A Message from Our President
Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith, President and CEO

The numbers may tell the story, but you live it. Numbers are everywhere in an annual report and this is no exception. For some, the numbers quantify how many clients were served and services delivered, the amount of donations given and the costs of programs, among other things. For others, including myself, these numbers reflect the true value proposition of Lutheran Social Services of Southern California: serving in the name of Christ to provide hope and opportunity for our entire community of children, women and men who comprise our clients, volunteers, donors, board members, and staff. Most importantly, behind every statistic is an encounter, not only between clients and staff, but also between Jesus and the one who approaches him.

In receiving these plans, we have to be willing to do our own work. God will push us in the right direction, but we must take the steps. We must allow ourselves to be the vessels of God’s work, to be teachable and serviceable. We must look at where we would like to be, and we must reconcile with the realities of where we are and how we got here.

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