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Global conflict risks escalating extremism, LWF President warns in France

LWFThe Lutheran World Federation (LWF) President Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan, has warned while on a visit to France that globalized conflict is increasing Islamophobia and anti-Semitism and threatening civil liberties in Europe and North America.

“If we are seeing a self-fulfilling prophecy of clashing civilizations, extremisms of all sorts are strengthened as identities become more polarized,” said Younan, a Palestinian who heads the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.

He spoke on 4 March at the Paris headquarters of the Protestant Federation of France (FPF), during a meeting the FPF organized in association with the Friends of Sabeel France, which supports the Sabeel ecumenical liberation theology center in Jerusalem.

He called for a new, concerted effort to renew global commitment to confront the destructive cultural impulses of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, which “are two sides of the same coin.”

The Holy Land bishop said he was convinced that faith institutions, including churches, have a responsibility to strengthen political and religious moderates throughout the world, as the clearest way to diminish the appeal of extremism. “This is not a wishy-washy moderation; it is instead a robust moderation that claims the mandate of faith and defends the wellbeing of all people, not only Christians.”

Text and photo from LWF news release. Click here for full text.

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Lenten advocacy reflection: What Jesus never teaches

By the Rev. Sara Lilja
Director, Lutheran Episcopal Advocacy Ministry of New Jersey

saraThis line from the Gospel of John, “you always have the poor with you,” has been often misquoted. I hear this text cited as justification for inadequate public policy efforts to eradicate poverty. But it is a misread of the text.

Lazarus hosted a dinner six days before Passover. After the meal, Judas criticized Mary for having spent nearly a year’s wages to purchase beautifully perfumed oil to anoint Jesus’ feet.  Jesus defended Mary’s actions; he reminded the gathered disciples that he would not be with them much longer (knowing that his arrest was near). So Mary’s anointing was appropriate. Continuing, Jesus added that there would be many more opportunities to address the needs of the poor in Bethany.

The narrator of this story, John, comments that Judas was mad because he kept the “common purse,” which was money to be used to care for the poor. John asserts that Judas had been stealing money from this purse. Judas would have liked Mary to make a large donation into the purse rather than spending it on oil, so that he could skim more for himself.

Jesus never teaches that God intends or is pleased with an economically stratified society where some are wealthy and some poor. Jesus’ acknowledgment of the needs of the poor should never be understood that he condoned poverty. No, over and over again we learn of Jesus’ intention to close the wealth gap by paying workers a fair wage, forgiving debt, and welcoming the disenfranchised into community.

The conversation that might appropriately grow from this text is: What are the opportunities to serve the poor in Bethany and within my neighborhood so that all people might be economically self-sufficient? A pastor friend of mine recently wrote to his senator, “I’m hoping to work my way out of the food pantry business. Not because I don’t care, but because I believe finding a solution for hungry families is not to continue sharing food, but to help all people buy their own. Equity, love and unbiased fairness are essential to ending the gap between those [who] eat and those [who] don’t. We are committed to feeding families, but we are also committed to advocating for policies and legislation that work for the good of the whole.”

A prayer for people:

For people in poverty, who live in a state of illiteracy and frustration.

For men whose labor is less valued and exploited because they are unskilled.

For boys who have migrated to cities, other countries and continents in search of  jobs to improve the economic conditions of their families, but they are landed in the most strenuous, the dirtiest and lowest paid jobs.

For women who suffer at the hands of their in-laws, because of her dowry and other cultural and family traditions.

For children who are suffering in pain and misery because of illness and malnutrition due to poverty.

For couples who are deprived of mutual love and close bonds of fellowship because of separation and divorce.

For the differently abled who struggle for dignity, equality and for meaningful work.

For public officials who are working in affairs of policy and decision making.

For all people who endeavor to eradicate poverty.

Amen.

Based on Beulah Shakir’s prayer, who lives in Pakistan


Our ELCA Advocacy initiatives are made possible through support from ELCA World Hunger. As we near the end of this Lenten season, register yourself or your congregation for ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving! to ensure that we can continue to work for systemic change that truly supports our brothers and sisters facing poverty and hunger. 

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March 13, 2016, Show Some Respect!

Kris Litman-Koon, Columbia, SC

Warm-up Question

What are some customary ways that our culture “pays respect” upon the death of an individual?

Show Some Respect!

