We are Lutheran Christians.  We see ourselves as connected with other Lutherans in Ames and also with others in the Synod. We also sometimes think of ourselves as part of the larger ELCA. These three expressions of church – local church, synod, and churchwide - come most easily to mind as we consider our church. But there is more. Working with other Lutheran churches, we do some mighty work through Lutheran Services.

Recently you may have seen an interesting message on a tee shirt.  It identifies the wearer as “just another member of the Lutheran Crime Syndicate.” This is one snarky way of countering the baseless accusations by Michael Flynn, echoed by Elon Musk, that Lutheran service organizations were in the business of money laundering – a slanderous defamation of the amazing outreach work of Lutherans across the country. There certainly isn’t any money laundering going on! But there is a whole heaping lot of good work.

So, what is really going on in our service organizations?

If you go to the website of Lutheran Services in Iowa (https://lsiowa.org/), you will find the following mission statement:

“OUR MISSION:

Lutheran Services in Iowa responds to the love of Jesus Christ through compassionate service.”

The website describes LSI as connected to the ELCA, as follows:

“LSI is an affiliated social ministry partner of the Iowa congregations of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and a member of LSA (Lutheran Services in America). We proudly serve people of all ages, abilities, religions, sexes, gender identities, national origins, ethnicities, races, and sexual orientations.”

On that website you can explore some of the amazing ways LSI works for people across the lifespan. From foster care, to mental health, to support of the aged, to helping new immigrants to grow familiar foods, and in many other ways, LSI has a big impact.

If you would like to see LSI in action, I would encourage you to attend Lutheran Day on the Hill.   Once a year, LSI leads Lutherans in advocacy at the Iowa State House. LSI is poised to do this because of its many programs supporting people of all ages in Iowa. LSI provides background information and talking points for you to personally engage with your legislators about how we can best support Iowans in need. This year’s event is March 11. A group is going from Bethesda.  Consider joining us!

You might ask, “What about LIRS?”  Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services has been renamed Global Refuge. On the Global Refuge website, we read about the mission of the organization, which focuses on refugee resettlement. It says,

“For more than 85 years, Global Refuge (formerly Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service) has provided the resources, guidance, and community to help forge a way forward for New Americans. We’re committed to helping people reimagine the possibilities while providing a soft place to land. 

With more than 1,000 partners and 50,000 volunteers, we are the largest faith-based national nonprofit exclusively dedicated to helping restore a sense of home to immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees. Since 1939, we’ve built a legacy of compassion by walking alongside more than 800,000 new neighbors as they rebuild their lives in the United States.”

The Stop Work order issued in January affects over 6000 newly arrived refugees.  The sudden ending of federal support means that these individuals and families face the possibility of hunger and even homelessness.  And for those whose flights were cancelled by the Federal Government, they were ready to leave behind their old life and now are homeless, hungry and in danger in their own countries.

Both LSI and Global Refuge very much need our continued financial assistance during this time in which federal assistance is limited, to carry out their mission of caring for “the least of these.”

If your curiosity prompts you further, you can go to the website of Lutheran Services in America https://lutheranservices.org/.  There you will learn that Lutheran Services in America is “a network of over 300 health and human service organizations empowering 6 million people over 1400 communities.”  These services reach one out of every 50 Americans.   Lutheran Services in America has 27 member organizations in Iowa alone.  Among them are organizations you would recognize including LSI, Bethany Life Communities, Madrid Home Communities, and UnityPoint Health. 

Here is a website for an interactive map which will allow you to explore the work of Lutheran Services in America. https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1itWFll1jPkrjGJKYyJ1ZaDiq8JoWQrY5&femb=1&ll=32.66508888707814%2C-89.9164348196498&z=4

Recently, the federal government’s Office of Management and Budget called for a funding freeze on all US federal grants and loans. Although lawsuits were filed that led to the freeze being halted by a federal judge, concerns continue. The action is a threat that has had significant impact on the work of Lutheran service organizations along with other essential service organizations like Church World Service.  

When you think of Lutheran Services, in America and particularly in Iowa, you can hold your head high. Much good comes through these organizations in the name of our Savior.  You can donate to our service organizations directly as a passthrough on our Bethesda website. May God continue to help us as we seek to serve “the least of these” in the name of Christ. Amen.