by Larry Herrold, ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow*

Believer and non-believer. Educated and uneducated. Rich and poor. Democrat and Republican. Male and female… How numerous are the binaries with which we live!

In many ways 2020 was the year of binaries. The election, the social unrest around racial injustice and a worsening pandemic revealed how deep our divisions have been become. Gridlock ensues in governments, insults fly online, and protesters clash on the streets. Our world seems to be turning-in on itself. Yet we know we are inextricably connected.

TEXT: Proverbs 22:1-9 – A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold…

It’s in challenging times that Scripture can provide comfort and context. Proverbs 22:1-9 shows the continuity in the binaries that we witness, particularly between rich and poor. The rich yield power and possess gold and silver, yet the author makes clear that the humble are blessed and receive honor and life. This passage seemingly depicts a binaried society yet the second verse lays out: “The rich and the poor have this in common: the LORD is the maker of them all.”

The events of 2020 underscore how important it is to keep our interconnectedness in mind in more than just this moment. People lost their homes and jobs, and many went hungry. Countless have lost a loved one to COVID-19. In my own community I’ve seen churches, food banks, shelters, and any person of goodwill take on the weight of supporting those in need, but the response only goes so far.

In my management of my church’s community garden, the produce we donate is nourishing, but it will not sustain the hungry indefinitely. Not only is it not enough, but people often need information and tools to prepare it to eat. Food drives face similar issues, and temporary housing is just that… temporary. The institutions and organizations of my already economically depressed slice of Pennsylvania cannot alone meet needs.

While some struggle and others struggle to care for them, our leaders are slow to act. Aid is minimal and mismanaged. Yet we know that while this is happening, the most powerful have expanded their own wealth and security to unprecedented levels. Our advocacy, as church together, needs to take place. Immediate need must be met, yes, but long-term solutions to the systemic causes of homelessness, hunger, and violence must be made. Our leaders must be held accountable and pressured to act.

Proverbs 22:6 passes along the wisdom: train children in the right way and when old they will not stray. I have fond memories of my grandmother including me in her service to the community. Her faith, which she passed on to me, led her to serve the most vulnerable. That faith compels me to do the same. Yet I, like many before me, live in a turbulent moment. I am called to not only serve in the presence of immediate need, but to also use my voice, inspired by the active faith instilled in me at a young age, to be an advocate for systemic change that brings new and abundant life to people in my community and beyond.

The passage in Proverbs acknowledges binaries of the world and also guides us in considering our identifiers. While the rich are comfortable and powerful, they will lack blessings, honor, and life if they are not humble and “fear the Lord” (Proverbs 22:4). Calamity comes to those who perpetuate injustice, especially as it pertains to the poor.

All people deserve care, justice, and respect from one another, because we all come from the same Creator. In this new year, with new policy makers, and with the hope of an end to the pandemic, let us be strong advocates so that all know “they share their bread with the poor” (Proverbs 22:9).

* This New Year Devotional Series has been composed by the three ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellows serving in 2020-2021. “The ministry of ELCA World Hunger involves young adult engagement in conversations and formulating solutions to this systemic and universal obstacle to physical and spiritual well-being. Hunger is one of the key issues we must address as a church, for injustice and inequity are consistent themes across our local and global food systems. One way to address hunger and ensure young adult involvement in the ELCA and in World Hunger’s faith-based work is by funding the Hunger Advocacy Fellowship (HAF) position, a year-long contract position designed to cultivate the leadership of individuals looking to halt the expanding reach of hunger through advocacy,” describes Taina Diaz-Reyes, Hunger Advocacy Fellow in D.C.

Larry Herrold‘s placement is with the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania (LAMPa) office in Harrisburg, Pa. A native of Sunbury, Pa., where the east and west branches of the Susquehanna River meet, he graduated from Susquehanna University in 2019 with a BA in History and Religious Studies. He received a MA in Modern History from the University of Kent in England, where he completed a Fulbright Scholarship. Harrold is deeply committed to the intersection between ecclesiastical service and social justice; he even plans to go to seminary to learn more about incorporating justice into ecclesial ministry.

As the final election results in Georgia have been resolved, the 117th Congress has begun. Members were sworn into office on January 3, 2021. Check out some of the Lutheran legislators who will serve our country in this new Congress.

ELCA affiliated members Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa; and Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.; successfully won their bids for re-election in November. They will be rejoining their other Lutheran incumbent colleagues in the Senate, including ELCA Members Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.; and Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) member Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. Also in the Senate, Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) member Cynthia Lummis, R-Wy.; joined the chamber for the first time, while LCMS member Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo.; was not successful in his bid for re-election. Sen. Lummis rejoins Congress after retiring from the House of Representatives in 2016.