Recently, a student from McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester, NY caught wind of a ministry in Ohio that he felt could be done with some of his friends. So he recruited some fellow classmates to begin a unique ministry: students volunteering to serve as pall bearers for deceased homeless individuals.

shutterstock_92893804Those of us who have families on whom we can depend may not be aware that there are plenty of others in our society who – for various reasons – no longer have a family or friends for support. If homelessness becomes a part of the equation and the individual dies, there might not be a known next-of-kin. In these circumstances, little can be afforded to “pay respect” to the individual and often there is no one in attendance at the burial.
The students from McQuaid desired to change that in their community. They let it be known that they are willing to serve as pall bearers for homeless individuals in their hometown. It would be their way of showing respect for a life that should not be defined by the fact that this person died in a state of homelessness.

Recently, the students were able to act on their offer to be pall bearers. A local shelter reached out to the students to see if they would help with the burial of a man known as Big Shawn. The students agreed, and McQuaid senior Andrew Vaccaro reflected, “We all went into it with the understanding that we were doing something that was sacred for this person.”

Not only did the students carry the coffin to the grave, but they learned about Big Shawn’s life and they offered their own prayers. “We had an image of a person that needed people,” said Vaccaro. “Being able to do that service for him in the end was an incredibly powerful thing.” Fellow student Ian Gonzalez added, “Hopefully we can show these people respect in life, not only after they die.”

Discussion Questions

  • What are some words that you would use to describe the actions of these student volunteers from McQuaid?
  • Although Big Shawn and others may die in homelessness, do you think their story is bigger than that?
  • Openly reflect on the ways that the community of people around you – family, friends, school, congregation, etc. – supports you in various ways. Are you able to fathom not having any of that support network in your life?
  • Do you think Big Shawn would appreciate the actions of these strangers? How are the actions of the students reflective of Christian thinking? [The poor are not lesser people; all life is valued; God is capable of making community where there once was no hope of community.]

Fifth Sunday in Lent

Isaiah 43:16-21

Philippians 3:4b-14

John 12:1-8
(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year B at Lectionary Readings
For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

In our gospel passage, Mary takes costly perfume and anoints Jesus’ feet with it, even using her hair to do so. This is her way of showing her deep appreciation to Jesus (he had recently raised her brother, Lazarus, from the dead). In verse seven, Jesus reveals to us that this act of anointing is a way of preparing for Jesus’ own burial, whether Mary knew that or not. In our language today, this was an act is one way of “paying respect.”

Judas has a fit over Mary’s display of reverence. His argument is that the money for the oil would be best used for the poor. That is his public argument, but we are told his intentions were to keep the money for himself. Jesus disputes Judas, saying, “You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
So we have two themes that unfold in this gospel passage. First, we can discuss Mary’s use of her resources when she decides to show reverence to Jesus by anointing his feet with costly oil. Second, we have Jesus making a statement about the poor among us. Are these two themes opposed to one another? I don’t believe they are. Are these themes related? I believe the answer is yes.

When Jesus disputes Judas, Jesus is paraphrasing a section of scripture (in bold) from Deuteronomy 15. In this section of Hebrew scripture, the people are being reminded of God’s generous offerings to them, notably their release from Egyptian slavery, and how God’s generosity should be the source of their generosity.
7If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor. 8You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be. 9Be careful that you do not entertain a mean thought, thinking, “The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,” and therefore view your needy neighbor with hostility and give nothing; your neighbor might cry to the Lord against you, and you would incur guilt. 10Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. 11Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, “Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.”
~Deuteronomy 15:7-11

Note the ending of that statement: because the poor will always be present, “open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.” It can be easy to misinterpret Jesus’ statement in John 12:8 as an excuse to not care for the poor, but that is not his point. His point is that the act of anointing was to prepare him for his burial. This anointing is a timely act of reverence, and therefore should be done. Deuteronomy 15:7-11 informs us that the Israelites could show their reverence to God through the way that they thought about and responded to those in need in their communities.

What does all this mean for us today? As Christians, we have been brought into the fold of God’s people through baptism. Our lives – similar to the lives of the Israelites – are lived in response to the grace and generosity that God shows us. Everything in our lives – including life itself – are gifts from God, and we are supposed to be tend to these gifts and see that they are used properly, because they ultimately belong to God.

This means that the way we live our lives is a way of showing reverence to God. Since showing reverence to God is at the heart of what worship is, the way you live your life is an act of worship. All of the ways that you spend your time, your talents, and your treasures (or “the time, talents, and treasures that God has entrusted to you”) are important to God because through all of these you are capable of showing reverence to God.

