Lutheran Ministries in Higher Education
The Rev. Becca Seely, executive director
We Are Resilient TOGETHER
LMHE has been busy in its ministry with college and graduate students since the last in-person assembly of the Metropolitan New York Synod.
Care through the pandemic: The pandemic impacted college and graduate students in a very particular way, scattering them across the country and moving their entire lives online in a very short period. Graduation grieved the loss of those final milestones in their programs. Younger students grieved the opportunity to build relationships on campus. Students struggled with anxiety, fear, and loneliness. Throughout it all, we were there for students, offering pastoral support in times of stress and crisis, providing opportunities to connect online in community during a time of immense isolation, and providing concrete support to students experiencing immediate need.
College Student Pantry: The biggest in-person development in our ministry during the first year of the pandemic was the launch of our College Student Pantry program. This program is run in partnership with Trinity’s Service and Food for the Homeless at Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish. The College Student Pantry provides free, nutritious groceries to any student in need, no questions asked. The pantry is run by student staff and volunteers. Currently, the pantry serves between 150-200 students each month. Student guests attend over 30 colleges in New York City and the metro area. We are proud that our ministry is helping to address the significant but often invisible problem of student food insecurity in our city, all while nurturing student leadership and empowering students to advocate for justice and serve their neighbors.
Gathering Students in Christ: When in-person learning resumed on New York City campuses in September 2021, we rejoiced to return to in-person campus ministry gatherings. Students returning to campus were hungry for community, connection, and meaning and we were able to invite them into loving, inclusive Christian communities in Morningside Heights and Greenwich Village. Since 2021, we have been able to rebuild our peer ministry programs, where students step into intentional leadership formation within our campus ministries. In addition to two weekly campus ministry gatherings and a bi-monthly food pantry, we have also taken students on multiple-day retreats since 2021. In March 2023, we resumed our tradition of taking faith and justice learning trips, traveling to the Pine Ridge Reconciliation Center in Pine Ridge, South Dakota to learn from our Lakota siblings. This was a transformative opportunity to grow in our relationship with our indigenous siblings and to reflect on Christian participation in colonialism and the meaning of repentance and repair for us today.
We Are Hopeful TOGETHER
Over the past eight years, LMHE has become an increasingly ecumenical organization. We work closely with Lutheran, Methodist, and Presbyterian congregations in the city to offer ministry on campuses that reflect our shared witness to God’s unconditional love in Jesus Christ. Doing this work together has enabled us to embrace a wider identity that helps us reach so many students we would never otherwise meet, whether lifelong Christians, folks burned by church or students exploring faith for the first time. We truly believe that we can do better together and that ecumenical partnership is an incredible gift. We are excited to report that we are intentionally diversifying our Board of Directors and building stronger partnerships across denominational lines for the sake of the gospel. We look forward to all the possibilities in ministry that we know will emerge from continuing to build relationships across denominational lines. We are excited to be on the frontlines of building an increasingly partnership-based, ecumenical Church.
We Are Church Together — Living Like Christ in Our Communities!
There are many ways to join together in the work of LMHE and help support our ministry with students, including financially supporting our ministry, volunteering, helping us connect to your congregation, and more:
Volunteer: Do you have gifts, resources, energy, and passion you'd like to share? We would love to connect with volunteers who would like to make meals for students, work with our Board of Directors, help us connect to a service opportunity, assist with events like our annual Trivia Night Fundraiser, help at one of our outreach events, meet with students interested in learning more about your line of work, speak to our students about your field of expertise or... something else! Email [email protected] if you would like to get involved in one of the ways named or if you have another great idea for how you can help!
Make a Financial Gift: This ministry simply isn't possible without the generous partnership of people like you who care about ministry with students. Consider making a one-time or monthly gift. Give online at thevinenyc.org/donate.
Support the Personal Care Product Pantry: The College Student Pantry collects hygiene and personal care products like deodorant, toothpaste, and tampons for students who use the food pantry. These products can be difficult for students to afford. Please visit our Amazon Wishlist (collegestudentpantry.org/wishlist) to make a direct gift of personal care products to the pantry.
Congregational Partnership: LMHE is actively seeking partner congregations in three categories (Supporting, Sower, and Covenant) that care deeply about ensuring that students in New York City are invited into loving, Gospel-centered campus ministry communities. Partner congregations pray for students, refer students to The Vine, host visits from LMHE staff, board members, and students, and make a financial commitment to support campus ministry. We are seeking life-giving, mutual relationships with congregations that care about students and we would love to discuss this possibility with your congregation. Simply email Pr. Becca at [email protected] to learn more.
Refer Students: Are there students in your congregation who attend college or graduate school in New York City? Let them know about LMHE's ministries and send us their contact information, in order for Pr. Becca to get in touch. Email [email protected].
Stay in Touch: Sign up for our newsletter at thevinenyc.org/newsletter. Like The Vine on Facebook (facebook.com/thevinenewyork), follow us on Instagram (@vinenyc), and share our posts on your own and your congregation’s page.
Pray for Students: Please keep LMHE, its students, and all who study in your prayers and lift them up in the prayer ministries of your congregation.
Thank you for working with us to share the good news of Jesus Christ with students in NYC!