Four Lutheran members of the U.S. House of Representatives will be exiting at the start of the 117th Congress. Lutheran members Rep. Denny Heck, D-Wash.; and Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill.; announced their retirements last year and did not seek re-election. ELCA-affiliated Congressman Heck ran and won his bid for Lieutenant Governor of Washington State. Other members, Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn.; and Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, D-N.M.; did not win their bids for re-election in 2020. We wish them all the best of luck in their next endeavors and appreciate their dedication to public service.

Returning ELCA members to the House include Rep. John Carter, R-Texas; Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.; Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo.; Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif.; Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine; Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Pa.; and U.S. Delegate Stacey Plaskett, D-V.I. Other self-described Lutherans who will be returning are Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D.; Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich.; Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn.; Rep. Ron Estes, R-Kan.; Rep. Tracey Mann, R-Kan.; Rep. Donald Norcross, D-N.J.; and Rep. David Trone, D-M.D. Re-elected LCMS representatives Rep. Larry Bucshon, R-Ind.; Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis.; and Rep. Jim Hagedorn, R-Minn. WELS member Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis.; also will rejoin the House.

Get a jump start on building relationships with your lawmakers. “Make Sure Your Member of Congress Knows YOU!” shares ideas from the Washington Interfaith Staff Community (prepared in 2019).

Find a full list of lawmakers and their religious affiliations at Pew Research Center.

from the ELCA Advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, director

Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: December 2020

SPENDING DECISIONS | EVICTION CRISIS | CENSUS CHALLENGE | CLIMATE CHANGE CONNECTIONS

SPENDING DECISIONS:  It is decision-making crunch time for federal FY21 budget considerations before the 116th Congress adjourns for the holidays and furthermore concludes on Jan. 3, 2021. Congress approved $900 billion of relief late on Dec. 21, providing desperately needed aid for Americans after months of gridlock on Capitol Hill. The bill now heads to the White House, where President Trump is expected to sign it into law.

Throughout the process, the ELCA advocacy network and staff persistently emphasized pressing need and priority concerns. With as many as 50 million Americans facing food insecurity this year, $13 billion from the second stimulus will go toward food-assistance programs, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

EVICTION CRISIS:  The stimulus package passed by Congress late Monday includes an extension of a national eviction ban through Jan. 31, temporarily avoiding what housing advocates warned would be a dangerous situation for the U.S. amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic. Economists and affordable housing advocate have warned of a looming eviction crisis that could affect millions of Americans without action. Enhanced Unemployment Insurance benefits and other measures will blunt some of the heavy economic impacts of the pandemic.

If no further action is taken, congregations, feeding ministries and shelters already facing overflow may expect to see assistance requests increased. According to the Census Bureau’s Weekly Pulse Survey, over 6 million renters and 5 million homeowners indicated they had very little confidence in the ability to make their next housing payment. In the same study, 1.5 million renters and nearly 300,000 homeowners indicated it would be very likely they would be evicted or foreclosed on in the next two months.

CENSUS CHALLENGE:  On Dec. 18, the Supreme Court dismissed one of the challenges to President Trump’s memorandum ordering the U.S. Census Bureau to discount undocumented immigrants from the final census, which is to be reported by the Census Bureau by Dec. 31, 2020. Failing to count every person who lives in each state would affect the process of apportionment which decides congressional seat allocation for states.

Three lower courts had ruled unanimously that the president’s action violates either the Constitution, the federal census statues, or both. Our communities are significantly shaped by census data, and Census 2020 will update these numbers for the first time in 10 years. The ELCA is an official partner of the 2020 Census to encourage the most accurate count possible.

CLIMATE CHANGE CONNECTIONS:  The incoming Biden Administration indicates that it will make climate change an unprecedented high priority. Addressing climate change will be done in concert with addressing the economy, yoking as essential growing the economy simultaneously with addressing climate concerns.

The incoming administration plans to create a Special Presidential Envoy for Climate Change position to be filled by former Secretary of State John Kerry. This position will be elevated to cabinet level. In her 2018 Earth Day statement, Presiding Bishop Eaton said: “The present moment is a critical and urgent one, filled with both challenge and opportunity to act as individuals, citizens, leaders and communities of faith in solidarity with God’s good creation and in hope for our shared future.”