The point Jesus makes in the gospel passage is that Mary is showing reverence to God by her act of anointing Jesus’ feet with oil. The way that we live our lives should show reverence to God in all the things that we do. This includes (but is not limited to) the way that we view and interact with individuals who are poor in our communities. The act of the McQuaid students to be pall bearers for their community’s homeless individuals is a choice of how they use their time and talents in order to show reverence to God and to God’s values. Ultimately, the students’ actions are an act of worship directed toward God.

Discussion Questions

  • The gospel passage tells us how Mary responded to Jesus raising Lazarus, and it tells us how Judas responded to Mary anointing Jesus’ feet. There were also other people present in the story: Martha, Lazarus, and presumably other disciples. Put yourself in their shoes; how would you have responded to the raising of Lazarus and to the anointing?
  • Why do you think it is so easy to be “hard-hearted or tight-fisted” (Deut. 15:7) toward others around us? What does this say about our view of ownership of our possessions; are they ours, or do they belong to God? If they are God’s, what does it mean that they are entrusted to us?
  • Name some of the common ways that we use our time, talents, and treasures in any given day (e.g. studying, meals, conversations, etc.). With these in mind, what are some ways that we show our reverence to God through these common activities, and what are some ways that we might fail to be reverent?

Activity Suggestion

Brainstorm together some ways that individually and collectively you can “open your hand” (Deut. 15:8) of time, talents, and treasures to live out God’s values of generosity. What are some ideas that you have for showing reverence to God through your care of others, especially those in need in your community?

Closing Prayer

Pray together the prayer “Blessed are you, O God” on page 107 in Evangelical Lutheran Worship. This prayer is written for the beginning of the communion liturgy, but it speaks of the generous gifts that God gives us, and how these gifts are intended to be used.

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Lutheran leader speaks out against methane pollution

Earlier this month, the Rev. Nelson Bock, co-director of Wartburg West,  testified at a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) hearing in Colorado. At the hearing, Pastor Bock voiced the faith community’s concern for God’s Creation, and his support for a proposed rule that would reduce Methane Emissions on Public and Tribal Lands. You can learn more about the BLM proposed rule at the Dept. of Interior by clicking here. 

Lakewood,  CO  March 1, 2016

I am a Lutheran minister, and I teach on the subject of religion and the environment for a Lutheran college. I am also a GreenFaith fellow, having graduated from the GreenFaith program for religious environmental leadership in 2008. And I am a member of the Board of Directors of Colorado Interfaith Power and Light, one of 40 IPL state affiliates working with communities of faith to lessen the impacts of climate change through education, through taking action to reduce their own carbon footprints, and through advocacy for more environmentally responsible policies at every level of government. We do this out of our conviction that we human beings have a divine calling and responsibility as caretakers of the creation– the beautiful, intricate, interdependent web of life and natural resources upon which all life, including our own, depends.

We cannot pretend that our activity on the earth has no impacts and no consequences. Indeed, our own well-being as a human community is dependent on the well-being of the ecosphere of which we are a part.

In addition to what we know about the emission of carbon dioxide by the burning of fossil fuels, including natural gas, and its affect on the climate, we also know that methane is itself a greenhouse gas at least 25 times more potent than CO2, and that the increasing leakage of methane into the atmosphere in connection with drilling and fracking activities has become a growing problem as we seek ways to limit emission of greenhouse gases. We must have strong regulations by which we can enforce the need for such limits.

I also have personal testimony on the topic of methane leakage. My wife and I own property in the North Fork Valley on the western slope of Colorado. Last year, as we were driving through the national forest on Stevens Gulch Road south from County Road 265, we turned off on a Forest Service Road. As we drove along, we began noticing a strong smell of fumes. We rolled down the windows, but the smell was coming into the car from outside, so we rolled the windows back up.Soon we came to a place where the road was blocked and a man who was not wearing a Forest Service uniform told us the road was closed and we had to turn around. When we asked why the road was closed, he told us they were drilling a mile or so down the road. So we turned around and drove back to 265. The strong smell persisted, and we began experiencing headaches and nausea. As we continued to drive away, about 15 minutes later both the smell and the symptoms of illness were gone. Our suspicion was and is that they were caused by hydrocarbons leaking from that well, and we will do whatever we need to in order to prevent further drilling for oil and natural gas without those stringent safeguards.

