By Ruth Ivory-Moore, ELCA Program Director for Environment and Corporate Social Responsibility

“Psalm 104 celebrates the way in which water pours… This flowing water serves, in the psalm, as a sign of God’s overflowing blessings on creation, pouring down from God to the earth and giving life to creatures,” writes Benjamin M. Stewart in A Watered Garden: Christian Worship and Earth’s Ecology (p. 28).

Raising awareness of the impact of climate change on the water supply is the goal this year of World Water Day, observed March 22. The United Nations’ secretary general writes: “Climate Change exacerbates the lack of availability of water. Today, some 2.2 billion people lack safe drinking water and 4.2 billion people live without access to adequate sanitation. Unless we act with urgency, the impacts of climate change are projected to exacerbate these figures.” Climate change is changing our landscape, and water is showing us its power seen by devastating effects of floods and coastline erosion.

Water is powerful, and it is our lifeline. World Water Day can also remind us of its magnificence. These photos* tell of that magnificence.

Water holds a sacred place in our relationship with God.

All of creation…

…depends on water for survival.

Water plays a crucial role in almost every aspect of the global and domestic economy. Farms use a large amount of water. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, agriculture is a major user of ground and surface water in the U.S., accounting for approximately 80% of the nation’s consumptive water use and over 90% in many western states.

Water presents a place of solace as it acts as a natural mirror to surrounding landscape.

God’s gift of water makes available incredible sustainability powers** to all creation.

We give you thanks, O God, for in the beginning your Spirit moved over the waters and by your Word you created the world, calling forth life in which you took delight. – Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 230

*PHOTO CREDIT: Chuck Moore (Random Snap Photography)

**Find more in the ELCA Advocacy resource “Caring for God’s creation: Stewarding the gift of water“

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

COVID-19  |  LANDMINES  |  HMONG AND LAOTIAN DEPORTATIONS |  FY2021 BUDGET |  FAIR HOUSING RULE

COVID-19 OUTBREAK: With daily developments in the spread and scope of the COVID-19 outbreak, our anxiety and uncertainty tempt us to curve inward and fixate on self-preservation. Last week, Congress passed emergency funding to bolster local, state and federal governments’ public health response to the virus. This is an important first step, but we must do more so that our nation’s economic and health care systems work together to minimize the impact of the outbreak on poor and low-wealth communities, the elderly and other vulnerable people. ELCA congregations and ministries are responding to the outbreak in their communities to ensure the health and safety of worshipers, staff and neighbors by adopting practices to prevent or slow transmission of COVID-19. But as church in this pandemic, we can also illuminate the impact on our most vulnerable neighbors. God calls us to stand by them in advocating for dignity, equity and justice, and ELCA Advocacy staff are monitoring the situation for policy-response opportunities for our network.

LANDMINES: On Jan. 31 the Trump administration announced a decision to lift existing U.S. prohibitions against the use of landmines, saying the prohibition could put U.S. troops at a “severe disadvantage.” As a member of the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines, the ELCA signed a public statement, posted Feb. 20, that opposes the action. It says in part, “Landmines are inherently indiscriminate weapons that maim and kill long after conflicts end.” It concludes, “To roll back the progress the global community has made would not only be a tragedy but an affront to the dignity of landmine survivors around the world.”

The Jan. 31 action reverses a 2014 Obama administration ban on the use of such weapons, which applied worldwide except in the defense of South Korea. Lifting the prohibition represents a break with many nations around the globe that have banned landmine use, including more than 160 countries that are party to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (known as the Mine Ban Treaty), agreed on in 1997 and implemented in 1999. Take action through the ELCA Action Center.

HMONG AND LAOTIAN DEPORTATIONS: Laotian and Hmong refugees are preparing to face a possible increase in deportations, in part because the U.S. government is funding a reintegration program to help Laos accept nationals with final orders of removal. Concern is being felt by congregations and members, particularly in the Minneapolis Area Synod, Saint Paul Area Synod and East-Central Synod of Wisconsin. St. Paul, Minn., has the largest Hmong population per capita in the United States (28,591 Hmong Americans, or 10%), followed by Wausau, Wisc. (3,569, or 9.1%).

