There have been recent comments on social media attacking the funding of organizations like Lutheran Family Service as “money laundering” and “illegal.” These comments are unfair and ignore the important work they do.

Per Bishop Scott Johnson: “Those services include refugee resettlement, mental health care, rehabilitation ministries, transitional care for children aging out of the foster care system, adoption services, homeless shelters, care for people living with developmental and physical disabilities, and many, many more. The spreadsheet [being used falsely as “evidence”] is a list of legal contracts, signed by both the respective agencies and the federal government. They require massive amounts of reporting and are subject to audit like every other program. All of the agencies listed can be found on charity watchdog websites like GuideStar, and I guarantee you they have some of the highest ratings in the country.

… these are agencies connected with our church who do a lot of marvelous work in the world. As bishop of the Nebraska Synod, I have gained an even greater sense of admiration for the crucial ministries of organizations like Lutheran Family Services, Mosaic, Global Refuge, and others, all of whom partner with federal and state governments to provide care to 1 out of every 50 Americans. We have been doing this work in the United States for quite some time. In the state of Nebraska, for example, Lutheran Family Services began as an orphanage in Fremont over 100 years ago, just a few blocks away from where I now live. I grew up on a farm here in the 1980s, a decade which was brutally hard for family farms like ours, but one of my formative memories was my mother and father always making sure we brought gifts to the church at Christmas time for the residents at Bethphage, which is now part of Mosaic. Lutherans have done this work together for generations because we believe the gospel compels us to do so: "good works flow from faith like fruit grows on a tree," according to Martin Luther.

I know the people behind these spreadsheets. They pour their hearts into the absolutely essential work they do, and often for far less than it would cost the federal government to carry it out directly. Many of them have already lost funding due to the series of executive orders cutting off aid to organizations who do some of the most thankless work in the country. I encourage you to visit their websites and donate to make up for the difference. It's not illegal, and it's not money laundering: it's the church caring for the poor, the oppressed, the forsaken.”

I would remind you that we have experienced firsthand the good work of Lutheran Disaster Response in our community in this past year. I am saddened by such mean-spirited attacks and fear for the effect they may have on good and important ministry.

If you have additional questions I'd be glad to try to answer them. As we hear more going forward I will do my best to share that information with you.

Pastor Glen