THE. Strengthening Our Communities. Autumn in Bod. Body,, Mind and Spirit

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1 Sp irit THE M in d al an ce Bo d y B Strengthening People The upcoming clergy and congregational event to form and improve the response of congregations to the opioid epidemic will build on the three events held in Bowling Green and Perrysburg in February and May Strengthening Our Communities in Bod Body,, Mind and Spirit Lutheran Ministries of Mercy Sharing Resources Enhancing Lives Autumn 2018

2 Terri Rodriguez, President & CEO A Time to Give Thanks Each year, the first Sunday of November, we gather for All Saints Day to remember those who have gone before us in faith. It is a time to commemorate those we have lost to celebrate the inspirational people we have met on our journey and the joy of our shared history. These often aren t famous folks, but rather those everyday people who have touched our lives in the most meaningful of ways our neighbor who shared their backyard garden harvest or a friend whose presence and companionship meant so much in our lives. And so it is this early November, when our thoughts turn to the friends of Lutheran Ministries of Mercy that we have grown to know and love. At Lutheran Social Services dear friends like June, who worked tirelessly to benefit our ministry and others. Our faithful mailer, June made sure our agency mailings made it to the post office on time. She was equally dedicated to her work at St. Luke s Hospital and within her own church home. We are thankful for Larry whose concern about our community s hunger issues was reflected through the years in his support in word and deed to our food pantries. And, of course, Mark, whose never-failing belief in our shared mission was selflessly reflected in his work as a volunteer and Board member. We have been forever blessed that God connected us with these friends, and many others who have taught us to live each day with encouragement. We will light a candle this fall and give thanks to God for the extraordinary gifts of ordinary people. The Encouragers Back in 1910 they were known as The Fremont Local Conference; but their vision of ministry went far beyond local boundaries. This vision encouraged pastoral services in County and State hospitals, non-denominational orphanages, jails, Young Men s and Young Women s Christian Associations, and various ministries responsive to poverty, personal and family hardship. Such a vision would mark the beginning of The Lutheran Social Services of Northwestern Ohio. This would be a formidable assignment, but the Lord had made Rev. Harry P. Long ready for the task. When called in 1911, Pastor Long immediately got to the doing of it; and stories of hope and healing soon made their way throughout the region. Hearing such stories, a number of Detroit Pastors visited; and were encouraged to consider establishing a similar program in their area. Their considerations were further encouraged when Rev. Martin Luther Frederick from The Fremont Local Conference accepted the call as City Missionary to Detroit. Pastor Frederick s arrival to the City in 1919 is legendary among Detroit Lutherans. As the story goes, his old Studebaker laden with family, worldly possessions and a crate of chickens stalled at the edge of town. Pastor Richter from Detroit s Salem Lutheran Church responded with his car and a rope; and proceeded to tow Pastor Frederick through downtown. Unfortunately, the tow-rope broke as they were crossing rail-road tracks on Joseph Campau Boulevard stranding the old Studebaker with squawking chickens and oncoming street-cars tooting from both directions. The family wisely exited as the Pastors frantically rallied to push the car to safety. Going forward, Pastor Frederick would continue as City Missionary to Detroit until his death in 1937 visiting prisons and hospitals, homes for the aging, the children s home and sanitariums, distributing food and clothing, finding employment, referring thousands to fellowship with area congregations. Here was the starting place for The Lutheran Social Services of Michigan, now called Samaritas. The old Fremont Local. You just never know how far things can go when God s People consider how to stir up one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as we see the Day drawing near. -Pastor Don Wukotich Executive Director Emeritus 2 Autumn 2018

