Luana exemplifies the definition of a lifelong church member. She was baptized at Central as an infant in
1951 and has since been a faithful attendee and willing participant. She calls Central, “a community of
lifelong friends.” When asked about her motivation to serve through the years she said, “Central makes
people feel loved, wanted, and needed. The church is always a welcoming community and at night when I
go to bed, I know I’ve made a difference for the good.”
Luana had a taste of hands-on mission work in 2006 in Biloxi, Mississippi where she was among other clean-
up volunteers from Central following hurricane Katrina. Since 2019, Luana has served as chairperson of
Central’s Mission Committee.
Approximately 20 mission committee members meet monthly via Zoom. Together they assess missional
needs in the community and beyond and they routinely touch base with mission recipient groups and
exchange ideas about ways to better meet community needs. Currently, Central provides services to 24
missions, of which 54 percent are local. The 2023 mission budget is set at $42,300, up more than ten
percent from 2022. Luana, co-chair Staton Lorenz, and the other Mission Committee members are grateful
to be part of these efforts to help those with food, shelter/housing, healthcare and other life necessities.
Besides her work on the Missions Committee, Luana was a children’s Sunday School teacher at Central and
church office volunteer. She and her husband, Dale, have two grown daughters. Luana retired from a 42-
year career in graphic design at Village Press. She enjoys golf and painting and is a member of the Northern
Expressions of Decorative Artists.
Thank you for this well deserved portrait of our Missions Committee leader, Luana Dueweke. She is a fountain of guidance and optimism for the members of the committee at a time when donations are down across the board.
Misdions near and far need as much spotlight as possible. There is work to do out there, People.
It’s an honor and pleasure to work with Luana on the Missions Committee and in mission with her at Dann’s House. Bringing awareness of the depth of mission outreach at Central to the congregation requires knowledge of the needs that present themselves each year for consideration. Luana delegates responsibilities to team members, administers monthly disbursements to over 20 agencies and ‘speaks-to-power’ and her team to keep missions in focus at Central. Thumbs up to you Luana! I hope others will make a point of getting to know you as I have.
Thanks for all you do, Luana! You’re one smart cookie.
It is a blessing to have you Luana, and I appreciate this feature of letting us get better acquainted with our fine leaders at CUMC. God bless you for all your fine work and your caring and friendly self.
Just a “few years” ago Luana was a student in my high school class and I am very proud of her and her services to the church.