very dedicated to the ministry God had given them. They were clearly appreciative of what little we were able to do for them.”

Betsy Olson: “As far as memories go nothing will replace ‘my early to bed to read’ only to be serenaded by the heavenly sounds and voices from the girls in choir practice just upstairs from our room. God was in that place and still is.”

Marge Mynhier: “When I visited one of the villages on a mission trip to Guatemala, I stayed with one of the midwives, Anna, who we brought delivery kits to for their use. She and her granddaughter Katerina shared their home with Jenn and I during our stay. To my surprise Katerina was one of the Milagro girls that we met on our next visit. It was such a joy to see that she was  being given a chance to escape the cycle of early marriage and motherhood that is so common in the villages.”

John Mellott has been instrumental in advising Pastor Karen of ILAG over the past decade:
“I remember sitting with Pastora Karen, with tears in her eyes, listening to her describe the lives of young women in rural Guatemala. I remember her saying how we needed to find a way to help them…..  If you have doubts that God remains active in our world – you need only visit Milagro.”

Karen Bear: “Hearing the Milagro’s girls sing hymns enthusiastically and beautifully, is music that transcends all language, and fills my heart with joy.”

Suzy Mellott: “When Milagro first started, Bob Bear asked me to paint quick watercolor portraits of each participant and their teacher. These were made into notecards and each student wrote her story for the backs of the cards. As I painted each participant and read her story, I could feel her joy and gratitude for the Milagro program.”

Suzanne Demosthenes: “I recall on one visit to Milagro hearing the girls each speak of  their dreams …mirroring those stories Suzy spoke of. They spoke confidently and eagerly…

Sonia: “I see myself as a teacher in a school but also a teacher for my village, giving new skills to my people and making a better living.”

Karen: “My dream is to finish high school, to help my family develop all together, to be a leader in my church. I want to create a new environment to live peacefully and equally regardless of gender.”

Paulina: “I want to be a lawyer, a leader, a helper in my church, and with a good job to help my family. I’m going to be able to change my future and also the future of my church and family.”

Violeta: “In my future I see myself getting a lot of experience and becoming a leader in my community, an agent of change. My dream is to become a nurse, to give that benefit to my village, and to create my own clinic to help people who are sick or hurt.”

Brenda: “I am in the Milagro house because I want to learn new things, be a brave woman, and good leader. My dream is to start my own business, to become a chef.”

Johana: “My dream is to share my new skills with the girls and boys in my community, to reproduce that knowledge. I have a new vision.”

And we have seen many of these young women realize their dreams, becoming teachers, lawyers, nurses, bakers, accountants. And they are each very brave women and good leaders. We thank you Pastora Karen and the staff of ILAG for your vision and perseverance that shaped this ministry that you so willingly shared with us at LCR.”

We invite you to join us in this ministry, expect to see this miracle for yourself.

Take a moment to listen to these young women as they tell their stories on video.

Gala Gathering
Carpool with us Saturday evening September 14th to the gala gathering at Epiphany Lutheran Church in Suwannee.
Visit our online calendar for the link to carpool.

Hear Pastor Karen preach
Sunday morning September 15th at LCR

 

 

Blessing Brumby

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It was a joy to join Data Delete Recycling to present a check to Brumby Elementary for $6,211.45. These funds were raised through our February community electronics recycling event! Thank you to all the volunteers who made this event possible.