3 LSS has been awarded a grant from the Mission Endowment Fund of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Waterville to support a new program that will serve people who are returning to the community from incarceration in jail or prison. In this program, an LSS employee will work with people at no cost to them to help them to overcome the obstacles encountered when returning to the community, such as finding suitable and stable housing, arranging for transportation, and finding and keeping a job. Social research shows that when these needs are not met in stable and dependable ways, the likelihood of returning to criminal behavior rises and people are more likely to return to jail or prison. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus mentions that the visitation of those who are in prison is a service that is considered to be rendered unto Him. This supportive service to these Zion Endowment Awarded to support returning citizens who are members of (Jesus ) family will be provided in cooperation with the Citizen Circles at Salem Lutheran Church and Wesley United Methodist Church in Toledo, and may also work with local probation and parole departments, depending on the person. Feed Your Neighbor food pantries at both churches and the LSS Toledo Emergency Choice Food Pantry may also be used, depending on need. In addition to providing the service and support of the LSS employee, funds may also be used to help with paying other costs of returning to the community, such as: educational group fees, bus tokens, cab fare, gas cards, driver s license restoration fees, clothing for job interviews, devotional and other self help materials, and other needs that may arise. To provide this service, LSS will build on already existing relationships with Toledo Municipal Court Probation, Treatment Accountability for Safer Communities (TASC), United Way, and 211. Relationships are being developed with the Lucas County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and Re-entry Coalition. The Mission Endowment Fund of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Waterville recently awarded $108,000 to 21 nonprofit organizations for the coming year, and out of that LSS was awarded $7,500 for this citizen re-entry outreach program. The endowment fund is celebrating its 14th year and has awarded $1,479,600 since Applicants are sponsored by Zion s members. Recipients include a broad range of regional, national and global nonprofit organizations that share the Fund s goal of Bringing Mission to Life. Employer Resource Network is Shared Success! The Shared Success Employer Resource Network program is only the second of its kind in the Toledo area, designed to empower individuals and businesses through innovative partnerships seeking to remove barriers and enhance workforce success. Retention, training and advancement for low wage workers are the targeted areas of engagement for the LSS Success Coach and employees. Costs for the LSS Success Coach are shared by all of the participating companies within the network. LSS is the lead partner for an innovative, collaborative, public/private partnership, linked to a network of forprofit companies throughout Lucas County designed to address common workforce needs of the participating employers. The Success Coach assists employees of the Employer Resource Network in coaching, advocating, and connecting. The Success Coach assists employees with financial literacy, communication skills, conflict resolution, social and professional expectations, and understanding the policies of the employer. As an advocate, the Success Coach works alongside an employee to navigate a challenging or intimidating situation, such as those involving utilities, the IRS, or the Department of Education. Finally, the Success Coach connects the employee with community and government agencies that are positioned to assist with issues such as food resources, domestic violence, Medicaid, and other social services. Autumn

4 The Rotary Club of Toledo Awards Grant to LSS s Our Meals Need Wheels Initiative Good news! LSS received a grant from the Toledo Rotary Foundation!! Our sincere and deepest thanks goes to the Rotary Club of Toledo for a generous gift of $10,000 toward the purchase of a new vehicle to pick up food for the LSS Emergency Choice Food Pantry and the Feed Your Neighbor Pantries. This grant for the Our Meals Need Wheels project is very much appreciated and accepted by Lutheran Social Services of Northwestern Ohio Emergency Choice Pantry on behalf of the individuals and families we serve throughout Lucas County and the City of Toledo. Lutheran Social Services of Northwestern Ohio provides emergency choice food pantry services staffed by volunteers for over 10,000 people in the community annually. Six hundred individuals were served by the LSS and Feed Your Neighbor Pantries from March through July in 2018, and in 2017, the pantries served 51,851 individuals. At least 466,659 meals were provided for individuals and families who were experiencing food insecurity. Our goal with every person and family served is to offer welcoming and supportive food pantry sites that affirm the dignity of each person who arrives at our door. The support the Toledo Rotary has provided for the Our Meals Need Wheels project will help us gather food donations and deliver them to our main emergency food pantry site in Toledo and other sites as requested by the Feed Your Neighbor network. We now have safe, reliable and suitable wheels to deliver fresh dairy, fruits, vegetables and meats that will provide meals for hundreds of families in need. We look forward to sharing the results of the success of the Our Meals Need Wheels project, and the incredible return on investment that the Toledo Rotary Foundation has made to fight hunger in our community. National Alliance on Mental Illness Mental Health Faith Council of NAMI gathered under the theme: Connecting Faith and Mental Health: Sacred Spaces and Safe-Zones. Special guest Ms. Sabrena Suggs, NAMI Indianapolis, presented what it means to walk with individuals and families struggling with persistent behavior health issues. One in five persons are affected by a persistent mental health issue at some point in their lives and the resources of FaithNet are available to help people of all faith groups and the vital role their faith plays in the process of recovery. Also speaking was Mr. Tim Miller, News Anchor WTOL 11. He and his cousin shared what it is like to survive the loss of a loved one by suicide. Thaddeus Meyer, Tim s cousin and friend Alex Hall began a 1,000 mile run on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28th, 2018 to support suicide prevention and mental health awareness. The run was called the SOS 1,000 Mile Run and raised over $20,000 in funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Thaddeus and Alex ran 1,000 miles together in 25 days, for an average of 40 miles per day. Alex and Thaddeus ran the entire Bruce Trail in Ontario, Canada from north to south, then continued on to run the Erie Canalway Trail in upstate New York, from Buffalo to Albany. The SOS stands for See Our Symptoms. The conference concluded with assistance from Creative Expressions an interactive support group experience using art to facilitate thoughts and feelings about the journey of recovery and interaction in a fun, unique way. 4 Autumn 2018