Thank you.

The Rev. Nelson Bock


Interested in hearing more faith perspectives on the BLM Methane Rule? Read more, including thoughts from Lutheran Pastor David Nichols, by clicking here

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March Advocacy Update

Lutherans are taking action across the country! Below you will find our monthly State Advocacy Newsletter. Share with your friends!

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Washington, D.C. – Amy Reumann, Director of Advocacy

www.elca.org/advocacy

LOGUMLENTEN ADVOCACY REFLECTION SERIES: During Lent, ELCA Advocacy is sharing weekly advocacy reflections from state and national policy staff. You can read the first Lenten Advocacy Reflection on Ash Wednesday and other weekly reflections at the ELCA Advocacy Blog.

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING: On Feb. 1, the House of Representatives passed the Trafficking Prevention in Foreign Affairs Contracting Act (H.R. 400), a bill that seeks to ensure the U.S. government does not contract with companies and organizations that employ trafficked people at U.S. embassies and other governmental posts.

The legislation would require the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department to give recruiters and contractors clear guidelines so that our government’s employment practices overseas do not support debt bondage, one of the tools traffickers use to trap people into this appalling and illegal practice. The bill has been referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate for further consideration.

#ELCAVOTES: With the 2016 elections right around the corner, we are called to conversation and prayer around our role as U.S. residents and as people of faith in ensuring our election systems promote dignity and respect for all. As part of this initiative, the ELCA is involved in planning and implementing the 14th annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days gathering April 15-18. People of faith will speak against the suppression of political and economic rights and the corporate undermining of the voice of ordinary people in the U.S. and around the world.

Through prayer, worship, advocacy training, networking and mobilization with other Christians, the gathering will face the reality of racism, class and power impacting politics and policies and will advocate for the liberty of “Every Voice!” – all culminating with Congressional Lobby Day on Capitol Hill. Interested advocates can sign up for the ELCAvotes updates here, and join ELCA Advocacy in Washington, D.C., for the Ecumenical Advocacy Days at advocacydays.org/.

UPDATES AND ACTION ON FLINT, MICH.: Last month, the Rev. Jack Eggleston of the Southeast Michigan Synod shared his experience of visiting Flint, Mich., which has an ongoing water crisis. With some government support and generous response from the synod, ELCA World Hunger, and people around the ELCA, Salem Lutheran Church is now one of the largest distributors of fresh bottled water in the city. Michigan Democrat Sen. Debbie Stabenow and several Midwest Republicans have since proposed legislation that would procure funding for Flint and cities facing similar lead crises. You can take action on the Flint assistance bill at the ELCA Advocacy Action Center, and read the full version of Pastor Eggleston’s reflection at the ELCA Advocacy Blog.

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New York, NY – Dennis Frado​, Lutheran Office for World Community

COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN: The 60th session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place at the United Nations in New York March 14 – 24. The theme is women’s empowerment and its link to sustainable development. Delegates will also review the 57th session agreed conclusions on the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls.

LOWC will host 35 Lutheran delegates, including representatives from The Lutheran World Federation  member churches in Brazil, Indonesia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi and the U.S., as well as the Geneva communion office. LOWC will also co-sponsor several side events with the World Council of Churches, ACT Alliance, Islamic Relief Worldwide, World Young Women’s Christian Association (World YWCA), and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Council.

DPINGO BREIFING ON GLOBAL MIGRATION: On Feb. 18, Nicholas Jaech of the Lutheran Office for World Community attended a briefing by the U.N. Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental Organizations on the current global migration crisis. This briefing aimed to educate NGOs on refugees fleeing conflict and war, but emphasis was also made on people displaced as a result of climate change and natural disasters.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees representative reiterated some sobering statistics: 60 million people are currently forcibly displaced, which is the highest number since World War II. In 2014, 42,500 people were forced to flee their homes every day, and there were a total of 13.9 million newly displaced people, which is four times higher than in 2013. The European Union representative noted Europe’s “legal and moral obligation” to provide protection to these refugees and called on the European Union to reform its migration management systems.

The UNICEF representative noted that of the 4.7 million refugees in Syria, half are children. She also noted that in 2015, 39,000 unaccompanied children were apprehended at the U.S./Mexico border. She outlined UNICEF’s support, including technical assistance for coordination, access to education, reuniting children with parents and psychological support for children.

