Message from Bishop Dee Pederson
As many know, early this year, the federal government terminated financial support for refugee resettlement in the U.S. The refugee resettlement program was begun in 1980, and both Global Refuge (formerly Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service) and Lutheran Social Service in America have been engaged in this ministry work ever since. These Lutheran partners have been working alongside the U.S. government for decades to help refugee families find safety and security in the U.S. We believe it is the work of the church to welcome the stranger.
At its May 8 meeting, the Synod Council acted to send a special synod gift of $1,000 to Global Refuge and LSS of MN, and encourage and invite congregations and individuals to financially and vocally support the ongoing work of these ministry partners.
You can give directly at:
www.lssmn.org/services/refugee
You can use your voice. Call and urge your lawmakers to ensure that work like this welcomes all eligible refugees, regardless of national origin, and to rebuild our resettlement program.
The ELCA does not directly resettle refugees; we support the resettlement work of our partners. There have been more recent changes in refugee resettlement at the federal level, and this is a complex situation. Despite all the changes, Global Refuge is slowly rebuilding and remains committed to welcoming refugees through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Its goal remains the same: to assist people who are legally recognized as refugees and have fled their homes to find welcome and help for basic necessities to build a new life here.
Why do I care? Because:
- All people are created in the image of God. (Genesis 1:27)
- Jesus said, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” (Matthew 25:35)
- Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27)
- These organizations have been working with global partners for decades to vet and create safe and clear procedures by which the most vulnerable people in the world – those living with fear of persecution, and the presence of war, hunger, and homelessness might find a new future and be an asset to the communities in which they resettle.
- My ministry has been shaped by relationships with persons who came to my congregations and communities as refugees:
- Some of the first work I did as a Parish Worker involved walking with a family from Vietnam whose friendship changed my life and whom I remember especially now, 50 years after the war ended.
- Getting to know families from Liberia who fled the country during civil war with nothing more than what they could carry.
- Welcoming new church members from South Sudan whose faith and courage challenged and transformed my work of ministry.
- Listening to leaders in the community who taught me the multi-faith work of advocacy.
All of these members of the congregations and communities I served enriched my life, shaped my ministry, and the formed commitments I hold today.
Friends, this is a time when the call to follow Jesus also bids us walk with our neighbors. I invite you to join in the invitation of our Synod Council to support the good work of Global Refuge and Lutheran Services in America now and into the future.