5 Thanks to the support of the Rotary Club of Toledo, we now have safe, reliable and suitable wheels to deliver fresh dairy, fruits, vegetables and meats that will provide meals for hundreds of families in need. Salem Block Party A block party on July 28th at Salem Lutheran Church, and the dedication of a new pocket park provided the foundation for the event at Salem Lutheran Church in the Vistula Historic District of north Toledo. It was only the previous day in the same neighborhood that there was an officer involved in a fatal shooting of an armed robbery suspect. Tensions were high as rumors were spread by social media that called into question whether the victim was a dangerous suspect or an unarmed teen. The chief of Police and the Mayor held a press conference to offer the details of what led up to the shooting. LSS Bowling Green The Women s Empowerment Group resumed after taking the summer off. It resumed on Thursday, September 6, 2018, from 1:00-2:30 P.M. The focus of the group is personal growth and self-knowledge through effective boundary-setting based on the book, Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend. Participants may call the B.G. Office to schedule an assessment prior to attending group. Most insurances including Medicaid can be assessed for group treatment. A weekly recovery group continues The tragic loss of life was on the minds of many of the people who gathered for the Salem Block Party and park dedication. As people came together there were those who had strong feelings about the recent events. Others were willing to work through their feelings as a community that shares a vision of unity and hope for the future. The volunteer ministry team at Salem put this vision into action by preparing and serving a delicious picnic lunch for everyone in attendance. Activities also included a bingo game, door prize drawing and games for the children who attended. Musical offerings came from a local DJ and several solo artists, who shared their voices with the neighborhood from the parish house porch. A park dedication took place at noon on the corner of North Huron and Chestnut streets. The park was named in honor of the late James Colbert, a long-time resident and volunteer at Salem. The church donated vacant land for the park. Plans to develop the park include pollinator garden and playground equipment at some time in the future. Sponsors for the day s activities include Salem Lutheran Church, Toledo-Lucas County Sustainability Commission, and The Arts Commission. Lutheran Social Services of Northwestern Ohio was present to share behavior health, financial coaching at the Crossroads Financial Opportunity Center and other community resources. on Tuesdays from 4-6PM to address addictions. This nonintensive treatment group is for both self referred and court-referred women and men. An assessment is required; call for that appointment. Autumn

