– Theodore Kooistra

After a long day of working, I refilled my water bottle but was forced to empty it at the door of the stadium. This was one of the many things I vividly remember from my trip to Detroit.  That day, my group worked in a neighborhood to clean up trash. Countless areas in Detroit didn’t have city garbage disposal. So few people occupied spaces per block, that along with the cost of gas, waste companies would lose money driving out to pick up trash. Small and isolated neighborhoods also meant that sending police units to patrol the streets wasn’t efficient either. This set the stage for disorderly and dirty neighborhoods.

Each inhabited house had bags upon bags of garbage just sitting at the curb. All of the bags were in various stages of decay, with some bags even housing bees. Residing under the garbage were jungles of grasses, with weeds sprouting from the cracked sidewalks. Glass was all over the place.

When we learned that many people didn’t have running water because they couldn’t afford the bill, we immediately opened our bottles to share.

We learned later that day that often it was much easier to just leave a house abandoned than to file for bankruptcy. Those abandoned and unoccupied houses were falling apart. Often, houses were missing copper pipes as they were sold for money. These were only some of the looming complications that the people in our neighborhood explained.

Everyone tirelessly worked so we were exhausted, but enthused with what was accomplished.  Now you can imagine why my breath got caught in my throat while my water washed over the pavement.

However, being at the Gathering filled up the cups of those living in Detroit.

This is one of the transformational stories that overflowed me with love, reminding me of why I attended the Gathering.

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The ELCA welcomes our new additions-Haley Toresdahl, Caitlin Sellnow, and Phillip LaDeur to the ELCA World Hunger staff!
Learn more about them and their passions here!
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Haley Toresdahl
Hello! My name is Haley Toresdahl. I am originally from West Des Moines, IA and called Windsor Heights Lutheran Church my home congregation before moving to Chicago. I am a graduate of Roanoke College in Salem, VA where I studied Political Science. I then had internship experience with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Office and Feed the Children public policy office in Washington, D.C. as well as local community engagement that shaped my studies and understanding of domestic hunger and poverty.

I have had the incredible opportunity to serve as a Young Adult in Global Mission in the inaugural Cambodia country program following college. I also lived and served with Life With Dignity, a Cambodian organization focused on integrated rural development supported by gifts to ELCA World Hunger, and additionally taught English in the community. I am very excited to share these stories and experiences in my work with ELCA World Hunger and I’m grateful to be part of the ways ELCA World Hunger is working toward a world where all are fed.

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Caitlin Sellnow
Hi! My name is Caitlin Sellnow, and I joined the World Hunger team about a month ago as a Development Assistant. I’ll be helping mostly with congregational support. Before I joined the ELCA churchwide staff, I worked at the front desk of the Department of Molecular Biosciences at Northwestern University. (I learned a little bit about Molecular Biosciences there, but a lot more about making coffee for Molecular Bioscientists.) I am also still a student at Northwestern, working on a degree in creative nonfiction writing.

Before I moved to Chicago, I was a member of the Lutheran Volunteer Corps in Baltimore, where I worked as a Community Builder in a neighborhood called Remington. I helped with a lot of community dinners, homework clubs, vegetable giveaways and health fairs. I also tried to help low-income neighborhood residents access government resources, from housing grants to state IDs.

I don’t know how important my presence was to Remington, but I know that Remington was important to me. My work there connected me with people far outside of the Minnesota bubble where I grew up. That exposure made me uncomfortable at first, but it became crucial to the way I understand God and live out my own faith. Now, I’m excited to be part of a team that helps to connect other people in Lutheran Congregations with the wider world.

Outside of work and school, I spend time singing in choir, trying to de-stress my neurotic foster cat, and undertaking elaborate baking projects that never turn out quite like the pictures on Pinterest, but are delicious anyway. I am so honored to walk this road with all of you!

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Phillip LaDeur

Hello! I’m Phillip LaDeur and I am the new Program Assistant for World Hunger Education.  I am incredibly excited to be in this role and hope I can use my background in education to continue and grow the tremendous work my team has been engaged in.  Prior to this position, I was a special education teacher for a school district in Carol Stream.  Education has always been one of my greatest passions.  As an educator, I believe that education is a lifelong, intrinsic process that is chosen and driven by the learner.  I have been a public school teacher for the past three years, but have been involved in recreational and academic program development for the past seven years total.

