Message from the President
"Whoever
welcomes a child in my name, welcomes me."
Matthew 18: 5
Thanksgiving, 2002
Dear Friends of LSS:
In 1865, Pastor Eric Norelius
of Vasa Lutheran Church near Red Wing, learned of four just-orphaned,
Swedish immigrant siblings who were being temporarily sheltered in St.
Paul. Recognizing the call to serve, the Vasa congregation brought the
children to their church, remodeled its basement where the children could
live, and arranged for a Swedish deaconess to serve as their teacher. This
is the first documented account of a Lutheran Church in Minnesota reaching
out to care for vulnerable children. This story of changing lives is also
the first among millions of subsequent Lutheran Social Service accounts
that express the love of Christ through acts of service.
Fast-forward 137 years.
Today, more children than ever
before are living in single-parent homes. They are experiencing poverty,
homelessness and hunger at alarming rates. More are drinking alcohol and
using drugs. Since 1987, the number of children in homeless shelters in
Minnesota has increased from 450 to over 3,000! And, Minnesota does a
better job in caring for its children than any other State!
Clearly, our children are
losing ground. And society has no one to blame except its adults: those
who are unwilling or unable to parent, those who are not interested in
mentoring children and helping them mature into positive adults, those who
reject funding services to address these critical problems of our young
people.
Just as Vasa Lutheran Church
couldn't ignore the four orphaned Swedish kids in 1865, Lutherans (and
others, too) cannot stand by now while thousands and thousands of children
in our state are not being parented, mentored, sheltered, and loved. In
their book, The War Against Parents, Sylvia Ann Hewlett and Cornel West
made a terrifying observation:
"Never before has one
generation of American children been less healthy, less cared for, or less
prepared for life than their parents were at the same age. Too many
children are left alone to raise themselves on a thin and cruel diet of
junk food, gangster rap, and trash-talk shows."
We can't continue to let this
happen to our children. Those at LSS who provide services to youth and
their families need your help so that we can reach more kids and families.
You will find in this issue of Changing Lives some startling facts and
some uplifting stories that show the resilience of young people when they
are loved and mentored. And you will learn of one congregation that is
attacking this problem head on.
Underneath their hardened
exteriors, these at-risk kids are counting on someone to help. They are
pleading for someone to love them and care for them. They have my
attention and my commitment. Our cash-strapped government claims it can
only do so much. Yet the love of Christ has no such limits. The resources
among congregations and individuals in Minnesota are enormous. I hope that
these kids can count on you.
Thanks for your continued
support of our work and for offering hope to those we serve. When you help
a kid succeed, your gift lasts a lifetime.
Blessings to you this holiday
season.
Mark A. Peterson,
President/CEO
