LDA Phonathon Nurtures Community Amid Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has paused a lot of life these past 14 months. 

But it did not stop the Lutheran Diaconal Association (LDA) from cultivating community during our biggest fundraising campaign!   

The volunteer caller community for the LDA’s annual Phonathon includes deaconesses and deacons, diaconal students, board members, and supporters from Valparaiso University.

For more than 30 years, the LDA, based in Valparaiso, Indiana, USA, has held an annual Phonathon to raise funds to prepare our deaconess and deacon students, support our consecrated people, and encourage the laity and the whole people of God in ministry. As the pandemic continued into 2021, we again asked our volunteers to phone donors from their homes, rather than from a common space on the Valparaiso University campus. 

Even though the group was not physically present to enjoy a meal, receive training, and celebrate campaign milestones, the callers formed community around a common purpose – to tell donors of the LDA’s continuing care for them; to gather their prayer requests; to share how deaconesses and deacons serve God’s people; and to remind them how vital their financial gifts are to our mission. 

As part of their Phonathon training via Zoom, volunteer callers heard Deaconess Lisa Polito, the LDA’s Executive Director, share ministry stories about our deaconesses, deacons, and students who serve those who are suffering. In a spirit of love and compassion, Lisa sent the caller community forth with the charge, “To the phones!” 

More than 40 callers spoke with hundreds of donors across the United States and Canada over three days this spring. Dozens and dozens of prayer requests were received, and those prayers were lifted up during our online worship. 

The Phonathon was wonderfully successful, and the funds raised will help us to continue forming, sending, and nurturing communities of deaconesses and deacons to serve as Christ's hands and feet in our world. 

To learn more about us, read the LDA Today newsletter.