In addition to my teaching career, I have been blessed to have a very involved volunteer life at Saint Andrew Lutheran Church in West Chicago.  I have been the volunteer youth pastor and have helped lead music worship there for the past four years and continue to enjoy spending as much time as I can in helping our congregation grow together.  Saint Andrew is involved in an amazing mission in trying to bring two communities together as one congregation. If you are ever interested in seeing a bilingual service in action, or are just in the area, let me know!

I love to share music and have been a part of the ELCA Glocal Musicians for the past two years.  I am currently trying to teach myself the banjo and ukulele with very little consistency and enjoy spending time with my fiancé in our home in Aurora. She is not so crazy about me not having summers off anymore, but despite that adjustment, I truly could not be more excited about having the opportunity to play a small role in this inspiring mission.

By Alexandra Perez

President Trump released his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2018 on May 23^rd. The budget reflects many of the promises that then-candidate Trump made to reign in non-defense spending. One area facing deep cuts is foreign assistance, which can be found in the budgets of the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Investment in foreign countries that are affected by poverty and lacking economic development have historically been welcomed on both sides of the aisle. President Trump’s proposal poses potential threats to this important support for many of the world’s most hungry, thirsty, poverty-stricken, and vulnerable.

The savings in President Trump’s budget proposal on foreign aid total about $19 billion. This would effectively cut out one third of the current budget, resulting in the elimination of important programs within the State Department and USAID. The proposal includes reductions in global health programs and the complete elimination of the Title II program (emergency and development food aid). To many of us, it is difficult to put into perspective what consequences these kinds of changes in our budget can have, because we are not directly affected.

Why should we care about what the Administration wants to cut internationally, as Americans and as Lutherans?

As Lutherans, we are called to live out our faith by ensuring justice in social structures, because the Church has the responsibility to do so.[1] We acknowledge that “massive hunger and poverty, alongside abundance and wealth, violate the bonds of our common humanity”[2]. This encourages us to protect basic resources, including nutritious food and clean water, for our most vulnerable brothers and sisters around the world.

Lutherans have long served our neighbors in other countries. Through ELCA World Hunger, Lutheran Disaster Response, and partner organizations, we support investments in agricultural and sustainability, address emergencies when they happen, and work to support the development of resilient communities. Our commitment to these efforts is enhanced by encouraging members of Congress to also support these programs through foreign aid.

Through foreign aid, displaced peoples in Sudan that are affected by current civil war can access nutritious food for their families and plan for a future with hope. With these same programs, those living in poverty in Bangladesh can receive agricultural training to be more self-sufficient. Reducing international poverty through food aid has positive benefits that help to stabilize many of the weakest regions by providing the necessities to survive, like food and water.

The current cuts proposed make up less than 1% of the U.S. budget, but have huge implications for those around the world who need assistance. The good news is that, these proposed cuts are just that, only proposals. The power to make final budget decisions rests with Congress. Since they are elected officials, we as voters also have influence over the process.

As disciples of Christ, we prayerfully use our voices to speak with those who are called to serve in public office. As the budget process continues to develop in upcoming months, it is important that we stand up for those who do not have as loud a voice by encouraging a budget that serves the common good, both domestically and internationally.

[1] Social Statement, “The Church in Society: A Lutheran Statement” (1991) p. 3

[2] Social Statement, “For Peace in God’s World” (1995) p. 15

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

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ELCA Advocacy Office, Washington, D.C.

The Rev. Amy Reumann, director

ELCA.org/advocacy

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS: Last month, presiding bishops of the ELCA and The Episcopal Church issued a joint invitation to a season of prayer, fasting and advocacy. Concerned about proposed deep cuts to programs that are vital to people struggling with poverty and hunger, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton shared a video inviting others to join her in a day of fasting each month, prayer and public witness. ELCA Advocacy and the Episcopal Office of Government Relations will share action alerts, resources, prayers and other ways to take action around the fasting days each month. More resources and information will be shared before the next fasting day on June 21.

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2017 ELCA HUNGER ADVOCACY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM: The ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellowship, a new program made possible by ELCA World Hunger, is a year-long transformative experience that combines leadership development and faith formation with impactful advocacy that moves us toward an end to hunger and a just world where all are fed. Hunger Advocacy Fellows will actively shape the ELCA’s understanding of what it means to be church as they gain experiences that utilize and develop their leadership abilities and gifts while serving in a Lutheran state advocacy office. 2017 placement sites include:

• LUTHERAN ADVOCACY MINNESOTA

105 University Ave W, St. Paul, Minn. www.lutheranadvocacymn.org

• TEXAS INTERFAITH CENTER FOR PUBLIC POLICY

200 E 30^th St, Austin, Tex. 78705 texasimpact.org

• VIRGINIA INTERFAITH CENTER

411 E Grace St, Richmond, VA 23219 www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org

To apply, visit ELCA.org/careers

PRESIDENT’S BUDGET REQUEST: President Donald Trump sent his 2018 budget request to Congress May 23 – a wish list of sorts that shares the administration’s hopes and priorities for the annual budget. The budget blueprint makes many cuts to non-military programs across-the-board, many of which would be devastating to poor and hungry people. Some signature programs, such as the Community Service Block Grants that address long-term poverty in local communities, have been completely “zeroed out” in the budget proposal.

