Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Ministry teams from all over the country gathered at the Hilton Chicago/Northbrook, Illinois, from Wednesday, July 26 through Friday, July 28, for Lutheran Church Charities 2023 K-9 Ministries National Conference titled "Presence, Comfort, Hope - Together We Serve." More than 480 participants and 90 LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs came together to celebrate all that God is doing through the LCC K-9 Ministries while also equipping and inspiring hundreds of LCC K-9 Ministry volunteers. The keynote speakers shared tools for assisting with grief, trauma, mental health challenges, and more. The theme of this year's conference was "Presence, Comfort, Hope - Together We Serve." The bible verse we chose to go along with this is Psalm 43:3, "Send forth Your light and Your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell." In addition, we used the symbol of a lighthouse. Each day as our handlers and ministry partners go out with the LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs, they are an accepting, comforting, and compassionate presence sharing the love and light of Jesus. Many times, they are that lighthouse to people they encounter and with whom they build lasting relationships. LCC would like to thank all of the attendees for making this year's conference such a memorable event, as well as all of LCC's dedicated volunteers who helped make the conference a success. A special thank you to our fabulous keynote speakers, Rev. Chris Singer, Patrick J. Kenny, Dr. Beverly Yahnke, John Schlimm, Dr. Alan Wolfelt, and breakout session presenters, who enriched the attendees with their message. The 2023 conference was a great reunion and an opportunity to form new friendships as we reflected back on the past few years of ministry while also looking ahead to the future. Our prayer is that everyone left the conference with a renewed sense of unity, purpose, and excitement to share the Mercy, Compassion, Presence, and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those who are suffering and in need. LCC's K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry never charges those we serve. Thank you for being a part of the Mercy and Compassion Ministry of Lutheran Church Charities.
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