ZIKA BRIEFING: On Feb. 16, LOWC attended a briefing on the Zika virus by the U.N. Economic and Social Council. The World Health Organization announced that 34 countries have reported cases of the  virus, while an additional six countries have indirect evidence of local transmissions. They noted that the virus is spread by the Aedes mosquito and the geographical spread of the virus will continue in countries where this mosquito is found. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spoke about efforts to work with international public health partners to detect and report cases and support diagnostic testing and the development of new technologies.

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California – Mark Carlson, Lutheran Office of Public Policy

www.loppca.org

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION: February opened with an Early Childhood Education Advocacy Day at the Capitol. Sponsors included the California Association for the Education of Young Children and the California Alternative Payment Association, two professional organizations that relate to services provided by many ELCA-affiliated preschools and child care centers. Other sponsoring organizations represented providers who lease church facilities for Head Start and State Preschool. LOPP-CA Director Mark Carlson’s legislative-visit team members were private providers from San Luis Obispo and San Diego and appreciated the “tour guide” services and “moral” support. A briefing from the speaker-elecact and legislative budget staff provided context for Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to consolidate early childhood funding in block grants to local education agencies, potentially threatening the diverse mix of providers. Although $276 million of the $1 billion in recession era cuts was restored last year, the governor’s proposal is mainly seen as a cost-containment strategy and not a commitment to reach the tens of thousands of unserved eligible low-income children.

Late in February, the annual Watercooler Conference of early education stakeholders drew about 400 people to Sacramento, sponsored by First Five California, the state Department of Education, and The Advancement Project, a civil rights organization. Attendees heard from legislative leadership, administration officials, authors and academics, including a keynote by the director of the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality. Early brain development and the toxic effects of poverty were once again emphasized, along with the importance of wealth redistribution programs like the earned income tax credit.

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Colorado – Peter Severson, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Colorado

www.lam-co.org

FAITH ADVOCACY DAY: Faith-based advocates from across Colorado joined together at Colorado Faith Advocacy Day on Feb. 20. Under the theme “Income Inequality: Who Gets Left Behind?,” the attendees were addressed by keynote speaker Rep. Faith Winter, who shared her experience working in public policy at the municipal and state levels trying to ensure that low-income women and families aren’t left behind.

coPanelists from the Colorado Fiscal Institute, 9to5 Association of Working Women, and Family Promise of Greater Denver helped illuminate different aspects of the issue. Thanks to all who attended! Be sure to join us again next time.

LEGISLATION: Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-Colorado is working hard on our legislative advocacy agenda as the session nears its halfway point. We are supporting HB 1050, which creates a task force to identify child care barriers for low-income parents returning to school; HB 1004, which creates measurable goals for the state’s climate action plan; HB 1227, which exempts teen parents and victims of abuse and violence from the requirement to pursue child support from non-custodial parents in order to receive child care assistance,and several other proposals yet to be introduced, including renewal of the state’s low-income housing tax credit. LAM-CO testified with a broad coalition against SB 64, which would have removed the requirement for jury unanimity to impose the death penalty. The bill was defeated by a bipartisan vote.

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Illinois – Lutheran Advocacy Illinois

www.lutheranadvocacy.org

Lutheran Advocacy – Illinois closed in February.  A message sent out to its network made the following announcement: Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) has been put in the challenging position of responding to the extended state budget impasse and continuing to provide services to those in need. A plan was created to restructure services for the viability and continuation of the organization, resulting in the closure of more than 30 programs and the elimination of more than 750 positions. As a result of these closures, approximately 4,700 people will no longer receive services from LSSI.

One of the positions eliminated was Jennifer De Leon’s, who was the LSSI director of government relations that included being the director of Lutheran Advocacy-Illinois, the ELCA’s public policy office in Illinois. We want to thank Jennifer for the tireless work she did advocating for the most vulnerable in the state. She has been a powerful voice bridging the gap between legislators and the church for more than 11 years. Jennifer has been a true asset and blessing not only to LSSI, but to Lutheran Advocacy-Illinois. From this point forward, Lutheran Advocacy-Illinois will be disbanded. We encourage you to continue to reach out to your legislators and continue to advocate and pray for those whom Jesus called the least of these.

