by Sagi Rudnick, Kansas Interfaith Action [About the Author]

I am a Jewish progressive young adult who immigrated to the United States from the Holy Land as a child. Since my teenage years, I have felt a particular draw to political activism as a path for goodness to prevail. I also knew from that point that I wanted to build my career around that path. Since then, I have been fortunate to be able to lend my talents to a variety of causes.

Last summer, about a year after graduating from undergrad, I found myself looking for an opportunity where I could grow professionally as well as spiritually. That’s when I learned of the ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellowship with Kansas Interfaith Action (KIFA) on social media, and I knew this was a unique opportunity that I wanted. What drew me was the emphasis on being rooted in the values that drive us to champion the common good, and equally, the encouragement of my personal spiritual development.

At the core of my ongoing personal passion, and my philosophy regarding the theory of change, is the juxtaposition of two realities: the whole community is greater than the sum total of its individuals, and every person is a whole world unto themselves. This interplay is explored and celebrated in numerous elements of Jewish tradition, as well as other faith traditions. In this reflection, I seek to lay out the importance of both realities in tandem as a path for collective liberation and dignity for all of God’s creation.

 

ONE OF VALUE

While celebrating the power of the common good, it is important as well to hold space and reconcile the fact that on some days, in the face of great adversity, community activism for the common good can feel truly futile. Looking to the Tanach, aka the Hebrew Bible, I find that the Book of Ecclesiastes provides apt inspiration in this regard. This text, traditionally read during the Jewish fall holiday of Sukkot, aka the Festival of Booths, takes a hard look at our temporary existence, authentically recognizing our mortality and at the same time empowering us to make the most of our lives, precisely because our time on this Earth is limited.

The labor of each and every child of God, in moving us all towards a more equitable world, renders each of us as valuable as the whole world. Piecemeal progress cannot be discounted. Indeed, “Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 4:6).

 

TWO STRONGER THAN ONE

With that being said, to achieve positive change on a macro level, it is imperative to work beyond the individual level, and to build a better world harnessing diverse stakeholders to achieve results for the common good.

I do my best to live this out in my own activism, which has included lobbying for hundreds of millions in public dollars for public universities and working with faith communities and organized labor to raise the minimum wage and enact paid sick leave. I also recognize that I have a lifetime of learning from fellow activists, who all bring unique experiences and contexts to the table. Indeed, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone?” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-11).

 

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

As a child, I remember being struck by the reality of how easy it is to snap a single wood pencil or two into pieces, but how three or more pencils together were impossible to break, and remained unified. To truly achieve common good in and for the community, it is critical not only to work with a fellow activist, but to scale up and use our collective labor in broad, diverse coalitions.

There is great strength in numbers paired with authentic community organizing. Indeed, “And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken!” (Ecclesiastes 4:12).

 

THE WHOLE EQUATION

At the end of the day, for me, it comes down to the following. In 50 years, when our grandchildren ask us how we made the most of life, what will we say to them? Did we harness our individual God given gifts? Did we work in solidarity to strengthen the fabric of our society? Did we do our best to achieve liberation for all of God’s creation?

 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sagi Rudnick (he/him) is a political organizer, strategist, and activist with over half a decade of experience fostering community in Kansas and Missouri with over a dozen campaigns and organizations. Rudnick graduated with Honors from the University of Missouri – Kansas City in 2023 with Bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Professional Communications, and a Minor in International Studies.

by Joey Chin, Hunger Advocacy Fellow – ELCA Advocacy Communications [About the Author]

A remarkably powerful windstorm known as a bomb cyclone devastated parts of the Pacific Northwest and Northern California about a week before Thanksgiving this past year. As I saw videos on the news of trees falling and power lines collapsing in the area I call home, I contacted family and friends to see if they were safe. Many people I knew were without power for almost a week but thankfully did not experience anything worse. Nevertheless, many homes, families and communities had to contend with the irreversible damage of the powerful storm.

Hearing about this weather-related event drew my thoughts to a passage in Isaiah [43:1-3].

