Blog Archives

Napa County Criminal Courthouse

3/26/2018

LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Aaron (St. John’s – Napa, California) recently began working with the victims’ services department of the Napa District Attorney’s office. Wednesday, March 21, was his first opportunity to be in the courtroom on the witness stand as the victims testified. This is truly an honor and Aaron Comfort Dog and his handlers are thankful for the opportunity that God has presented to them.

Donate - LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Fund

Lord of Life LaFox LERT Hosts Pancake Breakfast

3/26/2018

Lord of Life Lutheran Church LERT Team in LaFox, Illinois, hosted a free will offering pancake breakfast on Palm Sunday, March 25, for the congregation and guests as a fundraiser for a new trailer to respond to disasters. Kathy O’Day, LCC Director of Disaster Response, attended to support and meet their LERT team members. She was available to answer questions about LERT and upcoming trainings, and worshipped with the congregation. The breakfast was well attended and helped the LERT team greatly in working towards their goal.

Join Tim Hetzner of Lutheran Church Charities to Discover the Land where Jesus Walked while Studying what Jesus Taught and Did

3/26/2018

13 Days … February 3 – 15, 2019

Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Sea of Galilee, Nazareth, Tiberias, Caesarea-by-the-Sea, Masada, Mt. Nebo, Jericho, Bethany Beyond The Jordan, Petra, Wadi Rum, Jerash, Bethany (Four Homes of Mercy)

Dear Friends in Jesus,

Join me on this specially designed Biblical Study Journey tailored for those who want to go and walk where Jesus walked and not go inside of every church! Smell the air, see the land, feel the atmosphere where Jesus did his teaching and read the stories in their settings of where they happened. This is a Spiritual Journey. Explore the Fifth Gospel – the Land.

Through visits to the scriptural sites, enriching experiences, prayer and reflection, we will deepen our appreciation of and gain new insights into the land, its people, culture and life, as well as the political and religious milieu from our Lord’s time to the present age.

Consider joining me on my 30th visit to the Middle East where I have been leading Biblical Study Journeys for the last 35 years. Space will be limited to 25 people. Please make your reservations as soon as possible – first come basis. Only those interested in studying the Bible and being on a spiritual pilgrimage should sign up.

Tim Hetzner, President/CEO
Lutheran Church Charities
K9 Ministries and Disaster Response
Founder of WORD Biblical Studies

More Information & Registration

Large Household Donation is Loaded and Stored

3/20/2018

LCC would like to thank the LCC volunteers who in the last two weeks with tireless efforts made it possible for us to pack up, load, and unload a household of furniture and household items at the storage site. Thank you to St. Paul Canfield in Chicago who provided the temporary storage for the VA program “Helping Homeless Veterans Out of Homelessness.”

This generous donation of the total contents of a house has made a difference in the lives of many people, from the homeless veterans who will be able to furnish their new apartments to a Puerto Rican family who survived Hurricane Marie but lost everything. Other ministries who have benefited from this donation are: Anne’s Resale for the World, money from the resale of the clothing goes to support the extreme poor around the world; Habitat for Humanity ReStore; St. Matthew’s Soup Kitchen, Chicago; the Palatine Early Response Team; St. Paul Quilting Ministry; the Lutheran Home, Arlington Heights; and Lutheran Church Charities. Thank you all.

Joan Henning – Faith, Arlington Heights
Steve MacKay – Immanuel, Palatine
Jim Beckley – Prince of Peace, Palatine
Bob Royce – St. Peter, Schaumburg
Mike Tellin – Immanuel, Bartlett
Jan Pemoller – Immanuel, Palatine
Helmut Mueller – Immanuel, Palatine
Janet Reich – St. John, Northbrook
Marie Cleveland – St. John, Northbrook
Dede Thut – Prince of Peace, Palatine
Matt Flynn – Immanuel, Dundee
Michael Grandt – St. Matthew, Hawthorne Woods
Javier Lozada – from Puerto Rico
Alan Martinez – from Chicago
Boy Scout Troop – St. Paul Canfield, Chicago
Jennifer Boberg – St. Paul Canfield, Chicago
Jeff Boberg – St. Paul Canfield, Chicago

LCC Welcomes 13 New LERT Certified Members

3/20/2018

Lutheran Church Charities welcomes 13 new LERT certified members! On Saturday, March 17, LCC held a Basic LCMS LERT training for new and recertifying team members at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Belvidere, Illinois, led by Kathy O’Day, Director of Disaster Response. There were a total of 20 in attendance from the following churches and LERT teams:

Immanuel – Belvidere, Illinois
Immanuel – Freeport, Illinois
St. John – Union, Illinois

The disaster response ministry is continuing to grow with volunteers willing to share the mercy, compassion, presence and proclamation of Jesus Christ in service to those suffering and in need.

