LIRS hosts award gala

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service hosted the Walk of Courage Award Gala Oct. 28 at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. The event celebrated the journeys of people newly arrived to the U.S. and the differences they are making in their communities. Sonia Nazario, immigration advocate and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, was the keynote. Mahnaz Afkhami was honored with the Walk of Courage Award for her lifetime of advocacy for human rights. Kenneth Senft, a retired ELCA pastor, received the Walk of Faith Award for his years of service to Lutheran ministries of welcome and justice. Elizabeth A. Eaton, ELCA presiding bishop, was co-chair of the gala, along with Matthew Harrison, president of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, and several U.S. senators and representatives.