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

In the book of Isaiah, the prophet mentions such storms when writing about the rivers, waters and flames of life. For individuals in our communities and across the globe, these storms are not metaphorical troubles but literal disasters. For the region I grew up in, the bomb cyclone was just one of many unexpected weather-related incidents that have occurred over the last few years.

 

PROMISES IN STORMS

Isaiah offers us a guide for how to approach these issues as people informed and guided by faith. To begin, Isaiah names that there are waters, rivers and flames to pass through. We cannot confront the most pressing problems of our time if we fail to acknowledge they exist.

Secondly, Isaiah says that as we enter into a season of taking on such challenges, God will be with us. This is a promise that should ground our work and keep us rooted in an abiding ethic of love and justice. It is a promise that provides comfort and hope while propelling us into meaningful action and change-making.

 

EXPERIENCES AND VALUES SHARED WITH ELECTED LEADERS

Two weeks after the bomb cyclone subsided, a group of young adults taking part in an ELCA organized climate summit visited a series of federal congressional offices to discuss the importance of addressing climate change. I had the privilege of getting to sit in at one of the meetings with a staffer from Washington state. During our time together, a few of us discussed the recent effects of the cyclone. The staffer asked how our families were doing and listened to us describe the ways in which climate change has affected our local and global communities. Everyone shared their invaluable insights, and we ended the meeting in prayer.

The experience was incredibly refreshing as I watched the foundation for further work being built and established by young adult activists of faith.

 

SEEKING THE COMMON GOOD FOR COMMUNITIES

Last month as I flew home to Seattle to be with family for the holidays, I looked out the window of my plane amazed at the vast ocean of greenery covering the sacred ground we call home. As we enter into a new year with new changes, may we consider how our advocacy can contribute to the common good of our communities while remaining firmly rooted in the promise of a God who is with us always.

 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joey Chin (he/him) is the Hunger Advocacy Fellow – Advocacy Communications with the ELCA advocacy staff in Washington, D.C. He grew up in the greater Seattle area and earned a degree from The University of Washington in communication and political science. Most recently Chin began pursuing Master of Divinity at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

Following are updates shared from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices (sppos) in the ELCA Advocacy Network this month. Full list and map of sppos available.

UN | COLORADO | OHIO | PENNSYLVANIA | TEXAS | WISCONSIN

Lutheran Office for World Community, United Nations, New York, N.Y. – ELCA.org/lowc
Christine Mangale, Director

UN General Assembly Third Committee: The UN General Assembly Third Committee, which focuses on Social, Humanitarian and Cultural issues, meets Oct. 3 through Nov. 22. Recently, the LOWC Director hosted a small delegation in advance of their attending meetings from LWF Action for Justice and Witness in Society staff. These participants attended an event titled “Comics and Human Rights,” which featured Dr. Michael Fakhri, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, who presented his report “Starvation and the right to food, with an emphasis on the Palestinian people’s food sovereignty,” and worked with renowned artist Omar Khouri to produce the first UN human rights report that uses graphic reportage. It utilized the power of comics to convey communities’ horrors and hopes, focusing on the Palestinian struggle for liberation.

Many of the topics discussed in the Third Committee focus on the advancement of women, the rights of children, racism and self-determination, and the protection and promotion of human rights. LOWC has also connected with other ELCA teams by sharing notes from the meetings related to regional and thematic work, including from the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants and from the Special Envoy of Myanmar. LOWC will continue to connect ELCA and LWF to relevant meetings at the United Nations Headquarters to ensure that Lutheran voices are heard in these multilateral decision-making and review meetings.

Diakonia Overcoming Violence Exchange: From Oct. 14-19, the Hunger Advocacy Fellow placed with LOWC attended Diakonia Overcoming Violence Exchange (DOVE) organized, by Diakonia of the Americas and Caribbean (DOTAC), an ecumenical group of 12 diaconal communities/associations. The meeting focused on migration in the context of the United States/Mexico border. Participants lived in community for a week at La Posada Provincia, a shelter for migrants who have recently arrived in the United States.