For international development, Trump also proposed a 30 percent cut to foreign assistance programs, with some accounts faring worse than others. If enacted, emergency migration and refugee assistance, global health programs, development and humanitarian assistance would receive the most significant reductions. It’s unlikely that Congress will agree to cut foreign assistance funds by that much, however, because the scale of cuts being proposed is quite big, much advocacy is needed to maintain consistent funding levels. The budget-writers in Congress will be preparing their own plan within the next few weeks. ELCA Advocacy will be preparing action alerts around the appropriations process in the summer and fall.

METHANE SAFEGUARDS UPHELD IN CONGRESS: On May 10, the Senate’s vote to repeal the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Methane Waste Rule failed on the Senate floor by a vote of 51-49. The BLM methane rule reduces excessive greenhouse gas waste on federal land, requiring oil and gas operators to use up-to-date technologies to better control leaks and emissions. The protection of the methane rule is a legislative victory for care for creation advocates in the faith community. ELCA Advocacy, Lutheran professors and theologians, and other leaders have supported the rule with action alerts and testimonies since 2015. The Trump administration has issued a review of the rule, but it will likely be several years before it is completed.

PARIS AND U.N. CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE: ELCA Advocacy issued a statement June 1, following Trump’s decision to begin the process of withdrawing from the Paris Agreement. As believers in, but not of, the world, we pursue a multifaceted approach to living out our faith – modeling good stewardship of God’s creation through faith, policy, service and change.

ELCA Advocacy also attended the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, earlier this month. Progress was made on continuing the implementation of the Paris Agreement in advance of the COP23 meeting in November. Some of the areas being negotiated include maintaining transparency, climate finance and incorporation of gender policies.

CENTRAL AMERICA PRIORITIES: The U.S. and Mexico will be co-hosting a conference June 14-16 in Miami to discuss private investment and security goals around economic development and governance issues in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. ELCA Advocacy, along with other organizations sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson expressing concern over what appears as a discussion focused only on homeland security and militarization rather than prioritizing human rights and building an inclusive sustainable economy.

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Lutheran Office for World Community, United Nations, New York, N.Y.

Dennis Frado, director

CLIMATE CHANGE, MIGRATION AND DISPLACEMENT – NEW PERSPECTIVES ON REGIONAL APPROACHES TO CLIMATE-INDUCED MIGRATION, DISPLACEMENT AND RELOCATION: On May 22 and 23, U.N. University hosted an event on climate change, migration and displacement. The panel was research-focused, including panelists with scholarly expertise on the issue.

One of the main messages was that seasonal migration is becoming long-term migration, while internal migration is becoming cross-border migration. There exists a vicious cycle between human displacement and environmental degradation. Professor Maxine Burkett, global fellow of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, remarked that in her study of indigenous communities affected by climate change, the central tenant is  the community’s decision to migrate together, not as an individual or family decision. Dr. Susana Adamo, from the Center for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia University spoke of migration as a form of adaptation to climate change.

SECOND INFORMAL THEMATIC SESSION ON THE GLOBAL COMPACT ON MIGRATION: On May 22 and 23, member states held a second informal thematic session on: “addressing drivers of migration, including adverse effects of climate change, natural disasters and human-made crisis, through protection and assistance, sustainable development, poverty eradication, conflict prevention and resolution.” The session included robust participation by member states and members of civil society organizations.

The thematic session consisted of three panels: sustainable development and poverty eradication; human-made crisis as drivers of migration; and climate change as a driver of migration. An emphasis was put on the need for disaggregated data collection to influence global policy decisions and a need to revise national and international frameworks pertaining to migrants. Migration was emphasized as a vehicle for climate adaptation and development; while addressing the root causes of movement was the focus of many interventions. The ambassador of Finland reminded member states that neither the migration nor the refugee compact has a mandate to address the plight of internally displaced people, presenting a legal protection gap.

