Happy Give to the Max Day!

Today is one of the largest online giving events of the year, Give to the Max Day! To celebrate this day full of generosity and giving, hear from a few of our students and friends of LCM-TC on what makes this such a special and needed community on campus and how your support makes this ministry happen. Visit our Give to the Max Day profile to give from now through the end of Thurs., Nov. 14.

Viola is a sophomore involved with LCM, who is also a naturalist, baker, violinist, and folk music enthusiast. She studies lion behavior and ecology, is a natural history educator, reads too much, and tends to get caught in thought spirals.

“I think LCM gets its vitality from the curiosity that it fosters. In worship, we’re encouraged not only to hear the Word, but also to think about what it means in the context of when it was written and in the world today. Instead of avoiding ideas that we find challenging in scripture and theology, we confront them. It’s an awfully dangerous thing for a church not to raise questions about its purpose and principles, for those questions are what reaffirm how we, as people of faith, find community with God and with each other.” -Viola El-Afandi

Haley is a sophomore studying Sociology of Law, Criminology, and Deviance, is an LCM student leader this year and hails from Lakeville, MN. She works at two cafes on campus and loves being a barista. She spends her extra time relaxing, playing guitar and singing, as well as drawing, and seeing her friends and family.

“At the beginning of freshman year, I had almost completely lost who I was. I had absolutely no regard for the quality of my relationships and I put everything I cared about on the back burner. LCM really helps me to stay grounded, connect with my values, and keep in contact with God and myself.” -Haley Renner

Doug is a Professor and Chair of Sociology at the University of Minnesota. He has served on the LCM-TC board and is a member at University Lutheran Church of Hope. As a professor, he regularly teaches the sociology Senior Capstone class. It is in this context that he witnesses the desire that undergraduates have for finding meaning, purpose and vocation.

“The University of Minnesota is one of the largest Lutheran universities in the world. LCM provides a concrete presence for these students to connect with that tradition and its powerful, welcoming way of thinking about the Gospel in the world. Even for those who don’t become active directly themselves, LCM provides a witness to the power of a faith-centered vision of learning and engagement on campus.” -Dr. Doug Hartmann