Throughout the week, participants learned about the work done by ELCA AMMPARO, Texas Impact in the ELCA-affiliated state public policy office network, and Catholic Charities, and listened to presentations from U.S. Border Patrol and immigration attorneys. The group also physically crossed the United States/Mexico border between Brownsville and Matamoros. The experiential learning and relationship building strengthens advocacy accompaniment. Our LOWC Hunger Advocacy Fellow will continue to forge meaningful connections linking LWF migration policy conversations with AMPPARO and other Lutheran networks seeking migration justice.

LOWC Presence Shares Expertise and Advances Relationships: In the United States this year as coordinated through ELCA Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations, the LOWC Director with several Witness in Society D.C.-based staff hosted and resourced Branches of Peace in D.C. on Oct. 21 and intersected at other points in their Oct. 20-25 meeting. It is part of an initiative launched in 2022 by the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Mission (FELM), bringing together peace and reconciliation theologians and practitioners from around the world to engage in peer-to-peer contextual learning. This year, participants from nine countries explored the role of advocacy and the importance of being a public church, as well as surveyed the rise of religious extremism and tribalism globally with a particular focus on the rise of religious extremism and tribalism globally.

At the annual Women’s Human Rights Advocacy Training in Geneva Oct. 14-18, the LOWC Program Director co-led the training of women and men gender champions to engage with UN Human Rights processes and built capacity of feminist communities of Christians that are tackling delineated challenges in their own communities.

When the bi-annual Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) conference took place in Cape Town, South Africa on Oct. 21-25, the LOWC Program Director took part. LWF and LOWC co-facilitated several events, and shared evidence from our programs. Work of Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) is moving to evidence-based models, and the conference built the capacity of our advocacy staff to learn to better engage in research spaces and to build networks with researchers investigating violence against women and girls around the world. A delegation hosted by LOWC from Lutheran churches and country programs in Jamaica, Hong Kong, South Africa, Switzerland and Uganda in addition to the United States also took part.

Presence at these events reflects common priorities between ELCA and LWF members and partners. Accompaniment is defined as walking together in a solidarity that practices interdependence and mutuality. The ELCA lives out accompaniment in relationships with global companions, striving to share God’s love and participate in God’s mission together.

The United States is up for review in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a UN human rights process along with Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the ELCA is participating in an ecumenical exercise to draft a common faith-based shadow report. ELCA staff and members that have attended the Women’s Human Rights Advocacy Training will be contacted to make contributions. Our advocacy will include urging the U.S. Congress to push for ratification of the CEDAW and other UN human rights conventions rather than be absent in these spaces.

A November report-back webinar is shaping with participants in the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign observed Nov. 25-Dec. 10.

 

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Colorado – lam-co.org
Peter Severson, Director

ELECTION RESULTS: Coloradans voted on 14 statewide ballot measures on Election Day. We were pleased to see the passage of three measures we supported:

• YES on Prop JJ: Colorado will keep the revenue it’s collected from sports betting to support water infrastructure and projects.

• YES on Amendment I: The bail exemption for persons arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder with evident proof and/or a greater degree of presumption is restored.

• YES on Amendment J: Old language banning same-sex marriage was removed from Colorado’s constitution.

We were advocating for the defeat of Prop 128 as well, but that measure passed. It will extend the length of time some offenders must be incarcerated before being eligible for parole while removing incentives like earned time for good behavior. It’s overly punitive, expensive, and offers no net public safety benefit.

GOODBYE AND FAREWELL: Peter Severson, the director of Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Colorado (LAM-CO) for over 10 years, will end his service as director on November 30. In his own words: “I am grateful for the opportunity to lead this organization for such a long and eventful term, I appreciate my excellent colleagues in this work, and I am very proud of all we’ve accomplished with our faithful advocacy over the years. Advocacy is central to our baptismal covenant and is a critical witness of our church. I pray that our God of love and grace will continue to lift up all those who lead and support this work moving forward. Peace be with you.

 

Hunger Network in Ohio – hungernetohio.com
Deacon Nick Bates, Director

On Nov. 10, Hunger Network in Ohio (HNO) hosted our second annual celebration. After the defeat of our redistricting amendment and other shortcomings at the ballot box across Ohio, many weren’t in the mood for a celebration. But we gathered to remind ourselves that the struggle for justice in our world is a constant struggle and we celebrate our community and hope in Christ.

