Our Baptismal Responsibility to Care for Neighbors
Dear Members of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod,
In the past two weeks I have heard expressions of fear, anger, vulnerability and helplessness from synod leaders as they have seen recent Executive Orders affect people they know and care about. Their concern is not only for members of our synod but for their neighbors whose lives are put at risk by the policy changes affecting immigration, care for people who identify as gender non-binary, and whether government funds pledged to care for our most vulnerable will be spent or frozen.
I am writing together with our Synod Vice President, Barb Nugent, to remind you of the deep value that Lutheran congregations have contributed to the social structures of our country, leading the way in caring for our neighbors. In our region, the work of Rev. William Passavant is legendary. He founded hospitals and institutions of care for the ill, for orphans and for the elderly; he founded educational institutions and brought deaconesses here to aid in the work. His legacy is not the product of any political ideology but is the natural application of the Gospel in the context of local communities, and as such it remains a vital part of our shared life and mission as a synod. Social structures of support have changed since the days of William Passavant, but our church continues to seek practical ways to care for all people, and especially for the most vulnerable. We do this as a matter of living out our baptismal faith.
When we were baptized into Christ, or when we brought our children to be baptized, or when we were confirmed in the faith, we were entrusted with these responsibilities:
to live among God’s faithful people,
to hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper,
to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed,
to serve all people, following the example of Jesus,
and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth. (LBW, p201 or ELW, p236)
We remind you of these responsibilities so that together with the other members of your local congregation you may renew the life and mission we share in this synod. None of us knows what the outcome will be of the current policy changes regarding care of the most vulnerable in this country, but we are confident that congregations continue to make a difference in the communities they serve.
The Model Constitution for Congregations describes the purposes of a congregation, including:
Serve in response to God’s love to meet human needs, caring for the sick and the aged, advocating dignity, justice, and equity for all people, working for peace and reconciliation among the nations, caring for the marginalized, embracing and welcoming racially and ethnically diverse populations, and standing in solidarity with the poor and oppressed and committing itself to their needs. (*C4.02.d.)
While this can feel like an overwhelming task for any congregation, our congregations are not alone. We work together, as we have done through the whole history of our church, to accomplish together what is too great for any one congregation to achieve. And more than this, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, the Counselor and Guide, to help us when even our prayers fail us.
With this reminder of our shared purpose Barb and I also wish to provide you with practical resources for carrying out the ministry to which we have been called. Here is a page on our synod website where timely and practical resources may be found. The resources include information about immigration and refugee services, letters from our Presiding Bishop, and information about the many services made possible by Lutheran Services in America.
We so appreciate the faithfulness you bring to your congregation and to your community. Thank you. And we believe that our capacity to make a difference in the lives of our neighbors is only increased when we do this work together. It is when communities are hard-pressed that the light of the Gospel shines most brightly and we see once again that our labor in the Lord is not in vain.
With you in Christ,
Bishop Kurt F. Kusserow
Barbara Nugent, Synod Vice President