LPGM envisions a world where relationships transform boundaries, so building authentic and lasting relationships with our partners is a top priority. One way to strengthen relationships is by crossing the world to visit one another. These special opportunities provide critical space to engage in cross-cultural dialogue - and to share time and meals together - which fosters trust and contributes to deeper partnerships.

From Sept. 20-25, 2025, three leaders from the Arcot Lutheran Church (ALC) - the Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Peter Paul Thomas, Rev. Theophilus Vinodkumar, and Rev. D. Thangadurai - visited us in Minnesota.

About the ALC

The ALC, located in Tamil Nadu (the southeasternmost state of India), was founded by Danish missionaries in the 19th Century as a ministry to Dalit (formerly "Untouchable") people of South India.

Run by Dalit Indians since 1961, the ALC has a long tradition of investing in education for marginalized people. Through Project Education India, LPGM sponsors have provided quality education at ALC-run boarding schools to more than 8,000 students since 1997. 

Congregational & Synodical Visits

Zion Lutheran Church, Anoka

On Sunday morning, Rev. Thangadurai spent the morning  at Zion Lutheran Church, Anoka. He attended three services, Adult Forum, and Zion Kids Sunday School. Pastor Sue Wallager introduced him and asked him to share a few words.

Rev. Thangadurai shared,

"I've been working as an ALC pastor for the past 35 years...I thank God for this opportunity to be with you. I think many of you may be supporting children through LPGM. On behalf of the children, I thank the sponsors who are supporting many children in India. One Chinese proverb says, 'If you are planning for a year, plant wheat or rice. If you are planning for a decade, plant trees. If you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.'"

He went on to say,

"Martin Luther once said, 'If you want to bring change to the church and society, let us start with children.' LPGM is doing wonderful work among the poor in India. Thank you for your prayers and thank you for your support of the children in India."

After worship, he spent about 20 minutes with Sunday School students. According to Ann Campbell, director of children's ministry at Zion,

"He told us about LPGM and the Arcot Lutheran Church, stressing how important the program is for the sponsored children in terms of education, safety, nutrition, and care. We were excited to learn that he has worked at the Kalrayan Hills school and knows one of the children we sponsor - Sri Vidhya! We appreciated that he took the time to meet with us, and the children are very excited to continue communicating with our three special friends in India."

He then popped into Adult Forum to bring a greeting and later had lunch with a small group of Zion pastors and LPGM supporters. According to Pastor Connie Tiede, 

"There were six of us for lunch, two of whom are going to India with LPGM, so they had a very good conversation with Rev. Thangadurai. It was a busy morning but a good one!"

Oak Knoll Lutheran Church in Minnetonka 

Rev. Theophilus spent his Sunday morning at Oak Knoll Lutheran Church in Minnetonka. He joined their 9:30 a.m. worship, which included a Q&A during the children's sermon.

Pastor Jay Rudi shared,

"We have 10 special friends who are up on this board. These are our friends who go to school. Pastor Theo, can you tell us what their life is like for them in India?"

Pastor Rudi was referring to the 10 students sponsored by the Oak Knoll congregation, whose names and photos appeared on a corkboard on the altar. 

Rev. Theophilus shared, 

"In India, going to school is really tough because it needs a lot of money. The government doesn't provide good education everywhere. The ten friends you mentioned live in remote villages where they don't have schools. They may have to walk many miles to reach a school. Their parents live in far-off places [to seek job opportunities]... 400 or 500 miles away... With our boarding homes, we give them a home away from home... We provide them with safety, good education, comfort, healthy food, entertainment, and trainings. We don't convert people, we just show them the love of God."  

Pastor Jay ended by relating the Rev. Theophilus's words to Lutheran doctrine, 

"We love one another. We don't love because we expect something in return...We love because Christ loves us first... And part of that is making sure that our friends all around the world have opportunities to learn and grow and develop their talents."

Rev. Theophilus then joined former LPGM board member and friend of LPGM Julie Myles, retired LPGM program director Mary Peterson, and LPGM friends Mary Gallagher and Jon Eversoll for lunch at a local Indian restaurant.

Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Minneapolis

Bishop Peter Paul Thomas spent his Sunday morning at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. The bishop was interviewed during children’s time by Pastor Heather. He spoke about the origins of the ALC, what makes it unique, and how his own story intersects with this small Lutheran church body.

He explained,

"And myself, because I am a Dalit, I am a person from outside the caste system. My father was an orphan. He studied in an ALC boarding home, and I am the first son of my parents. Both were sponsored by the Danish Missionary Society."

Pastor Heather added,

"What I love [about that] is that these [boarding homes] started a long time ago. His father and mother both attended those schools. And what you get after that is... a bishop! A beautiful thing, right?"

View the bishop's full remarks.

This part of worship ended with the bishop placing a shawl around a few of the children as a warm gesture of welcoming.

The bishop then went to lunch with Jenny & Benny Kirubakaran and their son. Benny is a former member of the ALC, and he and Jenny fell in love and married after she spent time in India as a volunteer.

Saint Paul Area Synod, ELCA

On Tuesday afternoon, the bishop and Theophilus met with Bishop Patricia Lull at the Saint Paul Area Synod, ELCA office. 

Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA

They also met with Bishop Jen Nagel and the entire synod staff at the Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA office. 

Lake Nokomis Lutheran Church

On Wednesday morning, Pastor Sara Spohr, Lead Pastor at Lake Nokomis Lutheran Church in Minneapolis and LPGM board member, hosted an informal coffee and conversation event with area pastors.

Pastors joined from St. John's Lutheran Church, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church, and St. Peder's Lutheran. Lorna Anderson, a long-time LPGM sponsor, also joined the conversation. 