During our time together we celebrated the great work of Kim Collum of Lutheran Community Services in Bellefontaine and Catherine Turcer of Common Cause Ohio for their faithful service to their communities.

We also heard from movement expert James Hayes (Ohio Voice) and policy expert Sarah Hudacek (Advocates for Ohio’s Future) about what is coming in Ohio and opportunities to end hunger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS!

HNO is also pleased to celebrate the 10-year ordination anniversary of our director, Deacon Nick Bates who was ordained in November 2014 in Columbus, Ohio. If you would like to send congratulations to Deacon Bates for 10 years of word and service ministry, CLICK HERE.

 

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry – Pennsylvania – lutheranadvocacypa.org
Tracey DePasquale, Director

In November, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Pennsylvania (LAMPa) continued its work of recruiting poll workers and equipping Lutherans participating in an interfaith election protection network. For many Lutherans this month, discipleship took the form of civic engagement as nonpartisan observers of their county’s official post-election ballot count. For others, it was showing up as a nonpartisan, non-anxious presence at polls– helping to lower stress and reporting and responding to (thankfully limited) acts of violence.

LAMPa used a grant from Interfaith America to seed more Love Anyway Feasts – including one at Van Kirk Lutheran Church in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. The church shares a parking lot with the local fire department which acted as a polling place on election day.

“This made Van Kirk an ideal location to host a Love Anyway Feast but in a unique way,” said Vicar Amy Kelly. “The church set up a fancy coffee bar and treats station outside the church to serve, connect, and unite the community until the polls closed. This space allowed people to talk about what they were passionate about – like dogs, health, and education, and they knew they would be heard and not demeaned for their opinions. It was a beautiful experience to watch people from all parts of the political spectrum be in community with each other. We left feeling hopeful that after such a divisive political season, we could come together and remember that we are all made in the image of God.”

 

Texas Impact – texasimpact.org
Scott Atnip, Director of Public Witness

Texas Impact is coordinating a Houston Faith Votes cohort to engage in civic engagement work to demonstrate the impact congregations can have in engaging voters. The 22 congregations engaged in civic engagement and data collection work to evaluate their impact post elections. Those fifteen are joining with many other congregations using Texas Faith Votes resources.

Post-election, many congregations are asking what they can do. An increasing number are signing up to participate in Texas Impact’s Courts and Ports program, traveling to the Texas-Mexico Border to experience public policy issues being lived out on the border.

Members of Texas Impact’s Public School Defenders team organized to provide testimony and meet with State Board of Education Members as they consider a new school curriculum that heavily references religion and uses religious stories as part of the reading and language arts curriculum.

Texas Impact staff in October are preparing to attend the Conference of the Parties (COP) climate negotiations with ELCA colleagues in Baku, Azerbaijan in November.

Post-election planning is now underway as staff prepares for the biennial legislative session to convene in January.

 

Lutheran Office for Public Policy – Wisconsin – loppw.org
Rev. Cindy Crane, Director

Wednesday Noon Live

Interview with Rev. Amy Reumann, Senior Director of ELCA, Witness in Society (WiS)
Amy shared her experience with Lutherans’ involvement in this election cycle and thoughts about some of the challenges we face.

Additional Efforts Post-election: Lutheran Office for Public Policy Wisconsin (LOPPW) sent out a special email addressing the elections. The director also preached with a focus on the election at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Solon Springs.

The Farm Bill

LOPPW was invited to be one of the speakers at the Community Food Conversations’ gathering at Lutheran Church of the Great Spirit, organized by Greater Milwaukee Synod (GMS) hunger leaders. Rev. Crane discussed advocacy and the Farm Bill. Several people signed a letter to Congress. LOPPW also addressed the Farm Bill at Hope Lutheran Church in River Falls and online.

 

Training on Money in Politics

Two synods included LOPPW in their resolutions about money in politics during their 2024 assemblies. In response, LOPPW’s director met with representatives from the East-Central Synod of Wisconsin (ECSW) and GMS to discuss next steps. Everyone agreed to organizing a training for trainers. LOPPW contacted Wisconsin United to Amend, also mentioned in the resolutions. We now have a power point, created by Wisconsin United to Amend with faith-based components from LOPPW and a handful of people who have signed up for the training on Nov. 22 via Zoom.

