August Update from Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Lititz, PA
August brings a number of important updates in the life of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Lititz, PA. As a congregation gathered around Christ and His gifts, we share together in times of grief and thanksgiving, worship and study, Christian stewardship, and planning for the future of our congregation. Through all these changing circumstances, our Lord continues to sustain His Church through His Holy Word and Sacraments.
We invite our members, friends, and neighbors throughout Lititz and Lancaster County to keep these matters in prayer during the weeks ahead. Whether mourning with a Christian family, rejoicing over an upcoming marriage, gathering for Divine Service, or considering the stewardship of God’s gifts, we live together as members of the Body of Christ.
Remembering Our Brother in Christ
Comforted by Christ’s Promise of the Resurrection
On the evening of Sunday, August 2, our brother in Christ, Al Seidel, finished his earthly race and went to be with our Lord. We ask the congregation to keep Molly and the entire Seidel family in your prayers as they mourn. Memorial service information will be shared when details become available. At such times, the Christian Church does not grieve without hope. Our comfort rests in Jesus Christ, crucified for our sins and risen bodily from the grave, who has promised eternal life to all who trust in Him. We commend those who mourn to our gracious Lord and pray that His Word of resurrection and life will strengthen and sustain them. You can read further on the life of Al Seidel here.
Fall Christian Stewardship at Mount Calvary
Receiving God’s Gifts and Faithfully Using Them
This month Mount Calvary begins a fall stewardship program intended to deepen our understanding of Christian stewardship and encourage thoughtful commitments in our personal stewardship journey. Christian stewardship encompasses much more than finances. Everything we possess, our time, abilities, vocations, possessions, and opportunities for service, is received from our gracious heavenly Father and entrusted to us for faithful use.
The Stewardship Committee has prepared an introductory letter explaining the upcoming fall stewardship campaign. Members are encouraged to read the letter carefully and prayerfully consider the many gifts God has entrusted to them. Christian stewardship begins not with what we give to God, but with recognizing everything that God has first given to us through His creation and, above all, through the redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ.
Celebrating an Upcoming Christian Marriage
Daniel Riggins and Marta to Be Married October 3
We are also delighted to announce the upcoming wedding of Daniel Riggins and Marta. Their wedding is scheduled for Saturday, October 3, 2026, at 12:00 PM at Concordia Evangelical Lutheran Church in Macungie, Pennsylvania. A reception will follow at the church. Marriage is a wonderful gift established by God, and we rejoice with Daniel and Marta as they prepare to enter this holy estate. We encourage the congregation to remember them in prayer as they prepare for their wedding and for their life together as husband and wife.
Midweek Evening Prayer and Romans 8
A New Name: Adoption as God’s Children
Mount Calvary gathered for Midweek Evening Prayer on Wednesday, August 5. The meditation originally included in the service bulletin was updated to a sermon from Vicar Michael Usner centered upon Romans 8:12–17. The sermon considers the remarkable Gospel promise that Christians have received the Spirit of adoption and, through Christ, may cry to God, “Abba! Father!” Romans 8 directs Christians away from confidence in the sinful flesh and toward the objective work of Christ. Through His death and resurrection, Christ reconciles sinners to the Father, while the Holy Spirit delivers Christ’s saving gifts and continually directs us back to God’s promises. An audio recording of the sermon is available here:
Mount Calvary Strategic Planning Update
Looking Faithfully Toward the Congregation’s Future
Following the congregational meeting on August 9, 2026, the Strategic Planning Committee is providing resources to help members remain informed about Mount Calvary’s strategic planning process. The first document is a one-page handout providing a brief update concerning the current status of the congregation’s strategic plan. Members are encouraged to review these materials and remain engaged in the life and future of the congregation.
Strategic planning ultimately serves the congregation’s ongoing Christian vocation. Plans, committees, buildings, and resources find their proper purpose when they support the Church’s central work: proclaiming Christ, teaching Holy Scripture, administering the Sacraments according to Christ’s institution, catechizing young and old, and serving our neighbors. As Mount Calvary considers the future, we pray that Christ and His Word will remain firmly at the center. Read the Strategic Planning update here.
The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Welcoming Pastor Foelber to Mount Calvary
Mount Calvary is pleased to welcome Pastor Tom Foelber, a retired Lutheran pastor from Baltimore, who will serve our congregation on the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost. We are thankful for his willingness to proclaim God’s Word and serve Christ’s people during his time with us. The service bulletin is available here. The audio of the sermon is available below:
You are invited to Mount Calvary Church in Lititz, PA
For those searching for a church in Lititz, PA, or exploring churches in Lititz, PA and the greater Litiz area, we warmly invite you to learn more about Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Lancaster County. Our life together remains centered upon Jesus Christ and His gifts through the faithful preaching and teaching of God’s Word and the administration of His Sacraments. Through worship, Bible study, catechesis, fellowship, and service to our neighbors, we seek to remain steadfast in the historic, Confessional Lutheran faith while faithfully serving the community in which God has placed us.
