A Legacy of Faith, Friendship, and Service at King of Kings
Some ministries begin with a calendar event or a sign-up sheet. Others begin much earlier, rooted in memory, family, and quiet faithfulness. For many women at King of Kings, Lutheran Women in Mission (LWML) is part of a story that spans generations.
It began for some with a mother’s mite box resting on a bedroom dresser. For others, it started with serving meals at a country church or saying yes to helping at a convention. What may have seemed small at the time became something lasting. Today, that legacy continues through women who gather to pray, serve, and grow together in Christ.
How Women First Found LWML
Each woman’s journey into LWML is unique, yet common threads of invitation and example run through their stories.
Lana Erickson first became involved while she was in college, when her mom asked her to serve as a page at a district convention in the early 1990s. What began as helping at an event gradually became a life shaped by serving alongside other women with servant hearts.
For Nita Frost, the turning point came at age 24 after moving to North Platte. She was looking for a connection with other Lutheran women and found it through LWML. She also carried childhood memories of her grandmother and mother serving in Ladies Aid, the name LWML once held. It was, as she described, “a wonderful way to meet Christian women of all ages.”
Marcia Thiele’s story reaches back even further. As a child, she watched her mother faithfully place coins into a mite box. Although she admits that she once thought LWML felt outdated, God continued to work in her heart.
When she read her 102-year-old aunt’s obituary and saw her lifelong service through LWML listed there, she realized this was a legacy she wanted to continue.
When she read her 102-year-old aunt’s obituary and saw her lifelong service through LWML listed there, she realized this was a legacy she wanted to continue. What once seemed unnecessary became deeply meaningful.
These stories show that LWML is not simply a program within the church. It is part of a spiritual heritage that shapes lives over time.
Growing Spiritually Through Community
While LWML is often recognized for its mission projects, the women at King of Kings speak first about spiritual growth and fellowship.
Dee Christensen joined as a young mother adjusting to a new season at home. The older women in the group walked alongside her, helping her grow as a Christian wife, mom, and servant. Over time, those women became lifelong friends who pray, laugh, cry, study God’s Word, and share their concerns together. What began as a meeting became a support system that lasted for decades.
Nita also describes how serving together, studying Scripture, and praying with her LWML sisters strengthened her faith. Preparing and serving funeral meals allowed families to focus on being together during times of loss, while the women quietly handled the details. Through acts of hospitality, they were living out Christ’s love in practical ways.
Linda David echoes this same theme of connection. She describes LWML as feeling like family because of its smaller setting and intentional relationships. Women support one another through everyday joys and challenges, study God’s Word together, and lift one another up in prayer. She especially treasures the wisdom of the older women in the church, calling them living examples of Proverbs 31 faithfulness.
In LWML, faith grows through shared experience. Women encourage one another not only in service, but in daily life.
What Serving With Gladness Looks Like
Psalm 100:2 calls believers to serve the Lord with gladness, and each woman expresses that calling in her own way.
For Lana, serving with gladness comes naturally because she loves working alongside others with servant hearts. Whether using Thrivent action plans locally, serving on mission trips, or sending mites around the world, she sees each opportunity as part of something bigger.
For Marcia, serving with gladness is less about activity and more about surrender.
For Marcia, serving with gladness is less about activity and more about surrender. She describes it as showing up and letting God do the rest. It can be as simple as adding extra items to a shopping cart for a mission project, praying faithfully for those in need, or studying Scripture with other women and allowing God to open her heart. The gladness, she says, comes from following Him.
Through these perspectives, it becomes clear that serving is not about achievement. It is about trust and obedience.
A Year of Meaningful Impact
Over the past year, LWML at King of Kings has served both the local community and people across the world.
At the Lydia House baby shower, tables overflowed with gifts for mothers in need. Pat Jones shared how meaningful it was to see four tables filled with baby items, diaper cakes, and generous donations. The overwhelming response reflected a congregation eager to show love in tangible ways.
Through Lutheran World Relief, the women assembled 117 school kits, 136 personal care kits, and 25 handmade quilts. Pat reflected on the power of knowing that their church is joined by women across the country, multiplying the impact for those living in some of the world’s most remote regions.
Closer to home, the Embrace Teachers project reached more than 400 staff members in local schools. Nita, drawing from her 18 years as a teacher, knows how meaningful community support can be. She shared that teachers felt valued and encouraged through simple gestures, such as meals and supplies. Kim Bainbridge added that even something as small as a box of tissues or a warm meal reminds educators that their work matters and that they are supported by the community.
The quilting group donated 109 quilts this year to organizations such as Project Harmony, Youth Mart, and Lutheran World Relief. Alma Iwen explained how deeply rewarding it is to know that many recipients have never received something handmade just for them. Even youth who appear tough respond eagerly when offered a quilt made with care.
These acts of service may seem simple, yet together they form a powerful testimony of compassion and faithfulness.
An Invitation to Join
For women who are unsure where to begin, the invitation is straightforward and welcoming.
Tonya Waite encourages women to start by simply showing up at a Bible study gathering and observing. Nita suggests attending a group meeting that fits your schedule, knowing that there will always be sisters in Christ ready to support you through both joyful and difficult seasons.
Marcia emphasizes that the door is always open. Women will be welcomed wherever they are in their faith journey, and through that community, they will encounter Christ .
For those who worry about not having enough time or skill, the reassurance is clear. Participation is not measured by titles or attendance records. It can begin with prayer, a single meeting, or a single act of service. The heart of LWML is not performance, but faithfulness.
A Legacy That Endures
Pat Jones describes LWML as an avenue for reflecting God’s love through fellowship, prayer, and service to others in need. Founded in 1942 as the women’s auxiliary of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, LWML continues because it is rooted in something timeless. Women gathering around Christ. Women encouraging one another. Women serving with gladness.
At King of Kings, that legacy is not simply remembered. It is lived out every month, in every project, and in every prayer as women continue to walk together in faith and mission.
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