For the last 25 years, Holly Eldridge, Operations Manager, has been part of the “glue” that binds the Lutheran Family Service (LFS) ministry together as well as running efficiently and effectively. Her love of Jesus shows through in all she does, especially in her joyful nature and servant attitude.  Join us in celebrating Holly’s 25 years of dedicated service to God through the Lutheran Family Service ministry!

In Holly’s honor, we invite you to join in her efforts to fund the life-changing work of LFS by making a $25 or $250 donation today by clicking here.

25 Years with Holly – From 1993 to 2018

1. Holly, how many people’s lives in the last 25 years would you guess have been impacted by the Lutheran Family Service ministry?

Is “a lot” an answer? I’d say many thousands each year. Lutheran Family Service is able to help people through pregnancy counseling, adoption services, mental health and marriage counseling. Then we touch many more lives through pastoral and congregational services, caregiver support, youth outreach, and life advocacy in the public square. Each one of those people ultimately impacts others. So when you think about it, over 25 years, the impact is simply too large to imagine!

2. How did you come to work for Lutheran Family Service and what roles have you held over the last 25 years?

I came to work for Lutheran Family Service in a part-time (and temporary, in my mind) way during a college summer.  They needed some secretarial work done. I thought I could do it during the summer and then move on or maybe continue to work on a very part-time basis once school resumed in the fall. One thing led to another, several years went by, and I’m still with Lutheran Family Service 25 years later! God certainly had a plan in mind. I started as secretary, moved to Financial Manager, and then to my current position as Operations Manager in 2014.

3. What do you most enjoy about working for Lutheran Family Service and in your current role?

I enjoy being a part of a Christian organization.  I enjoy putting processes in place so that our ‘hands on’ staff can do their ministry work effectively and efficiently.  I enjoy knowing that God is active and making a real difference in people’s lives through the work that is done at Lutheran Family Service.

4. What’s one of the most powerful stories of God’s work through the Lutheran Family Service ministry that you want to share?

There are so many stories about how God works through Lutheran Family Service to help those experiencing difficult times in their lives. Many lives have been saved, many marriages have been saved, many babies lives have been saved, and many families complete. In addition to all these stories, I see how God always provides just enough at just the right times to keep this ministry going. As a privately funded non-profit that chooses to hold fast to it’s Christian foundation, mission and values, having enough funds to serve those in need of God’s love and support can be challenging. It is proof that we are hearing and following God’s direction and that He is blessing the work of Lutheran Family Service and making our mission field larger.

5. Thinking about the next 25 years, what exciting things are ahead for the Lutheran Family Service ministry?

The sky is the limit for what is ahead for Lutheran Family Service. Iowa has something quite special with Lutheran Family Service providing Christian mental health and marriage counseling, adoption services to Christian couples, pregnancy counseling to anyone who needs it, relevant and timely education to LCMS members and congregations; youth through the aged, community education to caregivers, and a mission to find parents for thousands of frozen embryos. One could only hope that sometime in the future, each state should have the same or similar organization available to them.

6. If someone asked you how they can support the Lutheran Family Service ministry and what difference if would make, what would you tell them?

Supporting Lutheran Family Service can come in many different forms; praying for clear direction, for counselors, and for those in need of services, volunteering at a service site, serving on our board of directors, and giving financial gifts to close the gap for those who can’t afford the cost of services. Your prayer, your time, and your gifts can literally make all the difference in the world. Lutheran Family Service supporters save lives through mental health counseling and stopping physician assisted suicide, save marriages through marriage counseling, save babies through pregnancy counseling and life advocacy, help babies find loving, Christian parents, and so much more. It’s truly life-changing stuff. For all things are possible with God!