On the second Thursday of the month, DeacPost will feature a look back over our 100+ years of service to the church and world.

Deaconesses from the class of 1969 sport variations of blue and white dresses with a cross patch on the sleeve or near the shoulder. Left to right: Deaconesses Dianna Schumacher, Sue Wendorf, and Eileen Morgan. The photo is believed to have been taken at the time of Sue’s consecration in 1969 outside her home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

One of the most hotly debated issues in the history of the LDA was deaconess uniforms. Take a look at more photos of deaconess dress along with a 1935 letter from Reverend H.B. Kohlmeier, Director of the Deaconess Association, about uniforms at https://thelda.org/100-years-of-service-deaconess-uniforms/.

Today’s LDA deaconesses and deacons are recognized by their pin and, like their sisters and brothers before them, their diaconal heart.   

Prayer: God of compassion, your Son came among us not to be served but to serve. We give you thanks for the women and men whom you have called to the diaconal ministry of word and service. Especially we pray for deaconesses, deacons, and diaconal students of the LDA. Give us faith to serve you with gladness; sustain us with a living hope, especially in the time of despair; and kindle in us your love, so that we see in every neighbor the face of Jesus Christ, our Lord, in whose name we pray. Amen. (Sending Prayer, Student Seminar)