The pastors heard from the bishop and Rev. Theophilus about the ALC's history, work, and partnership with LPGM, among other topics. 

Rev. Theophilus shared that when he first heard about LPGM, he assumed that LPGM offered financial support to the boarding homes, but he didn't realize the extent to which LGPM focuses on partnership. He was impressed by LPGM's commitment to relationship-building and sustained support of Dalit students in South India. To Theophilus, LPGM hasn't just impacted 8,000 children but 8,000 families.

After the conversation wrapped up, Pastor Sara presented Theophilus and the bishop with barn quilt paintings with LPGM's logo. Pastor Sara enjoys creating barn quilt paintings, so when she heard about the visit, she immediately got to work on these lovely works of art. Rev. Thangadurai wasn't able to attend the event, but his colleagues brought his piece back to their hotel. 

Educational Institutions 

St. Olaf College

On Monday morning, all three ALC leaders visited St. Olaf College, a college of the ELCA located in Northfield. St. Olaf has deep ties to LPGM, as our ministry was born out of the tragic death of alum Tim Olson in 1991. 

They started the day by attending chapel. L. DeAne Lagerquist, professor emerita at St. Olaf and past board chair of LPGM, then led an informal tour of the campus. 

Following the tour, the visitors spent time with four St. Olaf faculty members and dined on take-out lunch from St. Olaf's made-to-order food spot, the Cage.  

Luther Seminary 

On Tuesday morning, the bishop and Rev. Theophilus visited Luther Seminary in St. Paul. The visit started a campus tour and contemplative prayer service. The bishop and Rev. Theophilus especially enjoyed seeing the rare books room, which included books from the Reformation. Five seminary students and a professor then joined our guests for lunch and conversation. 

Spending Time with LPGM Friends

Shortly after arriving in Minnesota, Pastor Joel Quie, an LPGM traveler and long-time supporter, picked up the travelers at their hotel for a Minneapolis walking tour. The tour, entitled “Our Neighbors’ Race,” stopped at Fort Snelling, George Floyd Square, and the Andrew Wilson home. Topics included race/racism, ethnic origins, theology, and connectivity. Retired LPGM program director Mary Peterson joined the group for the tour. 

The guests then joined Rev. Nirmala & Paul Reinschmidt for dinner on Saturday evening. Rev. Nirmala is a pastor in the St. Paul Area Synod, ELCA, and grew up in the Arcot Lutheran Church in India. 

On Sunday afternoon, Julie Myles, Jenny & Benny Kirubakaran, and other LPGM friends spent time with our guests at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum where they experienced a taste of Minnesota's fall beauty and cool temperatures. 

Following Monday morning's St. Olaf College visit, our ALC guests spent the afternoon with LPGM co-founders Gordon & Betty Olson, their daughter Karna Hauck, and other Northfield friends of LPGM. 

On Tuesday evening, Theophilus and the bishop went to dinner with LPGM board member (and former Tamil Nadu resident) Joanna Suresh, LPGM development director Bethany Krepela, and retired LPGM program director Mary Peterson. The crew went out for BBQ, and Theophilus was amused by the "Minnesota spicy" hot sauces available at dinner. He remarked that the spiciest option still tasted "sweet" to him. Minnesota spice tolerance is no match for the heat of Tamil Nadu's cuisine. 

After wrapping up strategic planning at LPGM's office, LPGM board member Hilary Sonstegard brought the Bishop and Rev. Theophilus on a short tour of south Minneapolis' lakes. They also stopped to pay their respects at Annunciation Catholic Church, the site of a recent mass shooting.

Earlier, following news of the shooting, the bishop had emailed LPGM to express his solidarity, stating:

"Please know that you are not walking through this alone. Your wider LPGM family is standing with you, lifting you up in concern, compassion, and solidarity. Even as we grieve the suffering, confusion, and grief surrounding your community, we hold on to hope for healing. We trust that the love and resilience within Annunciation Catholic School—and the strength of your faith—will guide you and your children through this difficult season."

 LPGM Board & Staff

On Wednesday afternoon, LPGM staff and board members were invited to join the bishop and Rev. Theophilus for a strategic planning conversation. Dan Ruth, LPGM executive director, planned the session with the hope that it would offer space for all parties to share their hopes and dreams for the future of the partnership - and to think about how these goals might be accomplished together.

Once the conversation wrapped up, Bishop Peter Paul Thomas explained that he was ready to "shawl" the attendees as a gesture of welcome. Shawling is an important cultural practice in Tamil Nadu, and LPGM travelers are always greeted with shawling rituals throughout their journeys to India. The bishop greeted each participant and wrapped a shawl around them. This sweet gesture was a wonderful way to conclude the planning session. 

Special Thanks

A special thank you to St. Olaf College, Luther Seminary, Bethlehem Lutheran Church Twin Cities, Zion Lutheran Church Anoka, MN, Oak Knoll Lutheran Church (ELCA), Lake Nokomis Lutheran Church, Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA, and Saint Paul Area Synod, ELCA for hosting our esteemed guests.

This visit was made possible by the generosity and hospitality of many friends of the LPGM family.

Special thanks to LPGM co-founders Gordon and Betty Olson, Julie Myles, Verne Winter, Hilary Sonstegard, Joanna Suresh, Mary Peterson, Pastor Joel Quie, Rev. Nirmala & Paul Reinschmidt, L. DeAne Lagerquist, Pastor Sara Spohr, Betsy and Ty Thayer, Rev. Katelyn and Sitraka Rakotoarivelo, and Jenny & Benny Kirubakaran.

Thank you to each person who stepped up to make this visit so productive and memorable!