Lao, Hmong and other Laotian ethnic groups fled the Southeast Asian country after a nine-year bombing campaign by the United States during the Laotian Civil War, which ended in 1975. Many of those refugees resettled in the United States, which is home to about 186,000 foreign-born Laotians, according to the 2017 American Community Survey, as reported by NBC News. On Feb. 28, Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) introduced a bill that would prohibit the administration from deporting individuals to Laos.

FISCAL YEAR 2021 BUDGET PRESENTED TO CONGRESS: President Trump presented Congress with his fiscal year 2021 budget, which includes a number of proposals rejected by Congress when they were included in previous budget proposals. Proposed cuts to SNAP amount to $181.9 billion over 10 years. With all our interfaith partners, we will work with Congress to reject these efforts once again.

FAIR-HOUSING RULE UPDATE: Through March 13, public comments can be submitted through the ELCA Advocacy Action Center on a proposal that would substantially challenge prevention of discrimination in housing. Under the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposal, the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule — first designed to help localities promote diversity and inclusivity under the 1968 Fair Housing Act, and to take proactive steps to reverse the effects of housing segregation — would be rendered almost completely ineffectual.

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 .

With daily developments in the spread and scope of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), our anxiety and uncertainty tempt us to curve inward and fixate on self-preservation. Appropriately, ELCA congregations and ministries are responding to the outbreak in their communities to ensure the health and safety of worshipers, staff and neighbors by adopting practices to slow transmission of COVID-19. Resources and links on ELCA.org/publichealth offer guidance to inform and prepare our worshiping communities. But as church in this pandemic, we can also shine a light on impacts for our most vulnerable neighbors. God calls us to stand by them in advocacy for dignity, equity and justice.

As a church for the sake of the world, committed to God’s call to love and serve our neighbor, we must turn our attention to those who will be most impacted by what may be massive disruptions. The probability of lockdowns, quarantines, and intensified health and safety precautions is growing. From employment and income to government services, from access to testing and emergency health care to schooling for students, disarray can cause hardship.

Our heightened concern extends to neighbors, including:

• The elderly and those in fragile health.
• First-line health care workers under stress as they meet unprecedented demand.
• The poor, people in low-wealth communities and workers in the gig economy, facing risks that include no paid sick leave, unavailable childcare, inadequate health care or lack of a savings cushion.
• The unhoused who have few choices for protecting shelter or health care access.
• Immigrants, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons and children in detention centers that are crowded and lack sanitary conditions.
• People who are incarcerated, with no access or options to appropriate prevention or care.
• Indigenous community and village residents, especially if they live in isolated areas where health care and infrastructure may not have immediate resources to respond to a large-scale crisis.

Last week, Congress passed emergency funding to fund local, state and federal governments’ public health response to the virus. This is an important first step, but we must do more so that our nation’s health care and economic systems work together to minimize impacts on poor and low-wealth communities, the elderly and other vulnerable people.

We call on Congress to strengthen programs that serve as an economic backstop for individuals and families. In doing so, we can help prevent unnecessary harm to communities and the nation-at-large, especially in vulnerable populations who may be overlooked.

Social teaching

ELCA social teaching understands that caring for health is a shared endeavor among individuals, government and the wider society that “expresses both love for our neighbor and responsibility for a just society” (“Caring for Health: Our Shared Endeavor”). We must be faithful stewards of our own health, but that is not all. “The Church also supports the just obligations of a society to serve those who are often left out and to be present with those who suffer” (page 9).

At this moment of global crisis, God calls the church to promote the health of and ensure care for those who suffer during this pandemic and their loved ones. We will use our voice to advocate for government services and societal actions that will support the public health and well-being of all people and communities, especially those without power who may be forgotten or left behind.

