100 Years of Serving
In 1926, seven forward-thinking pastors saw beyond the challenges of their time and dared to imagine a future where communities could unite in mercy and service. These visionary leaders filed articles of incorporation for what would become The Lutheran Inner Mission League of the Miami Valley, laying the foundation for what we now know as Graceworks Lutheran Services. Their ability to envision collaborative compassion has shaped 100 years of transformative community impact.
Early in our history, Lutheran congregations joined together to meet the needs of individuals affected by area flooding, including providing food and clothing. Various buildings in downtown Dayton were utilized for storage and distribution. These activities led to the operation of Thrift Stores, food pantries, and activities that met the social and religious needs of families – including vocational training and even hosting basketball leagues.
In the 1940s and 50s, other faithful visionaries came forward to purchase 100 acres in what was then described as “far south of Dayton” to develop a home for the aged, what is now Bethany Lutheran Village. Seeds of compassion and care planted decades earlier began to take firm root in the shape of residential services that moved beyond clothing and furniture to providing homes full of care and needed supports.
In the mid-1960s, the organization’s name was changed to Lutheran Social Service of the Miami Valley. As Bethany Village expanded in the 1960s and 70s, so too did the LSSMV’s community-based services. An adoptions program began in 1967 and would come to place more than 2,100 children with families in its over 40 years of service. Family and counseling services were provided for the first time in 1972.
The first group home for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities was opened in 1983. Three years later, the first affordable housing apartment community, Martin Luther Community, opened in west Dayton. In the decades that followed, We Care Homes (now Graceworks Enhanced Living) and Manors of the Valley (Graceworks Housing Services) expanded to serve almost 1,000 people daily in over 65 locations. This legacy would continue to unfold into the 1990s as more sites were added.
In 2006, the organization once again changed its name, for the sixth time, to Graceworks Lutheran Services. The new name expresses a motivation to offer works in faithful response to God’s grace. The name captures the organization’s Lutheran heritage and conveys the rich meaning associated with its work.
Over the previous two decades, Graceworks continued to refine its focus, honing in on our expertise in residential services for aging adults and persons with developmental disabilities. Creating a sense of home became part of our Vision statement, guiding us to help people thrive in whatever setting they call home. New programs such as Bethany Village Home Health Care and Ohio Living Bethany Hospice added additional supports.
In 2026 Graceworks Celebrates 100 years of commitment to serving our community.
Our history is inundated with the names of individuals who stepped out in faith, who offered their leadership to guide the organization in a new direction. Their names are recorded, but there are thousands of others whose names are not written in public documents. Housekeepers, accountants, caretakers of grounds and buildings, nurses and aides, supervisors and managers, those giving daily care to residents and those tending daily to the operations of the organization. These are the people who have strengthened Graceworks over its 100 year history, who have strengthened the reputation of the organization from its earliest conception to its current chapter.
Their names, their efforts, their hands and their voices have built lasting systems that will continue to serve future generations. Their legacy continues to demonstrate how visionary thinking, combined with practical action, can create enduring positive change that extends past the century mark and into the future.
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6430 Inner Mission Way
Dayton, OH 45459
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Copyright 2026 Graceworks Lutheran Services. EIN: 31-1595130
