ELCA Advocacy

Coordinated with the Lutheran Office for World Community, we are thankful to share a perspective from a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, which are observed between November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and December 10, Human Rights Day.

By guest blogger Regina Fredrick [about the author]

Violence and peace are contagious. Maintaining them depends on one’s decision. A family member who has been raised experiencing one of the two is most likely to act the same toward people around them. One act of peace can change a society, and the same of violence.

Women’s roles and social change

It is said that charity begins at home. Addressing root causes of violence starting from the family as the base, including women, is important. Women are pillars of their communities. Women are leaders, teachers, peacemakers, mediators, advisors, and many other critical roles in society. A woman is the best teacher for those around her if she will be respected and given a chance to play her roles. She has the power to challenge and change social norms which marginalize and/or exclude all members of society from thriving.

Unfortunately, there are a significant number of women in Shinyanga Kahama District where I live who have not achieved their dreams because of deep-rooted social norms that perpetuate gender injustice. Many women say they were asked by their parents to quit school, because it was not valued to educate the girl child, because after a few years she would be married and join another family. It is normal for girls to be asked by their parents to write wrong answers on national examinations so that they won’t go for further studies. These norms foster child-, early- and forced-marriage.

Rippling impacts of gender injustice

Gender inequality and discrimination really have a ripple effect on the lives of women and girls. They disempower and deny women and girls the right to education, health, economic opportunities and decision-making power. Education is a foundational human right. Women and girls should not be robbed of the right to education.

One of the appalling manifestations of gender inequality is gender-based violence (GBV). It is the time of the year when we as Lutherans join other gender justice champions during these 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (#16Days). The theme this year is “Orange the world: End violence against women now!”

The global statistics on GBV are disturbing. According to UN Women, one in three women experience physical or sexual violence, mostly by an intimate partner, within a lifetime. However, this topic tends to only be addressed publicly in the most severe cases. As I reflect on the #16Days theme, I want to share briefly what we are doing in our diocese to address family violence.

Church based actions to prevent violence

Agape English Medium Primary School based in Kahama, which is owned by South East of Lake Victoria Diocese (ELCT-SELVD), is also a good example of family violence prevention pioneering. A child who is living with disabilities, unable to walk, was being cared for by a grandmother who was economically poor. The family used to hide the child at home. The church took initiative and brought the child to a hospital in Dar es Salaam and later enrolled the child in school. Through schooling, the child and family are both happy and thriving. The church supports many other students to pursue their dreams.

It is critical that churches address violence. Family violence can sometimes be perpetrated in secret, like in the case of the child who was stigmatized and denied education because of the disability. Violence may be perpetrated by people economically poor, but poverty is not an excuse for committing violence. It is important to offer education to all people, at all levels, so that everyone understands and addresses GBV.

Call to promote gender justice

As a youth leader in my church, and at the regional level, I join other young people to advocate for an end to GBV and to promote gender justice. Rooting out harmful social norms that have no place in our homes, places of worship or society-at-large is critical.

We must address gender stereotypes and the underrepresentation of women and young people in leadership level both in church and society. We must all join hands to ensure education opportunities for young people, especially girls. We must address the huge need for youth development, especially in rural communities that lack resources. We must include youth at all levels of decision-making, especially in peace processes, and I have joined my fellow youth of East and Horn of Africa urging this. We must train our young people in conflict prevention and mediation skills at grassroots levels.

We must strive for families and societies free of violence where all can thrive. Let us end violence against women and girls now.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Regina Fredrick is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) and among youth leaders in her South East of Lake Victoria Diocese. She has been a Lutheran World Federation delegate to the 65th UN Commission on the Status of Women and the Generation Equality Forum. In May 2020, Fredrick was appointed to represent ELCT youth in All African Youth Network which is under All African Conference of Churches (AACC).

A teacher by profession, Fredrick has a Bachelor of Science with Education (BScED) from the Open University of Tanzania. She has been working as a teacher since 2011-2020, and she serves as a peace ambassador. Fredrick has also participated in the Pan-African essay writing competition under the theme “Extractive Industries, Gender, and Inequality in Africa.” She has participated in several conferences including AACC’s meeting on youth engagement on gender justice and sexual reproductive health and on the African Union’s “Silencing the Guns in Africa by 2020” initiative.

We are encouraged to learn about residential and boarding schools, honor survivors, and remember those who never made it home from the schools in “Telling and Teaching the Truth: The Church’s Obligation to Education about the Ongoing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery” presented by the ELCA with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, Anglican Church of Canada, and The Episcopal Church (September 2021). The open letter expressing commitment notes: “Our churches’ work to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery begins with the costly work of telling the truth.” We are thankful for truth-telling from our guest blogger in this Native American Heritage Month.

