Despite the heat, I’m happy summer’s here, because it brings the excitement of Lutherans coming together in celebration and community. LIRS has been present for some of the high points of this year’s season, and I wanted to share a couple of those moments with you.
The 35th convention of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League saw 3,500 men, women, and children gather in Pittsburgh June 27-30. Joining them for that event were Director for Grants Development Kurt Crays and Assistant Director for Development James Corey, who got busy raffling off beautiful scarves of the Utica and Denver weaving projects! We’re grateful for the immensely positive feedback we heard about our mission and the LIRS End Human Trafficking campaign, which teams us with Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS).
Across the country, another LIRS team joined in the fun at the LCMS Youth Gathering. In San Antonio for the July 1-5 Live Love(d) event were Anna Campbell, National Network Coordinator for Access to Justice; Rex Foster, Planning and Evaluation Associate; Anne Dutton, Advocacy Assistant; and Folabi Olagbaju, National Grassroots Director.
On Independence Day, the Gathering will host a very special event that showcases citizenship and what it means to be American! Thanks in large measure to our board member Rev. Bart Day, the event will see a naturalization ceremony for a group of nearly 50 people. Our team will lead a follow-up session that discusses the significance of the event and connects it to the LIRS mission.
All told, this is a great summer for Lutheran gatherings, and we’re grateful and proud to be a part of them!