What a joy it was to attend the LWML National Convention in Omaha! Here are a few highlights of the weekend:

• There were over 4000 women and men in attendance at the opening worship on Thursday, June 26. What an inspiration to worship amongst so many people.
• The Friday night activities included exhibit booths, games and Karaoke, plus two evening Bible Studies. My husband and I sang Karaoke for the first time ever. We sang “Country Roads”. Note: there is a rumor that someone did get some video footage.
• We had the first ever Bi-State Mission Walk on the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge from Omaha, Nebraska to Council Bluffs, Iowa
• We enjoyed music Saturday evening by Christian Recording Artist Jennie Williamson.

The Convention was livestreamed, and you can still view the sessions:
Convention Livestream

Scroll down for all the content. You may watch as much or as little as you want. Fast forward and rewind as you wish. Take a look at the Convention Manual to see what was covered.

I recommend taking a “fast forward” look at the videos for the very entertaining moments by our Comic Relief Duo, Jan Struck and Abby Goehring. They introduced a third member at this Convention. The message was about how older and younger women can learn from each other. This was the farewell performance for Jan Struck, who has done Comic Relief at every national convention since 1997. It was quite a moving performance. Jan has handed off the joy of providing comic relief to Abby Goehring and Christine Spofford.

The Heartland Herald
The official newspaper of the LWML National Convention was the Heartland Herald. The links below provide a great overview of all the Convention events.

• Thursday Issue
• Friday Issue
• Saturday Issue
• Sunday Issue

Do you have photos you would like to share?

If you have convention photos from Omaha you would like to share in future issues of the Joyful Servant and/or on our social media sites, please send to lwmlcnh@gmail.com. Please include captions including names of people pictured.

For those of you unable to attend the LWML retreat in August, we have a great service opportunity that same weekend in Modesto. Join us for a heartwarming day of creativity, compassion, and a little bit of magic! This is a whimsical wig-making workshop where you’ll help create soft, colorful yarn wigs for brave children battling cancer and other forms of medical hair loss. In just two hours, you’ll transform yarn into a magical wig that brings joy, confidence, and imagination to a child in need. No crafting experience? No worries! Our enchanting Fairy Godmothers will be there to guide you every step of the way.

When: August 2, 2025 | 9:00 am – 11:00 am and 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Where: Grace Lutheran Church 617 W. Orangeburg, Modesto, CA.
What: Magic Yarn Workshop
Questions? email Juliana

Please remember:

• We love working in pairs—bring a friend or be partnered with a new one when you arrive!
• Ages 10 and up are welcome. Volunteers under 16 will be paired with an adult.
• The event is completely free and all materials are provided
• Each handmade wig is a gift of love, sent free of charge to children around the world
• Sign up required on justserve.org (Look for Modesto Magic Yarn)

Peace Lutheran Church of Sacramento hosted an LWML Morning of Prayer Service with Pastor Jim Pevy leading. Twelve women from Zones 4 and 19 attended. District President Roxan, VP of Convention Planning LaVada Terrell, and VP of Gospel Outreach Jan Froh shared updates from the LWML CNH District. Of course, we had a delicious lunch prepared by the Peace ladies.

The Ingathering was held for Stanford Settlement Neighborhood Center to support their annual summer day camp for 80 children and teens. Their list of needs for the day camp was extensive. Can you imagine the amount of fixings for S’mores needed for 80 children over 30 days? The ladies brought many of the needed items to donate to the center.

Susan Ambriz shared her memory of Stanford Settlement. She was 13 when Stanford came to Northgate, and the meeting hall was across the street from her girlfriend’s house. That was in 1963, and since then, Stanford has moved and gained more buildings for their children, teens, and seniors. One of the pastors from Peace was a worker-pastor, meaning he worked part-time at Peace Lutheran Church and part-time at Stanford.

The LWML ladies from Peace have also supported Stanford Settlement’s Operation Cratchit, which provides Christmas baskets to those in need. This is, most definitely, a wonderful organization serving more than 75 years in the Northgate area.

The Bible Study for our Fall Retreat will be “Experience the Joy — Then Share It” by Miriam Maassel Neumann. This study will focus on the joy we find through Christ’s forgiveness, and also, the comfort and protection we receive from God our Father. Our joy can then be intentionally shared as we serve God through witnessing to others about His goodness.

When: Saturday, September 20, 2025
Time: 9:30 am – 3:00 pm
Where: St. John’s Lutheran Church, 1170 S. Taylor Street, Fallon, NV 89406
Theme: Experience the JOY – Then Share It!!
In Gathering: Churchill County Domestic Violence Intervention

Fallon ladies will provide purses to benefit women and children in need. Please bring the following items to pack the purses:

• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Child toothbrush
• Brush
• Comb
• Hair ties
• Gum
• Chapstick
• Travel size shampoo
• Travel size conditioner
• Pen
• Paper
• Travel size Kleenex

Wishing you a healthy, happy and blessed summer!