"Spiritual Ministry with Nails"

July 17, 2028 As our week of labor comes to a close, my heart is overflowing with gratitude for the opportunity to go on the trip, the work we accomplished, the conversations had, the connections that were made, and the feeling of fulfillment that comes from giving hope to others. Before departing for home, we renewed our baptism and shared communion as we listened to the flowing water of the creek. It was a powerful reminder of who we are and why we serve. I’m looking forwar

7-16-2028 It was another exhausting but satisfying day in Tennessee. We completed the drop ceiling in Holly’s basement, finished installing ceiling lights and smoke detectors, did touch up painting, helped spruce up her yard and planted some grass seed and hung a tree swing for her children. We walked away today knowing she had a fully usable home that was safe and clean. We were only a small part of this job. There were many, many others that came before us. There were th

7-15-2028 Yesterday (Tuesday) we were able to finish two coats of paint on the basement floor but with dry time it took two trips during the day and to optimize our ability to work in the basement on Wednesday, a final trip was even made after supper. In between the painting trips we were able help Emma (her children, Mathew and Molly, and her godmother Lisa). At their house we helped them by connecting the shower drain, fixing the roof, and sealing some exterior seams with s

7-14-2028 Wednesday evening campfire, hosted by the Holms family... owners of The Chalet.

7-14-2028 Yesterday, our team spent the day working on a basement that was severely damaged by the flooding during tropical storm Helene in September of 2024. We split into two teams hanging ceiling titles. Also, we cleaned the concrete floor before etching with a solution prior to painting. The highlight of these trips is always meeting the people that we serve. While we were working in the basement, we noticed there was a cat on the premises. We asked the owner to make sure

7-13-2028 Your sins have been “covered” by the blood of Jesus and you have been “washed clean” in the waters of your baptism. This week our theme for the week is “Living Into Our Baptism.” Every day we are focusing on one aspect of baptism. Today was a fitting beginning to our work here this week, and quite apropos to the theme of baptism, given that we started the day working on a drop ceiling (literally “covers” all who come beneath the panels). I was amazed at how quickly

7-12-2028 Today was a day of traveling as we made our way toward a week of disaster relief ministry. We don’t know our assignments yet, but we’re trusting that God has already gone before us and will place us exactly where He wants us. We are praying that He will lead our hands and feet to serve with love, compassion, and willing hearts, bringing hope to those who need it most. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways sub

7-12-2028 Sent forth by God's Blessing, our true faith confessing, the people of God from this dwelling take leave. The supper is ended. Oh, now be extended the fruits of this service in all who believe. The see of Christ's teaching, receptive souls reaching, shall blossom in action for God and for all. Your grace shall incite us, your love shall unite us to work for your kingdom and answer your call. With praise and thanksgiving to God ever-living, the tasks of our everyday

Roan Mountain, Carter County Tennessee St. Matthew in partnership with Bethesda on the Bay Lutheran Church will travel to Carter County Tennessee on Sunday, July 12, 2026 to provide disaster recovery assistance. We will drive to Tennessee Sunday and return on Friday. We will travel to Carter County again the week of September 13, 2026. For those unable to join us this year, you can pray for the team, provide food donations for the trip, or support with a monetary gift. Also,

Bob Maas, our trip coordinator Today was our final day, embracing God's people in Carter County, Tennessee. We are totally exhausted physically ... but higher in emotions than you can imagine. God has walked with us every step of this amazing journey. We have felt your prayers during the entire trip. We can't thank you enough for allowing us to share YOU and your love for others. What an honor! Whatever efforts was made in winterizing and reconstruction of homes was t

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands. (Psalm 90:17) Day 4 End of the day - Tired and dirty, but joyous! A person’s hands are able to perform SO MANY works, sometimes in completely opposite ways. They can bless and insult, grasp and release, push-away and welcome, caress and inflict harm, work and wave-off, praise and offend. Hands are quite impressive and capable i

Hurricane Helene was a deadly and devastating tropical cyclone that caused widespread catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across the Southeastern United States in late September 2024. Helene weakened as it moved quickly inland before degenerating to a post-tropical cyclone over Tennessee on September 27. The storm then stalled over the state before dissipating on September 29. It was today, at Tommy’s house, that we faced head on, the ravages of Hurricane Helene.

In a world of technology, social media, and news outlets, who do you trust? Do you see false information and failure in these various ways to get information and trust them? While leaving our third site, Bob’s navigation took us down (up) a logging road that we couldn’t continue to drive up. This “failure” in technology was a little nerve racking and left us feeling lost. Dave was in the back trusting the Lord through prayer that we could get out of our predicament. Today,

We traveled to Roan Mountain Tennessee from St. Matthew yesterday after the blessing of the team during the first service. It was great visiting with my carpool travel companions, Melody and David, during our eight-hour trip. The roads were dry the weather was beautiful and there was minimal construction. While I gathered the last items in the morning, my stomach was churning in nervous anticipation. As I grow older, I tend to be apprehensive about new and different exp

We all arrived safely at the Chalet Retreat, in Roan Mountain, Tennessee. Our hosts are the wonderful Holm family who purchased the beautiful property to house relief teams and clergy families as their personal ministry. What a blessing! Parents Mickey and Nicole Holm, with their children Avory, Walter and Ollie The seven-eight hour drive had us all arriving at different times... but just in time to settle into our individual housing units... and sit down for our first meal

The Luther Choir, led by Rachel Knaggs, sang "It is well with My Soul" during the Sunday, November 2 worship service. Such a fitting anthem on the day that we began our disaster relief ministry in Tennessee. Luther Choir, November 2, 2025 The story behind "It is Well with My Soul" is a testament to finding peace amidst tragedy . It was written by Horatio Spafford in 1873 after he suffered immense loss, including losing his fortune in the Great Chicago Fire and, most tragic

Participants Pastor Steve Mahaffey, David Pohlad, Bill Knaggs, Melody Costello, Bob Maas, (Scott and Beth Johnson, not pictured) Blessing those who are being sent in the name of God

Seven participants of the disaster relief ministry trip gathered for a last-minute Zoom call on Wednesday, Nov. 29 The agenda for the call: What to take, clothes, tools, food, other things Confirm drivers Departure plans Arrival plans on Sunday Room assignments and codes (Bob) Meal planning (Melody and Scott) Plan for Monday morning, meet with Leya at 8:00 AM at The Chalet Spiritual Plan Update (Pastor Steve) Planned work assignments (Bob) Bob Maas spoke with Leya at Cart

Hearing more about disaster relief ministry - Oct. 12, 2025 Sunday, October 12 - We welcomed Pastor Henry Zorn to worship and preach about the ministry of helping our neighbors in need, especially with disaster relief trips. Pastor Henry has years of experience with this ministry starting in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina. He also shared more in depth stories about his experiences participating in disaster relief during the Sunday School hour between worship services in The Up

Tee Shirt Logo Following the Disaster Relief meeting on September 25, I was honored with the task of coming up with a logo for our group tee shirts. But where do I begin? Scott and I sat over a glass of wine once we arrived home from the meeting and began to chat about our 25 years of living in Western Maryland ... in the same Appalachian mountain range as Roan Mountain in Tennessee. We spoke about the down-to-earth, humble neighbors who we adored. A culture very different