One of the goals and hopes of the Connections Team at a synodical level is to highlight some of the food and feeding ministries that are happening around the synod. The purpose of this is to connect other communities and congregations that have feeding ministries so that there can be shared resources, opportunities for questions, and conversations. The team is asking for you to share your feeding ministries so that we can connect our synod more closely with other congregations either doing similar ministries or interested in sharing the work with one another.
By The Rev. Barbara L. Bartling
One of the themes Bishop Tracey Breashears Schultz has lifted up for our synod is Connection. At Holy Comforter Lutheran Church in Kingwood, we believe that connection is not simply a strategy for ministry—it is at the heart of what God is doing among us.
Jesus connected with people around tables, on roads, in homes, and in communities. He gathered people into relationships with God and with one another. In a world marked by loneliness, isolation, and division, the church has a unique opportunity to embody that same ministry of connection.
One of the ways we experience this at Holy Comforter is through Sandwich Sunday, part of our Live God’s Mission pathway to discipleship. The first Sunday of each month, members and friends of all ages gather to make lunches that are distributed through Star of Hope Mission serving people experiencing food and shelter insecurity.
The lunches matter, of course, but something deeper happens as well. Children work alongside grandparents. New members serve alongside longtime members. Conversations emerge. Stories are shared. Faith becomes visible in action. What began as sandwich making became community building.
Sandwich Sunday reminds us that discipleship is not merely learning about Jesus—it is following Jesus together. Service creates connection: Connection with one another, connection with our neighbors, and connection with God’s mission in the world.
We encourage other congregations throughout the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod to consider creating their own version of Sandwich Sunday. The specific ministry may look different in each context, but the principle remains the same: Gather people around a simple act of service and watch God create relationships, deepen faith, and strengthen community. This can start by contacting us to learn more about how we started or what we do, or completing the synod feeding ministry survey and share your own feeding ministry so we can do more together.
This commitment to connection also shapes two important ministry searches currently underway at Holy Comforter. We are seeking a Minister of Discipleship who will help cultivate a culture of lifelong, grace-centered discipleship. We believe discipleship is not a program but a way of life rooted in baptism, practiced in community, and lived out in everyday relationships. Our hope is to equip people of all ages to recognize God’s activity in their lives, grow in faith, and participate more fully in God’s mission in the world. HCLC expresses this strengthening of faith in one another through the second tenant of the discipleship pathway, Growing in Community.
At the same time, we are seeking a Minister of Worship & Music who will lead Christ-centered worship that is participatory and grounded in Word and Sacrament. We believe worship is where God is praised and where God gathers, forms, and sends God’s people. Only the church leads and teaches worship, and it is a central part of faith development. At Holy Comforter we express this through the discipleship pathway of Discovering our Faith, through worship that includes scripture, prayer, liturgy and music. Music is not a performance for an audience but a gift that enables the congregation to sing, pray, proclaim, and experience God’s grace together.
These two ministry areas—discipleship and worship—are deeply connected. Worship praises God, proclaims the gospel, and forms disciples. Disciples live their faith in the world. Service creates relationships. Relationships create opportunities for faith to grow. Through it all, God continues drawing people into deeper connection with Jesus Christ and with one another.
As we continue this journey, we give thanks for our synod and for the many ways congregations are finding creative and faithful ways to connect. We pray that God will strengthen all of us in our shared calling to be communities where people are welcomed, nurtured, equipped, and sent.