‘Lutherans Engage’: Quiet and humble service

The Rev. Peter A.D. Deebrah, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Matthew in New York City, smiles while speaking to the congregation on March 30. The church is featured in the Summer 2025 issue of Lutherans Engage the World. (LCMS/Erik M. Lunsford)

All around the world, there are Lutheran church workers and laypeople who are serving quietly and humbly. They reach out to people who have just moved to a new place. They care for families in turmoil. They support fellow workers going through a crisis.

The Summer 2025 issue of Lutherans Engage the World includes several of these stories. You’ll read about two alliance missionaries — pastors who come from LCMS partner churches and serve with the LCMS Office of International Mission — who are bolstering the capacity of the Lutheran church in Spain. You’ll learn about a longstanding program of LCMS Youth Ministry that encourages young people to grow in leadership and faith. And you’ll meet missionary communications specialist Jana Inglehart, who serves behind the scenes in the Synod’s Latin America and the Caribbean region. This issue also includes a look at the oldest extant Lutheran congregation in the Americas: 360-year-old Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Matthew in New York City, which has welcomed immigrants throughout the centuries.

Where the devil seeks to isolate, God uses the loving service of His people to bring comfort and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for reading the issue and for your own acts of service, whatever they may be.

The issue began arriving in mailboxes in late June. Read it online at engage.lcms.org.

Posted July 18, 2025