Sharing God’s Love Through Service: LOMIK Volunteers

Submitted By: Christine Walter, Executive Director, LOMIK

The love of Christ was on full display as LOMIK volunteers welcomed guests from Easterseals/ARC of Northeast Indiana for a wonderful 3 days of Adult Residential Camp at Lake Luther.

Throughout the week, volunteers shared God’s love in simple but meaningful ways—offering warm smiles, helping with activities, serving meals, singing songs, lending a hand, and building friendships. Every conversation, act of kindness, and moment of encouragement reflected the hospitality that makes camp a place where everyone belongs.

Camp allows these adult children of God to enjoy time in God’s creation, experience the joy of community, and create lasting memories. None of it would be possible without the generous volunteers who give their time and talents to serve others with compassionate hearts.

LOMIK is deeply grateful for each volunteer who helped make this week safe, fun, and filled with Christ’s love. Your servant hearts made a lasting impact on every camper, and your willingness to serve is a wonderful reminder of Jesus’ words: “Serve one another humbly in love.” (Galatians 5:13)

The Blessing of Being Prepared

Submitted By: Pastor Kate Costa, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

I got a text early one Sunday morning. “Pastor, I got here early and wanted to let you know that the church is ok and no one is hurt. But we lost the shed in last night’s storm, and a huge branch from the old red oak is down.”

Not the way you want to start a Sunday morning! I’ll be honest. My first thought was not, “Thanks be to God!” but rather “Oh man. How much is this going to cost us?”

But, very quickly, people chipped in. Someone called the power company to check the lines, someone got out cones to block the road, someone called a tree removal company or three to get quotes.

By Tuesday, the tree was already cleaned up with just a little sawdust leftover. 

And even more surprising, our finance committee quickly decided we would cover this from our regular resources, without needing a special campaign. All together, cleaning up the debris, taking down the remaining damaged tree, and replacing the shed is going to cost over $10,000. But those who came before us already had it covered. The congregation decided about 30 years ago to put 5% of all general offerings into a Long Term Maintenance Fund. That foresight, generosity, and solid financial planning meant that this was a non-story.

Many folks offered to contribute financially to the cleanup, and I was able to say to them, “Thank you! Put it in the general offering? That will help for this minor disaster, and for decades into the future!”

As I should have said at the very beginning, “Thanks be to God!”

Ordinary People Sharing Ordinary Things

Submitted By: Pastor Jenn Casey, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church

During the month of June, we invited people to donate gently used and new shoes. We didn’t set a goal. We simply trusted that if people had something to share, they would.

By the end of the month, we had collected 152 pairs of shoes.

As we blessed the donated shoes, we gave thanks for every journey they had already traveled and prayed that, as they begin a new journey, they would bring comfort and protection, and remind everyone who wears them that they are loved, they belong, and they do not walk alone.

That’s what generosity looks like. Ordinary people sharing ordinary things, trusting God to use them to bless a neighbor.

Love & Grace Beyond Four Walls

Submitted By: Rev. Brandi Hebert, Lutheran Church of God’s Love

This summer the Good Neighbor Garden at God’s Love is in full swing. Members from the congregation plant, weed, and harvest throughout the summer and early fall, donating 100% of the produce from the garden to local food pantries. 

Thanks to a 2026 Forward in Faith Together grant from our Synod, our congregation launched a bible study this summer in partnership with the Reach Out Foundation, a local drop-in center that supports the unhoused and our neighbors struggling with mental health and addiction. Members meet bi-monthly at Reach Out with those who come for support and offer witness and care in mutuality. 

Also, this summer, thanks to a generous donation from a major donor in our congregation, our AV team is looking at ways to improve our online worship experience and build stronger relationships with our online community, strengthening connections across the worshipping community. 

The last summer project revealing the congregation’s generous response to the gifts we have received from God are the three members traveling in partnership with On Eagle’s Wings to the Northern Territories to serve and care for children there through their weeklong VBS. Mission trip support was provided from the congregation’s Endowment Fund and Christmas Fund. One new member joined the team from last year thanks to their witness when they returned in 2025. 

God is good, and the Spirit continues to move to encourage congregational members to share God’s grace with God’s people beyond the walls of our church building.

Love Your Neighbors

Submitted By: Dina Gonzalez-Pina, Mennonite Central Committee

What does it mean to love your neighbor? How close do you live to a neighbor? This summer I had the opportunity to participate in praying over a shipment of canned meat, canned by the Amish in Ohio and Pennsylvania. I also had the opportunity to watch elderly women dedicated to making comforters for neighbors they don’t know and will probably never meet.  

On this particular day, June 19, 2026, our community loaded a shipment of canned meat heading to prisoners in Malawi, organized by faith volunteers here and there.  The comforters were shipped to Ukraine, where neighbors are seeking shelter. 

Our work is local, national, and global because the need is also local, national, and global.

A Gift That Multiplied Opportunity

Submitted By: Katy Renfroe, South Carolina United Methodist Advocate

The South Carolina United Methodist Advocate awarded three $1,000 college scholarships to three different United Methodist students for the coming academic year.  

Normally, the Advocate awards one college scholarship every year to a South Carolina United Methodist student who is planning to enroll or is already enrolled at one of the four United Methodist colleges in South Carolina: Claflin University, Columbia College, Spartanburg Methodist College, or Wofford College.  

However, this year a donor stepped up to award all three of this year’s applicants with a scholarship. 

The recipients are as follows: 

• Logan Miller, an elementary education major at Claflin University, whose home church is Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church, Lake City; 
• Zoey Miller, a biology/human performance major at Claflin University, whose home church is Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church, Lake City; and 
• Joanna Wylie, a psychology major at Spartanburg Methodist College, whose home church is Travelers Rest UMC, Travelers Rest.

The Answer to a Prayer

Submitted By: Rich Hurst, Leighton Ford Ministries

One of the most encouraging things we have seen this year at Leighton Ford Ministries has been the growth of Jeanie’s Vision, a relational initiative focused on encouraging and mentoring emerging evangelists around the world.

Many of these young leaders are deeply passionate about sharing Christ, but often feel isolated in their calling. Through the generosity of donors and ministry partners, we have been able to create intentional relational spaces where evangelists are seen, encouraged, prayed for, and connected with mentors and peers.

During one recent gathering, a young evangelist shared with tears in his eyes, “This is the answer to prayers I’ve been praying for years. I finally feel like I’m not alone.”

What has inspired us most is that the generosity behind this ministry is not simply funding programs; it is helping cultivate relationships, spiritual encouragement, and long-term multiplication. Many of these leaders are already beginning to invest in others in the same way they have been encouraged.

This summer we are celebrating the many people whose generosity is helping leaders live their truest calling and reminding them they do not have to walk alone.

Giving a Voice to Generosity

Submitted By: Pastor Ann Shade, St. Michael’s Evangelical Lutheran Church

We have been conducting small-group asset mapping, beginning with a group of five and then expanding the process to our Church Council. I have kept all of our identified “assets” on flip chart paper and displayed them so people can visually see what has been named as our assets, our blessings, and God’s generosity to us.

Our desire is to give voice to the stories of generosity that have blessed both our church body and our community.

In September, we will bring the asset mapping exercise to a congregational meeting and invite all of our members to participate in the process. These small steps have already created wonderful momentum within our congregation. It’s amazing what a little mustard seed can do!