LUM "Flipped the Switch" to Solar Energy
Reception Engaged Students in Energy Lesson
At a special event earlier this week, LUM "flipped the switch" to the newly installed solar energy system. Joe Micon, LUM executive director, hosted the event and engaged the attendees, especially the students from the LUM After School Program , in an informative and interactive presentation on the power of the sun and benefits of solar energy. He also thanked each donor and presented them with a plaque. The ceremony concluded with the donors, board members and a few LUM students "flipping switches" and displaying the online monitor of solar energy intake at LUM (pictured above). Special thanks to the Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette, McAllister Foundation, Tipmont REMC, Vectron Foundation and an anonymous donor for making this project financially possible.

In addition to the environmental benefits of going solar, the saving to LUM will potentially be $6,618 per year . This total includes the savings from the reduction in energy needed as well as revenue from trading Solar Renewable Energy Credits. This money will be re-invested in LUM programs & services in support of local families. LUM has also committed to freezing the enrollment fees for the LUM After School Program for the next three years.

  • Photos — to view more photos from the event, click HERE
  • Video — to view the video from the event, click HERE
  • Media — to read the media coverage of the event, click HERE

Please visit the LUM Office building soon and check out our new steel roof, solar panels, utility boxes and energy monitor.
LUM Tax Assistance Program Starts Soon
Volunteers Are A Vital Part of LUM Tax Program
The  LUM Tax Assistance Program  will start on Saturday, February 2 . Volunteers are an integral part of the LUM Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program also known as VITA. LUM would not be able to offer this service without the skilled, trained volunteers who make this vital LUM program such a success each year. Special thanks to ALL of the volunteers assisting with the LUM Tax Assistance Program this year.

Did you know?
  • At LUM, taxpayers get one-on-one help from IRS-certified volunteers who prepare their taxes for them at no charge
  • If your household earned less than $66,000 in 2018, you may file your taxes online for FREE

For more information on the LUM Tax Assistance Program or how YOU can volunteer, click  HERE or call 765.423.2691.
Meet the New Officers of the LUM Board
LUM Executive Council 2019
Best wishes and thanks to the outgoing 2018 LUM Board of Directors and Executive Council members. Congratulations to the incoming  2019 Executive Council  members (pictured above L to R), who are as follows:

  • Chuck Anderson, Facilities, St. Thomas Aquinas - Catholic Center at Purdue
  • Rev. Kevin Bowers, Personnel, Bethany Presbyterian Church
  • Cheryl Fowler, Vice President, Unitarian Universalist Church of Tippecanoe County
  • Joan Low, President, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
  • Susie Riley, Treasurer, Trinity United Methodist Church
  • Tangie Armstrong, Secretary, Word of Life Fellowship
  • Patty Useem, Program, Planning & Evaluation, Federated Church
  • Joe Micon, Executive Director, Lafayette Urban Ministry

LUM is governed by a  Board of Directors  — made up of one representative from each member church plus a few appointed individuals from specific community groups. The LUM board meets each month, overseeing and directing policy decisions, fiscal matters, and programming issues, ensuring that LUM continues to fulfill its vital mission to the community. It is led by an eight member executive council. The individuals leading the Lafayette Urban Ministry are passionate, hard working and talented — it’s going to be another fruitful year!
Community Events - Lecture & Speaker Series
Dorothy Day Lecture - January 24 - Free
This year's Dorothy Day Lecture will be given by author & educator, Hosffman Ospino , PhD, Associate Professor of Hispanic Ministry & Religious Education, Boston College, School of Theology & Ministry. Ospino's talk is entitled:
Practicing Justice, Building Communion:
American Catholicism’s Moral Imperative to
Embrace Its Hispanic/Latino Identity .

Dorothy Day Lecture d etails are as follows:
  • Date: Thursday, January 24 | Time: 7 p.m.
  • Place: Newman Hall, St. Thomas Aquinas Center, 535 W State Street, West Lafayette
  • FREE and open to the public
  • Sponsors: St. Thomas Aquinas - the Catholic Center at Purdue, Aquinas Foundation, Metanexus Fund, and Lewis Family Foundation
Interfaith Discussion Speaker Series - Free
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church is hosting an  Interfaith Discussion Speaker Series on January 28, 29, & 30. Details are as follows:
  • Philip Schlossberg, executive director, Hillel, Purdue University - Monday, January 28, 6 p.m.
  • Hisham Elkhatib, founder, Islamic Education Center of Lafayette - Tuesday, January 29, 6 p.m.
  • Dr. Stuart D. Robertson, lecturer, Biblical Hebrew, Purdue University - Wednesday, January 30, 6 p.m.
  • Location: Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 1005 N 21st Street, Lafayette
  • FREE and open to the public

For more information, call 765-447-4205 or go to holytrinitylafayette.com .
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - THIS Monday
LUM is Closed in Observance of the Holiday
In observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service THIS Monday, January 21 , LUM will be closed including the After School Program. The LUM Emergency Shelter & Winter Warming Station will be open regular hours.

As we spend the day serving our community, let's reflect on the words of Marion Wright Edelman,

" A lot of people are waiting for Martin Luther King or
Mahatma Gandhi to come back - but they are gone.
We are it. It is up to us. It is up to YOU!"