As we move further into the Atlantic Hurricane Season, local families are facing the threats of more flooding and storm damage. They need your support. As Pennsylvania continues to become hotter and wetter, concerns about flooding are rising as residents in Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, Bucks, and Philadelphia Counties are still dealing with destruction from tornedos [...]

This story appears in the Spring 2024 issue of At Liberty. Loving hearts, generous souls, and a commitment to helping others filled the United Lutheran Seminary’s Mt. Airy campus this past Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Linda Breckenridge and Volunteers Assemble Hygiene Kits “I’m always looking for opportunities on MLK Day of Service to [...]

Pennsylvania is getting hotter and wetter. The second half of 2023 was dominated by storms and flooding rains that left more than 500 eastern Pennsylvania families in need of help. With your assistance, we are helping people connect with resources, but there is much more work to be done. Families affected by flooding from storms [...]

Lutheran Congregational Services (LCS) provides individual counseling, support groups, and a Facebook group for those who are grieving. Most typically, those support groups take place in the Lehigh Valley and are well attended! In an effort to expand these services, last year LCS scheduled a support group outside of that area. When no one registered [...]

During Advent, Christians prepare their hearts and spirits by contemplating the meaning and celebration of Christmas. They wonder at the significance of Christ’s birth in the world and what it means in their own lives. The Reverend Michelle Wildridge, Chaplain at Paul’s Run, provides copies of the Lutheran Congregational Services' Advent Devotional to residents. During [...]

Summer storms are causing deep heartache and trauma around the world. Here at Lutheran Congregational Services, our hearts and prayers go out especially to families in Hawaii who are still facing terrible uncertainties about the fate of loved ones. The Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) program of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is working [...]

Community and the relationships that connect them become crucial catalysts to the work of Lutheran Disaster Response – Eastern PA (LDR-EPa). Such was the case when Tropical Storm Isaias devastated the community of Eastwick, a neighborhood in southwest Philadelphia, in August of 2020. Flooding and high winds damaged many homes. Roofs were blown off. People [...]

When disaster strikes, Julia Menzo, Director of Community Outreach, must decide when and how to respond so that resources are utilized fairly, especially for those with the greatest barriers to recovery. She consults her local partners in disaster relief work to answer those questions and more. Recovery looks different for each individual, family, and community. [...]

Lutheran Congregational Services’ Advent Devotional book is filled with stories and reflections from volunteers based on the biblical texts of the Advent season. We asked a few to share their experience. Every few years, I'm asked to write a page for the Advent Devotional for Lutheran Congregational Services. I participate as a way to support [...]

Grief is perhaps one of the most misunderstood and most dreaded feelings. It indicates a loss of something or someone important in our lives. Lutheran Congregational Services’ grief counselor, Sylvia Havlish, helps people navigate their grief. In addition to one-on-one counseling, Sylvia leads a six-week program called Journeys Through Grief. If you know someone who [...]