Receive monthly Advocacy Connections directly by becoming part of the ELCA Advocacy network – http://elca.org/advocacy/signup , and learn more from elca.org/advocacy .

by Giovana Oaxaca, Program Director for Migration Policy

The allegations of medical neglect and invasive gynecological procedures in a privately-run detention center in Irwin County, Ocilla, Ga.—including coerced sterilization—quickly drew disbelief and condemnation worldwide this fall. Far from unique, these shocking allegations echo the historic and current reality of cruel and inhumane treatment towards migrant women. At every stage and step of their lives, migrants, immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers are at special risk of having their fundamental human rights violated.

GBV as a migration driver

What drives people to migrate will vary from person to person, but one of the most cited reasons is to escape from domestic abuse and violence. For countless women, girls, and LGTBQIA+ persons in the Northern Triangle of Central America–El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras—sexual- and gender-based violence (GBV) is inescapable reality. Every day, over 100 cases of violence against women are filed in Guatemala. In 2018, a woman was killed in Honduras every 18 hours. El Salvador has the highest rate of femicide in Latin America and in an 8-month span of time in 2020 at the height of pandemic quarantine measures, reported 84 femicides. Globally, gender-based violence is widely recognized as a key human rights issue, as highlighted in the international 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.

Even these figures likely do not capture the full scope of the violence experienced by women. Social stigma, fear of retribution and lack of confidence in authorities often contribute to underreporting.

Shifts in U.S. Policy Toward Asylum Seekers

The United States has a policy of granting limited humanitarian protections to persons fleeing gender-based persecution and violence. Unfortunately, overtime, these protections have become harder to access. Under President Trump, the U.S. government has undermined protections for people fleeing domestic abuse and gang violence and turned away asylum seekers, trapping families, men, women and children in precarious conditions without any meaningful access to protection. People at risk of GBV thus contend with persecution at home, in transit, and even from U.S. authorities.

ELCA responds to human need

While working with migrating, returned and deported women, civil society organizations and faith-partners have expressed the need for services geared at empowering women socially, politically and economically. The ELCA’s AMMPARO strategy (Accompanying Migrant Minors with Protection, Advocacy, Representation and Opportunities) has placed a special emphasis on working with advocates in Central America who give witness to these perilous conditions and supported their advocacy efforts.

“Migrants, immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers often suffer more when they are women, girls, or gender non-conforming people” notes the ELCA social statement Faith, Sexism, and Justice: A Call to Action.” “Women, girls, and people who identify as non-binary must not be deprived of their human or civil rights.” When the disturbing account of human rights violations against immigrant women in custody of the privately run Irwin County Detention Center surfaced, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton stated, “As the ELCA we strongly condemn gender-based violence and violations of human rights wherever they occur.”

Threats in U.S. detention

Abuse of women is widespread in immigration detention centers and constitutes a serious threat to the civil and personal liberties of migrants. The detained population has multiplied over the last 30 years under a U.S. government policy to apprehend and detain increasing numbers of immigrants. Alternatives such as community-based alternatives to detention, although humane, less costly and more effective, have not been pursued, overburdening an already strained system at the expense of the people detained.

The United Nation High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) guidance says that all immigration practices should implement special measures to protect women from sexual and gender-based violence and exploitation in detention. According to the UNHCR, other groups that are vulnerable to abuse, like children and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, should also be afforded special measures to guarantee their safety. The UNHCR mainly advocates that detention should be used as a measure of last resort and asylum seekers should be given every opportunity to seek protection. The U.S. government must do more to meet even this basic standard of care.

In fact, the U.S. federal government has become one of the most egregious perpetrators and accessories of GBV. Between 2010 and 2017, there was a staggering 1,224 complaints of sexual assault abuse in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention yet only 43 investigations. Based upon known patterns, these numbers likely reflect underreporting. We know people don’t come forward out of fear of retaliation and are not consistently supported by confidence in prosecution of perpetrators. Like most cases of GBV, these acts are committed in nearly total impunity.

What can we do?

Increased scrutiny at Irwin creates new incentives for advocacy

• Supporting policies that aim to curb profiting from people’s suffering are one way to stamp out immigration practices in the U.S. that deprive women of their liberty and rights.
• Restoring the asylum system so that victims have access to humanitarian protections goes without saying—though the underlying definition of gender-based asylum could stand to be improved.
• Supporting survivors of violence at the onset through advocacy in their home countries, so that they do not feel obligated to flee, must also be an objective of any strategy to prevent and mitigate acts of GBV. The escalation of intimate partner violence, evidenced by the spike in femicides in El Salvador, signals the need to expand local programs for women in need of protection in their homes.
• The Keeping Women and Girls Safe from the Start Act of 2020 (S. 4003) includes some important measures to expand the U.S. government’s ability to prevent gender-based violence and provide early interventions at the onset of humanitarian emergencies.

