Grants Available to Churches for

Service to Immigrants, Refugees
Application Deadline is March 1

19 December 2006

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), in partnership with Wheat Ridge Ministries, Itasca, Ill., is offering financial assistance to Lutheran churches to encourage the development of new programs and services for immigrants and refugees.

The Good Samaritan Fund gives LIRS an opportunity to support Lutheran congregations in becoming engaged in our ministry,” said Ralston Deffenbaugh, president of LIRS. “America’s newcomers become self-sufficient more quickly when Lutherans help to identify and meet their needs within their own communities.”

In 2006, the Good Samaritan Fund awarded grants totaling $75,000 to 20 churches across the country to help implement a variety of innovative programs including citizenship classes, literacy projects, children’s summer and after-school programs, driver’s education, employment and entrepreneur training.

The Good Samaritan Fund was established to honor the dedicated leadership of The Rev. August Bernthal, a Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod pastor who served on the LIRS board for more than 30 years. Seed grants up to $5,000 are available to enable congregations to develop vital support services needed by deserving immigrants and refugees beyond the initial stages of resettlement.

A recent recipient, Zion Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Chicago reports, “This project has made a great impact on our ministry. Without the grant, we would not be able to have the impact we do at this time. It is truly a blessing.” A representative from Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd (ELCA) in Coatesville, Penn. shares, “We are very excited about this ministry. We feel we are truly making progress in establishing contacts with our brothers and sisters from Africa and letting them know we are here for them.”

Good Samaritan seed grants will be awarded to congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod or the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Applicant congregations will be expected to contribute at least 25 percent of the project cost, either through

cash or in-kind support. Funding priority will be given to projects that demonstrate at least one of the following services to immigrant communities: social ministry projects, joint projects between community members and new residents, public education or advocacy, and leadership development within the ethnic groups served. Grants will not be made to individuals or church agencies, nor will they be made to support refugee reception and placement activities, refugee resettlement programs or projects of evangelism.

The Good Samaritan Fund is comprised of donations from congregations and individuals committed to assisting refugees, asylum seekers or immigrants through the development of local programs by caring congregations. Contributions to support these efforts may be sent directly to: Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, Good Samaritan Fund, 700 Light Street, Baltimore, MD 21230. Donations may also be made by credit card by calling 410/230-2786 or by making a secure gift online at www.lirs.org. Gifts to Wheat Ridge Ministries may be made by phone to 1-800-762-6748 or online at www.wheatridge.org.

To read about a few of the 2006 Good Samaritan grant funded programs, please visit St. Marks Lutheran Church by the Narrows or St. John's Lutheran Church - Tamil Worship or Grace Lutheran Church. Interested applicants may download the application packet or review grant guidelines at www.lirs.org. For more information on the Good Samaritan grant program, please contact Pam Bloom, LIRS Senior Consultant for Organizational Capacity Building, at 410/230-2875 or pbloom@lirs.org.

Since 1939, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service has worked with a range of service, advocacy and education partners to bring new hope and new life to newcomers to the United States. LIRS resettles refugees, protects unaccompanied refugee children, advocates for fair and just treatment of asylum seekers, and seeks alternatives to detention for those who are incarcerated during their immigration proceedings. With initiative and stewardship, LIRS seeks creative solutions to the needs of these uprooted people regardless of race, ethnicity or religious beliefs.

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