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California

Mark Carlson, Lutheran Office of Public Policy

loppca.org

SYNOD ASSEMBLIES: LOPP-CA Director Mark Carlson attended the Sierra Pacific, Pacifica and Southwest California Synod assemblies with a display and many opportunities for renewing and making new relationships. In Fresno, over 40 people attended a breakfast hosted by LOPP-CA that featured an attorney with the Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, a group working in the San Joaquin and Coachella valleys to promote environmental justice and civic engagement in historically disadvantaged communities.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: The deadline for passage of bills out of their house of origin was June 2, and legislation supported by LOPP-CA had mixed results.  Reform of the money bail system, which can drive people into poverty and disproportionately affects people of color, passed the Senate and is pending in the Assembly, where a similar bill failed to meet its deadline. SB 54, the California Values Act (“sanctuary state”) passed the Senate and is pending in the Assembly. A meeting on immigration between faith advocates and leaders and Gov. Jerry Brown’s staff is scheduled for later in the month. The Legislature has augmented what the governor included in his May budget proposal for legal and naturalization assistance for immigrants. The full budget is due on his desk by June 15, subject to line-item vetoes. Legislation to renew and update California’s climate change law has stalled, and the oil industry has launched a media campaign targeting swing legislators.

ADVOCACY DAYS: LOPP-CA participated in Early Learning Advocacy Day, LGBTQ Advocacy Day (immigration track), Immigrant Day, ENACT Day (food, health), and Free Our Dreams (Alliance of Men & Boys of Color and others), where Mark was a team “captain” for a group of high school students and their adult companion from San Diego. Mark introduced them to legislative staffer Eric Guerra, who is on the Sacramento City Council and was undocumented as a child (photo right).

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Colorado

Peter Severson, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry–Colorado

Lam-co.org

END OF SESSION: The Colorado General Assembly adjourned on May 10. Several LAM-CO supported bills were passed and signed by the governor. These included: HB 1002, Child Care Expense Income Tax Credit Extension; HB 1116, Continue Low-Income Household Energy Assistance; SB 207, Strengthen Colorado Behavioral Health Crisis System; SB 245, requiring landlords to give 21 days’ notice (up from seven days) to residents on leases of less than one year regarding end of lease or rent increases.

All four bills received bipartisan support in both chambers of the Legislature. We also were pleased that a bill we opposed was defeated. SB 003 would have repealed Colorado’s health benefit exchange without replacement. The bill was removed from consideration on the Senate floor, which likely means that it lacked votes to pass. A HUGE thank you to all the advocates who took action to oppose this bill!

IMPACT OF AHCA AND BUDGET PROPOSALS ON COLORADO: LAM-CO is deeply concerned about the American Health Care Act (AHCA) as well as the executive branch’s proposed federal budget. In Colorado, the AHCA would have disastrous effects on Medicaid recipients: nearly 600,000 Coloradans would lose coverage and Colorado would lose $14 billion in revenue by 2030. Budget proposals to shift the cost of food assistance to the states would cost Colorado $1.3 billion over 10 years, money the state does not have. We oppose the suggestion that vulnerable populations can be used as a “bargaining chip” in making severe cuts to our nation’s already feeble social safety net, on which so many hard-working Coloradans rely.

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Minnesota

Tammy Walhof, Lutheran Advocacy–Minnesota

lutheranadvocacymn.org

END OF LEGISLATIVE SESSION: Another year ending in chaos! Although both chambers finished their budget bills by Easter, leaders failed to include all parties in final negotiations. So the final weekend ended in a scramble to negotiate bills that could pass and survive veto threats. With a deadline looming, a “special session” was announced, “to start 12:01am Tuesday and end Wednesday at 7am.” It ended at 3:30 a.m. Friday!

AFFORDABLE HOUSING: Lutheran Advocacy-Minnesota supporters made many contacts with legislators (calls, emails, visits, Lutheran Leader Advocacy Day) and a letter from all six bishops (then leveraged by a House champion), that helped defeat attempted housing cuts. Our Homes for All coalition achieved $77 million for affordable housing in bonding, tens of millions higher than in initial bills. The Health and Human Services bill included serious cuts but added a one-time $2.5 million increase for programs we supported. Our action also protected the Minnesota Housing Challenge Fund and secured $2 million for CLASS Act to help homeless children excel in school (called “Homework Starts with Home” in the bill).

CREATION CARE: Clean energy and the environment did not fare as well, and the energy and environment bills took us backwards. Nevertheless, our advocacy combined with our partners, helped prevent some extremely harmful provisions, as the Environmental Quality Board was not eliminated and permit compliance is still under state regulation, rather than allowing polluters to police themselves.

