The Lebanon Lutheran Church of Whitehall's Outreach to White Lake

We report a lot on the work that gets done to help those in need in and around Muskegon.  We have also said from Day 1 that Muskegon is pretty much Fruitport to Montague as far as we're concerned, but quite often the stories about things like hunger, food insecurity, clothing needs and household items seem to come from in the city limits and from neighborhoods that are considered "blighted".  Well, the need for human service is everywhere.

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Recently, I got a tip about some serious outreach going on in the White Lake Area at a church called the Lebanon Lutheran Church in Whitehall.  Founded all the way back in 1872 by Swedish lumber workers the Lebanon Lutheran Church was built to help foster the deep feeling the immigrants had for faith as well as using catechism to help their children learn how to read.  If you think back to 1872 as well, a congregation was an important part of life too.  We didn't have the immediate connections we do now, people could gather to praise, catch up on what's happening, find out who needed a hand and use the collective's mind power to help solve issues. 

Well, in as much as times change and the way we connect is a little more rapid, some things stay the same and when it comes to the Lebanon Lutheran Church that community mindset is still first and foremost.  As we talked earlier, those in need are everywhere.  Zip codes don't define who's hungry, who's lonely or who might be struggling to make life happen.  Yes, even in the White Lake Area there are those who need food pantries, a hot meal, a safe spot to gather and a place to rely on when times are tough.  The Lebanon Lutheran Church operates numerous community outreach programs to serve so many people.  In the summer, they work to provide backpacks for kids to head back to school.  Year round, they provide breakfast on Wednesday mornings.  The food pantry is there for those who need to come and make sure the shelves are not bare.  Meeting space for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, quilters, support groups...in my mind...they are doing exactly what a church should be doing in a community.  The Sunday service is great, but the real mission is 24/7 in my mind and from meeting Pastor Doug Ogden, it's clear to see that he and his congregation feel the same way.

Doug and I had a chance to sit down and talk about his church and the work they do for the White Lake area.  Take a listen to what goes on to help those in need a little to the North.

After we talked, Doug gave me a nice tour of this beautiful and traditional church.  Plenty of room for everyone was the theme.  They sure go above and beyond for those in the White Lake area.  We had a nice discussion too about faith.  I always appreciate a hearty dialogue on the subject with my 12 years of parochial schools, but what I always appreciate more is when people put faith into practice.  Walk the walk....and from everything I have heard and seen, that's exactly what's going on at Lebanon Lutheran Church in Whitehall.  My many thanks to Pastor Doug Ogden for the visit and for taking such good care of his community.  If you'd like to know more about the Lebanon Lutheran Church, please, click on their photo below.