17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
2 Corinthians 5:17-20
Pray for America
Our Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, has had a long-standing tradition of including in the general prayer of the church, in weekly worship, prayers for our nation – her leaders and citizens, which the Apostle Paul encourages in this letter to Timothy,
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4 (NIV)
Inspired by what she saw traveling to Colorado Springs in 1893, Katharine Lee Bates, wrote a poem that ultimately became “America the Beautiful.”(Samuel A. Ward composed the music at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey. The two never met.) While the first verse of the song is best known, there are three “prayerful” expressions found in the refrains, that could, or should be included in daily prayers for our nation.
(Refrain verses 1 & 4)
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
Great God, our King, pour out the riches of Your grace upon our nation, not because we are deserving, but because we cannot afford to live without Your grace and mercy. For Christ’s sake bless our nation so that we may proclaim the Gospel with our lips and lives and so offer You the praise, honor, and glory You deserve. In Jesus’ name. Amen
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!
Sovereign Lord, forgive NOT the sins our nation until we repent and make America a place where no sin is accepted, no crime unpunished, no injustice overlooked. Pour out Your Spirit upon our nation’s leaders and citizens that we may be emboldened to work together to promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to according to Your Divine Laws. In Jesus’ name. Amen
America! America!
May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness,
And ever gain divine.
Lord of every good and gracious gift, grant Your prosperity and blessing to our nation and this land so that we may be rich in sharing Your abundance with the poor, the downtrodden, the weak, the widowed, the orphan. Grant success to America so that she/we may be a blessing to the nations as we share the good news of a Savior from sin, death and everlasting condemnation. Let our boasting NOT be in our accomplishments, but in the richness of Your kindness, grace, and love shown to us and boldly shared through us unto others, in the name and for the sake of our Crucified and Risen Savior, Jesus, The Christ.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance. Psalm 33:12 (NIV)
God, bless America so that America may be a blessing to the world in Jesus’ name. Amen!
We will have a special Voters' Meeting on Sunday, July 11, at 12:15 to present the motion to call Mr. Gordon Stuckert as part-time principal for the upcoming school year.
Summer Sunday Bible Study. Led by resident Seminarian Nicholas Sinatra, we'll be digging more deeply into the Scriptures for each Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in the Cafeteria. Bring a Bible, if you have one. If you do not, one will be provided for you. Join us for some lively discussion and application of the lessons.
Social Ministry
JUST ONE THING
The Faith Food Pantry was able to make and distribute 125 bags of food to Brumby the end of June. We thank you so much for your donations and now it’s time to restock the pantry. When you are out doing your shopping and you see any of the below on sale we are in need of:
Cereal
Mac & Cheese
Soups and cornbread
Pasta and Pasta Sauce
Canned chicken
Rice (1lb bags of white rice)
Canned fruit
Sweets
The month of July, since the kids are getting ready to go back to school, we would like to concentrate on collecting toiletry items and school supplies so we can put together back packs as this is so costly for families.
Toiletries Needed: Bar soap or bath wash, shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste
School Supplies Needed: Colored pencils (12 ct.), composition books, crayons (24 ct.), erasers, glue - liquid and sticks, highlighters, index cards, markers (8 ct.), No. 2 pencils, pens, pocket folders, ruler, spiral single subject notebooks and inexpensive backpacks (Walgreens sometimes runs Buy 1 Get 1 Free on their $9.99 backpacks.
We appreciate your help in keeping this ministry going to help those in our community.
JUST ONE THING - BELOW you will find the sales ads for this week. There are some wonderful ads this week. With school coming to an end for many families that receive breakfast and lunch the need will be great to keep the children fed, as well as many seniors in our community. This week is a great time to stock up on your favorite breakfast item that you would like to share with a family in need! Just remember that JUST ONE THING you would love to share! Also if you would like to take a peek at our “New Food Storage” also known as the bat cave… let me know and I would love to show it to you!!! God’s richest blessings on you and your families!
PUBLIX
General Mills Cereal - Check signage which size - Buy 1 Get 1 Free (BOGO)
Mueller's Pasta - BOGO
Jiffy Cornbread - not listed in ad but has been running .50 cents a box
KROGER - Must have Kroger Card - specials vary using digital coupons which you add to your card, etc. Please see flyer at store
Kellogg's Cereal - $1.49 when you buy 5 or more of items listed as BUY 5 OR MORE - Check signage for which size
General Mills Cereal 8.9-12 oz - 1.79 when you buy 5 or more
Snack Pack Pudding Cups - 4 ct. - 10 for $10.00
VO5 Shampoo or Conditioner 12.5 fl oz - 10 for $10.00
Colgate Toothpaste 4 - 4.6 oz - 10 for $10.00
Kraft Mac & Cheese - 10 for $10.00
WALMART
White rice - 1 lb bag - .72 cents
Small 4 roll pack of Toilet Paper - .60 cents a pack
Hunts Pasta Sauce - under a dollar a can
Grape Jelly - under a dollar a jar
Jelly is always appreciated to go with the peanut butter.
Amy works for Lutheran Bible Translators and is now back to living in Sierra Leone. After a year of working from home due to covid restrictions she is happy to be back to work! Amy’s team is currently working on proofreading Lamentations, so it is ready for the reviewers to read through, and then they will begin team-checking Jeremiah. Jeremiah, and then Ezekiel, will take some time and energy because of their length and their poetic way of prophesying. Thank God for translating! (Taken out of Amy’s newsletter)!
Birthday Kits– Summer Camp is doing a fun mission project that if any of the congregation is interested in doing that would be awesome! The children are putting birthday kits together for less fortunate children. The kits consist of cake mix, frosting, sprinkles, candles, plates, and napkins placed inside of a disposable 9x11 inch foil pan and wrapped in plastic wrap! If you want to put one together you can drop it off in the basket in the narthex or in the chairs directly across from the basket and we can collect them weekly. This little project will end Sunday July 25th! Thank you in advance!
Hope's Happenings
Comfort Dogs going to Surfside, FL
Thank you to Julie and all those who participated in celebrating my fifth birthday on June 27th. I had a great time with you all!
Update on planned activities in July, 2021: I will be going to Surfside, FL, July 6 - 12, with Peter and Sherri to join the LCC K-9 Ministry teams in response to the condominium collapse. Please keep all the Comfort Dogs deploying in your prayers as we work to show the mercy and compassion of Jesus to the families and first responders dealing with this tragedy.
Please continue to submit your requests for a Zoom visit via the following methods:
Complete the ‘Hope Comfort Dog Request’ form via this link: https://forms.gle/8oknB7haY7VLGgtE9 When a request is submitted, the information is sent directly to my organizer’s phone.
Call the church office at (770) 973-8877 to set up a visit. Janice Schaag and Susie Glass are excellent sources for getting this information to my group.
Our Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, has had a long-standing tradition of including in the general prayer of the church, in weekly worship, prayers for our nation – her leaders and citizens, which the Apostle Paul encourages in this letter to Timothy,
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