Celebrating Lutheran Community
Posted on 13. Oct, 2009 by Lutheran World Relief in Uncategorized
You may have heard the term “six degrees of separation” once or twice your life—it is the theory that every person in the world is connected to every other person in the world by no more than six human relationships.
Lutheran World Relief is connected to some surprising people by far fewer links. As building staff and guests gathered on October 2 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Lutheran Center at Christ Church here in Baltimore, it became apparent how, through the agencies in this building — LWR, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, Lutheran Services in America and the Delaware-Maryland Synod of the ELCA — Lutherans are connected to people all over the world.
One of the reasons LWR and its sister organization LIRS moved to Baltimore from New York in 1999 was to be closer to Washington, closer to the legislators and government officials whose decisions affect so many with whom we work. One of those lawmakers, Congressman John Sarbanes’ (D – 3rd District) connection to the Lutheran Center was much deeper than that of an elected official to a building in his district. Sarbanes, who joined us for our 10th anniversary celebration, was once the lawyer for former Lutheran Center occupant Diakon Lutheran Services.
The association has clearly affected him. “With so much going on in the world,” the Congressman said, “it is easy to become despondent…to yield to despair. Organizations like the ones working in the Lutheran Center make you feel like you are making progress against all odds.”
As our keynote speaker, we were blessed to host the Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko, General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation. Dr. Noko shared how, from his perspective, we are all connected through global service and mission and especially through the organization of the Lutheran World Federation.
And that organization is far reaching, connecting many different people from different backgrounds and often with differing views of the world. At one turn, Dr. Noko told us about communities in Mauritania that struggled to plant the trees needed to preserve the environment and at the next, Dr. Noko spoke of Muslim cancer patients in Jerusalem who receive life-saving care in an LWF hospital. These communities are also connected—by the umbrella of Christ’s love and compassion and professed in faith through your support of organizations like Lutheran World Federation, and the agencies here in the Lutheran Center in Baltimore.
We are more than Lutheran organizations—we are your organizations and we exist because of your faith and action.
Together we give thanks to God for the last 10 years of service and partnership and look forward to many more years ahead.
Lutheran World Relief is a nonprofit organization that works with Lutherans and partners around the world to end poverty, injustice, and human suffering.
