Kathy O’Day, Lutheran Church Charities Director of Disaster Response, received an urgent financial assistance request from Tim Richter, Director of Christian Education (DCE) at Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, Florida, to purchase basic living items needed for very low-income community members in Harlem Heights recovering from the destruction of their homes from Hurricane Ian. Debra Mathinos, Chief Programs Officer of Harlem Heights Community Center, made the initial request for assistance to Zion Lutheran Church, one of their very involved community partners for the past nine years.

This area experienced the hurricane-driven flood surge. All had 4’-8’ of water throughout their homes. Families had to be rescued, and all have lost what little they had owned.

Most of these families are now living in fully gutted homes, old campers, and even some tents on their property – and they will be living like this for at least the next six months to a year or more until their homes can be repaired or rebuilt.

Lutheran Church Charities is partnering with Zion Lutheran Church to use your financial donations to purchase microwaves, crockpots, hot plates, mini refrigerators, card tables, and chairs for at least 40-50 families.

This will allow families to cook simple meals, have a place to sit and eat, and for children to do homework as they try to live as best they can in their gutted homes with minimal functional electrical outlets.

Zion Lutheran Church will purchase the needed items from local businesses. Tim Richter and Jan Boerman, L.E.R.T. leader from Trinity Lutheran Church in Lisle, Illinois, who is still serving in Florida, will deliver these needed items to the Harlem Heights Community Center for family disbursement as soon as they can.

Harlem Heights is a severely distressed community in South Fort Myers, with families living in poverty at twice the rate of the rest of Lee County in Florida. The average household income of a typical Harlem Heights family is less than $25,000/year. Demographically, this community is 71% Hispanic (from Haiti, Guatemala and El Salvador), 20% African-American, and 9% Caucasian.

Within the boundaries of Harlem Heights, there are 350 single-family homes, 400 apartments, and more than 750 children. Ninety-five percent of the residents were employed in the service industry on Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island. Due to the hurricane, their jobs and means of support are now gone.

The Harlem Heights Community Center and its Foundation is a grassroots organization that works to build strong, self-sufficient families in the Harlem Heights neighborhood by providing charitable outreach projects in the community with community partnerships. The foundation also operates the community center, early learning center, and school. They are heavily involved in serving this community and helping find resources to assist families in recovering from this devastating disaster.

Beginning last week and continuing, four L.E.R.T. volunteers from Trinity Lisle are serving out of Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, Florida. Ed and Jan Boerman and Clay and Linda Arnold have been doing chainsaw work and helping homeowners salvage and pack belongings in their flooded homes.

If any L.E.R.T certified individual is interested in volunteering on their own to do muck-outs or chainsaw work, LCMS Disaster Response is still operating a base camp at Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, Florida. It is planning to remain open until the second week of December.

CLICK HERE for more information.

Please prayerfully consider donating to help Lutheran Church Charities and Zion Lutheran Church help Harlem Heights families who are struggling and in need.

Please continue to pray for the residents affected by Hurricane Ian as they face a long recovery process.

Pastor David Dahlke from Lakeside Lutheran Church in Venice, Florida, sent the below picture with a note to Kathy O’Day, LCC Director of Disaster Response on Sunday morning:

LCC L.E.R.T. volunteers were truly blessed by Lakeside Lutheran Church, Pastor David Dahlke, and his family during our Hurricane Ian deployment stay. It was a privilege to share the mercy, compassion, presence and proclamation of Jesus Christ with those in need while representing this church in their community.

Over the last few months, the number of Emergency Site Visit (ESV) requests for LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs has been steadily increasing. In just one week, we've had ten such requests, many difficult ones, involving young people who died tragically.

LCC K-9 Ministry handlers and partners have been responding quickly and with compassion to these sudden and unexpected visits involving loss of life.

They help those grieving by sharing the comfort and gentleness of the LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs, bringing a sense of calm in these moments of uncertainty.

Please pray for our teams who go out each day and for the families and friends of those who lost their loved ones.