LOPPW received many invitations for presentations in October and November. I will now focus more on completing succession planning for this ministry that I have been so blessed to steward.

Following are updates shared from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices (sppos) in the ELCA Advocacy Network this month. Full list and map of sppos available.

UN | ARIZONA | COLORADO |MINNESOTA | OHIO | PENNSYLVANIA | TEXAS | VIRGINIA | WISCONSIN

Lutheran Office for World Community, United Nations, New York, N.Y. – ELCA.org/lowc
Christine Mangale, Director

Summit of the Future/Pact for the Future: Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC) was a strong presence at the Summit of the Future, which occurred in September, where a Pact for the Future was produced. The Pact for the Future outlines a roadmap for global collaboration in six key areas: Global Governance and Multilateralism Reform, Climate Action and Sustainability, Digital Governance and Innovation, Peace and Security, Equity and Social Justice, Financing for Development. LOWC hosted from the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) the General Secretary Rev. Dr. Anne Burghardt, Head of Advocacy Isaiah Toroitich, and Head of Communications Arni Danielsson, as well as from the ELCA the Executive for the Service and Justice Home Area Rev. Khader El-Yateem, Senior Director of Witness in Society Rev. Amy Reumann and a representative from the ELCA office of the Presiding Bishop Kristen Opalinski.

LOWC, LWF and other ELCA staff were well-represented at several events, including “Interfaith Youth Responses to the Century’s Biggest Challenges: Faith Based Contributions to the Summit of the Future” (Lutheran Delegate Speaker: Rev Amy Reumann), “Migration for the Future” ( Lutheran Delegate Speaker: Rev. Khader El-Yateem), ”Toward Transformative Peace: A Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Transformative Peace” (Lutheran Delegate Speakers: Rev. Dr. Anne Burghardt & Rev. Khader El-Yateem), as well as Jazz Vespers and more.

The ELCA has invested heavily in both programs and advocacy that work towards common aims that we share with the Pact. Faith based organizations, including the LWF and ELCA, have a critical role to play in this work, not the least of which is to inspire hope for a more dignified and right’s-based future. The Pact of the Future is a politically binding (non-legally binding) agreement. This means that it will take civil society, including LWF and ELCA, to hold states accountable to their commitments.

 

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona – lamaz.org
Solveig Muus, Director

Voter Engagement: As part of our congregational engagement work around voting, we’re promoting voter registration and tracking, election monitoring, early voting, and plenty of prayer. Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA) developed a Voter Guide to help faithful voters as they consider Arizona’s 13 ballot propositions.

In addition, LAMA produced a series of video clips featuring people of faith expressing their feelings about the upcoming election. Filmed at the ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans, these 90-second clips can be an excellent resource for congregations. For easy sharing in your own social media channels, you can find them on LAMA’s Facebook page or YouTube.

Video #1: Does your faith influence your political opinion?
• Taina Diaz-Reyes, Savannah Jorgensen, Dcn. Becca and Addison Graf.

Video #2: Is voting important to you?
• Rep. Lindsay James (D-Iowa), Pastor Khader El-Yateem, Rev. Ismael Calderón and Whitney Apel.

Video #3: How can people with differing opinions work together during election season?
• Silas Kulkarni, Giovana Oaxaca and Frances J. Dobbs.

Video #4: What is your advice for someone who is on the fence about voting?
• Rev. Evie Landrau, Rev. Amy Reumann and Cathy Jacobs.

Video #5: Why should Lutherans vote?
• Will Milner, Zaya Gilmer and Bishop Elizabeth Eaton

Video #6: Do you think you would vote differently if you weren’t a person of faith?
• Caroline Graff, Ethan Roberts and Autumn Byars.

Video #7: What are your hopes post-election?
• Kayla Zopfi, Maya Goehner, Alexandra Murcia and Samantha Boyer.