Watch for more information coming soon in a newsletter and on our website!

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New Mexico

Ruth Hoffman, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry–New Mexico

lutheranadvocacynm.org/

SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE SESSION:  The Legislature met in a special session the final week of May. It passed and the governor signed bills to balance the state budget and restore funding to the legislative branch and all the state’s higher education institutions. The session was brief, about two days, and did not include comprehensive tax reform. LAM-NM joined other advocates in opposing any attempt to impose a tax on food. (Photo right: Ruth Hoffman, LAM-NM director, speaks at a news conference in opposition to a food tax, sometimes called a “tortilla tax.” The tortillas were donated to food pantries.)

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North Carolina

GeoRene Jones, North Carolina Justice & Advocacy Ministries

advocacy@NCLutheran.org

NORTH CAROLINA SYNOD ASSEMBLY: Justice and advocacy ministries were present and active during our 2017 Synod Assembly June 2-3. Voting members and visitors received information packets explaining ELCA Advocacy Ministries and could try out our new “NC Synod’s Got JAM” introductory slogan. Team members made themselves available at their exhibit table (photo right) to hear stories about social justice ministries active in congregations and offer ways to expand those ministries to include faith-based public policy advocacy.

IMMIGRATION: Lutherans are supporting ecumenical efforts for Juana Luz Tobar-Ortega, a wife, mother, grandmother, and North Carolina resident for more than 20 years. In 1993, she came to the U.S. seeking asylum from atrocities to indigenous peoples in Guatemala. Joining in prayers and a brief news conference, Juana entered sanctuary within St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Greensboro, this year on May 31. Her family and about 150 supporters traveled to the District Office of U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis to implore him to sponsor a private bill on her behalf. Beginning June 1, supporters will contact Tillis on Jueves for Juana (Thursdays for Juana) until the she is granted a stay of deportation. (Photo left: Juana Luz Tobar-Ortega, center, behind the podium, is surrounded by her family and supporters as she enters Sanctuary at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Greensboro on May 31.)

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Ohio

Nick Bates, The Hunger Network

hungernetohio.com

Faith leaders from across Ohio came to the Ohio Statehouse for a second “budget is a moral document” advocacy day. Our teams met with the offices of 13 Ohio senators. We encouraged them to eliminate a proposed funding cut for Ohio’s food banks and increase funding for the food banks. (Photo right: All Saints Lutheran Church members meet with state Sen. Stephanie Kunze, second from left, to discuss hunger issues.)

The Ohio Association of Foodbanks can purchase fruit, vegetables and meat from Ohio farmers at a reduced price and provide these goods to Ohioans in need through an extended network of food pantries. However, the Ohio House proposed a $1 million cut to these programs (over two years). Faith leaders and many others encouraged the Ohio Senate to restore this funding and increase funding by $5 million a year. The Senate and House must agree on a final version of their budget and send it to the governor by June 30.

Also, after more than a decade of tax cuts in Ohio, the state is bringing in much less money than expected. The governor has warned legislators that they must cut at least $800 million from his original proposal. It is immoral to balance the budget on the backs of low- and moderate-income Ohioans. We encourage our legislators to find new revenue to fill the budget holes. (Photo left: From left, the Rev. John Wallace, United Methodist Church, and the Rev. Larry Novak, ELCA, meet with state Sen. Troy Balderson to discuss hunger)

Want to get involved? Write a letter to your local newspaper today! You can see more on our website at .hungernetohio.com/letters-to-the-editor/.

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Pennsylvania

Tracey DePasquale, Lutheran Advocacy–Pennsylvania

Lutheranadvocacypa.org

Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda spoke of “Hope and Wisdom for Love that Seeks Justice” to a record gathering at Lutheran Advocacy Day in May. More than 170 attendees explored hope and moral-spiritual wisdom for meeting three confounding challenges for the church as it embodies God’s call to love neighbor with a love that seeks justice. Together, with the Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary theologian and author, we probed the questions of:

• How do we express, in Lutheran terms, that advocacy for justice is at the heart of being the church?
• How do we advocate for public policy that supports justice and earth-care while ALSO being a reconciling presence, bringing people together rather than driving them apart?
• Where is hope in the midst of so many powerful forms of injustice crashing in among us?

Through the keynote, worship, workshops and a celebration of advocates from each synod, we hope that the fruit of our time together will be increased hope and power for “being church together for the sake of the world.” (Photo right: Bishop Samuel Zeiser, left, presents the “Serve. Pray. Speak” award to the Rev. Paul Metzloff for his advocacy on behalf of the people and environment of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod.)

