“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Today may be my favorite theme of the week: service.
In senior living, it’s easy to focus on everything we can provide for people.
But true well-being also asks a different question:
What do I still have to give?
The answer is always something.
You can teach. Listen. Encourage. Welcome. Mentor. Pray. Create. Make someone laugh. Share your experience. Notice someone who needs a friend.
Our Lutheran understanding of vocation reminds us that serving our neighbor doesn’t require a title. It happens in ordinary moments, every single day.
Whether you are 8, 48 or 98, your gifts are still needed.
Today’s challenge: Give one of your gifts to someone else.
Today’s Pastor Spotlight, following this message, explores where faith and service have intersected in ministry.
We flourish when we give.
Marissa Picchini President & CEO
PASTOR SPOTLIGHT: SERVICE – The Rev. Glenn A. Beard, Jr.
A Lifetime of Service, Wherever the Need May Be
For The Rev. Glenn Beard, service has been a constant throughout his ministry and continues to shape his life at Luthercare. From providing spiritual care to leading disaster response efforts across the country, Glenn has spent decades bringing people together to help others through difficult times. Even after retiring from his role as Vice President of Church Relations and Spiritual Care, he continues to serve the Luther Acres community as a shuttle driver.
The Rev. Glenn Beard (far left) and other volunteers for LDR’s Disaster Response trip to Asheville, North Carolina in 2025.
Answering the call to serve
Glenn has dedicated more than 20 years to disaster response through the Lower Susquehanna Synod’s Lutheran Disaster Response Network, coordinating volunteers who help communities recover from natural disasters. His work has taken volunteers to places including the Gulf Coast, North Dakota, West Virginia, Texas, Florida, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and North Carolina, as well as communities throughout central and eastern Pennsylvania.
In November 2025, Glenn led Luthercare team members and residents on the organization’s 25th disaster response mission trip to Asheville, North Carolina, to assist communities recovering from disaster. Through hands-on work and partnerships across faith traditions, these efforts reflect a shared commitment to helping neighbors rebuild and recover.
The Rev. Glenn Beard receiving the Shirley Norman Award from Randy Padfield, Director, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. Christine Heyser, PEMA Voluntary Agency Liaison, in on the left and Julia Frank, PAVOAD President is on the right.
In September 2026, Glenn received the Rev. Shirley Norman Memorial Award from Pennsylvania Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (PAVOAD). The award recognizes individuals who demonstrate a strong commitment to serving disaster survivors and advancing disaster response efforts throughout Pennsylvania.
True to his collaborative approach, Glenn was quick to recognize the volunteers behind the work when accepting the award. He emphasized that the recognition belonged to the many people who had traveled alongside him over the years to support those affected by disaster.
Service through every season
During his nearly 12 years at Luthercare, Glenn has helped strengthen relationships with local churches and faith leaders while supporting spiritual care across the organization. He has preached and led worship, provided pastoral care to residents and families, and worked alongside team members who bring compassion to their daily responsibilities.
When Glenn retired from his leadership role, he chose to remain part of the Luthercare community in a new way. He joined the transportation team as a CDL bus driver at Luther Acres, continuing to serve the people around him through a different role.
His transition is a reminder that service does not have to look the same throughout our lives. Whether coordinating volunteers after a disaster, offering spiritual support or helping someone get where they need to go, each act of service makes a difference.
During Spiritual Care Week, we recognize Glenn for his years of ministry, his dedication to disaster survivors and his continued commitment to the Luthercare community. His example reminds us that service is not simply a role or a title. It is a way of showing up for others, wherever the need may be.
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.