"Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourself were suffering."- Hebrews 13:1-3

City folks call this the middle of nowhere. No hotels, no grocery chains, no department stores, no Starbucks, nowhere to go. This is Lumpkin, a rural town in Stewart County, the poorest county in Georgia. Yet to immigrants in the southeastern United States, Lumpkin is infamous. It is the home of the Stewart County Detention Center, the largest non-citizen detention center in the nation.

I am a volunteer with Friends in Hope, an initiative of Lutheran Services of Georgia (LSG) that coordinates visits between volunteers and Stewart detainees. This is my first time in Lumpkin. Getting to Lumpkin requires a three-hour drive from Atlanta through increasingly sparse land and into a town with almost no cell phone service. On this Saturday morning, the other LSG volunteers and I begin our day at El Refugio, a hospitality house for the friends and families of detainees. As Lumpkin has nowhere else for visitors to stay, El Refugio is truly a place of refuge. Weekends are especially busy at El Refugio, and the quaint, yellow house is full of life and chatter. While we eat lunch with the El Refugio volunteers, a Spanish-speaking  mother and her children enter and ask to use the restroom. The water has been cut off at Stewart, leaving visitors without a place to relieve themselves. The El Refugio volunteers greet them warmly in Spanish, offering food, water, a place to refresh themselves, and an invitation to stay the night if they need. I watch in awe as El Refugio embodies borderless welcome and hospitality. At 12:45, we gather our things--passports or driver's licenses, water bottles, and books--and drive the mile to the center.....

Continue reading on the synod blog. 

Rock of Ages Lutheran Church in Stone Mountain, GA will celebrate the 45th anniversary of its founding with a special service on Sunday, November 18, at 10:00 a.m. In the procession beginning the service, the various stages of Rock of Ages' growth will be commemorated. Pastor Celeste Ginyard, a former intern at Rock of Ages, will be the special guest speaker.

Rock of Ages was founded in 1966 by the Rev. Bill Corkish in an effort to develop an American Lutheran Church congregation in Stone Mountain. The first service was held on Reformation Sunday in October 1966 at Clarkston High School. In November 1966, the stained glass which graces the sanctuary and depicts the hymn "Rock of Ages" was designed by Nils Schweizer and constructed by the congregation. The first service in the sanctuary was Christmas eve 1966. The first major expansion was completed in May 1985 adding 15,000 square feet.  Click here to read more about the history and renovation of ROA. 

ROA is presently served by Pastor Randal Palm who became Pastor of the church in 1992. The present church facility is air-conditioned and includes many of the features of the old building coupled with modern functionalism such as a new organ, re-furbished pews, wi-fi, an updated sound system, and a grand piano.

A reception will immediately follow the special anniversary service. Also being honored during the service will be charter members Ebbie Martinson and Claude Merritt. Please join us as Rock of Ages Lutheran Church celebrates God's past blessings with joy and looks forward to a glorious future of mission and ministry in Stone Mountain, GA. 

Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Atlanta, GA has a Caregivers group that meets on the second Sunday of each month at 10:00 am for about an hour. What started out as two women seeking support from each other as they cared for their husbands quickly involved into a group of several members who are taking care of loved ones with various illnesses in various stages. The group officially started on February 2010 and remains active today.

Solid research indicates that the demanding task of caring for a loved one can lead to caregiver stress, burnout, feelings of isolation, physical and emotional strain. Group support is one way to address the various demands associated with care giving. A caregivers group provides an opportunity to share emotions and experiences, as well as a chance to learn from one another in a supportive environment. The caregivers group also includes coping strategies such as prayer, exercise, laughter, and relaxation techniques. The group has been fortunate to have many professional speakers share their expertise and advice; two physician members of the congregation serve as facilitators of the group sessions. Educational presentations are open to all members of the congregation and have been well received. Topics and speakers have included the following:

• Yvonne Green from the Department of Community Health on "Understanding Medicare and Medicaid"
• Attorney Richard Goerss on "Finance and Law"
• Debbie Rucker Turner on "Powerful Tools as Caregivers"
• Hurler Elder Care Law representative on "Comprehensive Solutions for Families with Age-Related Events"
• Dr. Alfonso Martinez on "The Neuropsychology of Memory Loss"
• Dr. Kofi Konwani on "Transcendental Meditation"
• Dr. Monica Parker on "Emory's Research Study on African American Dementia Caregivers"
• Dr. Joel Okoli, an oncology surgeon with Morehouse School of Medicine on "Understanding Breast Cancer in our Community"