God’s Work Our HandsIn September 2023, a number of church members under the ELCA program, God’s Work Our Hands, provided lunch for Ormond Beach police officers, blessing (thank-you) bags for the local police, and Teddy Bears for the officers to give out to children in need.
Scripture reminds us of the joy we feel when we serve others in this way. Our hearts were filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit and we discussed how to continue this simple yet so meaningful mission.
Galations 5:13 For you were called to freedom brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another.
Galations 6:2 Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Phillipians 2:4 Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interest of others as well.
So when you have an overabundance of a meal, and you wish to share, all you need to do is bring it to church where we will portion it out/label it and put it in the freezer. There it will be available to those who may need it unexpectedly or on a more regular basis. By doing so, we will always be prepared.
Please contact Lynne Meinhold if you have any questions. (386) 846-3435
Faith Future FundUsing our skills, talents, and abilities to help grow our ministry is something members of Faith Lutheran Church enjoy doing. Members often put on their creative hats and initiate ways to support others in our greater community, as well as our ministry within our congregation. Whether it be special ways to provide food for the needy, making sure children have school supplies, a free will offering with a chocolate incentive, or hosting a special dinner, we all have various ways in which we share our time and talents. If you have an idea, please contact a church council member so you can get started.
Memorial and Honorary GiftsFlowers, bulletins, eternal candles: Are you looking for a way to honor and/or gift a memorial on behalf of a loved one, or maybe a simple gift to the Glory of God? You might consider a donation to this fund. A very nice way to “lift up” someone you love and thank God for the blessing they have been in your life.
Fill’er Up Grocery CartThe grocery cart you see as you enter church isn’t simply a wayward cart waiting for someone to return it to its store, it’s there for a purpose. This cart collects donations for the hungry, so we aren’t empty handed when someone in need comes knocking at our door. Next time you go grocery shopping, how about picking up a couple extra cans, rolls, packages, or bags of non-perishable items for our neighbors.
It’s a gift like no other, to work with ones hands and plarn a protective mat for our homeless community to sleep on. And there’s no better reuse of our plentiful, infamous, plastic bags. Some volunteers help collect these plastic bags, while others work to carefully cut them into strands, after which the talented folks skillfully plarn them into beautiful plastic mats. These are then distributed to local police departments, community health agencies, and homeless shelters where staff can distribute them.
Halifax Urban Ministries: Halifax Urban Ministries is a non-profit community program whose mission it is to prevent homelessness among low-income families by providing emergency assistance and to intervene on behalf of homeless people. Faith Lutheran Church participates as a supporting congregation to this ministry. Faith Lutheran is one of several partnering congregations who provide volunteers for HUM’s hot meal program “Bridge of Hope.” Every fourth Monday of the month, volunteers from Faith assist in either meal prep of serving the homeless men and women of Daytona Beach.
Back-To School Backpack DriveWe collect back to school supplies for local foster children. In a joint effort between Youth & Social Ministry, Faith Lutheran has collected donations for backpacks and school supplies for over the past 15 years to provide to Community Partnership for Children (CPC). This agency serves local children in foster care. For the 2021-2022 school year we distributed 37 backpacks filled with school supplies to local children in need.
If you’d like to donate, you may want to consider shopping between July 24th and August 6th when there will be a time of tax free shopping for school supplies. Click here for more details 2023 BACK TO SCHOOL SALES TAX HOLIDAY.
Here is a list of items to shop for: 2023 Back to School Backpack Lists by Grade
Year after year we collect food for assembling Thanksgiving baskets for families who might not have food to eat for Thanksgiving. Cans of green beans, french fried onions, cream of mushroom soup, boxes of mac-n-cheese, stuffing mix, mashed potatoes, gravy, cans of yams and bags of marshmallows are some of the things donated to fill the baskets. Disposable turkey roasting pans and foil are included, as well as gift cards to local grocery stores to purchase turkeys. In 2023, Faith volunteers assembled 85 baskets for 85 local families.
Angel TreeThe Angel Tree ministry here at Faith Lutheran has always been very successful! We collect donations and gifts for children who have been in foster care and have recently been reunited with their family. Often times family is not in a position to give these children presents for the holidays. It is an amazing feeling for them and a tremendous blessing! We hang angels from a tree with gift requests and our members, friends and family members pick an angel, shop for them and wrap the gifts.
Verse of the Day