For many congregations, the ELCA’s annual “God’s Work Our Hands” Sunday lasts one day. For Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Naperville, Illinois, it was a weekend of service that ended with 955 Baby Care Kits!
Jennifer Schuler organized the event and helps to lead Baby Care, a ministry group at the church committed to “serving the youngest in need both globally and locally.” The group started assembling LWR Baby Care Kits in 2008 and host an assembly party every September. According to Schuler, “We call it a party because it is just that!”
In 2017, it was a 3-day party that began on a Friday, when all the supplies were brought to Our Saviour’s main campus. The next day, a group of volunteers organized the 15,000 items to make kit assembly faster and easier. Then, on Sunday, the kits were assembled. Volunteers spent just over two and a half hours assembling 955 Kits – their largest assembly to date!
Baby Care typically purchases many of the kit items with Thrivent Action Team funds. In 2017, Naperville Financial Consultants, a Thrivent Financial Team, also supported the party with Thrivent Community funds, which were used to purchase more kit items, provide lunch for Saturday’s volunteers and to sponsor the Sunday coffee. Three staff from Naperville Financial Consultants even volunteered alongside the members of Our Saviour’s.
And if you thought assembling 955 Baby Care Kits in a single weekend was a one-time event, think again – Baby Care and Naperville Financial Consultants are already planning to repeat this project in 2018!