Yesterday, Feb. 2, Lutheran social services were falsely accused by the Trump administration of money laundering and receiving illegal payments and the administration has threatened to halt funding to all Lutheran social service branches and Global Refuge (formerly Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services).
This is what you can do to speak out and act up in support of our incredible Lutheran services programs and the most vulnerable in our communities that Lutheran programs have cared for for more than 130 years.
Do as many of these as you can do EVERY day until the attacks are stopped and all funding to Lutheran programs are restored. (More specific instructions and a script in the Q&A below)
1. Call the offices of your congressperson and senators and share your message.
2. Fax the offices of your congressperson and senators and share your message.
3. Email the offices of your congressperson and senators and share your message (or send a message through their website).
4. Go to the local offices of your congressperson and senators in person and tell them you want to be heard and your message noted.
5. Call the White House and share your message.
6. Post comments on politicians’ social media if they allow it.
Q&A
Why should I get involved?
Because Jesus said: “‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40). And because Lutheran social services programs do AMAZING work, and it is the right thing to do.
Why should I do ALL these different ways of communicating with electeds?
Because volume matters: offices track support/opposition by the number of calls/emails/contacts they receive. Also: right now a lot of representatives’ voicemails are already full and you can’t get through (and thus your voice/message won’t be counted if you only try calling).
What should I say?
Here is a sample script you can use, adapt, and personalize [slash (/) indicates options to choose from]:
“Hello, my name is _______________________ . I am a Lutheran Christian. I am calling/writing/visiting to ask Congressperson/Senator ____________________ ______________ to use their power to end the administration’s attack on Lutheran social services organizations and restore all funding to Lutheran social services.
On Sunday, February 2, Elon Musk, an unelected and unconfirmed representative of the Trump administration, attacked Lutheran agencies publicly and threatened to cut off all payments.
I am your constituent [if true add: I voted for this administration/I voted for you.]. I am outraged. Lutheran social services agencies are some of the most impactful and cost-effective programs in the country. in my area, Lutheran services do amazing work helping: foster families/adoptions/afterschoolprograms/housing/persons with disabilities/addiction treatment/mental health counseling/documented immigrants.
Add a personal story if you have one [e.g., my neighbor’s disabled son…., my own children…., I worked for/volunteered with etc.]
As a Christian, I believe we must care and support our vulnerable brothers and sisters/siblings. That is what Jesus tells us to do.
Congress must end the administrations attack on Lutheran social service agencies and restore all funding.
Can I count on Congressperson/Senator ___________________________ to do the right thing, use all means in their power to restore funding, and fight back on behalf of the vulnerable?”
I don’t know who my congresspeople are. How can I find out who they are and get their contact info?
There are lots of directories on the web. I like the directory at Common Cause because it gives you phone numbers for all representatives on federal, state, and local levels. https://www.commoncause.org. You can then use links to your representatives’ home pages to find fax numbers.
Are there other online tools I can use to contact my representatives?
Yes (I’m offering information, not endorsements here).
Send a fax to your representatives with FreeFax (they indicate who does and who does not accept faxes)
You can send a message to your two senators and congressperson at the same time with democracy.io: https://democracy.io
There are other services online that you can use for a fee like Resistbot.
Have questions or need help?
You can message me on Facebook (Stephanie P. Jaeger) or Bluesky (@jaegerpastor.bsky.social)