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Lutheran Urban Mission Agency, aka the Lutheran Mission of the Good Shepherd, is the cross-cultural urban ministry of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) in greater Kansas City. LUMA's mission is to bring Christ to the city - especially to those cultures that are currently not being reached by our traditional churches. We work closely with existing congregations, helping them to become cross-cultural; we establish new ministries where needed; we provide aid and assistance to the needy; and we offer special programs designed to reach the un-churched in the urban core. We are your mission in the city!
Scroll down to read about our LUMA staff.
 Tom Eckard, Executive Director
Deacon Tom Eckard has been Executive Director of LUMA for six years. He is also the Kansas City Area Mission Coordinator for the Missouri District, of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. A graduate of the Kansas District's Lay Ministry program, he is a licensed Deacon in both the Missouri and Kansas Districts. Tom is fluent in Spanish. Tom's work in ministry follows a 30-year career in hospital administration and medical group management. He has a Master's Degree in Business Administration from the Executive Fellows program at Rockhurst University in Kansas City. Tom and his wife Carolynn live in Overland Park, Kansas. They have four children and seven grandchildren.
 Maria Chavira, Director of Social Ministry
Maria is the director of social ministry for LUMA, and is in charge of the food pantry, as well as utility assistance. She is also an integral part of LUMA's Hispanic ministry team, and runs the ELL program at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Kansas City, Kansas. Born in Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico, Maria immigrated to the United States in 1987. She has been a member of Jesus el Buen Pastor Lutheran Church since 1991. Some of Maria's gifts are her love and compassion for the people whom she helps, and her ability to share the Gospel through relationships that she forms.
 Abby Dawkins, Director of Christian Outreach
Abby is originally from Northern Minnesota (Fergus Falls), and has served with LUMA since July of 2007. She graduated from Concordia University in St. Paul, MN in 2007 as a Director of Christian Outreach with minors in Confessional Lutheranism and Music. As part of her studies at Concordia, Abby spent two years in Chiclayo, Peru working with children, youth, and leadership development. Although she wears many hats at LUMA, her main areas of focus are working with youth and leadership development through Jesus el Buen Pastor (our Hispanic congregation) as well as acting as coordinator at one of our ELL sites. Abby enjoys singing, being creative, and soaking in God's creation outdoors. Her favorite smells are wood smoke and the air after the rain!
 Reverend David Loza, Pastor, Jesus el Buen Pastor Lutheran Church
Pastor David is an ordained pastor for the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, and has been the pastor at Jesus el Buen Pastor Lutheran Church, LUMA's Hispanic congregation, for 18 years. He was born in Bolivia, and came to the United States in 1981. He is from a family of church workers. Pastor David lives in Merriam, Kansas with his wife, Jane, and daughters Victoria and Elizabeth. He enjoys riding his bicycle over long distances, and is an accomplished translator.
 Leah Theiss, Director of Development
Leah joined LUMA as Director of Development in October 2006. She is originally from the Johnson County area in Kansas, and is a lifelong member of Hope Lutheran in Shawnee. Leah graduated in 2001 from Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Modern Languages/Spanish and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing/International Business. She had the opportunity to live for a year in Guadalajara, Mexico and in Granada, Spain for a summer where she learned to speak Spanish. Leah and her husband Nate live in Shawnee, Kansas. She enjoys travel, spending time with family, teaching English Language Learning classes, playing with her two dogs, and running.
 Linda Verman, Office Manager
Linda was born in Colorado near the foot of Pikes Peak. She received a BS in Education from Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield, MO. After teaching for four years, she was married and moved to Independence, MO. Linda enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom before becoming the secretary/administrative assistant at Lutheran High School - KC, a position she held for 16 years. She has served as the Administrative Assistant/Office Manager for LUMA since June 28, 2004. Linda and her husband, Eldon have two married children and one step-grandson. She is a member of Messiah Lutheran Church, Independence, MO and active in the Lutheran Women's Missionary League on the local, zone and district levels. She also serves on the Board of Evangelism and Altar Guild at Messiah. In the community she works with Cub Pack 282, Independence and serves on the Jackson County University of Missouri Extension Council.
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