LCC Hearts of Mercy & Compassion

10/18/2026

Our LCC Hearts of Mercy & Compassion teams from First Lutheran Church Yuba City and Redeemer Lutheran Church have placed four HMC crosses outside Silver Rail Elementary School, where people have been gathering to pray, grieve, and support one another.

The lives lost on October 15 include 25-year-old teacher Megan Lambert and 5-year-old kindergarten student Rhoam Summer, along with two boys, ages 8 and 11, whose names have not been publicly released. Our hearts break for their families and for everyone whose lives have been forever changed. We also lift up 7-year-old Saylor Graham and teacher Becky Drury as they recover from their injuries.

Look at these Hearts of Mercy & Compassion. They are overflowing with handwritten words of love from people who want the families in Bend to know they are not grieving alone. So many hearts are hurting, and so many people are searching for a way to express their sorrow, offer comfort, and let these families know that their community is standing beside them. These messages are a way to say, We love you. We are praying for you. We are here for you.

Our volunteers have also walked through the surrounding neighborhood, spending time with people who were close enough to hear the horrific events unfold. Alongside our LCC K-9 Comfort Dog teams, they are listening, offering comfort, and sharing the love of Jesus with people who are hurting. Teams also visited Deschutes County 9-1-1 to present first responders with a Heart of Mercy & Compassion in gratitude for their service to the community.

🙏 Please keep Bend in your prayers. May these hearts and crosses be a reminder that this community is surrounded by love, and that Jesus is near to the brokenhearted.

10/17/2026

Tomorrow at Silver Rail Elementary, we'll have the hearts and crosses set up for you to sign, share an uplifting message, and support the families enduring such great loss in Bend, OR.

Join us and the LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs for an informal time of encouragement, hope, and support. Our ministry volunteers are eager to listen, talk, and pray with you as you need. We’d love to learn your name and hear your story.

Starbucks will provide light refreshments at the beginning of the gathering.

When: 12:30 p.m. PT
Where: In front of Silver Rail Elementary

10/16/2026

Thank you for our HMC Teams from First Lutheran Church Yuba City and Redeemer Lutheran Church for serving Bend, OR. 💙

Our hearts are broken for Bend, Oregon.

Hearing about another school shooting, another community shattered, and families facing the unimaginable loss of their children never gets easier. We grieve for the three young students and their teacher who lost their lives, and for everyone whose world has been turned upside down by this tragedy.

Our LCC teams are already on the road to Bend. Moved by compassion and the love of Jesus, these volunteers are putting their own lives on hold to be there for people who are hurting. They are going to listen, pray, mourn alongside this community, and offer the comforting presence of the LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs and Hearts of Mercy & Compassion.

Please join us in praying for Bend. Pray for the families grieving the loss of their loved ones, for the injured, for the students and teachers, and for a community trying to process something no community should ever have to face. Ask God to hold them close in their heartbreak and surround them with His comfort, strength, and peace.

“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18

Lord, please be near to Bend. 💙

Micah Comfort Dog
Rahab Comfort Dog
Isaac Comfort Dog
Fisher Comfort Dog

Help LCC Be There: https://pushpay.com/g/helplccbethere

10/15/2026

In the midst of an unimaginable tragedy in Erie, PA, we have witnessed neighbors coming together to grieve, remember, and pray.

Eight LCC Hearts of Mercy & Compassion were placed in memory of the eight lives lost last Friday. Each heart bears the name of someone whose life mattered and whose absence is deeply felt. They have become a place for people to pause, share their grief, remember their neighbors, and turn to God in prayer.

As word spread, neighbors who had lived on the same street for years began meeting one another, sharing stories, and praying together. On a lawn marked by tragedy, people found comfort in being together.

Our teams also presented Hearts of Gratitude to first responders in recognition of their service and the difficult work they have carried through this tragedy. We are thankful for the opportunity to offer a small reminder that their community sees them, appreciates them, and is praying for them.

Thank you to everyone who welcomed our LCC teams and to the volunteers who came alongside Erie with compassion and the love of Jesus.

Please continue to pray for the families who are grieving, the first responders, and the entire Erie community. May they find comfort in knowing that God is near, even in the deepest sorrow.

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18 (NIV) ❤️

Thank you to our HMC Teams
Suburban Bethlehem Lutheran Church & School
St. Paul's Lutheran Church

Thank you to the local churches for serving alongside us
Trinity Lutheran Church in Erie, PA Trinity Lutheran Church
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Albion, PA Holy Trinity Lutheran Albion

10/14/2026

There is some beautiful Teamwork happening in Erie, PA right now! The LCC Hearts of Mercy & Compassion memorial has become a powerful place full of love and prayer.

10/13/2026

You are a part of the story!

We couldn't do this ministry without you! To our volunteers, donors, and everyone who supports LCC, thank you for being part of the See & Serve story. Your time, prayers, and generosity help us share the love of Jesus with those who are suffering and in need.

