“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
Helen Keller
Today is something profoundly simple: each of us needs to know we belong.
Beautiful spaces and wonderful programs matter, but community is created in much smaller moments. It’s the person who notices you’re sitting alone. The employee who remembers your name. The neighbor who asks how you’re doing and stays long enough to hear the real answer.
Our Lutheran heritage calls us to love and serve our neighbor. Our campuses ask us to create environments where relationships and connection help people flourish.
We can all do that.
Today’s challenge: Make one person feel like they belong.
Sit with someone new. Make a phone call. Invite someone for coffee. Introduce yourself. Or simply listen.
And don’t miss today’s Pastor Spotlight, following this message, as we hear one pastor’s story of community and connection.
Marissa Picchini President & CEO
PASTOR SPOTLIGHT: Connection — Featuring The Rev. David Fisher
Finding Connection Through Community and Service
For David Fisher, a Luther Acres resident and a Member of the Luthercare Board of Directors, connection is built through a lifetime of relationships, shared experiences and a commitment to treating others with respect. After 39 years in ordained ministry, David continues to value the people and communities that have shaped his life, along with the opportunities to keep learning and growing.
A life shaped by community
Originally from Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania, David served Lakeside Lutheran Church in Harrisburg for 11 years, St. Paul Lutheran Church in Millersville for 17 years, and the Lower Susquehanna Synod of the ELCA for 11 years as Assistant to the Bishop and Director for Evangelical Mission.
Each congregation and community left a lasting impression, but Lakeside Lutheran Church and the surrounding Uptown Harrisburg neighborhood hold a particularly special place in his heart. As his first call, those years brought significant experiences, including the births of his sons, meaningful relationships with colleagues and neighbors, interfaith partnerships, and community efforts to improve housing conditions.
Those experiences taught David that ministry is not simply about leading others. It is about learning how to lead alongside them. He describes his approach as serving from the middle, sometimes guiding from the front, sometimes supporting from behind, and always working alongside others.
The people who make us feel connected
Throughout his life, David has been grateful for the people who have walked beside him, especially his wife, Jan. Married for more than 57 years, after dating and being engaged for seven and a half years, they have shared the vast majority of life’s moments together.
His understanding of connection also comes from witnessing loneliness throughout his years in ministry. David believes that belonging grows when we are surrounded by trustworthy, empathetic people who allow us to be ourselves. It is not necessary to share the same faith or values to build meaningful relationships. What matters is being seen and known, while remaining open to what others can help us discover about ourselves.
What it means to be a good neighbor
For David, being a good neighbor means continually striving to treat others, both human and nonhuman, with respect. It means choosing to do the loving thing, whether or not we like or trust someone.
When asked what simple thing we can do to help another person feel that they belong, his answer is straightforward: “Treat them as neighbor!”
It is a reminder that connection does not always require grand gestures. Sometimes, it begins with the everyday choices we make to welcome others, show kindness and recognize their worth.
A commitment to lifelong growth
David’s faith continues to shape his outlook on life. Rather than wishing he had known more when he was younger, he embraces lifelong learning as a way of continually growing in grace. He gives thanks for the fresh starts, forgiveness and opportunities for renewal that his faith has brought him.
That commitment to learning extends beyond his spiritual life, too. Nearly two years ago, David began taking piano lessons again, a Christmas gift from Jan in 2024. His previous piano lesson had been in 1959!
Now, as a member of the Luther Acres community and the Luthercare Board of Directors, David continues to bring a lifetime of experience, reflection and appreciation for others to the people around him.
During Spiritual Care Week, David’s story reminds us that connection is something we nurture throughout our lives. Through compassionate leadership, lifelong learning and the simple act of treating others as neighbors, we can help create communities where everyone has the opportunity to feel seen, valued and welcome.
About Spiritual Care Week:
Spiritual Care Week is being celebrated this year from October 18 to October 24. Spiritual Care Week has its roots in Pastoral Care Week, first observed in 1985 through the efforts of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains and the College of Chaplains. What began as a national initiative grew into an international celebration of spiritual care in all its forms. Today, it serves as a time for chaplains and spiritual care providers around the world to share their stories, honor their ministries, and raise awareness about the essential role spiritual care plays in supporting individuals and families.