6 Churches, Businesses & Organizations All Saints Lutheran Church Bethlehem Lutheran Church of Okolona, Defiance, Oh Christ Ev. Lutheran Church (Dowling) Bowling Green, Oh Christopher Endowment Fund Chicago, Il Concordia Lutheran Church First Energy Service Company Andover, Ma First Evangelical Lutheran Church Findlay, Oh First Lutheran Church Galion, Oh Four Agency Lutheran Council German Lutheran Heritage Society Maumee, Oh Good Hope Lutheran Church Bucyrus, Oh Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Grace Lutheran Church Fremont, Oh Grace Lutheran Church Hope Lutheran Church Ottawa Hills, Oh Lutheran Church Of The Master Perrysburg, Oh Messiah Lutheran Church Mitchell Family Foundation Northwest Ohio Community Shares Olivet Evangelical Lutheran Church Salem Grace United Elca Inc Luckey, Oh Solomon Lutheran Woodville, Oh St. John s Lutheran Church Fremont, Oh St. John S Lutheran Church Stony Ridge, Oh St. Martin s Lutheran Church Archbold, Oh St. Matthew S Episcopal Church St. Michael Lutheran Church Ottawa Lake, Mi St. Paul Lutheran Church Bowling Green, Oh St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church Norwalk, Oh St. Peter Lutheran Church Martin, Oh Sylvania United Church Of Christ Toledo Community Foundation Trinity Lutheran Church Elmore, Oh Truist Reston, Va Zion Lutheran Church Huron, Oh Zoar Lutheran Church Perrysburg, Oh In-kind Gifts Concordia Lutheran Church Findlay, Oh Concordia Lutheran Church First Evangelical Lutheran Church Findlay, Oh First St. John Lutheran Church Kimberly Smith Luther Home Of Mercy Williston, Oh Rodney Hochstetler St. John s Evangelical Lutheran Church Findlay, Oh St. Joseph Parish St. Paul s Lutheran Church Napoleon, Oh St. Peter Lutheran Church Martin, Oh St. Stephen Lutheran Church Steve Tracy Trinity Lutheran Church Findlay, Oh Memorial Gifts In Memory of Sandra Baumann Otto A. Baumann In Memory of Clarissa & Al Knape and Norm Avers Doris Avers In Memory of Joyce Beckey Donald E. Beckey In Memory of Gloria Wumer Joette Boyd-Randall In Memory of Bob and Betty Shryock Susan Brooks In Memory of Pastors Dallas Adler, Lyle Kohler, and Robert Shaets Shirley A. Clark In Memory of Rev. & Mrs. R. L. VanScoy James Hess In Memory of Charles Ide June Ide In Memory of Fred & Nelda Kroos Julia Kroos In Memory of Emil and Augusta Zech Jeannete Kubitz In Memory of Al & Betty Heringhauser Lillian Lagger In Memory of John Smaltz Julene Market In Memory of John Smaltz Ted Mccann In Memory of Bob & Betty Shryock James Miller In Memory of Glenn B. Hosman William Reber In Memory of Melva & Wilbert Lohr David Serwin In Memory of Bob & Betty Shryock Thomas Shyrock In Memory of Kimberly Smith Kimberly Smith In Memory of Elaine Holmer Ronald Smith In Memory of Mr & Mrs Gary Witt St. John s Welca In Memory of Josephine Kimmet and Doris Rogers St. Paul Lutheran Church In Memory of John Smaltz William Sturges In Memory of Charlotte Holmes Wanda Vanvoorhis In Memory of Carol Beeker Jane Westerhaus In Memory of John Smaltz Anne Wiley In Memory of Paul J. Wukotich Donald Wukotich Honors Gifts In Honor of Mr. & Mrs. Gary Witt St. John s Welca 6 Autumn 2018

7 NWO Imagine a community that stands up to the opioid epidemic with the courage to believe that lives can be saved from addiction and that recovery is possible. We at Lutheran Social Services of Northwest Ohio not only imagine that recovery is possible, we believe the cycle of addiction can be broken with help from caring and compassionate professionals who have dedicated their lives to helping people. Join us as we pledge ourselves to fighting for the lives of people in our community, our neighborhood and families. At Luther Home of Mercy, we have a great need to purchase new medical beds for residents who live at our Williston campus so we have dubbed our campaign, Giving Snooze Day. You can participate in Giving Snooze Day from the comforts of home by making an online contribution from the donate button prominently displayed on our website, lutherhome.org. The goal for 2018 is to help support the recovery for clients who come to us for help, who receive treatment from our doctor directed medically assisted recovery services. People who actively participate in our Intensive and Non-Intensive Out-patient programs need your help and support! Please consider a generous gift on Giving Tuesday, November 27 th. Watch for the #Giving Tuesday NWO Donation button on our website: Each of the Lutheran Ministries of Mercy agencies will once again be offering opportunities for individuals and groups to give back this #GivingTuesday! Filling Homes, along with corporate partner, Thrivent Financial, will be raising money to benefit the programs of Adult Day Services located at the Filling Homes Community Center in Napoleon, Ohio. Eleven individuals with developmental disabilities attend this center for community inclusion opportunties and paid employment training services. The icing on the cake? Thrivent Financial will be matching all donations made on Giving Tuesday! That s right, all donations made or posted on November 27 will automatically double! There really is no better time to get into the Spirit of Giving! Visit fillinghome.org for more details and to donate! November 27, 2018 Lutheran Ministries of Mercy Sharing Resources St. Peter Lutheran Church Norwalk, OH Enhancing Lives St. Paul Lutheran Church Bowling Green, OH Thank you for Supporting the ministries of Lutheran Social Services NWO Luther Home of Mercy & Filling Homes Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others. Booker T. Washington Autumn

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