Serving By Your Side: Then,
Now, Always
Remarks by Mark A. Peterson, President/CEO,
at the Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota Gala Dinner to Celebrate 140
years of service to Minnesotans.
Minneapolis
- September 22, 2005
The first
Sunday School I attended was at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Suttons Bay,
Michigan. That small village church had two rooms - a sanctuary and the
basement. Every Sunday morning, (and I mean "every,") I and 20 other kids
spent an hour in that basement; we'd sit at long tables and the teachers
would tell Bible stories; then, we'd go to the other part of that basement
where we had a piano, and we'd sing songs - pretty much the same ones each
Sunday. Here are the three I remember: (singing) "Jesus loves me…."; "the
B I B L E, yes, that's the book for me…"; "red and yellow, black and
white, they are precious in his sight - Jesus loves the little children of
the world."
Now, I've
been blessed with great teaching pastors; I have graduated from a Lutheran
seminary; I've read a bunch, but nothing compares with the proclamation of
those three songs.
-
God loves us
unconditionally
-
God wants us
to love our neighbor
-
The
authority of all this is Scripture.
There are
some very important ways in which we can testify that the Lutheran
perspective understands this. Some of you have heard me before say that if
you put all of the Lutheran social ministry organizations in the U.S.
together, we'd have this country's largest single charity -- larger than
Red Cross, larger than The Salvation Army, larger than Catholic Charities,
and yet Lutherans are just 6% of the U.S. population. Lutherans understand
something about neighbor. We are part of a grand tradition and expression
of service.
The counsel
of Scripture with respect to how we love our neighbor is abundant.
Scripture does not suggest we should be content with spreading a little
charity to those who are vulnerable. No, the Bible is of a different
witness than that. No where is it more clearly said than in the story of
the Good Samaritan. When that Samaritan took the wounded man to the
innkeeper for care, he asked the innkeeper to do whatever it took to help
this man. Whatever! And, he made a down payment on that care, and promised
to return and he said he'd pay whatever it took! God's abundant wish for
us is so apparent.
Consider the
potential we have, just in Minnesota. It's not as though Minnesotans are
without resource. Tom Stinson, the State Economist, has been saying that
to anyone who will listen. Consider these things about Minnesota:
-
We have the second lowest poverty rate in the
U.S.
-
We are first in the percent age of people with
health insurance
-
We are second in the percentage of the
population that is working.
-
In 2004 we were 8th in per capita income; 50
years ago we were 25th.
And consider these two projections about our
future here in Minnesota:
So, it's not as though we can't love our
neighbor; it's not as though we don't have the resource, especially here
in Minnesota. The question is if we will continue to have the will.
I assure you: LSS has the will. And the
passion. And the sheer determination. And the durability.
For Lutherans in Minnesota, faith and service
have always been inseparable. When Erik Norelius heard about those four
orphaned children in St. Paul in 1865, of course he just hitched up his
horse and went to get them. And when he came back to Vasa Lutheran Church
and asked his congregation to care for them, of course they put up beds in
the church basement and set to it! And, of course as that congregation
learned of other children in need, they expanded their service.
Of course we staunch Minnesotans are committed
to giving others a hand up, not a hand out.
Of course the mission of LSS is framed as it
is.
Of course that is exactly why Lutheran Social
Service of Minnesota has been part of the fabric of this State for 140
years, serving by your side, and being there for 100,000 Minnesotans each
year, when they need us.
Minnesota has the resource. We have the
passion and the talent and the know-how. So, then what? Through the lens
of LSS:
In Minnesota we could assure that there is
a safe place for every child every night.
No child should find it safer to sleep under the 21st Avenue Bridge in
Duluth, or in Loring Park, or in abandoned buildings than at home or in
the care of organizations like LSS.
Here in Minnesota we could assure that
every older adult has access to care that assures dignity and choice.
No older adult should be forced to receive care that denies them the
opportunity to decide some of the most basic choices we take for
granted--when we get up, when and what we eat, how we maintain personal
dignity as we become more frail.
Here in Minnesota we could assure that
every person with disabilities is welcomed as full members of our
community. No disabled person should
rely on paid caregivers for personal friendship.
Here in Minnesota we could bring together
remarkable Lutheran institutions to focus resource to make these things
happen.
We've thought about all this at LSS.
In fact, this is how our work is organized.
I believe we can achieve
these
things, and in just ten years. Then, we can begin even more ambitious
work!