By guest blogger the Rev. Manuel Retamoza [about the author]

As both a member of the Cherokee nation and a first-generation Mexican American, news stories from the southern border in 2018 were more than just headlines for me.

Headlines were made when the news broke about the practice during the previous executive administration of separating immigrant children from their parents at the southern border. We all saw images and heard stories of children, even babies, being held in squalid conditions while being processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. There was a public outcry against the dehumanizing practice of forcefully removing children from their parents, which led to protests on both sides of the border.

These stories tap into the deep, largely unacknowledged, pain that Indigenous peoples in the United States have carried for generations around the governmental and the church practice of forcefully removing Native American children to send them to residential boarding schools. The philosophy of one of these institutions, The Carlisle School in Pennsylvania, was “Kill the Indian, save the man.”

History Repeating

I was overwhelmed with empathy for these Central American (often also Indigenous) children, many of whom I met when I volunteered at a shelter here in San Diego, knowing that this is a repeat of our country’s history. Whether it was the separation of families at our border or with our Indigenous children who were taken from their communities to boarding schools, separating children from their families has been used to implement harm and family devastation for 500 years by those who colonized this land we call Turtle Island.

Recently I preached at the Vine Deloria Jr. Theological Symposium at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. We gathered around the theme “On Our Way to Truth and Healing.” In my sermon, I reflected on Jesus’ words in Mark 13: “Pray that it may not be in winter. For in those days there will be suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, no, and never will be.” These words also describe my people, the Cherokee – gathered up like livestock – forced out of their homes with nothing but the clothes on their back, held in stockyard-like conditions as the U.S. military prepared to “escort” them 2,000+ miles to what is now Oklahoma. It was in winter when this happened, and many of our elders and children did not survive.

Truth of Indian Boarding Schools

A generation later, children would be taken from their families, only this time to Indian boarding schools. Many of these children never returned. Those who survived endured neglect and abuse by the adults entrusted to care for them. It is here where some of the worst atrocities against Native people took place because we were robbed not only of our children but our future. The goal was to kill and bury our story, our truth. The goal was erasure and elimination, but we are still here.

We can’t sit back and ignore the truth when it is presented to us. Truth once revealed must be struggled with, even the painful truths of what we have done and left undone as a church and as individuals. To not dig deep into the infection that is the atrocities done to Indigenous people is to allow it to continue to fester and prevent real healing. Ultimately, this denial hinders the work of the Holy Spirit in our church.

Need for God’s Grace

By telling the real story and allowing our people to tell their real story we invest in our future by not forgetting our past injustices and work toward healing for our future. It is in sharing the story, both the good and the bad, that we truly discover our need for God’s grace.

Additional background is available from the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition:
“US Indian Boarding School History” and “For Churches.”

Use our Action Alert, “Indian Boarding School truth and healing needed,” to urge Congress to advance a new commission and study on the devastating legacy of Indian Boarding Schools and develop meaningful steps to heal moving forward.

In October 2021, the ELCA released “A Declaration of the [ELCA] to American Indian and Alaska Native People.” The declaration is a direct result of the social policy resolution, “Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery, which was passed by the 2016 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. In the declaration, the ELCA acknowledges the theological and Christian foundation of the Doctrine of Discovery, which has codified colonialism and religious intolerance as societal norms for more than 500 years. Direct links and more are available in an ELCA news release.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: The Rev. Manuel Retamoza is senior pastor at St. Andrews Lutheran Church in San Diego, California. He also serves as vice president of the ELCA American Indian and Alaska Native Lutheran Association.

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.

U.N. | Colorado | Minnesota | Texas | Washington

U.N.

Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC), United Nations, New York, N.Y. – ELCA.org/lowc

Dennis Frado, Director

The General Assembly’s Third Committee held its annual dialogues with special human rights mandate holders and others. Of particular interest were:

The Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Reem Alsalem, spotlighted the gender related killing of women, also known as femicide. She urged countries to use the femicide watch initiative to gather data and report annually.
The Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Gladys Acosta Vargas, underscored the distressing situation of women facing the threat of sexual violence in conflict, human trafficking, sex-based discrimination, socioeconomic injustices and humanitarian emergencies.
Special Rapporteurs on internal displacement, human trafficking and modern slavery all issued warnings that the number of people forcibly displaced within their own countries due to conflict is now at the highest on record, at 48 million.
Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, also appealed to governments for international solidarity. He reported that conflict continues to be the main driver of displacement and emphasized that “We must never forget that nobody wants to live with the anxiety of exile”. He also highlighted the reality of climate-related displacement.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, sounded the alarm on femicide, enforced disappearances and discrimination against vulnerable groups which continues to flourish in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change crisis.
The Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples highlighted the causes and consequences of urbanization and the racial discrimination, poverty, and stigmatization that Indigenous Peoples living in urban areas face. The Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences, presented on the role of organized criminal groups in contemporary forms of slavery, and the Chairperson of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, stressed that “Systemic racism is a public health crisis, just as COVID 19 has become a racialized crisis”. She highlighted how people of African descent face racism and structural discrimination worldwide and underlined that “human rights are for everybody”.
The Special Envoy of the Secretary General on Myanmar, reported “the overall situation in Myanmar continues to deteriorate sharply, with conflict intensifying in many parts of the country.  “Repression by the military has led to more than 1,180 deaths,”.  She further highlighted the challenges and heightened suffering of already vulnerable communities, especially the Rohingya and other ethnic and religious minorities.
The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, said that “increased attacks by the military junta have taken place against the backdrop of a grossly disproportionate response by the international community”.

