We connect people with families and communities, empower them to live their fullest life possible and create a ripple effect of transformation. A social ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Samaritas is not just for Lutherans. The church has been meeting people’s needs since the early 1900s when a Lutheran "city missionary" arrived in Detroit to provide services to the poor. From the very beginning, Samaritas has reached out to individuals regardless of their religion, race, sexual orientation or ethnicity. Today, motivated to serve others as an expression of the love of Christ, Samaritas helps those in need regardless of religion, race, ethnicty or national origin.