We can do these things because we're first
of all grounded in our mission. Wherever you encounter LSS, you will be
met with our Mission Statement: to express the love of Christ for all
people through acts of service. And you'll encounter the vision that we
keep rehearsing: that all people have the opportunity to live and work in
community with dignity, safety, and hope.
That mission, centered in the love of
Christ, is embraced by our workforce, even though our employees look like
Minnesota -- Muslim/Lutheran/Jewish/Catholic/no religion/evangelical. Even
with this diversity in our workforce and among our volunteers, there is a
shared conviction about our work. We are focused on changing lives---
supporting those 100,000 persons we serve each year in their journey.
For us:
The language we use is not as important as
our character.
Words mean less to us than action.
Passion to change the world is more vital
than shared doctrine.
Values of showing respect, affording
dignity, assuring safety, and helping to create hope - these are important
to us. It's also important that in Minnesota, we have shared convictions.
There are five fundamental convictions that I believe need to be at the
core of our culture:
First,
all people should have the opportunity to live and work in community with
dignity, safety, and hope.
Second,
society needs to invest in creating those
opportunities.
Third,
each person needs to assume responsibility for their actions.
Fourth,
society needs to hold government and its partners, including LSS,
accountable for results.
Fifth,
we need to believe we can make things
right.
People of faith certainly ought to find
common cause in all this. People of faith should be passionate about the
well being of the entire creation. People of faith should claim their
place in the public forum. People of faith should work tirelessly for the
common good. People of faith should do all this because people of faith
know that is God's wish.
I'm interested in your thinking about these
basics, and how LSS should proceed.
You who are here tonight make me optimistic, hopeful. Many of you are at
work in communities making them work better for all people. Some of you
are at work on our LSS Boards and Committees making us a stronger, more
effective organization.
Many of you are responsible for the 20 percent increase in our private
philanthropy this year.
Some of you are our staff, the finest I've
ever had, who work tirelessly and competently to change the world; you all
give me hope. We do have within LSS some of the very best and brightest.
Just last week, we hired Sarah Spiess, a
bright, top-of-her-class, New York University graduate who could have made
a lot more money in the for-profit sector, but who committed her career to
the non-profit sector when her dorm was evacuated on 9/11. Sarah is out to
change the world, and we're going to give her the chance to do it!
We really need her and others to be
successful in changing the world.
This past year for LSS has occasioned some
very difficult decisions, reducing counseling and youth services in some
communities, cutting back on our service with persons with developmental
disabilities, and with frail older adults.
Make no mistake - what has been framed as
State "cuts in spending" has resulted in "cuts in access to service" by
people who need them. That breaks our hearts and weakens our communities.
We continue to need the political
leadership of people like Senators Linda Berglin and Representative Karen
Clark to be champions for the persons we seek to serve.
Life at Lutheran Social Service is rarely
simple. Although we've had a difficult year in some of our service, I've
been delighted with the response of the community to our two-year-old Safe
Homes, Hopeful Futures Campaign for at-risk youth. This campaign has made
all the difference in keeping our youth services largely intact for the
past two years, following legislative revenue cuts.
This year, we've also had the biggest
opportunity in our history to serve the refugee community, and I expect
just as large a year next year.
Our financial counseling service is playing
a lead role in the state in solving the epidemic in personal credit
crises.
Our oldest service, adoption, has had a
strong year and is reaching out in new directions with more international
adoptions from new countries.
Our award-winning "It's All About the Kids"
housing service continues to be well supported by the Minneapolis Public
Schools and the City of Minneapolis.
We have taken our Camp Noah service for
children surviving disasters both to Red Lake and Florida this past summer
and are organizing for our unique role in the Gulf States for next summer.
We received Bonding Bill planning money
from the State and the support of the Hennepin County Board for our plans
in the Phillips neighborhood.
We continue to benefit from relationships
and partnerships with other public, private, and Lutheran organizations.
I'm especially pleased and encouraged by the growth of Faith in the City,
this very important collaborative of Lutheran organizations.
We are very close to capping off a campaign
to remodel Vasa Lutheran Children's Home to better serve the children with
developmental disabilities who live there today.
Just last night, we celebrated with 600
Foster Grandparents from across Minnesota the 40th Anniversary of that
service by seniors to children.
And LSS has been here for 140 years,
serving by your side - then, now and always.
I am grateful that so many of you share
these values and have joined me here tonight to commemorate this
milestone. I am grateful for your prayers, your support, and especially
your belief that all people can live and work in community with dignity,
safety, and hope.
Thank you very much, and thanks be to God.
