"Gather" Bible Study is held on the FOURTH Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. in the church library. Please feel free to join us!
JULY 2024 Submitted by June Torrison
The latest issue of LUTHER SEMINARY STORY has an interesting article about Seminary President Dr. Robin Steinke. She has held the office for 10 years and is the first female president. What I didn’t know is that she was a music teacher before attending seminary herself. She also spent time as a financial planner and licensed stock broker. I enjoyed visiting with her at the funeral of my classmate, retired seminary professor Jim Limburg. Jim and another classmate, Terry Fretheim wrote some of the bible studies for our church women in the past. The seminary is trying to be more accessible in the form of scholarships. Students have already had four years of college expense. For some with families, relocating can be an issue. At the time my husband attended, his home congregation helped with tuition, but there are other living expenses. The new Jubilee Scholarships have been a real blessing.
The same day that publication came, I received a brochure from GLOBAL REFUGE, formerly Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. Right off the bat, I know that the word IMMIGRATION can be a red flag and divisive. Our elected officials can’t seem to agree on what policies our country should have. So here is some history of this organization. This is the first paragraph in the brochure.
“Since 1939, Global Refuge has been on the front lines of history’s most significant refugee crises. In the wake of World War II, Global Refuge rose to the occasion, resettling over 30,000 refugees from war-torn Europe. That was only the beginning of a legacy of compassion and action that has defined our work for nearly a century.”
It went on to list the places that were the trouble spots through the decades. The organization reached a milestone of 100,000 refugees resettled since 1939. “Today Global Refuge offers a comprehensive range of services, providing a holistic approach to resettlement and integration”. Our family has experience with a man who has come to Minnesota from Nicaragua, a very troubled country. The paperwork for being allowed to come and remain is unbelievably complicated and the rules seem to be counterproductive to assimilation.
Some of us knew refugees from Germany who came to this area from Germany after WW II. They didn’t start or want the war. Nearly all of us are the descendants of immigrants who came for many different reasons. So our understanding of this complicated situation depends on which side of the fence we are, including ACTUAL FENCES.
LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF is an agency founded in 1945 that helps people where they are in many ways. That goes beyond material needs. In many cases they provide the kind of help people need to become self sufficient. Access to water is so important. And this agency helps people in need in our country, too. I get the yearly reports showing the countries and states involved. When the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed, at least 10 ships besides the one involved couldn’t move for a long time and the crews had to stay aboard. LWR came to the rescue bringing them food, water and other supplies. Baltimore is our LWR headquarters so this seemed a natural thing to do.