Lutheran Services for the Aging merges with Lutheran Family Services
Published 12:00 am Friday, October 12, 2012
?SALISBURY – Lutheran Services for the Aging and Lutheran Family Services have united, forming a collective ministry – Lutheran Services Carolinas.
The individual agencies have been working on creating this collective ministry for about a year.
The same services will be provided and administrators hope more will be added.
The organizations’ North Carolina affiliates name changes as well.
In Salisbury, Abundant Living Adult Day Services will change to Trinity Living Center and the Lutheran Home at Trinity Oaks will begin conducting business as Trinity Oaks.
The organizations’ other affiliates in Clemmons, Elms at Tanglewood will change to Trinity Elms, and in Albermarle, Lutheran Home – Albemarle will begin doing business as Trinity Place.
The organization has also unveiled a new logo and is working toward completing a mission statement that reflects its collective ministry.
“The new name represents nearly 90 years of combined social ministry to the people of the Carolinas. The affiliation has already reduced administrative costs and enhanced programs and opportunities for both organizations. Ultimately, it will allow us to serve more people and to improve more lives,” said Ted W. Goins Jr., president of Lutheran Services Carolinas.
The name “Lutheran” represents the shared faith heritage of both organizations, and service is why the two individual organizations were established and why they exist.
The “Services” offered by each organization demonstrate faith in action and a commitment to love and serve one another, while “Carolinas” represents home, history, and the current geographical reach of the collective organization, explained Mary Ann Johnson, director of community relations.
Salisbury-based Lutheran Services for the Aging was established in 1960 and has served the state’s older adults through its nursing homes, retirement communities, adult day services, assisted living residences and referral services, a statement said.
These ministries will be referred to as Lutheran Services Carolinas’ senior services.
Lutheran Family Serivces in the Carolinas was established in 1976 and has served people in both North and South Carolina through foster care and adoption services, residential services for adults and youth with developmental disabilities or special needs. The organization has also provided family and individual counseling, psychiatric services, veterans services, refugee settlement and transitional housing, a statement said.
These ministries will be referred to as Lutheran Services Carolinas’ child and family services.
Goins said the combining of forces was purposefully gradual so that the organization could, “take time to do our due diligence.”
In 2008, the recession hit some agencies hard, some more than others, he said.
“For us it was a matter of need to change our model and for us to tighten up,” Goins said.
All of the agencies needed to find ways to become more efficient he said.
There was some redundancy of positions – two presidents and secretaries, for example.
“It certainly has made us both efficient so we can put our resources in our mission,” he said.
There have been no job cuts with the consolidation. There have been some employees who have retired and others changed positions.
The Lutheran church is the root of the organization, but after 50 years they realized it was limiting.
“When you put a denomination on the side of a building it limits our ability to serve the whole community,” Goins said.
There have been many who believed they had to be of the Lutheran faith in order to receive services through the organization.
Not true, Goins said.
The administrative offices will remain in Salisbury with added offices in Raleigh, Charlotte and Columbia, S.C.
For more information about the organization, visit www.LSCarolinas.net.
Contact reporter Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253.