People of hope, this past weekend ministries of the Lutheran church, specifically Lutheran Social Services, Global Refuge (formerly known as Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services), and their local variations were named specifically by former Vice General Michael Flynn in an online posting via X (formerly Twitter) as a “money laundering operation” to transfer money from the federal government to the Lutheran Church as a whole. A few hours later, Elon Musk, the owner of X and many other companies and a major contributor to President Trump’s political campaign responded to this posting, suggesting that his “Department of Government Efficiency” (your Orwellian senses may be tingling) is “rapidly shutting down these illegal payments.” ELCA leaders from various levels of the church, as well as across the political spectrum, have responded strongly, refuting these baseless accusations.
I could spend a great deal of time repeating the cases of these other faith leaders, but I encourage you to view some of the links at the bottom of this article to learn more about our response to these falsehoods. Instead, I think it’s important for us at Esperanza to tell the story of how our engagement with Lutheran Social Services and Global Refuge has contributed to the life and welfare of our community and our world. I can tell just a little bit of my own experiences with Lutheran Social Services – first as an intern in Phoenix many years ago, and including my engagement with them years later as I served in Illinois.
I think we don’t always do a good job of telling the stories of our social service partners. We don’t do it for the publicity, but the work that we do can and should be celebrated. When I was on internship, I was asked to help transport a group of children of refugee families to and from a church activity over the course of a week. I had no idea at that point (in my third year of seminary) that the Lutheran church was so essential to the work of refugee resettlement. These refugees were fleeing political persecution in their home country, and had somehow found their way (after a great deal of vetting through federal agencies) to Phoenix. It was Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services that coordinated their resettlement in the United States. The involvement of our church most likely had saved some of their lives, and the mission didn’t simply end when they made it stateside. Lutheran Social Services then picked up the baton carried by LIRS to continue to resource with and support these refugees as they established homes and jobs in this strange land they had moved to.
While serving in the Northern Illinois Synod, I was called to serve just down the road from Augustana Lutheran Church in Andover, Illinois. This church was the founding church for the Augustana Synod (a predecessor body of the ELCA) and also the place where Lutheran Social Services in Illinois gets its roots. I have walked the grounds of where the idea of an orphanage run by Lutheran faithful took root, and seen how much Lutheran Social Services in that state and many other states matter, doing work to serve the least and the vulnerable. These service organizations partner regularly with the government so that the social safety net can be maintained more efficiently than if government itself were to operate these services. I have seen what happens to these non profit religious service organizations when their funding is disrupted. Hard decisions have to be made. People in need are hurt. The misinformation and antagonism coming from people in President Trump’s orbit has real consequences for some of the most vulnerable in our society.
So I invite you to tell your story of Lutheran Social Services and other partner ministry organizations. Tell the story of the nursing home run by Lutherans that housed your aging relative who couldn’t care for themselves any longer. Tell the story of i-Help, and how that ministry is deeply tied to Lutheran Social Services. Tell the story of our neighbor who came to this country with little more than the clothes on their back, who now has integrated into their community because Global Refuge and Lutheran Social Services gave them the resources they needed to flourish in this country. The stories are out there. Maybe they’re your story. It’s time to tell the truth about who we are as Lutherans in ministry. May all the world hear and know the work we do in God’s name is worthy and true.
As promised, some links with information on the response to Michael Flynn’s claims follow. Please keep in mind that the more editorial comments within some of these articles are the opinions of the writers themselves. Know I continue to pray for all of you, our nation, and all our leaders in this tumultuous time. And that includes praying for Elon and Michael, that they may be set free from their cynicism by the truth that comes from knowing God’s love for all God’s children.
Pastor Chris
Lutherans Hammer Against Misinformation by Michael Flynn & Elon Musk
Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton Responds to False Accusations on X (YouTube)
Global Refuge Statement on Misinformation Around Our Humanitarian Work
Clint Schnekloth: Musk and Flynn’s Attack on Lutheran Social Services
Bishop Stacie Fidlar (Northern Illinois Synod) In Response to Flynn’s Allegations (Facebook)
Bishop Deborah Hutterer (Grand Canyon Synod) In Response to Allegations (Facebook)