These are just a few examples of systemic and institutional changes that can be made, and they are very likely to take some time to come to be implemented. However, these lay the groundwork for a just and compassionate solution to the unacceptable reality of sexual- and gender-based violence.

Partial content* expanded from Advocacy Connections: November 2020

ELECTION 2020 AND ELCAvotes  |  COVID-19 STIMULUS AND OTHER “LAME DUCK” SESSION ACTIVITY  |  OFFICIAL PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT WTIHDRAWAL  |  ATROCITY PREVENTION  |  PRESIDENTIAL DETERMINATION ON REFUGEES

ELECTION 2020 AND ELCAvotes:  In synods and congregations, through leaders and members, and with ELCA advocacy tools, faith-informed civic engagement has been lively in this unique 2020 election season. ELCA Advocacy staff continues monitoring post-election activity as states with narrow margins could see recounting efforts, protests or litigation over the coming days. Following election season, staff will prepare engagement plans with newly elected members of Congress and will finalize policy priorities for the 117th Congress in 2021.

In social media, blog posts and webinar participation, the ELCAvotes initiative with various collaborators has shared important, non-partisan sourced messages, including encouraging young adult voters, raising awareness of state deadlines for registering and early voting, promoting healthy polling practices, providing response tools for potential voter intimidation and lifting up counting every vote.

COVID-19 STIMULUS AND OTHER “LAME DUCK” SESSION ACTIVITY:  An additional COVID-19 relief package urgently must be decided by lawmakers before the holidays and adjournment as a bulwark against economic and health hardships for vulnerable and hungry people. Use our Action Alert to use your voice! All appropriations bills are also now being considered by the Senate.

The clock is ticking to see if appropriation decisions will be moved to the 117th Congress by continuing resolution. Another notable to-do item for the 116th Congress to be revisited before the end of the 2020 session is passing a budget by Dec. 11 to avoid a government shutdown.

OFFICIAL PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT WTIHDRAWAL:  On Nov. 4, the U.S. officially left the Paris Climate Agreement. “By exiting the Agreement, the current administration has abdicated its responsibility to work with the rest of the world to tackle the climate crisis,” reads a statement from We Are Still In with which the ELCA participates.

We regret the U.S. decision but resolve to be accountable to God and continue our work as stewards of creation. The incoming Biden Administration has announced its intention to rejoin soon after the inauguration.

ATROCITY PREVENTION:  The ELCA continues to advocate within the U.S. government for strengthening of atrocity prevention programs. Use your voice to advocate for the Safe from the Start Act particularly, which expands the ability of the U.S. government to prevent gender-based violence at the onset of humanitarian emergencies.

Recently, advocacy staff participated in a consultation with the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, where we provided feedback and key issue recommendations. Use Action Center tools to urge advancement of policy pieces like the Safe from the Start Act.

PRESIDENTIAL DETERMINATION ON REFUGEES:  President Trump signed a Presidential Determination on refugees on Oct. 27, authorizing a goal for FY21 of only 15,000 people. The new admissions goal is an 18% reduction from the FY20 goal of 18,000, an 80% cut from the historic norm and the lowest target in the history of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.

The formal identification followed a Sept. 30 announcement. The new goal was set after significant commentary from refugee advocates and resettlement agencies, including Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and the ELCA, which implored the president to raise the ceiling and allow for greater numbers to be admitted and resettled in the U.S. An Action Alert from LIRS is available at votervoice.net/LIRS/campaigns/77949/respond to add your voice to those objecting to the figure and the impacted lives it represents. More at blogs.elca.org/advocacy/raising-the-refugee-ceiling/.

Receive monthly Advocacy Connections directly by becoming part of the ELCA Advocacy network – http://elca.org/advocacy/signup , and learn more from elca.org/advocacy .

By the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, ELCA Advocacy Director

ELCA Lutherans have taken to heart “that energetic civic engagement is part of their baptismal vocation, both as individuals and through the church’s corporate witness” (ELCA social message on “Government and Civic Engagement in the United States: Discipleship in a Democracy,” pg. 14). Enthusiasm and responsibility for voting were relayed in the 2020 election, as in this social media post from Christopher Vergara of the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod:

“Guess who voted in their first presidential election!?!? we were reminded throughout the whole experience – especially on this Día de los Muertos – of all those who have gone before, those who have fought for a long time and those who keep fighting, keep inspiring, keep kicking… We were going up the stairs to the voting area, when this older woman was barreling down the stairs. Her aide was chasing after her telling her to slow down. She said ‘I just voted, I feel so good my knees don’t even hurt!!!’”

