On this Christmas Day, everyone at Lafayette Urban Ministry gives thanks for you—our donors, volunteers, and community partners—who make LUM a true lifeline of help and hope. Because of your generosity, families are fed, neighbors experiencing homelessness find warmth and shelter, households facing crisis remain housed, and children and youth are supported and encouraged. This season invites us all to believe again in the power of compassion, to hope again in what is possible, and to love again through action. Thank you for living out these values and for bringing light, dignity, and care to our community today and throughout the year.

Dear Friends,

“A thrill of hope” comes alive every time someone chooses generosity over indifference, faith over fear, love over weariness. It lives in people like you—people who know, as Ursula K. Le Guin wrote, that “no darkness lasts forever.”

The world can be weary. Every day, at all hours, Lafayette Urban Ministry meets people worn down by the struggle to secure life’s most basic needs: food, shelter, and hope for tomorrow. Across Greater Lafayette, that struggle is intensifying. Our 48-bed Emergency Shelter has been full every night; the Protein Food Pantry is on track to surpass 10,000 visits; and our Financial Assistance Program has already distributed more than $160,000 to prevent evictions and restore heat and electricity.

Yes, the world is weary. But hope still stirs.

Each day at LUM, we witness glimpses of what that “new and glorious morn” looks like.

• STEVEN, once a guest at the LUM Emergency Shelter, is moving into an apartment of his own.
• JANEL, just ten years old, conquered her fear of the water at LUM Camp and discovered her courage.
• OSCAR found food and hygiene items through the Protein Food Pantry, helping his family thrive at work and school.
• ELIZABETH, with help from Jubilee Christmas, created a joyful holiday for her children for the first time in years.

These stories remind us that hope is not distant—it is breaking here and now. As we enter the colder months, will you help bring “a new and glorious morn” to our neighbors in need? Your gift provides vital support and helps hope rise where it’s needed most.

With gratitude and joy,

Wes Tillett, Executive Director | Lafayette Urban Ministry | Lafayette, Indiana

The artwork above was painted by Garrison, a student in the LUM 5th Quarter Summer Learning Program.

As part of the program, fourth- and fifth-grade students created holiday scenes that reflect their creativity, confidence, and growing skills.

The LUM board and staff members voted to feature Garrison’s painting in this eNewsletter and on the cover of this year’s LUM Christmas card.