“In God’s holy flirtation with the world,” writes Fredrick Buechner, “God occasionally drops a handkerchief.  These handkerchiefs are called saints.” 

It is because of the many handkerchiefs – saints – that LSS fulfills its mission.  Knit together in the communion of saints – God’s handkerchiefs – we are dropped on the world for the love of Christ to serve people in need. 

2007 proved to be a milestone year for LSS, thanks in part to a near seamless change in leadership. We served and cared for 4,500 people on a daily basis.   We continued to respond to the trend in services for persons who wish to age in place through rapidly growing LSS in-home service ministries in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut.  Lutheran Disaster Response of New England is assisting many of our congregations with disaster preparedness training.  LSS services for new Americans resettled and served several thousand refugees and immigrants this past year, extending the gift of hospitality and welcoming the strangers in our midst.  Our disability services helped hundreds of adults – some of whom are also Deaf – to achieve lives of greater dignity and self-sufficiency.  Our adoption program created many new ‘forever families,’ and our foster care program built bridges for children at high risk into safe loving families. Homeless parenting teenage mothers and their children found safety, shelter and support for the future.  And hundreds of individuals were able to remove their names from public assistance roles, because they received four reliable wheels from Good News Garage to move them into the workplace.

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Looking ahead, the true character and ability of leaders become evident in times that require hard choices and offer limited options.  That is the reality we live in today as we strive to serve and care for people in need across New England.  We will continue to see our state governments struggle with budget cuts, lower than anticipated revenues and the tough decisions about where to spend limited resources.  Living within this uncertain climate increases the risk for the most vulnerable ones in our society.  Despite this environment, our mission remains vitally important – now more than ever.  Our commitment is to do what it takes to meet the needs of the people we serve by building on our strengths, our leadership potential, and our commitment to developing best public and private practices.  As Christians, we understand that this is a sacred task, and we are honored to serve and represent the Lutheran church in this way.   

In Service Together,

Heather L Feltman

Chief Executive Officer

LSS is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit corporation supported by private donations, state and federal contracts, volunteer time, grants and fees collected for services.  Please visit us are our web site www.lssne.org.