Americans turned out to vote in record numbers last week, reaching the highest voting rate in 120 years. About 160 million people, 67% of eligible voters, participated despite long lines and extensive misinformation campaigns about when, where and how to vote. This extraordinary election took place under the health and safety challenges posed by a pandemic, calls for long overdue racial equity and the sometimes-disturbing discourse of a deeply polarized public.

GRATITUDES AND CONCERNS

There is much for which we can be grateful. Threats of targeted violence and extensive intimidation did not materialize. Americans stepped up to serve as election officials, poll workers, get-out-the-vote organizers and election monitors. We experienced exuberant and robust participation that exemplifies what the social message describes, that “U.S. Lutherans have learned that their neighbors are best served by a government in which supreme earthly power is held publicly by the people (a democracy) and they are governed by representatives chosen in fair elections in which each person is assured of their vote (a republic)” (pg. 9).

There are worries, too. President Donald Trump continues to assert, without providing evidence, allegations of widespread voter fraud. Although the Department of Homeland Security has called the 2020 election “the most secure in American history,” the president has not yet conceded, raising concerns for an orderly transfer of power with worrisome implications for national security and pandemic response. Election season continues in Georgia, with two runoff elections that will determine the composition of the Senate. As a nation, the post-election result is that we are still fractured by divisions that must be addressed.

RAMPING UP OUR WITNESS

It is time for Lutherans to claim as a vocation in daily life their identity as disciples in a democracy. ELCAvotes has been a well-received initiative providing resources and community for Lutherans to be involved during the run up to elections and in voting rights work. The 2020 election shows us why seasonal engagement is not enough. “The ELCA holds to the biblical idea that God calls God’s people to be active citizens and to ensure that everyone benefits from the good of government” (pg. 14). Elections are not the end but a beginning. On Nov. 4, Vergara posted:

“I was reminded repeatedly yesterday how precious democracy is, and that protecting and engaging in it is not something to just take on every 4 years or, worse yet, outsource to others, but a solemn responsibility we as citizens must undertake individually, collectively, and continuously.”

Serving God and neighbor through civic engagement means our witness in society ramps up after an election to ensure that the values expressed, promises made and communal discernment undertaken continue and bear fruit. We now have the opportunity to build on the energy emerging from this election and push for meaningful reforms in the next Congress. This includes making our democracy work better, addressing distortions in power and access based on our national history of racial and economic exclusion, and implementing reforms that will ensure all voices are heard and have equal access to power structures.

LAME DUCK SESSION OPPORTUNITIES

As election results are finalized, there are several notable to-do items in the “lame duck” session that need our advocacy. Congress will have to pass a budget by Dec. 11 to avoid a government shutdown, and ELCA Advocacy is actively speaking to the appropriations bills now before the Senate. Our advocacy is needed in COVID-19 relief [use the Action Alert now to contribute your voice emphasizing urgent, just and compassionate response], for a robust package to serve as a bulwark against additional economic and health hardships for vulnerable and hungry populations. We are braced for a federal evictions moratorium that ends on December 30, and advocate for its renewal [use the Action Alert now for background and to spotlight the need for policy action]. God’s work continues through our hands and our voices.

If you haven’t already signed up, consider being part of the ELCA Advocacy Network through ELCA.org/advocacy/signup to receive Action Alerts at impactful moments and monthly advocacy updates.

“Fear not, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God.” Many of us rehearse these words from Isaiah not only for their instruction, but because we need to remind ourselves of God’s presence and peace to push against contrary voices setting off anxiety. Anxiety is aroused around this election. The agitation is rational: pandemic realities and opportunistic impulses in electoral mechanisms, white supremacy and Christian nationalism stepping out of shadows, election results potentially unclear or contested and threats of violence.

“The political polarization in this country is making the temperature ripe for possible election violence,” says Christine Mangale, ELCA Program Director with the Lutheran Office for World Community. “This is the time for ELCA members to draw lessons from the ecumenical movement, in particular the Lutheran churches worldwide that have been promoting peace and working to prevent conflict for more than six decades. As churches, we have always been inspired by the rich tradition of peace, love, reconciliation and justice.”