The LAMPa policy council met at the start of Lutheran Day and welcomed a new member, the Rev. Sarah Rossing, from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod, as well as two new interns: Travis Woodfield, ELCA seminarian at Wake Forest, and Vicar Ron Costen, who is an ELCA seminarian at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. The interns enabled LAMPa to have a presence at three assemblies the last weekend in May – as they and Director Tracey DePasquale participated in Lower Susquehanna, Northeastern Pennsylvania and Allegheny synod assemblies. (Photo left: Rev. Blair Morgan nails his advocacy commitment for the coming year to the “Wittenberg Door” at Lutheran Day of Advocacy in Pennsylvania.)

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Southeastern Synod

Hilton Austin

“WE ARE CHURCH FOR THE SAKE OF THE WORLD”: This was the theme of this year’s Southeastern Synod Assembly. The focus was on the many ways that congregations can get involved in advocacy to address the many root causes of hunger and poverty. From Bishop Julian Gordy’s opening in Plenary 1 to worship and workshops, the event was laser-focused on the mission of the church in bringing good news to the poor, proclaiming release to the captives, recovering sight to the blind, and to letting the oppressed go free. (Photo right: A graphic from a synod assembly presentation.)

ugee Service, John Moeller and Melanie Johnson with Lutheran Services of Georgia presented workshops on Circle of Welcome. Mary Campbell with ELCA AMMPARO moved between those workshops to our advocacy workshops to talk about Welcoming Congregations and the Guardian Angels ministries. Our policy council and ready bench leaders helped with our workshops, primarily focused on congregational advocacy, and helped staff our ELCA Advocacy exhibit; three of our synod hunger leaders staffed the ELCA World Hunger exhibit. The synod Green Team had a pre-assembly workshop, an exhibit, and maintained a resource room throughout assembly. We also officially rolled out our Congregational Advocacy Guide and our new database.

Another highlight of the assembly was the presentation of our new Robert S. and Jean E. Graetz Advocacy Award to Robert and Jean Graetz. Robert is a retired Lutheran pastor in Montgomery, Ala. He and Jean were involved in the Montgomery bus boycott with Martin Luther King Jr. and others. They have continued their work in advocacy over the last 62 years.
(Photo left: Robert Graetz, center, with Martin Luther King Jr., right)

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Virginia

Kim Bobo, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

virginiainterfaithcenter.org

In April, the General Assembly voted against Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s proposal to expand Medicaid to the 400,000 Virginians still left without access to health coverage. The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy was encouraged, however, when Republican leaders expressed willingness to look at ways to “close the coverage gap.” VICPP will encourage the newly formed joint legislative committee to consider how Virginia might tap federal dollars to expand health care access and will continue advocating with Virginia representatives at home and in Congress on health care access.

The center teamed up with the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington to encourage everyone to hold an Interfaith Welcoming Seder during the Passover season. The center created a model Seder service to use. VICPP is also sponsored a May Day rally for immigration rights and organized a protest of the White House travel ban on outside the courthouse where the Court of Appeals was debating it.

On June 11, Gov. McAuliffe signed into law a bill on driver’s licenses, legislation that the Virginia Interfaith Center worked for in the most recent session of the General Assembly. The Richmond VICPP chapter is partnering with the city’s Office of Community Wealth Building to develop a Living Wage Certification program. This is a voluntary program designed to recognize and promote employers that pay living wages. The Northern Piedmont Chapter hosted a “Removing Barriers to Affordable Healthcare” community forum.

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Washington

Paul Benz, Faith Acton Network

fanwa.org

STATE LEGISLATURE: The 2017 regular session ended April 23 with no biennial budget agreement, and we are now in our second 30-day special session. A group of 8 to 12 legislative leaders from both parties are working on a revenue solution to fund the state Supreme Court ruling regarding our K-12 public education system, as well as the regular budget.

CONGRESS: FAN has been holding letter-writing workshops at faith communities, including one in a Jewish congregation on raising the limit on the number of immigrants and refugees welcomed into the country, one at an urban ELCA congregation, and one at the Pacific Northwest Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Our primary issue is opposing President Trump’s proposed budget, as well as asking for co-sponsors for HR1276 to increase SNAP benefits. (Photo below: Members of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Bellevue wrote letters to their members of Congress.)

LOCAL (SEATTLE and KING COUNTIES): FAN supported a significant police accountability ordinance, which passed the Seattle City Council last month. The other key local issue is making our juvenile justice system more focused on treatment than on incarceration.

