We want to share a heartfelt thank you to Naperville Running Company for regularly donating shoes for people who are unhoused or cannot afford to purchase good-quality shoes. 
 
Their most recent donation of 60 pairs of shoes was passed along to First St. Paul Lutheran Church, which connects with people in need by serving community meals, hosting a foot clinic, partnering with Chicago Help Initiative, and giving basic need items to people at the free store. 
 
Generous donations like these make it possible for churches to help people in need by sharing the mercy, compassion, presence, and proclamation of Jesus Christ. 

Last week, Rev. John Donkoh, president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ghana (ELCG), visited Lutheran Church Charities and provided an update on the well-digging and Gospel-sharing work being done with partner Church Without Walls (C-WOW).
 
Rev. Donkoh included LCC in a series of stops with mission partners in the United States to raise support for new wells and medical clinics.
 
LCC has supported Donkoh and the ELCG effort for nine years — and because of your generous donations, dozens of wells have been dug, providing much-needed clean water, improved health, safety, and community.
 
Watch Rev. John Donkoh's message below to hear the impact of your donations in Ghana.

The ELCG has grown from eight congregations in 2018 to 28 congregations in 2024. Providing clean water and medical services through Hope Medical Centers in Gomoa Kumasi and Kintampo have allowed Christ-followers in Ghana to share the love of Jesus in multiple regions of the country of about 34 million people. 

On Monday, August 12, Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) lift and chainsaw volunteers removed hanging limbs over Pastor Noah Kegley’s home, as well as felled a dead pine tree along his property line. Kegley is the new pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Batavia, Illinois. He expressed appreciation for the servant hands and hearts of the following volunteers in making his home and property safe:
 
Immanuel, Batavia – Bill Pietsch
Immanuel, DeKalb – Pete and Christel Springmire
Lord of Life, Elburn – Larry Zagorski
St. John, Wheaton – Marty Johnson

If you are moved to help, please donate to the LCC Disaster Response Fund or LCC Equipment Maintenance & Fuel Expense Fund so that we may continue to show the Mercy, Compassion, Presence, and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need.

Hearts of Mercy & Compassion is honored to recognize Rev. Ron Scheer and his woodworking club in Oviedo, Florida, for their exceptional contribution to LCC's mission. As a retired LCMS pastor and member of St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Oviedo, Ron graciously led a significant project for HMC.

Following the condominium collapse tragedy in Surfside, Florida, in June 2021, with 64 extra markers stored in North Miami, LCC envisioned converting and upgrading these markers into crosses. Ron and his dedicated team not only accepted this challenge but also contributed their own materials, completing the project with care and generosity.
 
Thanks to Ron's commitment and the support of other volunteers who facilitated the transportation, these crosses are now ready to bring comfort to those in need. LCC appreciates the efforts of volunteers like Ron and his team, whose work extends far beyond the physical creation of crosses; their work will serve as a source of comfort for individuals during their darkest times. LCC is deeply grateful for the commitment and generosity of volunteers like Ron, whose acts of kindness embody the spirit of mercy and compassion that defines the ministry's mission.

Join us in recognizing and celebrating the invaluable contributions of volunteers like Rev. Ron Scheer by supporting Lutheran Church Charities' mission of mercy and compassion. Your involvement can make a meaningful difference in the lives of those who need it most. Together, we can continue spreading comfort and hope to those facing challenges and adversity.

We are deeply touched by the outpouring of support and generosity at the Charity Golf Outing organized in memory of Andy Whowell, a devoted LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Handler and a former Deputy Chief of the Arlington Heights Police Department. Andy's passion for the K-9 ministries and the community he served was truly remarkable.
 
This year's event, spearheaded by retired Lieutenant Ray Cowin, raised approximately $4,200 for the LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry. The funds raised not only honor Andy's legacy but also contribute to the essential work of providing comfort and support to those in need through our K-9 ministries.
 
We are grateful for the community's unwavering support and commitment to our mission. Join us in continuing Andy's legacy by volunteering or donating to support Lutheran Church Charities and the impactful work of the K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry.

Lutheran Church Charities President/CEO Rev. Chris Singer joined Pastor Eddie Hosch (pictured) and Emmanuel Lutheran Kahului, Hawaii, to lead a service of prayer and remembrance on August, 8, one year after the fires that burned Lahaina and parts of Maui and took 102 lives. 

