Lutheran Services Florida

Honors Congregations

(Tampa, March 28, 2006) The Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) Refugee Resettlement Program will host a special event – “Joyful Celebration” – to honor and recognize congregations that have sponsored refugees and partnered with LSF by helping newcomers build new lives in freedom. The event will be held on Thursday, March 30th, at 7:00 p.m. at the Lutheran Church of Our Saviour, located at 8401 W. Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa.

The event will feature special honored guests Bishop Edward R. Benoway, Bishop, Florida/Bahamas Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and Rev. Dr. Gerhard C. Michael, Jr., President, Florida-Georgia District, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS).

The new “Welcoming the Stranger Training Program” for congregations will be introduced at the event. This program will provide guidance and assistance to congregations that want to partner with the LSF Refugee Resettlement Program by sponsoring refugees.

For nearly 25 years, the LSF Refugee Resettlement Program has helped hundreds of thousands of refugees by providing them with a safe place to live, helping them find jobs, learn English, become accustomed to their new community, and ultimately become self-sufficient.

Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) is a statewide, social services, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping all people in need throughout Florida regardless of religious affiliation, age, or national origin. More than 750,000 people in need have received assistance from Lutheran Services Florida.

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