Colorado

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Colorado (LAM-CO) – lam-co.org

Peter Severson, Director

ELECTION DAY RESULTS: Coloradans voted on three statewide ballot measures on Election Day, November 2, and all were defeated. LAM-CO opposed all three because we believe there are more just and equitable legislative pathways to accomplish some of these ideas.

We can increase the accountability of custodial spending, but we don’t need to require every dollar to go through an inefficient and cumbersome bureaucratic process in order to be spent.

We can boost tutoring and after-school learning opportunities, but we don’t need to create a separate program outside of the Department of Education, funded by vice taxes.

We can provide targeted relief to property tax-payers who most need it, but we don’t need an across-the-board cut that will hurt local services while benefiting the wealthiest property owners the most.

The results are below:

Amendment 78, Legislative Authority for Spending State Money
- YES: 43.6%
- NO: 56.4%
Proposition 119, Learning Enrichment and Academic Progress Program
- YES: 45.6%
- NO: 54.4%
Proposition 120, Property Tax Assessment Rate Reduction
- YES: 43.4%
- NO: 56.6%

Picture of the front of a church building. In front of the building are trees in sunlight showing off the red and orange colors of the leaves.

Happy Autumn from the Rocky Mountain Synod Office of the Bishop

Minnesota

Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota (LA-MN) – lutheranadvocacymn.org

Tammy Walhof, Director

Lutheran Advocacy-Minnesota recently took part in the decision-making process for the 2022 policy agenda of Homes for All, a statewide coalition of 240+ endorsing organizations that advocates for housing stability for all Minnesotans. Tammy Walhof and Rachel Wyffles listened to 26 policy proposals over two days and scored each according to criteria that evaluated urgent need and effectiveness. LA-MN then participated in two sessions of discussion in which scored proposals were considered in the context of Homes for All’s five policy buckets: Build more, equitable access and fair treatment, housing stability/anti-displacement, preserve the homes we have, and wealth building. We had great discussions throughout the process, and we look forward to working towards these priorities in the 2022 legislative session!

LA-MN is also contributing to discussions around clean energy with our environmental coalition partners as they decide on priorities for the 2022 legislative session. They are looking towards smaller, more project-based priorities for the 2022 session.

Wyffles had the opportunity to speak to 110 youth from around the country who were gathered at the ELCA Youth Leadership Summit in Minneapolis. She spoke about what advocacy is, gave context for how advocacy is an integral part of Lutheran faith, and provided ideas for how to incorporate advocacy in youth ministry. The youth were an insightful and inspiring group, asking great questions and expressing enthusiasm for getting involved with the ELCA Advocacy Network in their own states.

Texas

Texas Impact – texasimpact.org

Scott Atnip, Outreach Director

It has been a busy year in Texas with the Texas Legislature convening their regular 140 day legislative session followed by three special sessions, concluding in October. The third special session focused on redistricting, spending American Rescue Plan Act funds, anti-trans legislation, critical race theory and a failed attempt to ban vaccine requirements by statute. The work continues to equip and mobilize Texans of faith to help them understand what is happening in their Texas Legislature through ongoing programming, including the Weekly Witness podcast, Rapid Response Team and Legislative Engagement Groups.

Plans are underway to host an election training to help congregations understand how the new voting laws will impact their communities and to share best practices for congregations to support local infrastructure. Texas Impact also sent a delegation to COP26 in Glasgow with plans to report back to Texas congregations.

Washington

Faith Action Network (FAN) – fanwa.org

Paul Benz and Elise DeGooyer, Co-Directors

FAN Annual Dinner We will host our annual fundraising celebration virtually on Sunday, November 21 to celebrate our 10th birthday, Rev. Paul Benz’s years of service, and our shared future. Advocates across the state will be joining us online, with the option to gather in small COVID-safe watch parties. You’re welcome to join from your state – register here to receive the event link: bit.ly/FANDinner2021

Statewide Policy With the help of our Economic Justice team leaders, FAN sent many advocates across the state to virtual Tax Town Halls led by the state Tax Structure Work Group to envision a new way forward for a fair taxation system in WA State. The Department of Revenue also hosted listening sessions on the implementation of the newly-funded Working Families Tax Credit, which FAN has advocated for in many sessions. The statewide eviction moratorium ended on October 31 despite calls for a continued extension by many organizations and individuals. We will continue to work with cities to extend their moratoriums and provide eviction prevention measures and rental assistance as families recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19.