Situated against the Hearts of Mercy & Compassion memorial site at Hokiokio Place in Lahaina, attendees found comfort in the reading of Scripture, singing of hymns, and observing 102 seconds of silence in honor of the victims. Attending the service were local residents, as well as Pastor Mitch Gowan, Our Savior Aiea, Hawaii; Pastor Christian Rasmussen, Our Redeemer Honolulu; and Pastor Milton Fricke, who had served Emmanuel Kahului for 40 years.

“How is your heart today? Is it still broken? Numb?” Pastor Hosch asked during his sermon, which also was streamed via Facebook Live. “The promises of Christ outweigh every burden, every pain. As our Savior said in the Gospel of John, ‘Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me.’

“God mends broken hearts. God transforms hurting hearts.”

In closing remarks, Rev. Singer invited attendees to take time to find ways to express words of comfort and peace to the community — and to themselves.

“If ever there was a time that we need to look to Jesus to be reminded of our blessed hope, it is now,” Singer said. “He is our hope, especially in times of sorrow. These Hearts of Mercy and Compassion are a symbol of that hope.”

As the service ended, attendees placed new leis on each heart and cross.

Throughout the day, other guests paid their respects at the HMC memorial site, including personnel from the Department of Homeland Security, various fire chiefs, and a crew from Hawaiian Airlines.

The HMC memorial site will remain on Maui for residents and visitors to sign words of encouragement and hope.

A year after the tragedy, sadness remains. But amid the sorrow, Pastor Hosch sees hope amid suffering.

During the service, Hosch read from two Old Testament passages of God’s care for His people in times of anguish.

“‘God is our Refuge and Strength, a very present Help in trouble,’” he said, reading from Psalm 46. “‘Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way.’”

Rev. Singer read from the prophet Isaiah: “He will swallow up death forever; and the LORD God will wipe away tears from all faces.”
 
Attendees also sang stanzas from “Amazing Grace” and “It Is Well With My Soul.”

After pausing 102 seconds in silence, service attendees spoke together the words of the Lord’s Prayer and lifted their voices to “Doxology” in native Hawaiian.

Recovery and healing will continue for years, Hosch said after the service.

Lahaina residents and the island-wide Maui community are slowly progressing through grit and resilience. Many are still displaced, and the rebuilding continues for many. It could take 3 to 5 years to recover, some estimate.

LCC thanks you for your faithful prayers and support as the ministry continues to assist the Maui communities affected by the wildfires in their long recovery process.

Last weekend, approximately 66 LCC K-9 Comfort Dog handlers and Ministry partners from Washington, California and Nevada met for a West Coast Regional Gathering that included fellowship, learning, and growing together in ministry. 

LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Isaac with his team from Redeemer Lutheran Church in Spokane, Washington; Lois and her team from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Las Vegas, Nevada; Salome with her team from Faith Lutheran Church in Las Vegas, Nevada; Genesis and her team from Turlock, California; Micah and his team from Light of the Valley Lutheran Church in Elk Grove, California; and Rahab and her team from St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Stockton, California, were all in attendance.
 
During the gathering, the LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry teams participated in Spiritual First Aid certification training. This training will help equip the handlers and ministry partners as they minister and care for others that may be experiencing trauma or crisis. It is an amazing tool for the Comfort Dog teams as they work in their ministry.  The teams also did a refresher training with their Comfort Dogs and Ministry partners enjoying the time to be together and work together.
 
It was a blessing for the LCC staff and the West Coast teams to be together, and thank you to all who provided the location, food, and help to make the gathering a success!

National Night Out is a yearly event sponsored by local police departments on the first Tuesday in August.  This night allows cities and towns across America a chance to get outside, meet neighbors, and build community. 

Each community has its own groups and partners to enhance the experience for attendees and this year, there were three towns in Illinois that found LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs in attendance.

In Des Plaines, Illinois, LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Emma (LCC Staff) along with LCC Kare 9 Military Ministry Dogs Brutus and Nigel (LCC Staff) found themselves surrounded by members of the Des Plaines Police Department, and part of the Emergency Management team. 

LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Jael (Trinity - Hobart, Indiana) and Michael (LCC Staff) and were at the National Night Out in Lisle, Illinois.  When not having their faces painted, watching demonstrations by the SWAT teams and bomb squads, or climbing on fire trucks and squad cars, children and their families got a chance to calm down and enjoy petting Jael and Michael.

Families, friends and neighbors that attended the Wheeling, Illinois, National Night Out got a chance to visit with some of the LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs in training.  There were a lot of smiles and a lot of love given by LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs in training Abednego, Bethesda, Gethsemane, Glory,  Honey, Olive, Shadrach, and  Zechariah.  The Wheeling Police officers were especially grateful for their presence.