We are currently in process of building our Comfort Dog ministry through Lutheran Church Charities. We are excited to bring this exciting ministry to our community and surrounding communities!

 The Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry is a national human-care ministry embracing the unique, calming nature and skills of purebred Golden Retrievers. The LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs and handlers are a bridge for compassionate ministry, opening doors for conversation about faith and creating opportunities to share the mercy, compassion, presence and proclamation of Jesus Christ.

How can you support this ministry?

Pray

As with anything we do, we search for God to lead us as we develop this ministry and once we launch and are doing the work. Please pray for this ministry and all associated with us.

Currently:
Please pray that God would guide us to the people He has in mind to fill these positions.

Join Our Team!

We are looking for:
Primary Caregiver
Secondary Caregiver
Handlers

We’ll also be looking for Ministry Partners, who will accompany the handlers when they take the Comfort Dog out.

Find out more about each position here.

If you’re interested,

Contact Megan and Crystal Here
(or email comfortdog@stjohnwoodbury.org)

Financial Support

We are so thankful for the generosity shown to this ministry already, but we can’t do it without continued financial support. If you feel led, please donate at the link below or identify your in-person or mail-in donation for the Comfort Dog ministry.

If you’d like to donate online, please do so at the link below.

Donate Now

Meet the Dog Ladies!

AKA Megan Williams and Crystal Brutlag, the people you can go to with questions.

Megan is our Top Dog. She’s the one who organizes the team and our Comfort Dog’s schedule (when that time comes!).

1. Why are you passionate about this ministry?
I was first introduced to the Comfort Dog Ministry through a college classmate whose congregation started a Comfort Dog ministry. Seeing firsthand the impact Mahlah Comfort Dog had on their community, as well as on deployments across the country, left a lasting impression on me.
Through my experiences with Gideon Comfort Dog, I have witnessed the love, comfort, and compassion these dogs bring to people during difficult times. Animals have a unique ability to sense when someone is hurting or in need. While we as humans want to help, we sometimes struggle to find the right words, feel uncomfortable with silence, or simply do not know how to be present. Comfort Dogs bridge that gap by offering unconditional love and a calming presence.
Since its founding in 2008, the LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry has grown into a nationwide ministry, serving communities near and far. I truly believe this ministry will be a blessing to St. John, our community, and beyond. Through the relationships we build with fellow LCC teams, community members, and those we meet along the way, we will have countless opportunities to share Christ’s love, comfort, and hope with others.
2. A fun fact about me: Want to clear a room? Release a mascot. Want to clear a room I’m in? Release a mascot or a clown. 😄
3. A favorite Bible passage:
Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Crystal is our Community Engagement Strategist. She works with Megan and Pastor Dave to see what the community at St. John is doing and also keeps updated on what’s happening in Woodbury and surrounding communities.

1. Why are you passionate about this ministry?
I first learned about the Comfort Dog ministry through Gideon Comfort Dog. I knew one of his Handlers and was immediately supportive. As someone who has always loved dogs and has always found in comfort in them, I loved the idea of taking dogs out to reach those who need the unique comfort that that dogs bring. Dogs are a safe space for so many. Research has shown the benefit of petting dogs. You can talk to them and you know they’ll just sit there and listen.
I’ve also been impressed by the places that the LCC K-9 Comfort Dog has gone. I love their commitment to having boots and paws on the ground within 24 hours of being invited.
I’m excited to help bring this ministry to St. John and the Woodbury community. My prayer is that the comfort people will receive from our Comfort Dog will reflect the comfort Jesus can bring to them at any time throughout their lives.
2. A fun fact about me: In addition to dogs, my favorite animals include sea turtles, rhinos, and stingrays. I’m also slightly obsessed with dung beetles. (Do a little research on them and tell me they’re not impressive little creatures!)
3. A favorite Bible passage:
1 John 4:9-12: In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

They’re also the two who got this process started.