FACED BY ZIMBABWEANS

On July 30, 2018, Zimbabwe held its first free elections after the almost 30-year rule of Robert Mugabe, prime minister then president of that nation. Until election results were announced on August 3, 2018, protests flared, including the death of six people in violent clashes on August 1. The Rev. Dr. Kenneth Mtata, General Secretary of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches and pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe, said then, “What is really required in the long-run, if we going to have a deep cohesion among Zimbabweans, is to address the deep-seated anger, frustration and dissatisfaction on our land, which get an opportunity to manifest in such violence whenever there is an opportunity.”

In a letter of solidarity, the Rev. Dr. Martin Junge, General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, wrote of the hope for a country flourishing “with the contribution of each member of the society, regardless of political identity.”

SUPPLIES STOCKPILED BY THE CHURCH

The ELCA social message “Community Violence” conveys a practical appreciation of what many are feeling in 2020. “Violence breeds more violence. Incidents of violence stir up anger and a craving for vengeance. Fear festers an attitude of ‘we’re not going to take it anymore.’ Increasingly, our national mood has been described as one of ‘getting mad and getting even’” (pg. 2). But this response should not be indulged by Christians. The message continues: “The Holy Spirit works among us to wrench us from violence, hate, greed, and fear, and transforms us into people who are called to trust God and live in community with one another. In doing so, we need to confront the violent tendencies within ourselves and our society, and find ways to cultivate the practice of nonviolence” (pg. 2).

While evidence suggests toilet paper is again being stockpiled and security checks for gun purchases are on the rise, churches can position themselves to declare God’s peace, marked by relationships that are just, harmonious and free from violence. “The Church as a community for peace is also to be a deliberating presence in society. As a community of moral deliberation the Church is a setting of freedom and respect where believers with different perspectives may learn from one another in the unity of faith,” says the For Peace in God’s World social statement (pg. 5). “We also advocate an early peace that provides security from violence and aggression, seeks just order in place of tyranny or anarchy, checks unrestrained power, and defends and enhances the life of people who are poor and powerless” (pg. 7).

MOVING TOWARD HEALING

Whether violence mars this election or not, we are a nation in need of healing. One model for local congregation leadership in this healing is available in “With Malice Towards None,” a program of Braver Angels that increases capacity for working together to address our common challenges. After the election has been decided, the initiative suggests healing through organized online or in-person gatherings where “red and blue Americans consider how they want to regard their fellow citizens who voted differently and begin building the capacity of We the People to forge ‘a more perfect union’ moving into 2021.”

As the global ecumenical communion urges us, our Christian community can hold forth a light in anxious times and not be subsumed by fear. In Zimbabwe, Junge wrote of the church’s strong commitment “to walk with… all the people of Zimbabwe in prayers for peace and stability in the country in order for all to enjoy the fruits of their land.” Spurred by the God of peace, we can address the deep-seated anger, frustration and dissatisfaction in our land and tend to our divisions by coming together to encounter, listen and learn about one another across differences.

It is both privilege and responsibility for Lutherans in the United States to approach Election 2020 as faith-informed voters. Aware of needs and priorities in our own lives and connected with our neighbors who are equally beloved children of God, “Lutherans care about government because it is a gift from God intended for the safety and flourishing of human life.”* We are civically engaged, mindful that “too often and in too many ways, this gift has been abused.”*

• Do you have your plan in place for voting?
• Can you encourage and inform others through your congregation and/or personal circles?
• Have you reflected on election challenges – for vote casting and after Election Day – in our unique 2020 context?

With mere days remaining in advance of Election Day 2020, here is a review of material associated with the ELCAvotes initiative.

VOTING BASICS

Rules vary state-by-state, which makes obtaining facts and planning ahead very important when challenges of polling in 2020 tweak familiar voting avenues.

If you’re looking for a place to start, the national, nonpartisan Election Protection coalition can direct you to state-specific information from 866ourvote.org as well as the nonprofit, nonpartisan technology platform vote.gov. This includes:

• Registration information
• Vote-by-mail information
• Deadlines
• Polling locations

SOCIAL MEDIA

Cherry-pick from archived ELCAvotes social media posts or use new items posted every Wednesday to share important messages in your and/or your congregation’s circles. On Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ELCAadvocacy, find messages for sharing including:

• Identify your polling location
• Thinking of voting early? Deadlines matter.
• Want to check if you are registered?
• What is your state’s early-voting and vote-by-mail options?

Use #ELCAvotes in YOUR posts  to help us all see & share!