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New Mexico – Ruth Hoffman, Lutheran advocacy Ministry New Mexico

www.lutheranadvocacynm.org

NMOn Feb. 4, Rocky Mountain Synod Bishop Jim Gonia hosted the LAM-NM Bishop’s Legislative Luncheon and Issues Briefing. In the morning briefing, more than 100 advocates gathered to learn more about legislative issues, and about 140 attended the luncheon. Lutherans were joined by many ecumenical partners at both events.

The 2016 session of the Legislature is history. Sessions in even-numbered years are so-called “short sessions” in which the passing of the state budget is the main focus. As the price of oil continues to tumble, the budget passed and sent to the governor made cuts of more than $100 million and used one-time funds to avoid deeper cuts. New Mexico is overly dependent on oil and natural gas revenue after slashing personal and corporate income taxes over the last 12 years. While Medicaid received about $20 million in additional funding, the program was directed to take cost-containment actions, which could impact benefits and enrollment. LAM-NM was able to successfully advocate for a small increase in the state-funded SNAP supplement program for seniors and people with disabilities.

A constitutional amendment to reform the state bail system passed and will be on the general election ballot in November. LAM-NM particularly supported changing the state constitution so that non-dangerous defendants cannot be detained pre-trial because they can’t post a bond. LAM-NM was also part of a coalition that successfully supported the passage of driver’s license changes, which maintained the authorization for undocumented immigrants to retain and obtain driver’s licenses.

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Pennsylvania – Tracey DePasquale, Interim-Director

www.lutheranadvocacypa.org

PA1Eight months into a fiscal year with no budget and in the midst of a debate over ousting Pennsylvania’s embattled attorney general, LAMPa and ecumenical partners offered “Ashes to Go” at the state Capitol. The prayer and marking of the start of Lent was met with gratitude, even by those who did not receive. See coverage here and here.

On Feb. 17, Interim Director Tracey DePasquale and Alaide Vilchis Ibarra of the D,C, office taught a class of first-year field education students at Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg about advocacy in the ELCA.

On Feb. 22, Tracey accompanied Lutherans from the West Berks Mission District and LIRS at a rally to protest the continued operation of the Berks County Family Detention Center, whose state license had expired the day before. The facility houses undocumented immigrant families. She also participated in environmental advocacy training with PA-Interfaith Power and Light held at the Northeast Pennsylvania Synod offices. pa3

On Feb. 23, Tracey accompanied Joyce Ray, Lower Susquehanna Synod Women of the ELCA president, to meet with Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Stewart Greenleaf about Safe Harbor legislation.

Registration has opened for Lutheran Days in the Capital: “Stirring the Waters – Faith, Science and Action!” The event is part of the Gettysburg seminary’s Spring Academy Week and features advocacy training and celebration, an ELCA Glocal event in the Capitol Rotunda, and a canoe trip guided by the secretary of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

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Virginia – Kim Bobo, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

Neill Caldwell, Communications Director

http://www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org/ 

The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy and the Virginia Consumer Voices for Healthcare co-sponsored a press conference on Feb. 17 at the General Assembly Building in Richmond, featuring several faith leaders who had signed a letter to the legislators asking them to close the Medicaid coverage gap. They were only a representation of the nearly 300 religious leaders who signed the letter. “How is it that living in this great and blessed commonwealth of ours, Virginia, that in the midst of all of this greatness, we are giving consensus to allowing more and more of our citizens to fall into vulnerability?” said Imad Damaj, founder of the Virginia Muslim Coalition for Public Affairs.

An estimated 400,000 Virginians fell into an insurance coverage gap created when the state did not expand Medicaid as the Affordable Care Act intended. A 2012 ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court made Medicaid expansion optional for states. Advocates say the lack of Medicaid expansion has left some of the most vulnerable people out of luck when it comes to health insurance coverage, as they are not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid and they don’t earn enough to qualify for subsidies to buy insurance on the health insurance exchanges. Virginia’s Republican-controlled House and Senate have rebuffed attempts by Gov. Terry McAuliffe to expand Medicaid. The House of Delegates instead has offered additional funding to free clinics around the state. “Funding for more clinics is a woefully inadequate response” to the crisis, Kim Bobo, the new executive director of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, said in response.