On Monday, November 7, LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Eunice (LCC Staff), Julia (King of Glory - Elgin, Illinois), Mary (St. Paul's - Janesville, Wisconsin), Samson (Zion - Marengo, Illinois), and Tobias (Lord of Glory - Grayslake, Illinois), traveled to Winnebago High School, Winnebago, Illinois, to support the students and staff after the death of one of their former students who graduated last spring.

The handlers shared the love and compassion of Jesus with those who are grieving. We pray for Joseph's family, friends, and teachers for God's peace, comfort, and light to lead them gently through this time of sadness and loss.

Last week LCC received the heartbreaking news of a horrible car accident involving two friends, both 16 years old, and students at Howards Grove High School in Wisconsin. One of the students died due to her injuries, and the other is in critical condition. The LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs were requested to be at Howards Grove High School that day to be a comforting and calming presence for the students and staff as they absorbed this news and loss.

LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Charity (Brookfield - Brookfield, Wisconsin) and Rhoda (Prince of Peace - Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin) and their handlers arrived that morning, knowing their presence was needed. Students sought comfort in the soft fur of the K-9s or looking into their gentle and loving eyes. Some students would talk while others sat quietly, still processing this tragic news.

The K-9 handlers' gentle presence and kind words comforted those who know and love these young students, letting them know they are not alone.

LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Charity (Brookfield - Brookfield, Wisconsin) and Rhoda (Prince of Peace - Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin) were again requested by the school district to be at Northview Elementary as the students that were in the car accident had younger siblings in the elementary school. A younger brother lost his sister in that accident, whom he adored and looked up to. A younger sister is worried about her older sister, that is still in the hospital with an uncertain future. The K-9s spent time with each of these younger siblings, providing them with a safe and comforting place in the midst of their grief.

We keep in prayer the parents, siblings, friends, teachers, and all those who love the two students for God’s comfort, strength, and peace as they continue to grieve and understand this loss and uncertainty.

"Comfort, comfort my people, says your God." Isaiah 40:1

LCC's K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry never charges those we serve as we bring the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need.

Your partnership is truly a blessing to us! It enables LCC Ministries to reach thousands of individuals each year to share the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those who are suffering and in need. Together, we are present and serving every day.

God is our hope and our strength — Together we serve!

LCC does not receive any state, federal, district or synod funding. Your generous gifts provide 100% of our operating budget. Our Annual Fund Campaign is the one time that we request your support of the overall ministry of Lutheran Church Charities, which enables us to continue serving year after year.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

LYNDA STREICH, INTERIM PRESIDENT/CEO

LCC received a request from Pastor Erik Gauss of Cross Lutheran Church in Yorkville, Illinois to help provide a reliable vehicle for a woman in need the church is assisting.

Lutheran Church Charities is looking for passionate, dependable, hardworking professional trainers to train future LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs and lead our dog training classes at our locations in Northbrook and East Dundee, Illinois.

We seek individuals who are passionate about the LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry and animal welfare, have strong people skills, and want to grow in their career with us.

As an LCC K-9 dog trainer, you will be taught our training curriculum and methodologies. 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 LCC@LutheranChurchCharities.org.

LCC received an urgent request from Pastor Don Love at Faith, Merrill & St. John Lutheran Church, Hamburg, Wisconsin, to help a family who lost their home in a fire.

Dear Friends,

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

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.

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.

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.

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 DRAdmin@LutheranChurchCharities.org or 866-455-6466.

Since March 2022, Lutheran Church Charities has been working cooperatively with pastors of the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine (SELCU) to provide humanitarian relief and the clear proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Through your generosity, Lutheran Church Charities has been concentrating on assisting those who remain in Ukraine, whether they still reside in their own homes or are among the internally displaced.

That assistance includes humanitarian relief and the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. LCC is pleased to partner with the pastors of the SELCU and their congregations as they work tirelessly and faithfully, separated from their own families for many months, to carry out this vital ministry.

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.

Here are the most critical needs:

Prairie Singers Christmas Concert The Glow of Christmas

The auditorium of Willow Creek Community Church

38W133 Huntley Rd, Huntley, Illinois

Saturday, December 3rd at 2:00 PM

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 tlaabs@LutheranChurchCharities.org or (224) 443-4223.