SHINE: Share, inspire, engage
SHINE is Our Saviour's monthly, stories-focused publication, where we highlight the work of OSLC's many ministries and mission teams and shine a spotlight on how members of the Our Saviour's family are working to Know Jesus and Make Jesus Known.
Printed copies of SHINE are available at both campuses, and a digital version can be downloaded from our News & Events page or by clicking the image at left.
Below, browse a selection of stories recently featured in SHINE. Happy reading!
mission spotlight: MEGA GARAGE SALE
More than $59,000: That’s how much Our Saviour’s MEGA Garage Sale brought in for local and globally serving mission partners in 2024 (almost $6,000 more than in 2023!).
With this year’s MEGA Garage Sale rapidly approaching (June 6-7!), team chair Debbie Friend shared about what the sale means to OLSC and the many missions it supports.
How does the MEGA Garage Sale help reflect Our Saviour's mission to Know Jesus and Make Jesus Known?
Debbie: The MEGA Garage sale has such a far-reaching impact in terms of the number of people served - whether it’s customers who can shop with dignity for the reduced-cost items they need, clients served by our charity beneficiaries or community members who are introduced to Our Saviour’s for the first time through the sale. We show people through our actions that kindness matters. And for our families that volunteer at the sale, they do the work together, and it gives them a way to talk about the importance of service to others and how it can be such a joyful and meaningful experience.
Where do proceeds from the sale go? What happens to items that aren’t sold?
Debbie: Each year, the money raised at the sale goes to a variety of charities, such as Loaves & Fishes Community Services, Haiti Scholars, Holy Family Ministries, Bridge Communities and many more. Beyond these important financial contributions, the sale provides meaningful in-kind donations to organizations such as World Relief Chicagoland and Wayside Cross Ministries in Aurora.
For example, some unsold clothing and jewelry gets donated to Wayside for people who need items to wear for job interviews, etc. Unsold sports equipment gets donated to an organization that collects used equipment for use in youth athletics in area park districts and schools.
What does the MEGA Garage Sale mean to the wider community?
Debbie: The degree of community support we receive shows how meaningful this effort is. Half of our volunteers are OSLC members, and half are nonmembers who enjoy being part of the sale. People bring their extended families and children to help out, too. Our volunteers and customers look forward to this every year!
You and your husband, Don, joined Our Saviour’s two years ago. Co-chairing the MEGA Garage Sale, OSLC’s biggest volunteer effort of the year, was a huge role to step into. Why did you do it, and what has it meant to you?
Debbie: First of all, the people are fabulous. Linda Collins' years of experience running this has been invaluable, and there’s a great group of people who run the departments (toys, holiday, books, etc.). I had been involved in things like this before, and I really enjoy the work.
Honestly, being involved with this group has re-engergized me. The sale impacts lives. It is such a joy to see this in action. When we provide goods for others, they are blessed by it. Two years ago, a woman came in and bought carts' worth of items. She shared that she was a refugee from the Ukraine and had had to leave her country so quickly that all of her belongings were left behind. She was buying many household items in order to re-establish her life in America.
How does the sale help us better know and serve our neighbors?
Debbie: There are so many different people and needs that we see. All who come to the sale are welcomed with open arms. One guest we had came in wearing sparkly high-heeled boots, and he bought an Elvis Presley print and other items. He was so happy to be appreciated, and our volunteers were happy to help him find what he was looking for - he could tell we were a safe haven.
mission spotlight: lssi
OSLC members likely know Lutheran Social Services of Illinois as a leading provider of foster care services in Illinois or as a provider of substance-use treatment, mental health services and affordable-housing services. But few people recognize the scope of the impact that the 158-year-old organization has - or what a lifeline it is to those served, says Our Saviour’s David Novak, chief advancement officer at LSSI.
“We're one of the largest providers of human services in the entire state,” David says - and, indeed, LSSI is the state’s largest private provider of foster care services. “LSSI took care of 56,000 people last year,” he says. “And out of those 56,000, 92% had incomes below $25,000.”
That last point is especially important, David says, in light of proposed federal cuts to programs that LSSI clients rely on - programs like Medicaid and Head Start, the latter of which provides early childhood education and health services to low-income families.
“The key word right now is uncertainty,” says David. “It’s not only for our staff in dealing with uncertainty around our budget, but for those we’re serving - they wonder, ‘Golly, Head Start might be closing; what do I do now?’”
In a time when so much is up in the air, David says, LSSI is working to bridge the gap between population needs and available resources.
“With our budget, a significant part comes from the government,” he explains. “The federal part is around 7%, which is still big for us. However, with our state funding (which is a larger share), it's federal funds that are flowing through the state. So cuts really, really add up.”
He points to a substance-abuse recovery home in Elgin that LSSI established and the difficult circumstances that the home now finds itself in. “We were approached by the state to help out” in establishing such a facility, he says. “We've all heard the news stories about substance-use issues, including the opioid crisis, and here's a situation we were specifically asked to respond to, and we did. And now there's just this uncertainty around it as far as the ability to continue.”
Churches and individuals “have really helped step up” amid the wait-and-see of the moment, David says, and LSSI’s 158-year history is a testament to the organization’s perseverence through pandemics, economic turmoil and more. But given the wide range of potential funding cuts that would affect LSSI as well as families throughout the state, continued support for LSSI and the overwhelmingly low-income households it serves is crucial, he says. “When we think about some of the potential cuts or reforms that are being suggested, just think about how that's going to affect some of them,” says David.
One way that Lutheran faith communities across the state support LSSI is through Good Shepherd Sunday, which Our Saviour’s will mark the weekend of May 17-18. Good Shepherd Sunday “is a day every spring when congregations lift up LSSI programs” and celebrate “the opportunity to open our hearts and arms to welcome all into Jesus’ abundant life,” LSSI states on its website. And beyond financial contributions, as federal budget issues evolve, opportunities for legislative advocacy may arise.
“We are getting a little bit of momentum especially with our Lutheran churches saying, 'What else can we do? How can we support (LSSI)?' ... If something were to happen with (for example) cuts to Medicaid, certainly advocacy would be a key piece for us.”
To give online anytime to LSSI, go to onrealm.org/oslc/-/form/give/lssi (available via our Online Giving page), and save the date(s) for Good Shepherd Sunday May 17-18.