Policy points

To achieve these ends, ELCA Advocacy will prioritize policy points with the administration and on Capitol Hill to help our nation respond compassionately to the most impacted. The ELCA Advocacy network will be invited to act* when there are opportunities for our collective voice to make a difference. Areas being monitored include:

• Funding for testing and treatment for the underinsured and uninsured so health access for individuals is not financially prohibitive, and health care providers and hospitals can focus on treatment.
• Access to food and nutrition programs, which will be essential for the most vulnerable people to feed their families and maintain health, especially if movement is restricted or they fall ill. Important measures include ensuring continuation of school meal programs if schools are closed and addressing campus hunger, services on tribal lands, delivery of food to the elderly and access to food in rural areas.
• Housing assistance for the homeless or those at risk of losing their homes will ease the process of tracking and treating the sick and in doing so help reduce infections. Shelter system expansion that allows for safe distancing and personal hygiene will help protect the unhoused.
• Proper care and medical services for detainees in government custody is essential.
• Awareness that fears could prohibit beneficial public health access at entry points for migrants living in our communities is relevant. Screening and health care without fear of a documentation litmus test or detention should be emphasized in sensitive locations for individual and community wellness.
• Global health systems may be quickly overwhelmed, reducing ability to prevent transmission and provide health care to those who might acquire COVID-19. The ELCA can walk with global partners to advocate with the U.S. Congress for global public health resources to address international needs.
• Xenophobic harassment and attacks are on the rise at this time of heightened uncertainty. The church must lead in denouncing stigmatism and displays of racism by modeling welcome and inclusion and disseminating accurate information.

Our life together

In our civic engagement:

• Voting remains critical, and measures must be taken to ensure access to the ballot and election integrity during the increased risk due to COVID-19. Early voting, mail-in and other methods may be increasingly attractive options, and adjustment to registration methods may be advisable.
• As Census 2020 gets underway, congregations can use ELCA Census materials to encourage participation through online and paper formats so door-to-door census worker visits are kept to a minimum

Learning from this experience includes pointing to underlying policy decisions that better equip us to handle the unexpected, which will require improved policy.

• Infrastructure — multiuse medical facilities are needed in times of crisis.
• Food access — rural communities and other food deserts have unique challenges.
• Unemployment benefits — policy should be shaped to respond to such unexpected and urgent economic disruptions.
• Mental health needs — the body of knowledge on the long-lasting impact of traumatic events needs to increase.

Spiritual support, prayer and accompaniment by God’s faithful is needed to provide for those children and adults experiencing anxiety during this crisis, including witness to the healing work of God. Health care workers in particular may be in need of witness to God’s healing and presence as they tend to the growing and perhaps overwhelming number of sick.

——–

A prayer for caregivers and others who support the sick
God, our refuge in strength, our present help in time of trouble, care for those who tend the needs of the sick. Strengthen them in body and spirit. Refresh them when weary; console them when anxious; comfort them in grief; and hearten them in discouragement. Be with us all and give us peace at all times and in every way; through Christ our peace. Amen (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 85).

* Receive updates and Action Alerts from ELCA Advocacy by signing up at ELCA.org/advocacy/signup,
and connect on social media @ELCAadvocacy.

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

This week my daughter came to me, shaken. “Mom,” she said, “There’s a video of a Chinese woman getting attacked because people are blaming HER for the coronavirus. They kept beating her and only one person tried to help!” Her voice conveyed anguish and outrage and no small amount of fear at this display of brutality.

Xenophobic outbreaks

As our nation responds to COVID-19 with public health measures to test and contain the outbreak, we are also confronted by an outbreak of xenophobic attacks on Asian Americans, adults and children, with reports of similar aggressions around the world. These attacks on individuals, Asian and Pacific Islander communities and their businesses are a tragic extension of the fear and misinformation regarding the origins and spread of the virus.

They are also yet another manifestation of the viral racism that infects our body politic and, as put in an opening question by theologian Howard Thurman to his classic book, Jesus and the Disinherited, the body of Christ in the United States.

“Why is it that Christianity seems impotent to deal radically, and therefore effectively, with the issues of discrimination and injustice on the basis of race, religion and national origin? “

Targeting populations based on racial or ethnic origin is not new in U.S. history, especially in times of national instability. My daughter has learned in school about the Chinese Exclusion Act, the first significant law restricting immigration into the United States, and about Japanese American internment camps, the forced relocation by the U.S. government of thousands of Japanese Americans to detention camps during World War II. We have recently discussed over the dinner table Trump administration actions to make it easier to deport Lao and Hmong community members despite the sacrifices and solidarity of these refugees during the Viet Nam war.

But the video startled and brought home to her how close xenophobia is to the surface of everyday life in a new and frightening way.

