Seeing people by name

Northeast Regional K-9 Comfort Dog Gathering brings teams together for fellowship, training, and service

For two days in Baltimore, MD, K-9 Comfort Dog ministry teams gathered not only to sharpen their skills and encourage one another, but also to be reminded of a simple way to make a difference: learn someone’s name.

The Northeast Regional K-9 Comfort Dog Gathering, hosted by Emmanuel Lutheran in Baltimore, brought together 23 ministry people representing six teams. Four teams currently have K-9 Comfort Dogs, while two additional teams are preparing to welcome another dog. The gathering was attended by Beloved and Abraham Comfort Dogs and their teams (Trinity – Hicksville, NY), Kezia Comfort Dog and her team (Emmanuel – Baltimore, MD), and Amos Comfort Dog and his team (Our Saviors Way – Ashburn, VA). 

Each of the nine regions in the K-9 Comfort Dog ministry holds a gathering every other year. The purpose is to provide fellowship and encouragement while equipping teams with tools they can use in their ongoing ministry.

One of the central themes of this weekend was LCC’s See & Serve ministry approach — seeing a need and serving the people involved.

The group discussed what is often the first thing people ask when they meet an LCC K-9 Comfort Dog.  Almost always, it's, "What’s the name of your dog?" The group used that to emphasize the importance of recognizing people by name.

"Jesus knows our name and it shows that he sees us and loves us,” as one group member said. “For us to do it is to do as Jesus has asked us to do.”

The teams practiced this idea during an activity in which ministry members paired up with someone from another church and learned the story behind that person’s name. The simple exercise opened the door to deeper conversations and helped participants experience what it means to be seen.

The lesson continued into two service projects.

At Helping Up Mission, a men’s mission in Baltimore, LCC K-9 Training Coordinator Becky Kolzow, 12 ministry members, and three Comfort Dogs — Kezia, Abraham, and Beloved — spent time with about 40 men. Some of the men were new to the mission and initially apprehensive. The teams simply sat with them, listened to their stories, talked, and prayed.

As the ministry members heard the men’s stories, perceptions changed.

“You meet with them and hear their stories, and it takes away the judgment,” one group member said. “The team members were seeing them as Jesus would see them.”

Among those they met was a man grieving the loss of his mother decades earlier, men beginning their first day at the mission, a man struggling after losing access to his motorcycle and the impact that had on his livelihood, and a man who had lost contact with his wife and son because of addiction and was working to rebuild his life.

Afterward, the ministry members debriefed what they had experienced. LCC staff reminded them that fear can sometimes keep people from doing what the Holy Spirit is calling them to do.

“We have to make His voice stronger than our own voice,” a staff member shared. “He’s asked us to know their name and to pray.”

Another group with Comfort Dog Amos, went to a city bus stop near the mission. They brought water, apples, granola bars, and bags of essential items and spent time talking with people waiting for the bus.

One of them was Jarel, a young man on his way to work at the Baltimore airport. He had arrived early for an 11 a.m. bus because he wanted to make sure he would get to work on time for his 2 p.m. shift. He had worked on the airport sanitation crew since graduating from high school.

The team learned about his job, his responsibilities, and his life — and helped him recognize that he had value.

“He has value in his occupation. He has value as a child of God,” a group member said.

Another person they met was a woman in her late 20s who takes the bus each weekend to visit her favorite aunt, her father’s sister. Her father, who had died, had been her best friend, and maintaining that relationship with her aunt helped her maintain a connection to him. She also shared about her work as a teacher’s aide with autistic children and her hopes of eventually becoming a counselor or special education teacher.

In both service projects, the teams were encouraged to serve with open hearts, humility, dignity, and a willingness to be changed by the people they encountered.

The weekend also included devotions, refresher training with the Comfort Dogs, breakout sessions, and time for Top Dogs to share ideas, struggles, and encouragement. LCC staff opened the gathering with a devotion on Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:13-16, reminding the teams that they are called to be salt and light.

K-9 ministry requires a weekly commitment, and that commitment can sometimes leave handlers wondering if they can continue making a difference.

“It’s good to be refreshed, to carry the light with you,” the group agreed.

For those attending the gathering, that renewal came through fellowship, training, and the opportunity to serve together. It also came through a simple reminder that can be carried into every Comfort Dog visit: See the person. Serve their needs. Stay with them. And Send others into the world to do the same.
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And also, ask their name and remember that name — because the person is more than someone who came to pet the dog. They are someone seen and known by God, and someone worthy of being seen and known by us.