Food insecurity is a silent battle. You cannot always tell who is struggling with hunger. And too often shame is placed on those who are unable to access food and are under the federal poverty level. Frequently, it isn’t just those under the federal poverty level who experience food insecurity but instead a group known as the ALICE population: Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed.

If you asked me about my earliest memories in the Dominican Republic (DR), I’d list being sandwiched between two then-seminary students farthest afield (Chile and Spain) in an airless backseat, a steeply inclined road with a sheer drop-off on one side, neon-colored chicks, and a little boy nestled between his grandmother’s legs in prayer posture.  

These snippets can only add up to one thing: visits.  

Every year, Concordia Gospel Outreach partners with Lutheran organizations to provide them with resources and support to continue serving their communities. These nonprofit groups span all across the country, helping to bring the Gospel and love of Christ to those in need.

Missionary Erin Mackenzie reflects on some of her most cherished roles and experiences with her Latin America and the Caribbean missionary connections—especially at the latest regional conference.

I’m sitting at Newark Liberty International Airport as I write this, en route to the U.S. for a biennial stretch of “home service.” About a week ago, I had the foresight to request a few books at the public library in the St. Louis suburb where my parents live. Real, print books. I can already hear the protective plastic coating crinkling as I crack the spine, feel the creamy paper beneath the pads of my fingers, and smell the comforting must engendered by the raw materials of bookbindery and heightened by years of metal shelving in climate-controlled air.

In recent decades, Christianity has continued to decline across the United States. Many factors go into the decreasing rate of those who have heard and accepted the Gospel message, including the secularization of society as well as the disconnect that sometimes happens between the church and underserved groups, such as single mothers and economically disadvantaged families.

During the summer of 2023, Concordia Gospel Outreach (CGO) had the opportunity to provide resources to a group of students and teachers from Lutheran High School South in St. Louis for their mission trip to the Dominican Republic. This group took children’s resources to share with the local Lutheran school, church, and seminary and to help put the Gospel into empty hands.

There are many ways to share God’s Word with those who need it during struggles or challenges in life. A simple method to spread the Good News to those in need is to provide Bibles in easy-to-read and guided formats.

There are many effective ways to share the Gospel message. One of the most practical and powerful ways to start is by directly providing Scripture resources to congregations and ministries.

At the LCMS Youth Gathering this past July, more than 20,000 youth gathered to worship Jesus and study His Word. There were also daily opportunities to serve the Church in a variety of capacities. Concordia Gospel Outreach (CGO), a ministry of Concordia Publishing House, hosted a servant event on the exhibit floor where volunteers assembled boxes filled with a set of resources tailored to help churches and schools evangelize in their communities.

The Church has been blessed, but those blessings must spread outside its walls. The Church has a ministry in its neighborhood. We reach out as believers, eager to share our lives with others. Here is a practical example.