Jesus’ life-changing message

Thurman’s book challenged the church in 1949 and still does today, insisting we reflect on the depth of our hunger and thirst for justice to address racism and religious discrimination in church and society.

Thurman explores the life-changing message of Jesus for “those who stand, at a moment in human history, with their backs against a wall.” He contends that those who have been driven to the edge, dehumanized, degraded and denied basic dignity are Jesus’ primary audience. They are also the ones who can apprehend God’s “liberating spirituality” rooted in the religion of Jesus and an emancipatory way of being.

Siding with emancipatory faith

Thurman probes this spiritual resilience as developed through the suffering and beauty of the African American experience. Rooted in the presence and power of God who sides with the oppressed, this emancipatory faith provided sustenance during the atrocities inflicted by whites on enslaved African Americans and strength through the Jim Crow era.

To all whose backs are to the wall God offers this same liberating spirituality and calls for the church to stand alongside them.

Thurman mourns that the church, called to be in solidarity with those with their backs to the wall, often fails or falters. Long before Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail, Thurman took on “conventional” Christianity as “muffled, confused and vague,” more concerned with respectability than siding with those who are persecuted, weak and in need of defense.

Certainty in times of uncertainty

He has a word for us today, when there still are so many with their backs to the wall, experiencing persecution and in need of the church’s accompaniment, solidarity and advocacy. In times of national uncertainty, with all the unknowns about COVID-19 spread, there are a few things about which we can be certain.

That our prayers for God’s power, protection and presence are with those on the front lines of public health leadership and those who are isolated, sick or fearful.

That our nation has an essential role to play in public policy decisions that shape the health, security and well-being of people, throughout this country and the world, and that our vigilance and advocacy are required to hold our leaders accountable.

That as the ELCA we will not stand by when people are scapegoated, attacked or targeted based on race or ethnicity, which today means solidarity and presence with Asian and Pacific Americans and their communities.

That in Lent God invites us to renewal of faith and life, and at this moment of fear and uncertainty the church is charged with witnessing to a liberating spirituality that includes repentance, resistance and hope.

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.

“Funding for over 100 federal programs, many of which combat poverty and hunger and support people in need, are distributed based on population,” says the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Director of ELCA Advocacy. “An accurate count ensures that resources more justly go where they are needed most. It is also critical for representation in the political process as census information determines electoral maps.”

Undercounting is a significant issue among groups which benefit most from anti-poverty programs and from greater representation in decision-making. “Hard to count” individuals in census experience include persons residing in rural areas, young children, LGBTQIA persons, people experiencing homelessness, people who do not speak English, indigenous peoples and racial and ethnic minorities. The Census aims to count everyone regardless of immigration status, and as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, there will not be a question about citizenship status on the 2020 Census.

People underrepresented in previous census counts are not strangers. They are part of our congregations and communities. As we work toward a just world where all are fed, for your neighbor and yourself – encourage your community to be counted!

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

TRAVEL BAN  |  GIRLS’ EDUCATION  |  DISASTER AID FOR PUERTO RICO  |  FAIR HOUSING RULE  |  CENSUS 2020

TRAVEL BAN EXTENDED:  On Jan. 31, 2020, the Trump administration announced an expansion of the January 2017 travel ban to include more countries in Africa and Asia. Under the new policy, citizens from Nigeria, Eritrea, Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan will be barred from applying for visas to immigrate to the United States. The National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act would address this executive action and assist those of us escaping perilous or life-threatening situations. Support for the NOBAN Act can be facilitated in a current Action Alert.

In a statement on the expanded travel ban, the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton writes, “As Lutherans, these actions should concern us. Through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, God has set us free from ourselves to serve our neighbor. This expanded policy separates families from loved ones already here. Further, it prevents people — especially those escaping perilous or life-threatening situations in several of these nations — from coming to safety in the U.S. It does not enhance our safety or reflect our vocation as Christians.”

GIRLS’ EDUCATION:  On Jan. 28, the House of Representatives passed the Keeping Girls in School Act, a bill that seeks to strengthen U.S. international programs by reducing education barriers faced by millions of girls around the world. The bill calls on continued U.S. government and private investments to ensure quality and equitable education, promotes girls’ empowerment and streamlines existing programs.