 

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Colorado – lam-co.org 
Peter Severson, Director

LAM-CO VOTER GUIDE RELEASED: Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Colorado (LAM-CO) has released our 2024 Voter Guide. This year, Coloradans have fourteen ballot measures to consider on their statewide ballot. That’s not even including any local measures! It’s a lot to take in, but our Voter Guide is here to help. We’ve distilled all the measures into an easy at-a-glance table, with brief analysis and summaries of everything you’ll see.

We also have taken positions on four of these ballot measures:

• NO on Prop 128, Parole Eligibility: This measure extends the length of time people must be incarcerated before being eligible for parole while removing incentives like earned time for good behavior. It’s overly punitive, expensive, and offers no net public safety benefit.

• YES on Prop JJ, Retain Sports Betting Revenue: Colorado should be able to keep the revenue it’s collected from sports betting to support water infrastructure and projects. If this measure fails, “excess” tax revenue will be refunded to casinos.

• YES on Amendment I, Bail Exemption: For public safety and with care and consideration for victim families, we should restore the bail exemption for persons arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder with evident proof and/or a greater degree of presumption.

• YES on Amendment J, Remove Ban on Same-Sex Marriage: Same-sex marriage became legal de facto in Colorado in 2014, and this would remove old constitutional language. The ELCA’s social statement Human Sexuality uplifts marriage as the highest context for trust and mutuality in human relationships, and nearly 15,000 married same-sex couples now reside in Colorado.

 

Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota – lutheranadvocacymn.org
Tammy K. Walhof, Director

Hunger Advocacy Fellow: Lutheran Advocacy-MN (LA-MN) welcomed Jake Summerville in September. He is already a very valuable part of the LA-MN team, creating election materials (see below) and providing leadership in recruitment of Poll Workers. Jake comes to LA-MN with several years’ experience in youth ministry, a seminary degree (plans to be ordained as Deacon), and a background in communications.

Election Materials & Recruitment: LA-MN created election resources in the form of fliers/posters, postcards, and stickers for synods and congregations to use (available here). LA-MN also sent poll worker recruitment information to 169 churches in Greater Minnesota, and many more in the two Metro Area synods.

Graceful Conversations: A 1.5 hour workshop Tammy developed almost 10 years ago has been turned into a 5 session workshop series with videos, worksheets, and facilitator guide with the help of Rev. Emily Meyer (Director, Ministry Lab). Instead of teaching how to be and act, it now helps develop skills to make Graceful Conversation and Action part of our core being. This series doesn’t negate the value of other trainings (Braver Angels) but uses a faith lens and is meant to have a shelf life far beyond our current contentious election cycle. (Available here).

Out & About: In addition to finishing Graceful Conversations and welcoming Jake, Tammy attended a screening of the Plastic People documentary, participated in a Synod Theological Event (short presentation & display), and played a key role in a synod/region event celebrating the 50th Anniversary of ELCA World Hunger (Poverty Simulation, 2 workshops, & display).

 

Hunger Network in Ohio – hungernetohio.com
Deacon Nick Bates, Director

To End Hunger in Ohio, We Must End Gerrymandering:
The Hunger Network continues to talk with community groups and congregations on the importance of a YES VOTE on State Issue 1. State issue 1 will create a 15 member citizens commission – 5 democrats, 5 republicans, and 5 independents – to oversee the drawing of legislative maps. Sadly, our current process is marred and bi-partisan courts have declared our current maps are unconstitutional multiple times. The new process will create a way to avoid conflict of interest that hurts our democracy. When elected officials are accountable to the public, we can guide them towards prioritizing their communities and not special interests.

UPCOMING EVENTS
Annual Celebration: Nov. 10 3:30 All Saints Lutheran Church
Advocacy in Advent: Dec. 10 at the Ohio Statehouse

 

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry – Pennsylvania – lutheranadvocacypa.org 
Tracey DePasquale, Director

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania (LAMPa) continued equipping disciples for peacebuilding and faithful civic engagement in September-October. Working with Common Ground – USA, LAMPa offered webinars on digital peacebuilding, active listening , difficult conversations and managing conflict. Find recordings and links to resources. LAMPa activated our election support network to share accurate information, respond to needs of elections officials, and prepare to defend vulnerable communities or address attempts to undermine elections. Nearly 350 people received daily devotions through LAMPa’s 40-day Reflections Before an Election.

