This life project has been shared by Memorial Lutheran Life Team in Houston, Texas. Thank you to Jess Rosenwinkel, Life Team Leader, and Robert Burmeister, Life Team member, for the helpful information.
“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).
Welcoming a newborn baby into the world is exciting but can be overwhelming, especially when it’s your first time. Memorial Lutheran Life Team in Houston, Texas, gathered advice from fathers in the congregation and compiled them into a book, Lutheran Advice and Encouragement for First-Time Dads, to gift to new dads.
The project started when the Life Team’s pastor, Rev. Ned Moerbe, approached Robert Burmeister (a father of two grown daughters) with the idea. He wanted a project sponsored by the Life Team that would support fathers and suggested passing around a journal to the fathers in the congregation to write down advice and encouragement for first-time fathers. This would be given to them shortly before the baby is born or around the time a baby shower would be hosted.
Initially, it was thought that a journal would be passed around for the fathers to write down advice and words of encouragement. This seemed a bit cumbersome, so Robert had the idea of collecting the writings through email. First, he had Pastor Moerbe write an entry to serve as an example. Then, he contacted a few trusted fathers from the congregation that he knew would be willing to participate. Once Robert had a few meaningful and thoughtful entries, he emailed every father in the congregation and requested they submit any advice to be compiled into the book. Several follow-ups, email reminders, and in-person reminders ensured that many entries were gathered between September and November of 2025.
In total, they received 150 entries from 40 fathers, who are all members of Memorial Lutheran Church in Houston, Texas. The entries were compiled into one file and proofread before formatting and printing.
Robert worked with Jess Rosenwinkel during December to format the book and did an initial printing. Jess owns a design company and was able to use her expertise to design and format the entries into the book. It’s just over 50 pages long and is about 4 x 7 inches. The layout includes the father’s name, the names and ages of his children, and then the advice he wrote. The book was printed through Lulu.com. Its grand arrival was Christmas Day in 2025.
They started with ordering 30 books, which cost about $150. The first batch went rather quickly. Besides the copies given to the new fathers, other dads in the congregation bought copies for themselves and to gift to fathers they knew. Copies are sold for $5.00. The book costs just over $4.00 to print, so the little extra received from the sales helps to cover the cost of the next printing.
When gifting the book to a new father, the goal is to present it about one or two months before the baby is born and have a small event with the men of the congregation. These events for the new fathers and men help to create a community. The new fathers know that these men are there to support and guide them as they raise their children. It is a good way to reinforce the message that caring for your children is a masculine thing.
The first book given to a new dad wasn’t a big presentation but was simply delivered to his home. For the second new father, the group planned a release party and presentation of the book at a local brewery. There were 25 men in attendance. The book for the third father was presented at an activity which Robert knew many of the men, especially in Texas, would enjoy. They went to a local gun range and did some pistol target practice. This was followed by lunch at a local restaurant.
Whenever there is a new dad in the congregation, Memorial Lutheran Life Team plans to present the new dad with a free copy of the book at a social event. Robert said, “The rationale for having official ‘presentation events’ is to get the men of the congregation, especially the fathers, to meet each other if this has not happened already.” What a wonderful way to build a community of fathers and create a support system for the new ones.
Memorial Lutheran Life Team is blessed with the talents of Jess to design the book. Your group may not have someone who does design work professionally. She said, “Don’t let it deter you from doing the project; it’s the words for the new fathers that matter. Do the best you can. There are resources out there to help.”
Speak to your pastor or church secretary about ideas for design resources. They may know of someone in the congregation or community. There are also several online resources that can help create a wonderful book. You may start with designing it in Word and printing it on your church printer. Lulu.com has templates that seem to be fairly user friendly. Find what works best for your group and congregation.
Here are some examples of the advice from Lutheran Advice and Encouragement for First-Time Dads:
“Those early years of bringing little ones into the pew can feel exhausting, but don’t underestimate how important they are. Even in the frustrating moments, understand you are planting roots of faith your children will carry for a lifetime. Stay patient, stay present, and continue leading them; these small struggles are shaping their future in Christ.”
“Never feel like you can’t ask for help or advice. The men of the church are there to help each other.”
“Your words as a father are very powerful. Be very careful in choosing them. Once you ‘cast’ the words out, they are almost impossible to ‘reel’ back in.”