LCC Kare 9 Military Ministry has been invited to attend Leon’s Triathlon for injured veterans. Leon’s Triathlon is hosted each June in Northwest Indiana. It is a two-day event with the injured military camp held on Saturday, June 4th, and the opening ceremony and triathlon on Sunday, June 5th.

Leon’s Triathlon is a historic, short-course racing tradition founded in 1983 by Leon Wolek.

Known as “America’s Race,” Leon’s is 100% dedicated to the support and empowerment of U.S. servicemen and women, especially injured military veterans.

The event is open to civilians and military personnel alike.

We are thankful for these men and women who served our country with courage, dignity, dedication and sacrifice to protect our freedoms and keep us safe. This year, LCC Kare 9 Military Ministry and Hearts of Mercy & Compassion would like to honor and show our appreciation to the 400 veterans who are participating in this year’s Leon’s Triathlon by giving each participant a Heart of Mercy & Compassion (HMC) and an LCC Kare 9 Military Ministry mini stuffed dog.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, for the lord is with you." Deuteronomy 31:6

The cost for a Heart of Mercy & Compassion and LCC Kare 9 Military Ministry mini stuffed dog for each participant is $20.00. If you would like to help cover the cost, as we show support for the 400 veterans and U.S. servicemen and women who will participate this year, please donate.

“It means so much after spending my life as a pastor, to have the church and LCC donors support me like this. It is an amazing blessing!” Pastor Mark Willig

Lutheran Church Charities is assisting Friends in Christ Lutheran Church in Morris, Illinois, to help raise funds for an accessible wheelchair van for their pastor, Rev. Mark Willig.

Your generous donations continue to help us remove this financial burden.

The van will be used to travel to outpatient neuro-rehab when Pastor Willig is strong enough to consistently travel the distance to get there.

He continues to make progress every day and hopes to attend the Faith in Christ Confirmation Service this Sunday to personally bless the kids he taught.

If you are so moved, please donate generously to help LCC and Friends in Christ serve the Willigs. Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated!

Working through LCC staff member for Ukraine relief Rev. Larry Myers, below is an update on the work of the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine (SELCU) pastors, thanking LCC donors for your financial support and prayers.

Rev. Larry Myers is currently in Germany on vacation. However, his vacation has become an effort to reach out to Ukrainian refugee pastor families of the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine (SELCU).

On Mother’s Day, he and his son Christoph hosted a Mother’s Day Dinner in Marsberg, Germany, for the families of four SELCU pastors: Bevz, Navrotskyy, Schewtschewko, and Verba. He also presented a financial gift from LCC donors to assist them with monthly expenses. Myers and his son attended a Russian-language Ukrainian Lutheran worship service on the same evening.

Christoph, who was born in Germany and celebrated his 40th birthday on May 8, reported that it was the best birthday he could remember. Service above self, for the sake of Christ, is indeed motivational and uplifting.

On Monday, May 9, Rev. Larry Myers and his son Christoph visited the Ukrainian refugee family of SELCU Pastor Yura Timerkan, who has been a student of Myers at the Lutheran seminary in Odessa.

Myers was able to visit the pastor’s wife, Katerina, and the four children together with Pastor Timerkan’s mother, his young sister, and his sister-in-law. He also presented the family members with financial gifts from LCC donors to assist them with monthly expenses.

The family is being sponsored by SELK Pastor Christian Utpatel and St. Peter Lutheran Church in Homberg, Germany. The SELK (Selbststädige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche) is the German partner church of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

Sergiu Marius Trifa, son of the Rev. Sorin-Horia Trifa of the Confessional Lutheran Church of Romania, continues to purchase and ship medical supplies on behalf of the pastors of the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine (SELCU).

Thank You for your support in being the hands and feet of Jesus to those suffering!

LCC received the following request from Pastor Hesham Shehab, Salam Christian Fellowship, Lombard, Illinois:

Click HERE to read all the ways we are staying connected, including through LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry® Virtual Visits, in helping people during the current pandemic.

with one of the LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs.

We are available 24/7!

The LCC K-9 Ministry is one of presence. When the Lord calls, we must go and serve Him. LCC never goes where we are not invited and the LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry NEVER charges those we serve.

