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                                                                                                          The Lutheran Church of Holy Comforter honors and celebrates 100 years of Growing Together by Giving.  We will commemorate our history, as well as the 500th anniversary of the reformation, whereas Martin Luther publicly questioned indulgences and called for a public debate of the 95 theses he had written. Despite the chaos of his time, a lover of apple trees, the quote "Even if i knew that the world were to collapse tomorrow, I would still plant my apple tree today" has been ascribed to him.  What we are is from that moment in time.  We have sprouted as his apple tree. In turn, the present Holy Comforter family will plant the seedlings of the our future.   
 
We will honor our church by sponsoring a tree in Luthergarten in Wittenberg, Germany.    The garden is a symbolic sign of the optimism so clearly expressed in Luther's apple tree quote. Five hundred trees will be planted in the Luthergarten to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the reformation.  The Lutheran Church of Holy Comforter has been blessed to sponsor 1 of 500 trees in honor of our centennial year! We are also asked to plant a native corresponding tree on our grounds to show our connection to reformation.
 
We invite you to partake in monthly service projects and stronger in faith by spreading God’s grace to others.  Please participate in our 100 intentional acts of kindness tree.  Let’s watch our tree grow in God’s grace! Additionally, we invite you to various special events will take place throughout the year with the culminating celebration held December 10th, 2017 –  100 years, nearly to the day, after we officially became Lutheran Church of the Holy Comforter.

It's time to GERMAN-ate!

The Centennial Committee  
Debbie Baker
Greg Cline
Fran Holland
Micah Kernery
Katie Kessen

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Our Giving Tree

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INTENtional Acts of Kindness

Holy Comforter honors reformation and our centennial by encouraging families and individuals to joyfully give to others.  Please prepare your heart and select an act of kindness below, perform it, write it down on a apple leaf located in our education building and drop into the big apple basket by the bulletin board.  Let’s see how big our Holy Comforter giving tree will grow between now and our December Centennial Celebration banquet!

1. Send a handwritten thank you note for someone’s kindness
2. Be still. Read the Bible for an hour and pray for others
3. Surprise someone with flowers or a plant
4. Attend a Holy Comforter event (in addition to Sunday services)
5. Share your time and talents on a Holy Comforter committee or volunteer/sign-up to assist with a need at church
6. Volunteer to help with an Agape, Kids Club, Youth Club or Vacation Bible School need
7. Invite someone new to attend services or an event at Holy Comforter
8. Listen to a service on HolyC.org and share the message with others
9. Invite a Holy Comforter church member/family, who you do not currently socialize with, out to lunch or over for dinner
10. Wear a Holy Comforter or Old Lutheran t-Shirt out in public (great conversation starter!)
11. Say thank you to someone at church for his/her contribution
12. Sing worship music enthusiastically
13. Lift others up in prayers
14. Pray before a meal at a restaurant
15. Volunteer a service to help a neighbor (washing a car, mowing the lawn, walking the dog, wheeling in the trashcans, et cetera)
16. Volunteer or donate to S.O.C.K.S (unitedwaygaston.galaxydigital.com)
17. Volunteer or donate to Belmont Community Organization
18. Volunteer or donate to Catherine's House (catherineshouseinc.org) or Holy Angel’s (holyangelsnc.org)
19. Live in the moment – Listen and give some one your undivided attention  
20. When you hear an ambulance siren, pray for those who are receiving medical care
21. Share fresh garden produce with someone
22. Hold your tongue – Pause before speaking or writing when you are mad, agitated or doubtful
23. Deliver fresh-baked cookies or box of doughnuts to a friend, neighbor or co-worker “just because”
24. Pay for someone’s coffee, ice cream or fast food who is behind you in line
25. Pay for someone’s meal or dessert at a restaurant
26. Leave a big gratuity for your restaurant server
27. Leave a spare umbrella behind on rainy day with the note, “FREE UMBRELLA: Shower another with God’s love!”
28. Compliment someone you know
29. Compliment someone new– be sincere!
30. While waiting in line, let the person behind you go first
31. Offer to put someone’s shopping cart away for him or her at the store
32. Leave coins to a vending machine or bubble gum machine to treat the next person
33. Buy something from a child’s fundraiser or donate money/buy from people selling/tabling outside of store
34. Run an errand for someone who is in need 
35. Offer someone to help clean up after a meal
36. Straighten up shelves at the grocery aisle, toy department or a store where items have been misplaced
37. Hold the door open for someone
38. Leave an inspirational letter in a library book
39. Feed the birds
40. Pick up litter 
41. Leave an inspirational note on a random car windshield in a parking lot
42. Encourage “no electronic devices” when having dinner with family or friends
43. Check-in on an elderly person
44. Send a card to a service member
45. Tell someone why he or she is special to you
46. Talk to someone new
47. Write inspirational chalk messages on a sidewalk or post on public bulletin boards
48. Try to find the good in someone you do not like
49. Tell a manager how good your service was or write a note to the corporate office
50. Call a friend you have not seen in a while to say hello
51. Read a book to someone
52. Donate a book or magazine to a business waiting room 
53. Tell someone how much you love him or her
54. Say yes when a store cashier asks if you'd like to donate $1 to the chosen charity
55. Bake or deliver a birthday cake for someone
56. Wave at kids on school buses
57. Donate a toy to a child in need or an organization
58. Be empathetic – Really try to be other oriented
59. Dry the slides at the park, a public bench or another’s stadium seat with a towel after it rains
60. Say thank you when you see community or military service members in public
61. Fill a jar with candy and surprise someone
62. Make a thank you sign for some one
63. Leave a sealed bag of popcorn surprise on a DVD rental machine
64. Share something 
65. Leave a nice comment on a blog, Twitter, Facebook or HolyC.org social media feed
66. Donate to NovusWay/Lutheridge (novusway.com)
67. Donate to NC Lutheran Synod (nclutheran.org)
68. Donate to a ECLA Good Gifts project (ecla.org)
69. Donate to Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (ltss.lr.edu)
70. Offer to take a group photo for people who are attempting to take a selfie or photo in public
71. Give someone a hug 
72. Ask for a donation in your honor instead of a birthday or Christmas gift
73. Help someone carry, load or unload groceries from his or her car
74. Offer to help someone in need
75. Send a handwritten note of encouragement to someone
76. Tell a joke –make someone smile
77. Make a homemade gift for someone
78. Give high fives to someone 
79. Be still –meditate for one hour
80. Relay an overheard compliment
81. Curb road rage –let another car merge in front of you
82. Call, email or write a teacher who changed your life
83. Collect soda can tabs to donate to Ronald McDonald House (HC church collection container), BoxTops for locals schools or another similar funding drive
84. Say hello and good morning when you enter a room or store of unfamiliar faces
85. Leave spare change from a purchase at a cash register for someone else to use
86. Encourage someone to pursue his or her dreams and give helpful approaches to achieve it
87. Toss a coin in a fountain and pray for another
88. Teach someone something new
89. Donate financially (and anonymously!) to someone or an organization in need
90. Donate items or volunteer at a local animal shelter
91. Donate gently worn clothes to a thrift store or organization
92. Take or print extra coupons for a store and give to other customers
93. Choose prayer and happiness when you are angry
94. Forgive someone you've been holding a grudge against
95. Honor a loved one by giving a gift in his/her honor or in memory of someone has passed
96. Give yourself gratitude and joy – Write down five items you are grateful for having in your life
97. Memorize a biblical scripture
98. Make a new friend
99. Say “please” and “thank you” – and really mean it!
100. Complete all intentional acts of kindness on this list and share your good news for the website’s list of honorees (holyc.org/100years)