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- Williams Bay Lutheran Church in Williams Bay, Wis., participated in “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday Sept. 11 by helping with prairie restoration work in a creation care and community outreach event. Volunteers collected seeds in Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy. The seeds will then be planted in other parts of the conservancy to expand the prairie. Photo: Courtesy of Williams Bay Lutheran
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- Memorial Lutheran Church in St. Augustine, Fla., sees “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday as a way to create a bridge between the congregation and its Chapel School ministry. After worship, children and adults gathered in the hall for fellowship and formed an assembly line creating gift bags for firefighters at the fire station across the street from the church. Photo: Courtesy of Memorial Lutheran
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- The youth of Reformation Lutheran Church in Orlando, Fla., made benches for the congregation’s gardens. Photo: Courtesy of Reformation Lutheran Orlando
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- Peace Lutheran Church in Gaylord, Mich., had two work sites: one where volunteers installed fencing for a family whose home had been damaged in a tornado that hit Gaylord last year; the other at church, where members organized donations and backpacks for Lutheran World Relief school and health kits, wrote prayer cards to all 108 congregations in their synod, and prepared lunch for all volunteers. Photo: Courtesy of Peace Lutheran
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- Redeemer Lutheran Church in Boise, Idaho, decorated reusable bags and filled them with ready-to-go meals for its Little Free Pantry ministry, recently established in response to a need identified in the neighborhood. Photo: Courtesy of Redeemer Lutheran
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- Members of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Whittier, Calif., volunteered at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank’s new City of Industry location, helping to assemble 4,073 food packages for low-income seniors in Los Angeles County. Photo: Courtesy of St. Andrew Lutheran
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- Members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Robesonia, Pa., packed more than 1,500 “weekender bags” at Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank in Reading. The bags will go to low-income children in Berks County and Schuylkill County to meet the gap between the free and reduced-price lunch meals they receive at school. Photo: Courtesy of Trinity Lutheran Church
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- Zion Lutheran Church in McGregor, Texas, had three activities: collecting supplies and assembling 40 relief kits for the unhoused in their area; making lap quilts for homebound and care center residents; and baking cookies for the local nursing home staff. Photo: Courtesy of Zion Lutheran
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- Reformation Lutheran Church in Lakeland, Fla., accomplished two projects: packing 30 “blessing bags” to be distributed to unsheltered neighbors, and writing cards of encouragement to local law enforcement officers. Photo: Courtesy of Reformation Lutheran Lakeland
On Sept. 11, ELCA congregations across the country joined together for “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday. This annual dedicated day of service builds on the work ELCA members do every day to share God’s love with their communities. From prairie restoration to fence and bench construction to meal kit assembly, volunteers participated in a variety of service projects this year. “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday is an opportunity for the ELCA to celebrate that it is one church, freed in Christ to serve and love the neighbor.