VIDEOS

• A brand-new short video from the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, ELCA presiding bishop, raises “Civic Engagement in 2020” themes. View on YouTube, and pass along from Twitter and Facebook.
• Though the video is not new, “The Right to Vote” with Bishop Eaton also contains an important message. Find it on ELCA.org/votes and YouTube.

BLOG THEMES

While the ELCA Advocacy blog spotlights varied examples of Lutheran action, several posts carry ELCAvotes themes.

• Voting dialogue with persons with disabilities (10/16/20)
• Sifting through misinformation (10/5/20)
• Churches as polling places (9/17/20)
• Voting in 2020 takes personal and public planning (8/21/20)
• Voter suppression damage requires challenge (6/24/20)

Review from blogs.elca.org/advocacy/ where you can also sign up to have ELCA Advocacy blog posts sent directly via email.

WORSHIP, BIBLE STUDY AND PRAYER

Lutherans take time for study, prayer and worship in all things.

• New from ELCA Worship: “Worship Resources for a National Election”
• Latest Bible study among ELCAvotes resources: “Suffering and Rejoicing as One” (1 Corinthians 12:21-26)
• Other Bible studies at ELCA.org/votes.

Check for local vigils near you. Plans for a national prayer vigil through the Washington Interfaith Staff Community in which ELCA advocacy staff participate will be shared when finalized.

ADDITIONAL ELCA RESOURCES

Check out ELCA.org/votes and ELCA.org/resources/advocacy under the “Civic Engagement” tab for more information, including:

• Fact & activity sheet on race and voting
• Money in politics
• Voter guidelines for people facing homelessness
• ELCA Civic Engagement Guide with “Get Out the Vote” tip sheet and more.

FROM OUR PARTNERS

• Sacred Season of Voting resources to educate yourself and motivate others to go out and vote are offered by Faithful Democracy, with which the ELCA is in partnership through the Washington Interfaith Staff Community.
• Help staff your local polling place if you feel safe doing so. Our country is facing a shortage of poll workers because of the pandemic, and Power the Polls can direct you to sign up.
• Tools for strengthening community resilience during the election cycle and addressing possible election-related violence in communities is available from Faith in Public Life. See “Building a Resilience Network.”

TRUST AND CALM

In the unique environment of Election 2020, our faith-informed voices have much to contribute to inform, take action and proclaim that fear will not rule the day – before, during and after Election Day. In a media pool tainted with misinformation, cultivating multiple info sources and “knowing where to go to find accurate information or a different perspective about a topic is extremely helpful,” says a tip in the Misinformation blog post. Churches can play a role as trusted messengers in our communities.

• Is voter intimidation illegal? Are guns permitted at polling places? Does the First Amendment protect intimidating speech? These are a sample of questions answered by the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University Law Center. Review the responses in their “Fact Sheet: Protecting Against Voter Intimidation.”
• Resources for addressing voter intimidation, including state-by-state guidance on explaining the laws barring unauthorized private militia groups near a polling place or voter registration drive, have been compiled by the same source from the page: “Addressing the Rise of Unlawful Private Paramilitaries.”
• The national, nonpartisan Election Protection coalition runs the hotline 1-866-OURVOTE (1-866-687-8683) in English and additional languages (use link or see graphic). Call it with questions, including if you encounter problems when seeking to cast your ballot. Legal help is provided by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights.

With the increase in mail-in ballots and polling place challenges, it is highly unlikely that a winner in the presidential contest will be known on November 4. As our nation awaits results, we can be centered in the blessing:

“Go out into the world in peace; have courage; hold on to what is good; return no one evil for evil; strengthen the fainthearted; support the weak, and help the suffering; honor all people; love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.” (from “Worship Resources for a National Election”)

* From the ELCA social message “Government and Civic Engagement in the United States: Discipleship in a Democracy.”

from the ELCA Advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, director

Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: October 2020

COVID-19 STIMULUS |  REFUGEE ADMISSIONS GOAL | TPS UNCERTAINTY | ELECTION 2020 IS HERE! | WELCOME NEW LEADERS

COVID-19 STIMULUS: At $2.2 trillion, the revised “HEROES Act” which passed the House on Oct. 1 is not expected to go further as bipartisan talks have broken down. Through the Circle of Protection, the ELCA successfully advocated for an extension of the Pandemic-EBT program through September 2021, a significant new tool for preventing childhood hunger. Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton joined a letter to Congress and the Administration urging swift approval of a COVID relief package that prioritizes those most at risk of hunger at home and abroad.

