Heidi Marie Lembke Johnston, daughter of an ELCA  Army chaplain, has accepted a call to serve as pastor of Faith Lutheran Church, Quincy, Mass. She will be ordained Saturday, Jan. 28, at 2 p.m.at Christ Lutheran Church, Natick, Mass.  As an "Army brat," Johnston has enjoyed the adventures of many places in the United States and abroad. In 2004, she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in musical theatre from Syracuse (N.Y.) University. In 2007, she left her job as an executive assistant at an Estee Lauder company in New York City to enter Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, later transferring to Union Theological Seminary in NYC, where she graduated with a Master of Divinity degree in 2011. During her internship, Johnston served Immanuel Lutheran Church, Killeen, Texas, near Fort Hood. She also served as vicar at her home congregation, Advent Lutheran Church in NYC. While in Texas, she met Capt. Benjamin David Johnston, a West Point graduate, whom she married in July 2011.  He has completed his military commitment and will begin studies at Berklee College of Music, Boston. 

Clergy from the Rhode Island Conference of the New England Synod, along with religious leaders of many faiths, local advocacy groups, guests and state politicians, gathered last week at the State House in Providence, R.I., for the fourth annual "One Voice Interfaith Vigil" to offer support for elected officials as they begIn their new legislative session. The vigil was sponsored by the Rhode Island Interfaith Coalition, whose goal is to cut poverty in Rhode Island in half by 2020. View video by Kris Craig of the Providence Journal.

Neighbor to Neighbor, a new ministry in the Bridgeport, Conn., area, sponsored by Lutheran Social Services (LSS), has received a $40,000 grant from the Grants Plus Program of Wheat Ridge Ministries. The GrantsPlus Program supports new and innovative health and human care programs led by congregations and nonprofit organizations affiliated with the Lutheran community.   

Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N) is a new ministry that emerged from a collaboration of eight Lutheran congregations in the Bridgeport, Conn., area, in partnership with LSS. Their desire to reach out and respond to their neighbors in need, inspired by Christ's love, is an expression of the LSS and Wheat Ridge missions.  In turn, they are inspiring their members to offer their time, talent and compassionate friendship to isolated, frail elders in need in their congregations and in the community.  The mission of N2N is to make life a little easier for our older and disabled friends to enhance their ability to remain in their own homes longer and with fewer worries.

The eight participating congregations include: 

Salem, Bridgeport, Conn.

Good Shepherd, Monroe, Conn.

Grace, Stratford, Conn.

Holy Cross (LCMS), Trumbull, Conn.

Holy Trinity (Slovak Zion), Trumbull, Conn.

Joseph's Coat of Many Colors, Bridgeport, Conn.

Our Saviour's, Fairfield, Conn.

Trinity, Shelton, Conn. 

Wheat Ridge Ministries is a nonprofit organization that helps a variety of health and human care initiatives get off the ground by providing the initial funding and support they need to thrive.

Yale Divinity School, New Haven, Conn., will host Lutherans in Diaspora 2012 Feb. 10-11. Theme is "For the Sake of the World: A Lutheran Public Faith." Keynote speaker is Bob Kay, director for public policy and advocacy for Lutheran Social Services. Discussion will center on the intersection of advocacy, policy and law, social involvement and church social statements, which all are components of a Lutheran public faith. Registration is $25. For more information, email LutheransinDiaspora2012@gmail.com.