Hundreds of ELCA Advocacy network members used an Action Alert in support of this legislation to send over 1,000 messages to members of Congress. An identical bill in the Senate awaits committee action before it can be sent to the Senate floor for a vote.

DISASTER AID FOR PUERTO RICO: The House of Representatives passed legislation to provide an emergency aid package for Puerto Rico in the wake of ongoing earthquakes and aftershock damage to the island. Support for this emergency aid in the Senate is the subject of an Action Alert, which emphasizes the lowest-income families in the greatest distress and the pressing need for authorizing proactive disaster policies for the greater United States.

The new package comes as the Trump administration recently released half of the blocked allocated assistance to help Puerto Ricans recovering from severe storms such as Hurricane Maria who now face additional devastation across the region. Two years after the 2017 hurricanes, more than 30,000 households are still waiting for assistance to have their homes repaired and/or rebuilt. Recent earthquakes have only accentuated the devastation many have experienced. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding is desperately needed to assist survivors with building materials, furniture and labor so that they can rebuild their lives and homes.

FAIR HOUSING RULE: In January the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposed a new rule that would weaken oversight and national data on fair-housing initiatives in low-income communities of color. Under the new proposal, the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule would be rendered almost completely ineffectual. Before March 16, use the Action Alert to make a public comment discouraging implementation of the change.

AFFH was first designed to help localities promote diversity and inclusivity under the 1968 Fair Housing Act and take proactive steps to reverse the effects of housing segregation. ELCA World Hunger recently shared a blog outlining the effects of altering the AFFH rule and explaining how discrimination in housing is an intersectional moral issue that affects multiple aspects of our lives.

ELCA PARTNER WITH 2020 CENSUS:  The ELCA is an official partner of the 2020 Census as we work toward a just world where all are fed and further our commitment to greater justice in public policy and the electoral process. More than $675 billion in federal funds, grants and support to states, counties and communities is based on census data. An accurate count determines electoral maps and ensures that resources more justly go where they are needed most, including to vital programs that combat poverty and hunger and support people in need.

Posters are available from ELCA.org/resources/advocacy to help ELCA congregations encourage participation, particularly among hard-to-count populations such as people residing in rural areas, young children, LGBTQIA people, people experiencing homelessness, indigenous people, people who do not speak English, and racial and ethnic minorities. National Census Day is April 1, 2020, at which time all homes should have been invited to complete the census. For your neighbor and yourself — encourage your community to be counted!

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 .

Looking ahead, 2020 is likely to be an eventful year. In the midst of societal shifts and opportunities, ELCA Advocacy has identified areas of priority for our work together on the federal level. “These priorities reflect ELCA Advocacy commitments for faithful and timely attention to pressing concerns that affect our neighbor’s well-being and the wholeness of creation,” says the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Director of ELCA Advocacy.

Please consider being part of the ELCA Advocacy network for information and notification when your action matters most. Use ELCA.org/advocacy/signup to sign up, and invite your congregation and ministries to do so as well (sharable invitation posts are available on social media @ELCAadvocacy). Find a reproducible copy of 2020 priorities at ELCA.org/resources/advocacy. ELCA Advocacy is a resource in our church to help bring our faith based voices into public policy dialogue as God calls us into the world to serve together.

2020 ELCA ADVOCACY FEDERAL POLICY PRIORITIES

In the ELCA we believe that, through baptism, God is calling us into the world to serve together.
We are a church that views governments as helpful ways God is active in our world and that is energized by lively engagement in our faith and public life. When we, as ELCA members, lift our voices together to influence policies that advance the common good, we further God’s work in our world.

Shaped by the ELCA’s social teaching documents and the experiences of its congregations, ministries and partners, we advocate to end world hunger and stands up for policies that create opportunities to overcome poverty, promote peace and dignity, preserve God’s creation and promote racial justice.

You will find ELCA faith-based advocates meeting with policy makers, taking joint action with values-sharing issue partners, writing letters, making public comments, talking with neighbors, asking questions in town hall meetings — listening, learning, educating and visibly and skillfully asserting policy considerations guided by faith foundations.