Because Jesus sees us with compassion, we can begin to see others differently, too. We see people who are hurting, recognize their needs, and respond with the love of Christ. That's what SEE & SERVE is all about, and you are an important part of that story!

We'd love to hear from you! Has someone ever taken the time to listen, pray with you, or show up when you needed support? Have you had an opportunity to serve someone who was going through a difficult time? Share your story in the comments!

God works through His people in so many ways, and we are grateful to be part of a community that sees and serves others with the love of Jesus.

Want to help this story continue? Consider making a gift to our See & Serve Annual Campaign. Your generosity makes this ministry possible, and you are an important part of every story yet to be told.

Donate today: https://www.lutheranchurchcharities.org/annualcampaign26.html

10/12/2026

Please join us in praying for the people of Erie, PA, as our HMC teams from St. Paul's Lutheran Church and Suburban Bethlehem Lutheran Church & School prepare to serve a community facing unimaginable heartbreak. We are grateful for our volunteers who will place these hearts as reminders of Christ’s love.

Erie, PA, we are on our way.

Last week, a devastating act of domestic violence in Erie took the lives of eight innocent people, including young children. Families have been shattered, lives have been taken, and a community is left grieving a tragedy that is difficult to comprehend.

Tomorrow, Lutheran Church Charities is deploying to Erie, Pennsylvania, to bring the love of Jesus to those hurting.

Eight LCC Hearts of Mercy & Compassion will be placed in memory of each life lost, standing as reminders that these lives are precious to God and will not be forgotten. They will also serve as a reminder to the Erie community that they are not alone in their grief and that they are surrounded by prayers and the love of Christ.

Our LCC Hearts of Mercy & Compassion and K-9 Comfort Dog teams, Lazarus, Damasus, and Jared, will spend time with first responders who have witnessed the horrors of this tragedy and have been serving others through it. We want them to know that someone is thinking of them, praying for them, and caring for them, too.

As our teams spend time throughout the community, we pray that each conversation, each listening ear, and each comforting presence will help people feel the love of Jesus in the midst of so much pain.

Please join us in praying for Erie. Pray for the families who are grieving, for all those affected by this tragedy, and for our teams as they go to serve with the love of Christ.

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18 (NIV)

Donate to help our teams be there! https://pushpay.com/g/helplccbethere

LCC Hearts of Mercy & Compassion
LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs
Damascus Comfort Dog
Jared Comfort Dog
Lazarus Comfort Dog
Suburban Bethlehem Lutheran School & Church
St. Paul's Lutheran Church

10/07/2026

What is Hearts of Mercy & Compassion? We’re excited to share a new resource that helps answer that question!

This short animation gives a simple overview of Hearts of Mercy & Compassion, how hearts are used, and how you can get involved.

Take a look, share it with someone who may not know about Hearts of Mercy & Compassion, and learn how you can be part of this ministry of hope, prayer and presence! 💙

Learn more:
https://www.lutheranchurchcharities.org/hmc.html

10/05/2026

HMC affiliate volunteers from St. Stephens Lutheran Church - MS, Hickory, NC, arrived in Manassas, bringing Hearts of Mercy & Compassion in honor of Ricky Lamot and Christopher Serrano.

The team will also be presenting Hearts of Gratitude to first responders who are serving the community during this difficult time.

Please pray for these volunteers as they meet with families, coworkers, first responders and others who have been affected by this tragedy. Pray that each heart and cross would be a reminder of love, compassion and the hope we have in Jesus.

10/02/2026

Lutheran Church Charities volunteers from Maryland, North Carolina, and Ohio are deploying to Manassas, VA, where two employees were killed and a third injured after a coworker opened fire yesterday at a United Rentals facility.

The victims’ families and United Rentals employees are understandably shaken after the incident and could benefit from spiritual care.

Rev. Dr. Bill Harmon, President of the LCMS Southeastern District, invited LCC to bring Spiritual First Aid™ trauma care to Virginia and minister to the hurting community in the name of Jesus.

United Rentals district manager Cory Leonard told LCC President/CEO Rev. Chris Singer that LCC’s presence, prayers, and compassion would be welcome as the company’s employees and families grieve together. A United Rentals employee’s wife in Texas, who follows the LCC K-9 Comfort Dog and Hearts of Mercy & Compassion ministries, recommended Lutheran Church Charities to the company.

LCC is responding.

Traveling from churches in Baltimore, MD; Hickory, NC; and Westlake, OH, three teams of K-9 Comfort Dog and St. Stephens Lutheran Church - MS, Hickory, NC HMC affiliate volunteers will be onsite with facility workers and the community, willing to talk and pray with anyone who wants support. In Virginia, the LCC teams will partner with Pastor Joel Wallschlaeger of Hope Lutheran Church Manassas, who is hosting the group.

“Blessed are those who mourn, 
for they shall be comforted.”
(Matthew 5:4 ESV)

Help LCC Be There! https://pushpay.com/g/helplccbethere?fnd=3w9jy9vpm8yuULLN_Hwvnw&lang=en&src=pcgl