INTRODUCING: INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The LVC Board of Directors announces their appointment of Jean Ahwesh to the position of Interim Executive Director starting February 2024. Deirdre Bagley, current president, helped find Jean from the Interim Executive Network, and will work with her in the month of February for a transfer of duties and smooth handoff, as Jean prepares to transition LVC into its next phase of service, and Deirdre transitions into new endeavors. You can read Jean's full bio HERE, and read about the Interim Executive Network where we were lucky to find Jean HERE. 

SIGN UP: MINNEAPOLIS ALUMNI & SUPPORTER GATHERING & ZOOM in FEBRUARY

Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Minneapolis is hosting a gathering of alumni and supporters over dessert and coffee on February 26 at 7:00pm (central) to discuss the next level of community support for LVC, following the October conversations about LVC's future. Join Mount Olive in person by entering the main entrance on Chicago Avenue, at 3045 Chicago Avenue S, Minneapolis MN 55407.  You can also join by Zoom. All guests are asked to RSVP at the link below. Contact Lisa Ruff at Mount Olive with questions.

REFLECTIONS: WHY I GIVE BACK BY DONATING MONTHLY

By Beth Coleman '85

I found it extremely informative to participate in a recent alumni Zoom session where we brainstormed about ways Alumni could help shape the trajectory of LVC’s future. It was a delight to see some familiar faces as well as new ones, and I appreciated other’s insights and willingness to volunteer in post-meeting work. Writing to Deirdre (LVC president) afterwards, thanking her for coordinating these sessions, I realized what I could do:  share the story of why as an alumna I’ve been a monthly donor for many years, and how I hope others will consider joining me in this commitment.

I was, however, having writer’s block, so yesterday, I did what I do when I’m feeling stuck: I walked the labyrinth, a meditative resource nestled in a grove of cedar trees at The Clearing, a local folk school where my husband and I teach and volunteer.  As I slowly stepped along its meandering path, the clutter in my mind settled, and this insight from Wendell Berry bubbled up from the depths, “Within the circles of our lives we dance the circles of the years, the circles of the seasons within the circles of the years.... Again, again we come and go, changed, changing.  Hand join, unjoin in love and fear, grief and joy.  The circles turn, each giving into each, into all.”

And in that moment, I clearly realized how much my one year in LVC had profoundly shaped the seasons and cycles of my life ever since.  I thought about circling from the cocoon of the Midwest and a small college into the urban world of East Coast inner-city work and living, about the humbling lessons learned as a minority in my placement site, about the joys and challenges of creating life in community. I vividly recalled how LVC opened both my eyes and heart beyond what I had ever encountered in the prior 21 years, and has kept me focused on what matters and how I can make a difference in the subsequent 41.  

[READ BETH'S FULL STORY HERE]

ADMISSIONS SEASON

LVC has received over 90 interest applications for social justice fellowships, which is more interest than we've had in years! The staff are busy interviewing and assessing commitment levels, and waiting to see how this boosted interest will translate into enrolled participants in the fellowship program. You can sign up HERE as long as you're at least 21 years old and can commit to a year.