Nordic Luther Aid was founded 2011 in order to facilitate individuals and congregations to take part in aid that is based on the Gospel and that considers the whole person both in everyday life and in connection with disasters.
Aim
On the basis of confessing Christ and our calling in the Gospel, our aim is to support people, irrespective of religion, in their efforts to free themselves from poverty, ill-health and social need, and also give them the opportunity to receive Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and live in a Christian fellowship.
Donation
IBAN: SE57 9500 0099 6026 0628 6942
BIC (Bank Identifier Code) (SWIFT): NDEASESS
We pass on to others what we have received
When the Christian human organization Lutherhjälpen (Luther Aid) was founded in 1947 the main focus was on development aid and disaster response. In the beginning the main focus lay on post-war Europe, but later expanded to include other parts of the world. The ministry was based on the Gospel but the organization did humanitarian aid, not missionary work. In the year 2008 Lutherhjälpen was merged with Svenska kyrkans mission (Swedish Church Mission), founded in 1874. The last few years of the organizations’ existence the connection with the roots, as well as the evangelical vision, became weaker and many churchgoing Christians gradually lost confidence in the work. It became hard to see the big picture, and many times, what you did see you no longer recognized from what you grew up with. (Today the name of the organization is the Church of Sweden’s International Work.)
This is the reason Nordic Luther Aid was founded in 2011, in order to provide a channel for humanitarian aid for Christians who wish to continue their giving in a spirit of faithfulness to the Gospel. Even though many individual projects had been around for a long time there was a need for a unifying Swedish organization deserving the genuine trust of its givers. The re-using of the old name is a way to connect to the aforementioned roots, historically and ideologically.
Nordic Luther Aid has a stable foundation. We believe the entire Bible to be God’s Word to all people. Through the Gospel God calls us by grace to serve our fellow human. With Jesus as our role model we can be like the Good Samaritan.
Unlike e.g. Svenska kyrkans internationella arbete (the Church of Sweden’s International Work) and many non-profit foundations involved in humanitarian aid, Nordic Luther Aid is a democratic association of which it is possible to obtain membership and the right to vote. The organization is built on the involvement of the grassroots, without remunerations and salaries.
We have made a deliberate choice not to run our own projects, but rather to focus on being a unifying channel in order to transfer funds to those actively involved on the field.
We want the projects we support to be built on biblical ethics. To clarify this, and as a means towards strengthening the givers’ confidence in us, we are developing a policy document. We want to make sure that the funds go to humanitarian aid only, while the Gospel of Christ must be at the centre of all projects receiving our support.
Nordic Luther Aid is currently (in Sweden) the only non-denominational Lutheran organization channeling disaster relief. Maybe it’s precisely in the event of a disaster that the demand for meeting physical and material needs as well as communicating, with our presence, the hope found in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior becomes most obvious.
Due to us being a small organization we can maintain a close relation to both givers and receivers of aid. We strive to be economical and careful so that gifts will not be squandered through unnecessary bureaucracy.
Certainly the question can be raised why one couldn’t just give money to the projects directly, without a middle hand. Of course that is possible, but not everyone is able to collect the necessary information about various projects, nor willing to give money here and there without a plan. Furthermore, not everyone has the possibility to make foreign payments i.e. for disaster relief. It should not be complicated to give. And it’s a joy to be able to give together!
The positive response we get from individuals and the increasing church collections we receive tells us that Nordic Luther Aid serves a purpose. It is now of utter importance that we continue to be good stewards of what has been entrusted to us, and that, being true to the Gospel, we pass on to others what we have received.