LAMPa Director Tracey DePasquale joined Southeastern Pennsylvania (SEPA) Synod in the launch of their Love Revolution initiative. We look forward to accompanying congregations as they live into God’s call to love our neighbors.

The Rev. Erin Jones, LAMPa Communications and Advocacy Engagement Manager, attended the annual In God’s Image gathering in Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, helping to lead an advocacy workshop there and sharing LAMPa’s legislative efforts to advance equality and oppose discrimination and hate.

LAMPa was thrilled to announce recipients of the Isaiah 58:12 fellowship, supported by the inaugural Jackie Maddox Racial Justice Grant, as they began a year of transformative learning in their communities.

In the final weeks of the legislative session, LAMPa advocates pressed their senators to protect health care in Pennsylvania by strengthening reviews of proposed hospital and health system mergers.

DePasquale joined the task force working on the new social statement on civic life and faith in Chicago as they reviewed feedback on the draft statement.

 

Texas Impact – texasimpact.org 
Scott Atnip, Director of Public Witness

The Texas Impact Board of Directors recently released their biennial legislative agenda, entitled “Free, Safe, and Flourishing: A Faithful Agenda for Texas.”

Texas Impact is coordinating a Houston Faith Votes cohort to engage in civic engagement work to demonstrate the impact congregations can have in engaging voters. The fifteen congregations are joining with many other congregations using Texas Faith Votes resources.

Congregations are participating in the Vidas Robadas (Stolen Lives) displays, displaying the names of victims of gun violence on t-shirts.

An increasing number of congregations are signing up to participate in Texas Impact’s Courts and Ports program, traveling to the Texas-Mexico Border to experience public policy issues being lived out on the border.

Finally, the Weekly Witness podcast continues, and we were fortunate to have Robert Rivera, Vice President of the Synod Council of the Gulf Coast Synod, join the program to discuss immigration issues.

 

Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy – virginiainterfaithcenter.org
Kim Bobo, Co-Executive Director

October has been an especially busy month for the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. The organization finished the last of five regional celebrations that honored legislators, volunteers, and congregations. It hosted three Faith and Housing workshops around the state helping congregations learn how they might use their buildings or land for affordable housing. The organization also held its first Interfaith Souls to the Polls event encouraging congregations to caravan to Sunday polling locations for early voting. Registration opened for the organization’s annual lobby day, which will be Jan. 15, 2025 in Richmond. Register here: https://virginiainterfaithcenter.org/day-for-all-people-2025/

 

Lutheran Office for Public Policy – Wisconsin – loppw.org
Rev. Cindy Crane, Director

Wednesday Noon Live: We had two interviews on the first Wednesday of October rather than our usual single interview for Wednesday Noon Live, because of the significance of the upcoming election.

 

We need poll workers! Hear from Delaney Zimmer, Voter Services Coordinator at the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin.

 

Watch for misinformation (intentional and unintentional), know where to check out the facts about the voting process. In addition, learn about important details about absentee ballots. Hear from Riley Vetterkind, Public Information Officer at the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

 

Congratulations to the La Crosse Area Synod on their ComFest for confirmation students! There were meaningful speakers and a lot of activities. Many took the advocacy quiz and posted their advocacy interests at the Lutheran Office for Public Policy – Wisconsin (LOPPW) table.

 

 

 

Additional Activities Engaging with the Church: Between mid-September and mid-October, LOPPW’s director also led three workshops on Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his context, one workshop on human trafficking, one workshop on advocacy, and one on the draft social statement on Civic Life and Faith. We also broadly advertised the showing of the film, “Bad Faith” about Christian Nationalism, which was attended by several ELCA members beyond and around the state.

LOPPW hosted the Raise the Age Coalition (returning 17-year-old youth to the juvenile justice system) annual strategy planning meeting in October. We will regroup after the elections as well as meet with the entire coalition soon.

By Joey Chin, ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow 

ELCA Witness in Society is excited to introduce the six members of the 2024-2025 Hunger Advocacy Fellows cohort. The year-long fellowship integrates professional development with faith formation and offers fellows the unique opportunity to address issues at the state and national level. Engaging in the work of advocacy remains integral to the life of faith and essential to our present witness. We look forward to the work ahead as we participate in the development of a more just world.

