Lutheran Family and Children's Services’ dedication to social justice and advocacy began in the early 1900’s with Rev. Dr. Arnold H. Bringewatt (1919 – 1990). Rev. Bringewatt served as President of Lutheran Family and Children’s Services from 1964-1976. He was an outspoken advocate for peace and justice and began the long-standing LFCS tradition of advocating for society’s most vulnerable by working locally and statewide to effect legislative and systemic change. He and his wife Mildred continually charged the church and the social service community to be as intentional about working for justice as they were about doing acts of charity.
During his tenure at LFCS, Rev. Bringewatt firmly established the agency’s commitment to provide quality social services and to be involved with social action, a legacy that continues to shape the agency today. The agency continues to advocate for positive change and improvement in social institutions, systems, legislation and practices.
The Arnold and Mildred Bringewatt Dinner and Advocacy Education Fund was established in 1989 to insure that the Bringewatt’s legacy of justice ministry lives.
That legacy lives on most noticeably through the LFCS annual Bringewatt Social Justice Event. This event is typically held in the winter and offers an educational workshop component and key note address centered on a particular social issue as well as an award ceremony to honor individuals from across the state that have made a commitment to social justice and have a heart for serving.