In addition to faith-based advocacy organized by local congregations and synods, by Lutheran state public policy offices and by Lutheran Office for World Community representation to the United Nations, ELCA Advocacy is active in Washington, D.C. Following are policy priorities on the national horizon for 2020.

Civic engagement

Anticipating the 2020 U.S. presidential election and supporting the church’s #ELCAvotes initiative, ELCA Advocacy will continue to prioritize policy and practice that increases both government inclusion of and civic participation in our communities.

• GO TOs — Find more in ELCA social teaching resources, including the social policy resolution “Voting Rights to All Citizens.”

  Domestic Policy

Child nutrition programs — Restore, protect and adequately fund school and community-based feeding programs as part of the federal safety net, and oppose efforts to convert nutrition assistance programs to block grants to states which would over time diminish free and reduced-fee meal benefits.

Criminal justice reform — End mass incarceration, promote fairer sentencing and support restorative reentry programs in our communities through federal and state funding and reforms.

Civil and human rights — Safeguard and promote protections for vulnerable populations, including communities who face barriers, unjust treatment or inequalities on the basis of racial, ethnic, cultural, gender, sexual orientation or class identity.

• GO TOs — Find more in ELCA social teaching resources, including the social policy resolution “Advocating for Child Nutrition,” the social message “Human Rights” and the social statement The Church and Criminal Justice.

Domestic Policy: Housing

Budget concerns — Foster bipartisan cooperation and public support for budgeting of federal programs that fund affordable housing and assist people who are homeless.

Shelter and housing reforms — Ensure that the experience of churches and faith-based ministries informs federal reforms and public rule revisions that affect low-income housing programs.

Natural disaster impact — Support federal disaster aid resources and equitable access to recovery programs that assist communities before and after natural disasters.

• GO TOs — Find more in ELCA social teaching resources, including the social message “Homelessness: A Renewal of Commitment” and the social statement Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All.

Environment Policy

Mitigation, Adaptation and Resiliency — Support legislation and policies that address the global impact of greenhouse gas emissions, incorporating the principles of participation, solidarity, sufficiency and sustainability. Impacts and related policy considerations are multifaceted, including food security threats, agricultural challenges, increased health issues, national security and the forced migration of thousands.

Sustainability — Encourage and advocate for important legislation to protect frontline communities and vulnerable populations that disproportionately experience the negative impacts of environmental degradation, including climate-related changes that exacerbate existing racial, economic, ecological and social injustices.

Creation care strengths of ELCA — Amplify ELCA experiential, educational and creation-care value resources, expressing faithful hope for the future, at this time of pressing and wide-ranging environmental concerns.

• GO TOs — Find more in ELCA social teaching resources, including the social statements Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice; Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All; and Genetics, Faith and Responsibility.

International Policy

Federal budget considerations — Advocate for robust support for international antipoverty, humanitarian and global health funding (i.e. HIV/AIDS, malaria), as well as funding for conflict prevention and peace-building programs.

Gender Justice — Strengthen U.S. government capacity to prevent gender-based violence, promote girls’ education, protect women and girls during humanitarian crises, and support the economic and health care needs of women and girls globally.

Peace and Diplomacy — Promote human rights and strengthen conflict prevention and peace-building activities around the world, including bilateral and multilateral initiatives.

• GO TOs — Find more in ELCA social teaching resources, including the social statements For Peace in God’s World and Faith, Sexism, and Justice.

Migration Policy

Plight of children, women and men fleeing the Northern Triangle of Central America — Raise awareness of the challenges and humanitarian stories on the United States’ southern border.

Human rights of migrants — Restore, protect and promote the human rights of those fleeing violence, poverty, environmental degradation or food insecurity, to name a few causes, and urge the relevant governments and ad hoc institutions to protect migrants, refugees and asylum seekers as established under international law, by denouncing policies and practices that exacerbate the risks and discrimination these populations face.

Militarization of foreign aid — Organize against the allocation of funds to militarize the U.S. southern border and the development of practices that compromise the human rights of migrants.

Path to citizenship — Support policy that reinforces Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

• GO-TOs — Find more in ELCA social teaching resources, including the social messages “Immigration,” “Human Rights” and “Gender-based Violence.”

How can you get involved?