President Trump pressed negotiators in Congress to finalize a deal as soon as possible with greater spending limits, but there is little opportunity for the Senate to take action for needed relief before Election Day. As benefits to businesses and families in the greatest need continue to run out, it is critical for advocates to contact their lawmakers to pass a compromise deal that prioritizes relief that addresses the growing hunger crisis in the U.S. and globally as soon as possible.

REFUGEE ADMISSIONS GOAL: On the evening of Sept. 30, the Administration announced its new annual refugee admissions goal: a ceiling of 15,000 refugees, which is the lowest target in the history of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. A letter signed by 243 bishops and other rostered ministers called for resettlement of 95,000 refugees, the historic norm, delivered through Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS).

Through the Interfaith Immigration Coalition, the ELCA presiding bishop also issued a comment decrying the Administration’s historic low goal. An action alert through LIRS is available for individual expression of concern. The goal was announced publicly in a manner unlike formal presidential determinations which have undergone a traditional consultation and signing process in the past.

The administration has consistently lowered the refugee admission ceiling over the years despite growing need globally. Presently, only 10,892 refugees have been resettled this fiscal year. COVID-19 severely disrupted refugee resettlement. By late July, it was clear that the U.S. was not on pace to meet the already low 18,000 target.

TPS UNCERTAINTY: A preliminary injunction blocking the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for people from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan has been lifted by a Sept. 14 decision in Ramos v. Wolf. The toll on families is extreme as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and TPS recipients live in a perpetual state of limbo and fear of being returned to countries mired in social and political crises.

The Ramos decision also opens the way for the termination of TPS for people from Honduras and Nepal that are being challenged in a separate case. Urge the Senate to take up and pass the “American Dream and Promise” Act (H.R.6), one of few legislative vehicles to support TPS, DACA, and DED recipients by establishing a pathway to citizenship, with the Action Alert “Press for American Dream and Promise Act.”

ELECTION 2020 IS HERE! Factual, nonpartisan information from reliable sources is valuable as the 2020 election cycle advances to Nov. 3. Share ELCAvotes posts from @ELCAadvocacy on social media in your circles (new posts on Wednesdays plus archived posts available). The ELCAvotes initiative stems from 2013 Churchwide Assembly action and is led by ELCA Advocacy, Racial Justice Ministries, and Young Adult Ministry.

Both in the Civic Engagement series and with ELCAvotes, find resources and blog entries including Bible studies, “Sifting through Misinformation,” “Money and Politics,” and much more.

WELCOME NEW LEADERS: Despite the challenges of getting started from one’s home base and device connection, new additions have been welcomed to advocacy staff. Giovana Oaxaca will bring leadership through the position of Policy Director for Migration; and three Hunger Advocacy Fellows have begun service. These enthusiastic and gifted young adults are Taina Diaz-Reyes, Larry Herrold and Kyle Minden.

Diaz-Reyes is now part of the D.C.-based ELCA advocacy staff, Herrold is part of the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania staff, and Minden is part of the Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin. We’re excited to be working together!

Receive monthly Advocacy Connections directly by becoming part of the ELCA Advocacy network – http://elca.org/advocacy/signup , and learn more from elca.org/advocacy .

By guest blogger Carol A. Johnson, ELCA Coordinator, Disability Ministries, Grants and Schools

We are close to the national day designated to vote in the United States of America for our nation’s president and other congressional representatives in our state and our nation. Persons with disabilities take great pride in going to vote, but some do experience obstacles at the voting polls or even in registering and/or voting by mail.

Twenty five percent of American citizens are known to be living with a disability; another 25% of citizens are over the age of 60 and may benefit from talking with someone about when and how they plan to vote. While some may vote by mail, some may prefer to be out at the polls with other citizens – which is their right even if COVID-19 complicates this year’s national day of voting. As adults, they should be able to decide for themselves when and how they will vote.

Please consider being in dialogue with persons with disabilities about their desire to vote, about their opinions about those running for office, and consider asking what might make that day or even that week or month meaningful for them. Perhaps someone might like to go to polls when you do so that you might become more familiar with their experience. You may be surprised at the joy and independence felt despite any struggles.

We are a nation of many people who are more alike than different. Inviting someone and listening, rather than acting charitably, may be the best way for you to help someone living with a disability serve their country as a voter. Members with disabilities are your equals, your siblings in Christ, your neighbors – and are often impacted as much as yourself, if not more, by persons elected to serve as leaders of our country.

For more information and to get connected, visit ELCA.org/votes. Learn more about ELCA Disability Ministries from ELCA.org/our-work/congregations-and-synods/disability-ministry.