STATEWIDE INITIATIVES: These include: a bathroom-use initiative that discriminates against transgender people, which we oppose; an initiative to reform our state’s statute on the use of deadly force by law enforcement; and an initiative to institute a carbon tax.

REGIONAL SPRING SUMMITS: We were excited to gather with 30 advocates in Yakima and 20 in Spokane for conversations about the legislative session and strategizing for the year ahead. We will soon hold similar events in Vancouver and Seattle.

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Wisconsin

Cindy Crane, Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin                                    

Loppw.org

CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION: A resolution that would call for a U.S. constitutional convention passed through committee and will go to the floor. Only a few more states are needed to pass such a resolution to hold the second constitutional convention in U.S. history. Wisconsin is trying to limit the discussion at the proposed convention to balancing the federal budget.  LOPPW is concerned with two questions: 1) On whose backs would the budget be balanced? 2) How can any state manage how a constitutional convention would operate when there is no blueprint for it?  This is one of several good resources: States Likely Could Not Control Constitutional Convention on Balanced Budget Amendment or Other Issues

Representative Jimmy Anderson, Fitchburg, questioned how people in poverty would fare because of a constitutional convention. He specifically said he was worried that Social Security could be dismantled. He said such a convention would put our country at great risk. 

WATER:  LOPPW continues to work with the League of Conservation Voters and other groups advocating for a bill that would make it easier for public utilities to assist homeowners to remove lead from their pipes.

SYNOD ASSEMBLIES: In May, LOPPW had a presence at the Northern Great Lakes Synod Assembly in Marquette (photo, below, left), Mich., and the East Central Synod of Wisconsin Assembly in Green Bay (photo, below, right).

LOPPW met with the La Crosse Hunger team to explore advocacy around the upcoming Farm Bill.

– Chiane Hill

My name is Chiane Hill and my message will be about Proclaim Community, one of the themes of the 2015 Detroit Gathering.  Proclaim Community was centered on the good news of Jesus on the cross. Through a variety of activities, Proclaim Community called us to believe in and respond to the good news of Jesus Christ.

I learned a lot during the trip to Detroit.  I learned more about my faith and what I can do with what God has planned for me in my life. I learned how to break chains, build bridges, bear burdens, and bring hope.

God’s work called us to listen, be vulnerable, and depend on each other.

 

How am I different than before I left? Before the trip to Detroit, I would never have considered wearing a shirt that said “Free Hugs” on it. I received more than 50 hugs from people I have never even met before and I received more than 1,000 high fives. I would not have felt comfortable with all these hugs from perfect strangers before the Gathering.  I feel that since the Gathering, I am much more sociable now than before I left. I have learned to listen to a person’s story before I respond or judge the person telling the story.

Where did I see Jesus? Proclaim Community was my favorite day during the Gathering. We spent the entire day at the Cobo Center. On the bottom floor, there were multiple prayer rooms. My favorite prayer room was the Labyrinth Room. The Labyrinth Room was a dark, candlelit room where you took off your shoes and wrote a prayer on a white school lunch bag. After we finished writing our prayers, we opened the bag and inserted a candle in them. We placed our bags along a pre-established maze. We weaved our way through this path and meditated as we walked. As we walked to the center of the maze, we released any sorrows we might have had. We contemplated what we were able to give and share with others as we walked outwards.  Another prayer room that I felt inspired by was the Need Prayer/ Receive a Prayer/ Write a Prayer Room. We could go to this room and share what was on our minds and hearts confidentially and someone would pray with us.

The Gospel of Matthew in chapter 28 verse 19 states, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the God, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,”

I feel that we need to break chains, bear burdens, and build bridges so that we can bring hope to our community.

To do this, we need to ask ourselves many questions. How can we forgive and reconcile with one another? What is our community hungry for and how can we bring that to the community? How can we recognize and break the chains that bind us? Can we carry our burdens together as sisters and brothers in Christ?

Presiding Bishop Eaton is among 20 ecumenical leaders to sign a letter to President Trump on the 50 year Israeli occupation. The letter was organized by Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) in connection with the CMEP Advocacy Summit now underway.

“Mr. President, we ask you to take the necessary steps to make this year a true jubilee year and work toward a just and durable solution that advances security, human rights, and self-determination for Israelis and Palestinians. These steps should include upholding longstanding U.S. policy that recognizes Israeli settlements as illegal and an impediment to peace while ensuring accountability for policies about settlements that disregard legal restraints and international consensus. We call on your administration to promote a shared Jerusalem by Palestinians and Israelis, as well as full access to the Holy Sites of the three religious traditions – Jews, Muslims and Christians – who call them holy.

