On Tuesday, September 24, the HMC team from Island Lutheran Church in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, traveled to Winder, Georgia, to express their appreciation for the dedicated first responders in the community.

It is clear that the prompt actions of the two Student Resource Officers (SROs), who apprehended the Apalachee High School shooting suspect within minutes, along with the swift response from various units to secure the area, prevented further loss of life. 
 
Island Lutheran church members signed each of the seven hearts of gratitude, showing their support. They added words of encouragement saying, “God is using you to show His great love and mercy” and words of gratitude including, “Thank you for your selflessness."
 
The team recognized the bravery and commitment of the SROs, the Winder Police Department, the Barrow County Sheriff’s Office, and the Barrow County Fire, EMS, and 911 Dispatch teams for their exceptional efforts. They visited each department separately, spending time with and praying with them.

At the Barrow County Emergency Services buildings, as the team presented hearts, the first responders shared stories of their experiences. Some of them had children at the school while they were on duty. 
 
Amidst their anxieties and worst fears, they selflessly stayed on duty, with their teams, to secure the school, and, only after that was accomplished did they step away to go find their children. 
 
They knew the best way to protect their children was to do their jobs. What sacrifice was shown and what an honor to have had the opportunity to support them in their roles as first responders!
 
We are incredibly thankful for your support, which makes it possible for us to BE THERE where we are needed most. Your donations are making a tangible difference in the lives of the people our dedicated teams of volunteers are able to help. The love, healing, and comfort we are able to provide are a direct result of your generosity.

Following the sudden death of Kara Welsh, a gymnast at the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, LCC reached out to Aspire Gymnastics in Joliet, Illinois, offering a heart and a cross as symbols of support. Aspire Gymnastics was Kara’s childhood gymnastics club, where she spent 9 years training before competing in collegiate gymnastics.
 
The coaches at Aspire Gymnastics welcomed this gesture with open arms. The grief was very real for them since Kara had trained each summer at their gym, while home from university. She had just left Joliet to move back to the university when she died. 
 
For the past week, the heart and cross have been displayed inside the gym. The picture of the cross is adorned with heartfelt messages from the gymnasts. The young athletes have had the opportunity to remember Kara, grieve for her, and write messages to her family. Initially, those closest to Kara signed the heart and cross, and then all the gymnasts were encouraged to add their own messages.
 
As the girls trained and grieved together, the heart and cross became a central part of their time in the gym, allowing them to offer their support and love to Kara’s family. Kara was a bright spirit and a dedicated worker, and she will be deeply missed by everyone.

The HMC and K-9 visits created moments of connection and joy, as hurting individuals found comfort in the gentle presence of a heart bearer, and our loving Comfort Dogs and their dedicated handlers. Each interaction was a testament to the healing power of companionship, as students lit up with smiles or found a moment of respite.

Through these ministries, LCC remains committed to providing emotional and spiritual support in times of distress, reminding us all that we are never alone in our struggles.

Hundreds visited the memorial site at Apalachee High School where four LCC Hearts of Mercy & Compassion were set up in memory of each victim. People formed prayer circles and filled the hearts and crosses to the brim with messages of love and support

With uplifting sentiments like “God has you,” “Never forgotten,” and the comforting words of Isaiah 41:10, individuals found solace in each other’s presence, reinforcing the importance of emotional and spiritual support during difficult times.

The messages of “3 hours away we are praying for you” and “prayers and may God hold you in His loving hands” resonated deeply, reminding us all of the power of community in healing and hope. Through such acts of compassion and mercy, we are reminded that together, we can navigate even the most challenging moments.

On Sunday evening the Comfort Dogs and their handlers attended a vigil at Apalachee High School’s football field. The handlers were able to support those who attended, providing a safe and comforting place. The fear of going back to school for both students and parents was there and shared in conversations both spoken and unspoken as well as a deep sadness and pain for those precious lives taken.

It was evident to the team that the Winder community is a large family, one of strong faith and hope in God. So many people welcomed prayer from the Comfort Dog Ministry team and were thankful for the prayers shared with them.

The Comfort Dog Ministry teams for Faith (St. Stephens - Hickory, North Carolina​), Hope (Faith Lutheran - Marietta, Georgia), Jemimah (St. Paul - Boca Raton, Florida), Job (​Christ the King - Memphis, Tennesse), Moriah (St. Luke's - Oviedo, Florida), Peace (Trinity - Orlando, Florida), Phinehas (Trinity - Fremont, Nebraska), Seth (Eternal Shepherd - Seneca, South Carolina) and Zoara (Island Lutheran - Hilton Head Island, South Carolina) spent time on Monday with some of the teachers in the Barrow County School System, just being there with them and for them, as they talked, and cuddled with the Comfort Dogs, sharing God’s light in this dark time.  It was a time to be together to help them carry the load of their grief and to share smiles and tears.

The LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry teams will be in Winder, Georgia until Saturday, September 14.

We are incredibly thankful for your support, which makes it possible for us to BE THERE where we are needed most. Your donations are making a tangible difference in the lives of the people our dedicated teams of volunteers are able to help. The love, healing, and comfort we are able to provide are a direct result of your generosity.

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.

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.