Veterans Ministry
First Lutheran has partnered with Wesley United Methodist Church in La Crosse to provide outreach of all types to veterans and their caregivers. This ministry is led by Sharon (Shaz) Kjos, RN, BSN.
For more information or to ask questions, contact Shaz by leaving a message in the Veterans Ministry mailbox in the church office, calling 608.790.2752, or by using the form below.
On many occasions I have been asked where I got my interest in caring for the veterans. I wish I could say for certain what the reason was. I’m not sure, actually. I do have my suspicions and a true story to tell: My grandmother was a loving, faithful woman who brought up a family during the Depression. My grandfather was away a lot building highways way up north, which left my grandmother alone most of the time to care for 13 children. She often got help, as they were able from those who were older, but no matter how you looked at it, these were tough times. On Sundays she made sure that the family got to church and was proud of the fact that all 13 children were baptized. Church was were she got her strength. She carried this with her throughout her life and passed it on to her children. Community was different back then compared to now. Families lived close and there was always a gathering around the table. The table may have been a kitchen table or a dining room table but often it was in a fellowship hall around a church table. This is the place that potlucks were held, stories where told and things were made. The men often gathered and made plans to help the neighbor down the road who needed a helping hand. The women had their circles and friends who gathered to crochet or knit or make quilts.