Lumunos

15/10/2026

It's been a really hard year for our immigrant neighbors.

We hope to see you on Sunday to show them some love, and to learn about how we can be there for one another in these challenging times.

08/10/2026

So incredibly grateful for our board, alumni, and all the new folks from Wisconsin (including our wonderful partners at the Wisconsin Council of Churches) who came out to our fall Bridge Builder Leadership Retreat at the Green Lake Conference Center this past weekend.

It was a beautiful weekend of reconnecting and planting seeds for future Becoming Neighbors programming in Wisconsin :)

We went deep into understanding and practicing what it means and looks like to be a bridge builder across lines of difference in our world today...starting in our own communities and congregations.

To learn more about our bridge builder trainings and leadership retreats, visit - https://lumunos.org/workplace-leadership-training/

Our deepest gratitude goes out to the Bauer Family Foundation for their encouragement and support of our leadership training.

30/09/2026

Congrats to our friends at Bethlehem Lutheran church for hosting the first Becoming Neighbors gathering in St. Charles, IL, focused on the challenges and resilience of minority, LGBTQ+, and special needs children in our schools.

The panel helped us understand the hope and pain many students and families face, and inspired small groups to find ways to stop the bullying and encourage those who are hurting that...IT WILL GET BETTER.

It isn't the proximity of our homes, but the depths of our relationships (and our willingness to serve, love, and protect each other through life's ups and downs) that makes us neighbors.

16/09/2026

We are so happy to once again partner with our friends at Rising Lights Project for this special Becoming Neighbors gathering.

Our wonderful fellow, Hannah (who we will be sharing more about soon) came up with the name - So Extra, as an empowering way to celebrate our neighbors with Down Syndrome.

This is a truly great opportunity to overcome fears of getting to know your neighbors through meaningful conversations and fun, and to learn more about the awesome community at Rising Lights.

Hope to see you there on Saturday, October 10th from 1-3pm!

09/09/2026

Really looking forward to Becoming Neighbors expanding into St. Charles, IL through the wonderful folks at Bethlehem Lutheran church.

Please join us on September 27th at 2:30pm at the St Charles Public Library for a very important community conversation on what it means and looks like to belong in schools these days.

The leadership team at Bethlehem Lutheran has put together a wonderful panel of students and administrators who will share their stories, followed by time for attendees to share their own experiences amongst new neighbors.

Refreshments will be provided :)

We hope to see you then!

03/09/2026

In case you missed attending our musical fundraiser - A Place for Us - in person this past weekend, we are very happy to have it for you by video to watch at home. All you need to do is click on the link below, and you’ll see and hear Lumunos Director David Fraccaro, and some wonderful singers from the St. Charles Singers share stories and sing songs about the people, places, and moments that have shaped their lives.

A Place for Us ticket sales specifically go to support the Becoming Neighbors work of Lumunos. At a time of significant distrust, division and social isolation, Becoming Neighbors provides a space and process for diverse people to build bridges across lines of difference - helping strangers we don't know or even fear become neighbors we embrace. One of the primary ways we build these bridges is through storytelling, which was the foundation of this year’s musical fundraiser.

We hope you enjoy, and if you appreciate what you see and hear - would you please consider making a donation to support Lumunos? We are a small, humble, yet remarkably impactful organization…and we need your help to keep growing!

To watch - https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1222768118
To donate - https://lumunos-bloom.kindful.com/?campaign=1226737

24/08/2026

This Saturday evening at Sturdy Shelter Brewing!

If you appreciate the Becoming Neighbors work we’ve been doing and are a fan of Broadway musicals, then our upcoming A Place for Us musical fundraiser is for you!

This year we will feature Broadway songs and stories about the people, places, and moments that have shaped our lives.

We are deeply grateful once again to feature some incredibly talented singers and pianist from the renowned St. Charles Singers.

Be sure to stick around afterwards for an open mic Broadway night, where anyone can sing their favorite show tune alongside our amazing pianist.

Get your tickets today for this Saturday evening’s fundraiser by clicking here.

https://lumunos.org/event/a-place-for-us-a-musical-fundraiser-to-support-the-becoming-neighbors-work-of-lumunos-2/

We hope to record the show this year and share with everyone who can’t make it in person, so please consider donating even if you can’t make it.

https://lumunos.org/make-a-donation/

Hope to see you there!

22/07/2026

One of the best ways to show a neighbor you care is to show up and listen to their stories and experiences in life.

Grateful for everyone who showed up to our recent Becoming Neighbors Community Conversation on the gifts and legacy of Batavia's black community at Sturdy Shelter Brewing.

The more we really know each other, the more we care, and the more we care about one another, the more likely we are to be there for each other through life's ups and downs.

A huge thanks as well to our friend Louis for capturing these beautiful moments on video!

To learn more, visit Lumunos.org

https://vimeo.com/1211798409/c1d5104587

This is "Becoming Neighbors recap 2" by Louis Holland on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

20/07/2026

This past weekend two very different faith communities strengthened their important and beautiful bond.

Through Lumunos’ Becoming Neighbors Congregations program, members of Winnetka Covenant and Iglesia del Pacto de Albany Park (Chicago) ate, laughed, prayed, sang and took down a piñata together.

Becoming Neighbors congregations agree to a year-long partnership and meet quarterly for meaningful conversations and fun exchange.

They also also discover shared values and do some good in their community together with the help of a small seed grant.

While different in culture and language, these remarkable folks have become fast neighbors and friends….a promising example the world really needs right now.

To learn more about our Becoming Neighbors programs, visit - Lumunos.org.

14/07/2026

If you have (or even if you haven't yet) attended Broadway Nights or Becoming Neighbors events at Sturdy Shelter Brewing - you will want to come out for our annual musical fundraiser, A Place for Us.

Doors open at 6pm.

6:30-8pm will be a ticketed fundraiser, featuring some amazing performers from the St. Charles Singers.

8-10pm will be our regular Broadway night at Sturdy (no tickets needed), where anyone can come up and sing alongside our amazing pianist.

Last year we sold out, so get tickets to the fundraiser early here -

https://lumunos.org/event/a-place-for-us-a-musical-fundraiser-to-support-the-becoming-neighbors-work-of-lumunos-2/ -tickets__tickets-form

Thanks for your kindness and support!