Become part of the ELCA Advocacy network at ELCA.org/advocacy/signup! You will receive monthly updates on policy activity and be invited to take action at moments when your voice and experience will have an impact.

Find resources for your advocacy efforts at ELCA.org/resources/advocacy and a community with which to engage on social media at @ELCAadvocacy. Together we endeavor to live into our baptismal covenant to serve all people, following the example of Jesus, and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth.

By Rebecca Anderson, Intern at the Lutheran Office for World Community*

According to the International Organization of Migration, today there are an estimated 271.6 million migrants globally. While migrants are not inherently vulnerable, they can be vulnerable to human rights violations, observes the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR). It is imperative to protect their human rights.**

Migrants are forced to move for various reasons: governmental oppression, war, famine, climate change and better employment or educational opportunities. The list goes on. Of the 272 million international migrants, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs 2019 data indicates one in seven migrants are below the age of 20, with Sub-Saharan Africa hosting the highest proportions followed by Latin America and the Caribbean, West Africa and North Africa. In these age groups, the dangers of human rights violations are exponentially increased due to vulnerability factors such as education disruptions, food insecurity and sexual violence.

Fatou “Toufah” Jallow, a 23-year-old activist from The Gambia, left her home country temporarily to retain her safety after experiencing sexual violence until she could return to seek justice. She spoke of her experience on a youth delegate panel I heard at “Celebrating Human Rights Day: Youth standing up for human rights” hosted on Dec. 10*** by OHCHR. In his introductory remarks at the event, Assistant Secretary-General Andrew Gilmour spoke to the “sustained and sometimes ferocious pushback against the entire global human rights agenda that we haven’t seen before.” He highlighted growing “hate speech and prejudice” towards migrants and minorities.

Migration also has gender dimensions that must be considered. In a 2019 report by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants to the Human Rights Council, Felipe González Morales emphasized this and highlighted the need for migration to be understood as a “gendered phenomenon,” enabling member states to better protect the rights of migrant women and girls from gender-based discrimination, abuse and violations at each stage of their journey. Migrants need ensured access to basic services – education, health, water, sanitation and hygiene – and social protection.

As Christians, we all have a common identity as children of a loving God who calls us to reflect love outwards, acting in compassion for our fellow neighbor. The ELCA and Lutheran World Federation (LWF) have been welcoming migrants and refugees for decades. During the negotiations for the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants and the Global Compact for Migration (GCM), Lutheran Office for World Community championed migrant human rights. We are members of the NGO Committee on Migration and the Civil Society Action Committee that monitor UN events and meetings on migration and advocate for the full implementation of the GCM and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Migrants are our sisters and brothers in need of our compassion both as individuals and as a community. As Lutherans, we work with migrants from all around the world with aid, respect and inclusivity. We extend our embrace to those of us who must flee from dangerous situations or seek out a better life for themselves and their loved ones. Migrants deserve a life of dignity and freedom to enjoy their inalienable human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

* The Lutheran Office for World Community is a joint ministry of the ELCA and LWF. Staff actively participate together with other Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in various UN meetings and consultations.

** Read more in the ELCA social message on “Human Rights” which notes that “staggering numbers of God’s children have not experienced [human rights] advancement” (page 1).

*** Human Rights Day is observed annually on December 10 to celebrate the anniversary of the General Assembly’s adoption in 1948 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This momentous document sets out fundamental universal human rights that are to be protected worldwide regardless of race, ethnicity or culture.

By guest blogger the Rev. Kaari Reierson, contractor for ELCA corporate social responsibility program

Many of us have money socked away in pension funds, saved for education or invested for retirement. We probably thought pretty hard while we were saving that money, but how much do we know about where it is now? What do these investments produce and by what means? Through pension funds or personal investments, we may be supporting corporations which act in good faith and employ best practices, and we may be supporting business activities which harm people and the environment.

Personal ownership of shares gives you economic power as an investor and opportunity for exercising stewardship.

