A Holiday Letter from the LUM Executive Director
“A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn”
Dear Friend,
“A thrill of hope” comes alive every time someone chooses generosity over indifference, faith over fear, love over weariness. It lives in people like you – people who know, as Ursula K. Le Guin once wrote, that “no darkness lasts forever.”
This world can be weary. Every day, at all hours, LUM meets people who are worn down by the struggle to secure life’s most basic needs: food, shelter, and hope for tomorrow.
Across Greater Lafayette, that struggle is intensifying. In 2025, the need has reached record levels: our 48-bed shelter for people experiencing homelessness has been full to capacity every night; we are on track to surpass 10,000 visits to the LUM Protein Food Pantry; and our Financial Assistance Program has distributed more than $160,000, usually in small, one-time payments that prevent evictions and restore electricity or heat.
Yes, the world is weary. But hope still stirs.
Each day at LUM, we witness glimpses of what that “new and glorious morn” looks like:
- Steven, once a guest at the LUM Shelter, now moving into an apartment of his own after months of careful budgeting and determination.
- Janel, just ten years old, conquering her fear of the water at LUM Camp and discovering her own courage.
- Oscar, finding nourishment and personal hygiene items for his family through the Protein Food Pantry, and helping them thrive at work and school.
- Elizabeth, with help from Jubilee Christmas, creating a joyful holiday for her children for the first time in years.
These stories remind us that the “new and glorious morn” is not only something distant; it is breaking here and now. The hope proclaimed in “O Holy Night,” the hope that Jesus, the Prince of Justice and Peace, brings into the world, shines through acts of compassion in our own community.
As we enter this holiday season and the colder months ahead, will you help bring “a new and glorious morn” to our neighbors in need? Your gift ($100, $250, $500, $1,000 or more) provides vital support for LUM’s life-changing programs and offers hope where it’s needed most.
May you experience “a thrill of hope” this Christmas, and may that hope overflow through your kindness to others.
With gratitude and joy,
P.S. Donate online at LUMserve.org/donate, OR for greater tax advantages, give from your assets like stocks, IRA, or Donor-Advised Funds. Thank you!
The cover artwork was painted by Garrison, one of the students in the LUM 5th Quarter Summer Learning Program. As a part of the program, the 4th and 5th graders each painted a holiday scene. The LUM board and staff voted for Garrison’s painting to grace the cover of this year’s Christmas Card.
LUM 5th Quarter Summer Learning Program is actively closing the achievement gap for many of our local children. Students often slide backwards in their academic skills in the Summer. Statistically, children in low-income households experience a greater academic regression than their more affluent peers, but in 2025, 95% of 5th Quarter students improved their reading skills (by an average of 9.6%). The LUM 5th Quarter Summer Learning Program is empowering these local children to paint a brighter future.
Lafayette Urban Ministry is a lifeline of hope and help for our neighbors – meeting basic human needs, offering financial assistance , and inspiring hope. LUM is a faith-based, community wide, social safety net comprised of more than 55 churches. More than 80% of funding for LUM comes from individual donations. Visit LUMserve.org for a description of programs, services, volunteer opportunities and sign-ups, as well as ways to contribute.