LCC K-9 Ministry Welcomes New Handlers

3/20/2018

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8

On March 17-18, twenty-two people representing twelve affiliates attended the handler training at Lutheran Church Charities in Northbrook, Illinois. LCC is blessed to welcome these wonderful individuals who have been called to go out and serve their home communities to share the mercy, compassion, presence and proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need. The handlers spent time learning new handling skills and building their knowledge about the ministry. Each handler worked with either their affiliate’s dog or with a LCC K-9 Comfort Dog in training.

LCC welcomes to the ministry the following new handlers:

Concordia University Wisconsin
LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Zoey
Jen Boehlke, Tori Knuth and Caleb Wardenburg

Holy Cross – Collinsville, Illinois
LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Esther
Beth Small and Carol Small

Immanuel – Washington, Missouri
LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Sheba
Aaron Hallien

Island Lutheran – Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Sasha
Greg Elmquist

LHSA of Greater Milwaukee, Wisconsin
LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Dora
Dan Otzelberger

Lord of Life – LaFox, Illinois
LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Chloe
Robin Mathieu

Peace Lutheran – Grand Island, Nebraska
LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Eddie
Lorry Dinkelman

St. John’s – Lombard, Illinois
LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Eve
Chuck Wingard and Jackie Wingard

St. Michael’s – Bloomington, Minnesota
LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Gideon
Ann Horrmann

St. Paul – Des Peres, Missouri
LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Tabby
Cheri Murphy

St. Peter – Arlington Heights, Illinois
LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Susie
Stephanie Keller, Andy Whowell, Jon Koester and Linda Koester

Trinity Lutheran – Lincoln, Nebraska
LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Priscilla
Laurie Gross, Deb Hruby and Barb Kreifels

LCC Staff Volunteer
LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Jonah
Steve MacKay

LCC was honored to train and certify the following handlers from St. Peter – Arlington Heights:
Jon Koester, Army, 1968 – 1970, LCC Kare 9 Military Ministry
Andy Whowell, Deputy Chief, Arlington Heights, Police Department (Ret.), LCC K-9 Police Ministry

Donate - LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Fund

Direct Thrivent Choice Dollars® to LCC by March 31

3/20/2018

Grant funding from Thrivent Financial through its Thrivent Choice® program can help support organizations you care about - like Lutheran Church Charities. Don't let Choice Dollars expire. Eligible Thrivent Financial members who have available Choice Dollars® have until March 31, 2018 to direct them. Don't miss this opportunity to recommend that Thrivent Financial provide outreach funding to Lutheran Church Charities.

Learn More

Or call 800-847-4836 and say "Thrivent Choice" after the prompt.

LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Mary’s Passing of the Vest

3/20/2018

On Sunday, March 18, LCC Executive Director Joshua Gale welcomed St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Janesville, Wisconsin to the LCC K-9 Ministry during the Passing of the Vest service for their new LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Mary. During the service, they reflected on Mary Comfort Dog’s Bible verse from Luke 1:37: “Everything is possible with God.”

The following LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs were present to help celebrate Mary Comfort Dogs Passing of the Vest:

LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Asher (Faith Lutheran – Lake Forest, Illinois)

LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Bekah (Immanuel – Belvidere, Illinois)

LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Kye (Immanuel – Belvidere, Illinois)

LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Lila (Beautiful Savior – Mequon, Wisconsin)

LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Rhoda (Prince of Peace – Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin)

LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Tobias (Lord of Glory – Grayslake, Illinois)

LCC Kare 9 Military Ministry Dog Butch (LCC Squad)

Donate - LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Fund

LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Featured on the Hallmark Channel Home & Family Show

3/20/2018

On Tuesday, March 20, Tim Hetzner, LCC President/CEO with LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Jacob and Rich Martin, LCC K-9 Deployments Director with LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ruthie were featured on the Hallmark Channel Home & Family show. They shared how the LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry began and is now a national ministry with 130 LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs located in 23 states. LCC never charges those we serve!

LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs and their handlers share the mercy, compassion, presence and proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need. The LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs and their affiliates serve every day in the communities in which they are placed and are also deployed in times of disaster and crisis to bring comfort to all those affected, including first responders and the volunteers who serve them.

The LCC K-9 Ministries include the LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs, LCC Kare 9 Military Ministry serving the Military, Veterans, and their families, and the LCC K-9 Police Ministry serving law enforcement officers and their families.

A repeat of the segment will also air on Wednesday, March 21, following the new episode of the day. Airing times vary based on your cable provider so check your listings.

Donate - LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Fund

Donate - Golden Retriever Stuffed Animal

Cross Plains Police Department

3/20/2018

On Friday, March 16, LCC K-9 Police Ministry Dogs Shiloh (Christ Our Savior - Dixon, Illinois) and Dora (LHSA of Greater Milwaukee, Wisconsin), along with their law enforcement handlers, visited the Cross Plains Police Department in Wisconsin.

While serving at a local school in that community, the K-9 teams learned that a member of the police department was mourning the recent loss of their beloved golden retriever. Chief Janssen kindly accepted an offer to assist, and led the teams to his department, where comfort was extended.