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Washington – Paul Benz, Faith Action Network

www.fanwa.org

Our Legislature’s 60-day session began on Jan. 11 and will be over soon; the last day is March 10. Three weeks ago, Faith Action Network (FAN) gathered 270 advocates together from 39 of our 49 legislative districts for Interfaith Advocacy Day, during which advocates attended 108 meetings with legislators or their staff.WA1

Some of FAN’s key bills that are still alive include:

  • Breakfast After the Bell, which increases access to breakfast for kids from economically disadvantaged households.
  • The Voting Rights Act, which will address disenfranchisement within communities of color caused by broken election systems and will allow jurisdictions to find solutions that work for that community.
  • The Use of Deadly Force Task Force will bring recommendations for better police-community standards.
  • School vouchers for homeless youth.WA2

FAN coordinated a meeting of religious leaders with the governor, where a main topic was about the divisiveness between parties in the Legislature. Afterward, the group issued a statement on the need for civility in the political process.

After the legislative session, FAN staff look forward to denominational spring assemblies and beginning our issue work groups (economic justice, the environment, and health care, etc.) at our four regional summits in Spokane, Seattle, Vancouver, and Yakima.

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Wisconsin – Cindy Crane, Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin

www.loppw.org

February was a significant month in the Wisconsin Legislature.

PROTECTING CHILDREN: The Assembly and Senate passed a significant anti-trafficking bill LOPPW supported. AB 737 has about two-thirds of the Safe Harbor bill, including sex trafficking added to the definition of child abuse, a mandate that law enforcement report suspected child abuse by non-caregivers to the state Department of Children and Families, and additional funding to support victims of sex trafficking. LOPPW was present for the governor’s signing of SB 308, which will help fill gaps in child protection related to the appointment of a successor guardian for a child in need of protection or services.

FOOD SECURITY: We opposed AB 222 that would require recipients of FoodShare to use a photo ID. It passed the Assembly several months ago but recently stopped in the Senate (for now).

PRISON REFORM: We supported SB 280, which would return first-time, nonviolent 17-year-old offenders to the original juvenile justice system. An amendment was added in February, but the bill is still on hold. We supported SB 322, which would increase compensation for those wrongfully imprisoned and provide assistance for them after their release. The bill recently passed in the Assembly but has been referred to the Joint Committee on Finance.

WATER: We spoke against SB 432, which would streamline corporations’ ability to privatize public utilities and diminish our public voice in the process. We had concerns about costs, especially for people in poverty, and water safety. The bill died in the Senate.

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 What advocacy efforts are going on in your synod or state? We want to hear about it!

Contact us at washingtonoffice@elca.org ​​

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Lenten Advocacy Reflection: Poverty and Grace

By: Peter Severson, Director, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-Colorado for the Rocky Mountain Synod

peter

Few of Jesus’ parables are as familiar or artistically resonant as the parable of the prodigal son. Rembrandt immortalized it on canvas. Benjamin Britten set it to lyrics and music. Henri Nouwen wrote a spiritual autobiography around it. Of the multitude of literary and linguistic artifacts that the Bible has deposited into Western culture, the idea of the “prodigal son” is among the most well-known and well-trod.

All of which sometimes makes it hard to hear the parable with fresh ears. Those who grew up in the church will know the beats by heart. The son asks for his inheritance early. He travels to a distant land, squanders it all, and ends up destitute. He comes to his senses (or as the King James and NRSV say, “he came to himself,” Luke 5:17) and realizes that even his father’s servants have enough to eat, so he beats a quick retreat back to the old homestead and begs his father’s forgiveness. Whether the son’s plea is sincere or not, the father welcomes him back joyfully and promptly throws a huge party, fatted calf and all. The brother returns from the fields, sees the party in progress, and is more than mildly piqued at the excess of it all. Jesus wraps it up with the heart of the parable: The father has forgiven this son, who was dead and now has come back to life.

It’s a model of reconciliation and forgiveness, an almost staggering display of generosity of heart that is hard to imagine playing out in modern Western culture. In our culture, those who would presume to ask for an inheritance early would be looked on with suspicion and probably scorn. Anyone who would squander their resources in profligate depravity certainly deserves to live in destitution. And a son who would come home after all that and beg forgiveness, well … certainly no one is obligated to forgive him, even his own parents. These are the messages we’d most likely hear in the contemporary cultural moment.

As an advocate, I find myself hearing something new in the parable this time, and it comes from the juxtaposition of those culturally defined reactions with the beats of the story. Typically, this is read as a story that is principally about forgiveness and reconciliation. I still read it that way. But what if we read it also as a story about generosity and solidarity? A story where a person who has reached the depths of destitution is treated as still human, still worthy of welcome, still worthy of “caritas,” still worthy of grace?