LCC received the following update from Jackie Rychel, Ministry in Mission.

Thank you to LCC volunteers Joyce Stahl, who delivered Allstate office supplies donations to Phil’s Friends and Scarce Textbook Rescue, and Fred Vanstrom, who assisted Joyce in loading the Allstate donation and delivered it to the Midwest Veteran’s Closet in Waukegan, Illinois, that serves veterans and active military and their families.

On Saturday, May 7, twelve volunteers from Family in Faith Community Church in Glendale Heights, Illinois, broke ground for a new raised garden. The new garden will provide fresh herbs and vegetables for the Family in Faith Community Food Pantry. The pantry serves the Glendale Heights Community and families from DuPage County.

Each day this week Chris Dodaro the project manager, will be working in the garden. He would greatly appreciate any help during the week. The work will start at 10:00 am. On Saturday, May 14, they will have a workday that will begin at 10:00 am until 4:30 pm. Tools and supplies will be provided. You only need to bring work gloves, lunch, and, if you want, a garden kneeler or garden stool.

AT LUTHERAN CHURCH CHARITIES

The Administrative Support - K-9 Ministries position will provide administrative support for all aspects of K-9 Ministries as well as organize, manage and track all aspects of K-9 handler trainings and crisis deployment support. The individual will have excellent organizational, written, and verbal skills as well as a working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite.

This is a full-time staff position at our headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois.

CLICK HERE for the full position description.

Interested parties should send resumes to [email protected].

Last week, Lord of Life, LaFox, Illinois, L.E.R.T. chainsaw volunteers Larry Zagorski, and Kevin and Harry Krage, cut and removed a large tree that fell in recent storms from a church elder’s home. He was very grateful for their caring and professional assistance.

On Tuesday morning, May 10, Tim Hetzner, LCC President / CEO, met with Prospect Heights Police Chief Jim Zawlocki. Tim presented Chief Zawlocki with a Heart of Mercy & Compassion signed by LCC's staff to commemorate his service and celebrate his upcoming retirement on May 13.

We thank Chief Zawlocki for his years of faithful service and wish him well in his retirement.

On Friday, May 6, LCC President / CEO Tim Hetzner received the Crest of Christ Award from Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska.

The Crest of Christ Award is “given to members of the Lutheran Church for outstanding service to the Church….and is presented to those individuals who support and sustain in a quiet and deliberate fashion the public ministries and work of the church-at-large”.

In addition, the following also received awards:

Todd Johnson, Outstanding Teaching Award; Greg and Dixie Zabka, Distinguished Service Award; Dr. Kurt Senske, Doctor of Letters Degree; James Sanft, Doctor of Laws Degree; Leslie R. Morris, Master Educator Award.

You can read more on Facebook: Concordia University, Nebraska Alumni | Facebook.

While in Seward, Tim was also was able to enjoy time with members of local LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Teams Nicodemus (The Rock - Seward, Nebraska), Eddie (Peace Lutheran - Grand Island, Nebraska), Joanna (Christ Lutheran - Lincoln, Nebraska), and Eden (Peace Lutheran - Columbus, Nebraska).

LCC is posting Vacation Bible School schedules on our website again this year! Many people use LCC as a source of information about church activities. Send us the time, date, location, and description of your VBS program and we will include it on our website.

VBS is such a wonderful outreach tool to bring the Compassion of Christ into the community that we want to take every opportunity to tell folks what you're doing. Just e-mail the information and contact person's name to [email protected].

Hearts of Mercy & Compassion, Crosses for Losses provides a physical and spiritual symbol through the giving of hearts and crosses to families and friends who have suffered loss or serious illness of a loved one.

Click HERE to read all the ways the Hearts of Mercy & Compassion, Crosses for Losses Ministry has served this year.

Click HERE to learn more about the Hearts of Mercy & Compassion, Crosses for Losses Ministry or how your church can be involved.

We can take wood and make a heart and a fish. But until we put a Bible Verse on it (with a Cricut Maker® or hand calligraphy), it is only wood. The Bible Verse makes the “Wood Come Alive” – because of Jesus.