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Emily Ahren (D.C. Policy)

Emily Ahern (she/her) is originally from Allentown, Pennsylvania, and a lifelong member of congregations of the ELCA. She graduated from American University this past spring with a degree in Political Science, and is on track to graduate (once again) from American University this upcoming spring with a Master’s in Public Administration. Ahern is so excited to join ELCA Advocacy so that she can research and lobby for policy which will alleviate the effects of hunger and poverty for all Americans! In her free time, she can be found collecting vinyl, going to concerts, and watching Star Wars.

 

Erin Brown (New York – LOWC)

Erin Brown (she/her/ella) is a deacon consecrated by the Lutheran Diaconal Association. She is passionate about multicultural exchange, language, and the power of storytelling. Before joining the Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC), Brown worked at Saint Peter’s Church in Manhattan as a fellow in cross-cultural ministry. Previously, Brown taught English to university students in Colombia and to Haitian adults seeking refuge in the greater Boston area. Prior to this, she lived in Costa Rica, completing her diaconal internship with a focus on refugee rights. Brown holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish & Global Service from Valparaiso University and a Master of Arts in Latin American & Caribbean Studies from Indiana University. In her free time, Brown enjoys spending her time outdoors hiking and exploring creation. She’s thrilled to continue her work with the LOWC team this year and continue to engage in international advocacy.

 

Joey Chin (D.C. Communications)

Joey Chin (he/him) grew up in the greater Seattle area and earned degrees from The University of Washington in communication and political science. After graduating, he spent one year as an editorial fellow with Sojourners magazine followed by three years working as an elementary public school teacher in Redmond, Washington. Most recently Chin began a Master of Divinity degree at Wesley Theological Seminary. He is looking forward to joining ELCA Advocacy and being a part of all the important work being done. Chin enjoys books, movies, and podcasts and always appreciates any recommendations for new things to read, watch, or listen to.

 

Courtney Hall (California)

Courtney Hall (she/her) is the Hunger Advocacy Fellow with the Lutheran Office for Public Policy in California. She graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Arts in History and a double minor in Political Science and Religious Studies in May 2024. Her undergraduate pursuits were driven by her desire to understand the complex relationship between religion and politics in the United States. Additionally, while at Clemson, she was an undergraduate research assistant for the Chair of the Political Science Department, completing research for his book Dysfunctional Diplomacy: The Politics of International Agreements in an Era of Partisan Polarization. She also worked for Clemson University’s Athletic Academic Services as a tutor for student-athletes in history, political science, and English composition and rhetoric. She was born and raised in Long Beach, California and looks forward to being a faithful advocate and bettering the community that she loves.

 

Sagi Rudnick (Kansas)

Sagi Rudnick (he/him) is a political organizer, strategist, and activist with over half a decade of experience fostering community in Kansas and Missouri. During this time, with over a dozen campaigns and organizations, he has worked with diverse stakeholders and coalitions to achieve results for the community. These results include successfully lobbying for hundreds of millions in public dollars for public universities and working with faith communities and organized labor to raise the minimum wage and enact paid sick leave. Rudnick graduated from the University of Missouri – Kansas City in 2023 with bachelor’s degrees in political science and professional communications, and a minor in International Studies. Raised in the Jewish faith, Rudnick believes simultaneously that the whole community is greater than the sum total of its individuals, and that every person is a whole world unto themselves. He is excited to promote justice in partnership with Kansas Interfaith Action (KIFA) and the ELCA! Rudnick lives in Kansas City, Missouri with his fiancée, Caitlin, and their four cats and two dogs.

 

Jake Summerville (Minnesota)

Jake Summerville (he/him) is the newest addition to the Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota team as our Hunger Advocacy Fellow! Born and raised in the ELCA with a professional background in youth ministry and direct service work, Summerville is excited to hit the ground running. He has just finished up at Luther Seminary and has been approved for ordination as a deacon in the ELCA, so this will be the first step of many on his journey. Ask him about his fiancé, his cat, the outdoors, or Dungeons and Dragons!