Many advocates who work with and on behalf of people living in poverty will tell you that familiar tropes arise time and again among opponents who don’t want to change the system. Many people are comfortable with our economic status quo, and many believe in the ideology that our position in life is determined almost exclusively by our relative merit and skill in society. The poor, the argument continues, are largely in that condition by their own fault, and so a social program to assist them is predicated on a false assumption that they don’t actually deserve their destitution. This is the “bootstraps” mentality, which is especially prevalent here in the American West.

As I read this parable, however, I encounter something amazing: Here is a person who actually does create his own economic reality, and actually does squander all his resources and land himself in poverty – a far cry from the circumstances of virtually any impoverished family in the United States today, but with the same endgame of penury. And yet this son, who by all rights deserved to be mucking about in the sty with pigs, who deserved no “helping hand” up, is welcomed back with joy anyway. It doesn’t matter that he “brought it on himself” – grace and welcome and “caritas” are given freely. The older brother’s rage then becomes newly familiar, perhaps, as we see him frustrated that someone so reckless would be given help to be restored and made whole. Doesn’t he deserve to get left behind and trampled underfoot? How dare he be welcomed back? When we read with this lens, the parable becomes an even more deeply and radically counter-cultural message. It does everything that our modern competitive capitalist economy tells us not to do.

How rich in compassion is the father for his prodigal, profligate son. And how rich are we called to be with our impoverished neighbors, whose circumstances deeply resemble that of the son and yet did not arise by “squandering [their] property in dissolute living”? (Luke 5:13) Rather than viewing our neighbors as competition to be defeated, as discardable, as somehow less-than-human beings, what if we chose the way of Jesus? He asks us instead to be reconciled through him to all our neighbors, to be restored to right relationship. He asks us instead to be vessels of grace and mercy. May it be, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.


Our ELCA Advocacy initiatives are made possible through support from ELCA World Hunger. As we enter the season of Lent, register yourself or your congregation for ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving! to ensure that we can continue to work for systemic change that truly supports our brothers and sisters facing poverty and hunger.

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ELCA World Hunger “Big Game” Synod Challenge: Team Carolina and Team Denver Are Both Hunger “Champions”

ELCA World Hunger Big Game Synod Challenge

The Results Are In!

As the professional football season winds to a close each winter, fans across the country start planning parties large and small, usually with an abundance of pre-game snacks and treats, for the Big Game.  Jersey-clad diehards and fair-weather fans alike break bread, or more likely, wings and nachos, as they cheer on their favorite teams.  Amid piles of chips, dips, and rib tips, it can be easy to forget that so many people around the world and here in the United States often struggle to fill their own plates, let alone the plates of families and friends visiting for the Game.

This year, ELCA Lutherans worked to change that.  Team Carolina and Team Denver took part in ELCA World Hunger’s “Big Game” Synod Challenge to raise awareness and dollars to support ELCA World Hunger’s work in nearly 60 countries, including the United States. And the results are in!

It wasn’t quite the thumping we saw on the field, but Team Denver edged out Team Carolina to win this friendly competition.  Together, the teams and their supporters raised over $70,000, with Team Denver bringing in $35,621 and Team Carolina following closely with $34,672. Together with a few gifts that came in after the competition, over $77,012 were raised for ELCA World Hunger!  These gifts will support food pantries, jobs programs, shelters, health clinics, agricultural programs and much, much more.

How Did They Do It?

The Rocky Mountain, North Carolina and South Carolina Synods shared photos, videos and social media posts to get the word out and gifts in.  (Check out the Team Carolina video here, and the Team Denver video here.)  Here is where donations came from:

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Both teams took advantage of Team ELCA, a new online fundraising platform, that congregations, groups and individuals can use to support ELCA World Hunger.  By forming a team, you can invite friends, family and neighbors to join your efforts.  Team ELCA is a great way to draw others together in your event.  From birthdays to youth group overnights to synod-wide events like ELCA World Hunger’s Big Game Challenge, Team ELCA can be an important tool in expanding the reach of your efforts.  Learn more about Team ELCA with a handy tip sheet that can be found here (https://blogs.elca.org/worldhunger/files/2016/03/Team-ELCA-101-1.pdf).

Thank you to Team Denver and Team Carolina, and to everyone who joined in this tremendous effort!  Your support will help our church live out its call to be “church for the sake of the world” in communities facing hunger and poverty around the world.

 

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