“The biblical understanding of stewardship is that what we have does not ultimately belong to us. We are called to be stewards of what God has given for the sake of all. This stewardship includes holding economic, political, and social processes and institutions responsible for producing and distributing what is needed for sufficiency for all.” ELCA social statement on Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All, page 11

Shareholder votes can encourage best practices by corporations, affirming good corporate citizenship and forward-thinking financial decisions. The next time your shareholder resolutions arrive, look closely. Are there requests for reports from the board that seem fair and reasonable? Are there requests that the governance of a corporation be inclusive and transparent?

The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program of the ELCA encourages corporations through shareholder and other activity to act in socially and environmentally responsible ways.

CSR develops standards for individual and institutional investors that align with ELCA social teaching. There are some products and services the ELCA advises against investing in at all because of the harm they inflict on people and the environment. CSR maintains investment screens found from elca.org/csr regarding: alcohol, community development, the environment, gambling, military weapons, political and civil human rights, pornography, private prisons and tobacco. CSR issue papers explore social issues as they pertain to corporate behavior and illustrate the kinds of shareholder resolutions that ELCA social teaching could support, which can also be found from elca.org/csr.

Portico Benefit Services, which provides retirement, health and related benefits for those who serve through the ELCA, offers Social Purpose funds that are invested in line with the ELCA’s mission.* Through ownership of stocks, Portico signs on to shareholder resolutions, issues its own requests to the Boards of Directors and participates in corporate dialogues.

Stewardship means using all we have been given for the good of all. The CSR program does this on behalf of the ELCA. CSR tools, including the new CSR Overview resource, can help you do this for yourself as well.

* Before investing in any fund, you should carefully consider its target asset allocations, investment objectives, risks, charge and expenses. All funds, including ELCA funds, are subject to risk and uncertainty. Past performance cannot be used to predict future performance. ELCA funds are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Fund assets are invested in multiple sectors of the market. Some sectors may perform below expectations and lose money over short or extended periods. See the ELCA Investment Fund Descriptions for more information about our funds.

Neither Portico Benefit Services nor the funds it manages are subject to registration, regulation or reporting under the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 or state securities laws. Members, therefore, will not be afforded the protections of those laws and related regulations.

By Ruth Ivory-Moore, Program Director for Environment and Corporate Social Responsibility

The 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) gets underway in Madrid, Spain today, and an unprecedented number of people from the ELCA are present as part of an ELCA Advocacy delegation – including Lutheran state public policy office directors, young adult leaders, global companions and members of the Lutherans Restoring Creation network. Negotiators and civil society observers meet annually at conference of parties (COP) conferences to hammer out resolutions to remedy, mitigate and adapt to a warming climate. Despite being in a crisis situation, where severe weather patterns are intensified and disaster damage and loss of life are more frequent, we must and can turn this around.

This moment in time involves using all tools at our disposal with a recognition that our human existence is interlinked with all of creation. “Lutherans are called to listen to the cry of the Earth along with the anguished cry of every broken soul so that we assume personal, ecclesial and public leadership in addressing both human justice and Earth justice together,” reads “Why Lutherans Care for Creation.” We are equipped at COP25 to use God’s creative wisdom to take stock of where we are now and where we need to be and to devise plans to wisely steward our place caring for the earth.

Days at a COP are long. Side events, displays and key speakers draw participants to opportunities for engagement and collaboration as well as learning. Lasting and collaborative relationships will be formed and strengthened with our neighbors, whether geographically in Pennsylvania, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa or Asia-Pacific. There are no boundaries to the devasting impacts of a warming earth, be they wildfires out West or historic flooding in Venice, or be they ecological system changes such as migrating species from moose to microbes. Knowing we are living into our role as stewards of creation energizes COP encounters with unparalleled enthusiasm.

Two youths who spoke at an interfaith climate emergency consultation in New York City in September 2019 implored us to think of caring for the earth not as a movement but as part of who we are. The resource, “Why Lutherans Care for Creation,” asserts: “For Christians, care of the Earth is not an ‘environmental cause.’ Rather, it is central to our holy calling to treasure the Earth and to care for it as our common home, fully integrating creation-care into our love of God and neighbor.”

ELCA participants bring another core conviction to COP25. While the environmental impact of a warming climate is dire, hope triumphant over despair is central to our tradition. As the ELCA Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice social statement reminds us: “We testify to the hope that inspires and encourages us. We announce this hope to every people, and witness to the renewing work of the Spirit of God.”