Pasta Suppers

First Lutheran Church of the Reformation holds a community supper each Wednesday at 6:00 pm. The supper is free for all who come. Many of our guests are from nearby homeless shelters and low-income senior housing, while others live in tents or on the street. Young families bring their children to this weekly event. Before the penne pasta, which is served with a homemade sausage meat sauce, a tasty garden salad is served with bread slices and butter.  Pasta and desserts are often donated by church and community members.

Such a meal takes many hands to prepare and serve. We are grateful to our faithful teams of volunteers from the congregation and supportive community friends.

Monday Morning Mingle
We serve a free hot breakfast every Monday from 7-9 a.m. As with our pasta suppers, guests come from diverse backgrounds and enjoy a warm meal in a safe place.  Volunteers provide food and preparation. Three additional city churches have joined us in providing breakfasts on other days of the week.

The Clothing Rack

The Clothing Rack offers free clothing to all people in our community who unable to pay.The gently used clothing comes from many individuals, organizations and churches in our area. The Clothing Rack relies on volunteers as well as to staff the distribution. We are grateful to our members, volunteers and others in the community who make this ministry possible.

Community Garden
FLCR’s community garden provides fresh salad fixings for our community supper. We grow vegetables, including tomatoes, lettuce, squash, zucchini, cucumbers and radishes during the summer months. Volunteers from the church and community help with the garden, planting, weeding, and harvesting produce.

Quilts for Babies

This outreach ministry is all about babies. Each year a group of dedicated volunteers create the quilts which are given to social service agencies and wherever a need is expressed in the community. Newborns in the congregation are also welcomed with one of these quilts.

Caring Ministries
When a member of our church is no longer able to attend services. This ministry reaches out to the member with a visit by a pastor or volunteers. During the Christmas and Easter season, church volunteers visit, bringing beautiful flowers along with a cheerful presence. The volunteers also offer Communion, which has been consecrated earlier by the pastor. This ministry offers shut-ins a link to the congregation and to old friends and is appreciated by families as well.

Blessing Bags

Members of our congregation donate hotel size shampoos and soaps, tissues, toothbrushes and toothpaste, trail mix and granola, crackers, packs of gum, band aids, combs, even rain ponchos, that our youth assemble in gallon zip-lock bags and distribute to people in need. The youth write personal notes of encouragement to put in the Blessing Bags.

Lutheran World Relief
First Lutheran Church of the Reformation recognizes that it is important to be a good neighbor to those living nearby and those far away. In the past, we have supported Malaria relief by buying mosquito netting for African villagers. Recently we raised funds to help an African community pay for a water well to supply clear water for 500 people. We have collected school supplies for needy students and raised funds for farm animals to assist subsistence farmers.

Operation Christmas Child

As shoebox gifts are distributed, local pastors or church leaders present the Gospel in a fun way designed for kids while family and friends listen in. Along with their shoebox gift, children also receive The Greatest Gift, a colorful presentation of the Gospel in their own language. Find out more about Operation Christmas Child at Samaritan’s Purse.