If you know or want to learn how to “Make wood come alive” with a Bible Verse – PLEASE contact us – so that we can continue to impact hundreds of lives with the Mercy, Compassion, Presence, and Proclamation of Jesus Christ!

If you want to join us, call LCC and speak to John or Dianna at 866-455-6466. You can also reach us by email at [email protected].

CLICK HERE to read the article

To better manage volunteers and resources, FEMA has developed a guideline on credentialing volunteers for large-scale disasters. The federal guidelines indicate that volunteers responding to a disaster should be trained and certified. LCC is providing LCMS disaster response training for Lutheran Early Response Teams (L.E.R.T.). Should a disaster strike, these teams would be put on call and may be asked to deploy in 72 hours or less to the disaster site. This training will prepare a team member for credentialing and will focus on the safety, work, and ministry of Lutherans as Early Responders.

The registration cost for new L.E.R.T. volunteers is $35.00. As a refresher to update your ID, the cost is only $15.00.

The online LCMS Basic L.E.R.T. training is geared towards responding to a disaster with Lutheran Church Charities in the Northern Illinois District or wherever we are invited to serve nationwide.

For the online training, you will receive a letter with instructions to access the portal to view the Basic L.E.R.T. training sessions.

Upon verification of watching and completing all Basic L.E.R.T. training sessions and quizzes, LCC will then send your DR manual, badge, your personal certificate, and vest.

If your church is interested in hosting a Basic L.E.R.T. Training or if you have any questions, contact the LCC Disaster Response team at [email protected] or 866-455-6466.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Lutheran Church Charities sends your donations to Haiti through our Mission Partners, Ministry in Mission and Mission:Haiti. Both have people on the ground, who purchase and distribute desperately needed supplies to help save and improve the lives of the most vulnerable Haitians.

The most urgent need is food, water, hygiene kits, and building supplies, due to the deadly earthquake and flooding that struck Haiti in August.

There's also a need for motorcycles. Because of the terrible condition of the roads, motorcycles are the most efficient means of transportation for pastors who must travel many miles between the different churches they serve. The cost of a durable motorcycle is currently $1,900.

Here are the most critical needs:

Romans 12:15

We have been rejoicing and mourning with our neighbors, co-workers, friends, and family through the last year. Whether it’s a virtual school, loneliness, under or unemployment, food insecurity, loss, anxiety, depression; we have also grown together as families, changed jobs/careers, established new and maintained friendships via video calls, and packed our belongings for a location change; we are privileged to support one another.

The LCC Nationwide Prayer Vigil provides each of us the opportunity to be in prayer for one another. Please submit all prayer concerns and/or prayers of thanksgiving.

Share answered prayer at [email protected]

If you experience difficulty submitting names or signing up to pray, please call 800-524-5464.

Saturday, June 4 – The Prairie Singers Annual Spring Concert, “A Season of Hope!”

11 days | June 28 - July 8, 2022

Hosted by: Tim Hetzner, President/CEO, Lutheran Church Charities

Do you shop on Amazon.com?

You can benefit Lutheran Church Charities automatically, without any extra steps to your purchases. Just create an account on AmazonSmile and select Lutheran Church Charities as the beneficiary. Every time you shop, Amazon will make a donation to LCC! What a difference we can make together!

Do you shop the Amazon app via your mobile device? You can now support Lutheran Church Charities by using AmazonSmile through the app!

We’re proud to be a Thrivent Choice®-enrolled organization.

Through the Thrivent programs, Lutheran Church Charities is eligible to receive grant dollars, fee-free donations, and support from Thrivent Action Team service projects.

Directing Choice Dollars is easy!

Visit thrivent.com/thriventchoice to learn more OR call 800-847-4836 and say "Thrivent Choice" after the prompt.

Through the Thrivent programs, you are eligible to receive grant dollars, fee-free donations, and support from Thrivent Action Team service projects.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Thrivent Action Teams.

As always, thank you for all of your generous support - it makes a difference! If you would like to hear more about LCC ministry opportunities, which would benefit from an Action Team Card, please contact Tim Laabs at [email protected] or (224) 443-4223.