For many, Lutheran World Relief is synonymous with quilts. In its 60-year history, LWR has provided more than 21 million quilts for people in need. But it is about far more than that. LWR was started in the wake of World War II when about one-fifth of the world’s Lutherans were left homeless. Lutheran churches in the U.S. mobilized to send aid to their German and Scandinavian kin. Shortly thereafter, American Lutherans realized aid was needed beyond Europe, and LWR started helping people in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Latin America. Service to all suffering people—through programs that improved lives and communities—became a vital part of the organization’s Christian witness.
From “The Gospel with Work Gloves On” by Brenda Meier in the March 2005 issue of Lutheran Woman Today, now Gather magazine.
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