Lutheran World Relief board meets at Brethren Service Center.

The Lutheran World Relief (LWR) Board of Directors met at the New Windsor (Md.) Conference Center May 13-14. An afternoon was devoted to a tour of the Brethren Service Center campus and the Material Resources program.

LWR ties with the Church of the Brethren date back to 1951, when the Material Resources Distribution Center first began shipping quilts, soap, and other items for LWR. Board members and staff had an in-depth look at the Material Resources operation with director Loretta Wolf. During the tour Thomas J. Barnett, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Leone, blessed a container filled with quilts being packed for shipment to his country.

LWR has several fair trade projects and works closely with SERRV, which is a partner organization at the Brethren Service Center. This visit gave LWR leadership a closer look at the Chocolate, Coffee, and Handcraft projects at SERRV.

IMA World Health, which has its headquarters at the Brethren Service Center, received the Friend of LWR Award. The award was given on the basis of "Exemplary Provision of Health Resources" and is the result of 50 years of partnership and collaboration since IMA's founding in 1960.

-- Kathleen Campanella is director of partner and public relations at the Brethren Service Center.

Source: 5/21/2010 Newsline Update