Friends or Foes?

​It has been a dizzying and disorienting time in our country. Our neighbors to the north and to the south are struggling to define their new status with Americans. Friends or foes? Only a couple weeks ago, Canadian planes and firefighters joined Americans for rescue and relief efforts in California. Prime Minister Trudeau recalled that Canadian soldiers joined America's soldiers on historic battlefields, Normandy for instance, but many more.

Non profit organizations that have cared for the vulnerable in and outside of our country wonder if federal funds will be available to do the important work they do ... not to make money, but to serve others in the true spirit of the Gospel. These include many Lutheran non profits, like Global Refuge, once named Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services. Global Refuge is currently caring for 5800 legal immigrants/refugees, many from Afghanistan and Ukraine. Those from the former were American allies and their families. The latter are refugees from the war in Ukraine. Global Refuge is caring for them on behalf of the US Government. Now, Global Refuge is caring for them without financial support from the US Government.

But, Global Refuge is one among many such non profit agencies struggling to continue their mission in the wake of the withdrawal of federal support. Other agencies provide adoption services, foster care services, senior care and more. Lutheran non profits run nursing homes that receive Medicare and Medicaid payments. If either program is threatened, so will services to the recipients of Medicare and Medicaid support. One of our synodical bishops reported that 1 in 50 Americans receive support from Lutheran Services in America each year. We can be proud to be part of a church that extends itself to serve the most vulnerable as a response to God's abundant grace and mercy. And they have been supported in this work through legitimate government contracts ... until now. The same goes for similar organizations in our mainline and evangelical partners.

The same bishop writes, "Why do they/we do this work? Not for profit. Literally. They do it because it is the work of the gospel. It is our call." Amen to that!