We pray and hope for a negotiated resolution to the conflict. In this 50th year of occupation, we ask your administration to do more than just seek an end to conflict. Through the confiscation and destruction of viable agricultural lands, deindustrialization, and restriction of movement, the occupation has placed a stranglehold on the Palestinian economy. Trade is an essential component of a stable economy and without it poverty, unemployment, food shortages, and medical crises will continue to destroy the livelihoods and safety of Palestinians which in turn contributes to instability and violence that harms Israelis.

Mr. President, we encourage you to support development and humanitarian assistance that will promote human dignity, especially in the West Bank and Gaza, including access and protection for aid agencies and others. This year, there are more than 2 million people in Gaza and the West Bank in dire need of humanitarian assistance — nearly one out of every two Palestinians.

Mr. President, we Christian leaders continue to choose hope and call for a just peace for both peoples and an end to the occupation. We will support your efforts to build a peace between Israelis and Palestinians “that allows both peoples to live, worship, and thrive and prosper.” It is possible in this 50th year to move from occupation toward jubilee and realize the vision of two viable states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace within secure and recognized borders.”

You can find the full letter here.

No, no, it’s not that bad.  Faith Lens is just on summer hiatus.  It will be back August 29.

 

 

John Weit recently wrote in the Worship E-news,

“As we near the end of the 50 days of Easter, I hope you have had some time to reflect on worship during Holy Week and the Three Days in your context. Worship planners often look forward to what comes next, but it is equally important to take time to think about how things went recently… [and] Spring is a good time to think about your congregation’s worship life in general. There are many resources available and we want to remind you of the free resource “Worship Care: A guide for reflection and connection” published in 2016.”

Here is a little more information about what Worship Care is and how you can use it in your context.

In essence, Worship Care is a free workshop resource designed to help worship leaders and worshippers have an honest and creative conversation about worship in their own congregations. It is flexible enough to use for a council retreat, a worship committee meeting or even a synod event. As the introduction says,

If you choose to use the full resource as written, you can plan to spend approximately 90 minutes together in reflection and conversation. Worship Care has three objectives for that time:

You can download this Worship Care as a pdf at ELCA.org/worship (under Worship Resources -> General) or directly via this link. A hard copy was also mailed to congregations along with the worship and culture resource “Can We Talk.”

 

ELCA Advocacy is deeply disappointed with President Trump’s decision to begin the process of withdrawing from the Paris Agreement. The effects of climate change are being felt globally, and vulnerable and the marginalized populations are most impacted. These are communities who have contributed the least to the greenhouse gas emissions and are ill equipped to mitigate or adapt to the impacts of climate change. Our goal must be to develop and forge ahead with policies that safeguard against these impacts. We are called by God to protect all of creation. The Paris Agreement is a key tool in doing this on a global scale. It represents an unprecedented cooperation among world leaders to address one of the direst issues facing humanity and the rest of creation today. The viability of our planet is being threatened in extraordinary ways. Without action, we are relinquishing our responsibilities for the prosperity of future generations.

Overwhelming scientific evidence shows that human activity is contributing to climate change by emitting greenhouse gases that change the earth’s atmosphere. This is causing the earth to warm, which results in climate changes never experienced before.

The stresses of climate change are real, impacting practically every fiber of our existence, including health, food security, water, hunger, agriculture, migration and national security. The Paris Agreement is landmark in international climate policy, and helps to set the agenda for action now and in the years to come.

As a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, United States has an obligation to the world to address climate change. But the United States is also in a unique position to maintain its global leadership on international climate action. Inaction will allow the devastating effects of climate disruption to continue.

As disciples of Christ we affirm that we address climate change in a number of ways. While supporting government policies that we believe will help mitigate the effects of climate change we also recognize the importance of individual actions. We as individuals must change, that is, reduce our energy consumption. This will mean lifestyle changes, but as stewards of creation we owe that God and to the future generations. We must live more sustainably. Our children’s future are dependent upon us being stewards of  and protecting the earth.

Many of our daily choices on how we use natural resources play an important role. Lutherans Restoring Creation, one of ELCA’s partners, have a number of resources to help congregations and ministries with modeling good stewardship. As believers in, but not of, the world we pursue a multipronged approach to living out our faith. As ELCA Advocacy we will continue our advocacy efforts.

The requirement for the United States to maintain its global leadership presence could not be more urgent. Withdrawing from the Paris Agreement is contrary to our nation’s principled character.  We urge President Trump to reverse his decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.