Welcoming New Staff We welcomed two new staff to the FAN team – Elizabeth Dickinson is our Partnership Coordinator who will be working with our Network of Advocating Faith Communities, and Juli Prentice is our Outreach and Organizing Intern through Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry. We look forward to the fresh energy they will bring to our outreach and organizing!

from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Senior Director

Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: November 2021

HISTORIC FEDERAL BILLS | HOUSING STIMULUS FUNDING | GLOBAL COVID-19 VACCINATION | PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP | ISRAELI GOVERNMENT DECISION

HISTORIC FEDERAL BILLS: The recently signed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will make strong investments in our nation’s infrastructure and climate resilience and will increase economic opportunity in our communities. Measures in the Build Back Better budget reconciliation bill also contain potential for advancing common good including in the areas of in childcare, climate impacts childhood education, employment, food security, healthcare, housing and immigration, and our advocacy continues to emphasize ELCA priorities. Climate change provisions in the Build Back Better Act may total over $500 billion, only one of the areas ELCA advocacy staff continues to monitor.

HOUSING STIMULUS FUNDING: In recently announced frameworks and bill text of the administration’s Build Back Better Initiative, roughly $150 billion of housing funding was publicly stated to be included – though negotiations are still ongoing as of early November. This initial allocation came as hundreds of Lutheran advocates called their lawmakers in support of such funding on an active housing action alert. The ELCA joined other interfaith partners in a message urging federal leaders to consider housing an essential priority last month.
In that same period, several lawmakers joined faith advocates and speakers dedicated to lifting up housing issues in a vigil on Capitol Hill as negotiators met in Delaware to finalize a compromise Build Back Better framework. Partners such as the National Low Income Housing Coalition state that the $150 billion would make a transformative difference to address access to housing, affordability, and homelessness in our communities if passed.

GLOBAL COVID-19 VACCINATION: ELCA advocacy staff continue to advocate for COVID-19 vaccines access. Recently staff participated in dialogue with COVAX’s Vaccine Initiative representatives, who shared about the need to increase COVID-19 vaccines and other related resources to strengthen countries’ capacity to fight the pandemic. At the end of October, the Biden administration announced that it will defer its delivery of 33 million Moderna doses to give the African Union its spot in line to purchase the vaccines. The advocacy community has been asking wealthy countries like the U.S. to relinquish part of their pre-purchase spots so that low-income countries can have access to purchase vaccines. This will increase the number of available vaccines for purchase immediately and in the near term.

PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP: As the reconciliation negotiations continue, the immigration provisions have become a major point of contention. Originally allocating $100 billion for immigration and a pathway to legal permanent residency, this allocation is mired by debate over specifics. Members overcame this impasse, eventually announcing consensus on proposals that would grant undocumented immigrants temporary work permits and protection from deportation, in addition to recapturing family and employment-based visas. While this effort would yield significant benefits to mixed status and immigrant families, the economy, and our society at large, it falls short of the proposed pathway to status. Negotiations are still ongoing, and few procedural hurdles remain, as the ELCA joins the interfaith community in holding out hope in advocating for a flexible pathway to earn citizenship.

ISRAELI GOVERNMENT DECISION: The ELCA and 14 other faith-based organizations signed a letter calling on the Secretary of State to publicly oppose an Israeli government decision to designate six Palestinian human rights groups as “terrorist” organizations. They also asked him to call upon his Israeli counterpart “… for the immediate reversal of this action which runs directly counter to President Biden’s stated prioritization of human rights in the conduct of US foreign policy.”
In another update, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) welcomed the Biden Administration’s opposition to Israel’s opening of construction tenders on October 24 for 1,355 new settlement units and their decision on October 27 to advance thousands of new settlement units, many of them deep in the occupied West Bank.

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 .

Across the United States, places of worship and people of faith are key partners in assisting refugees, asylum seekers and others in need of hospitality. Support from ELCA members and congregations has swelled with an outpouring of concern, prayers and offers of assistance for our Afghan neighbors following the end of the United States’ long war in Afghanistan. As ELCA and through Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), we can continue to offer our support.

The following is an overview of what’s been happening, how Lutherans are stepping up to provide accompaniment, and where you can engage further by advocating for legal protections for new arrivals.

WEBINAR VIDEO: “Walking Beside Our Afghan Neighbors”

*NEW* The webinar, “Walking Beside Our Afghan Neighbors,” provided great insights from key Lutheran leaders, including a congregation leader involved in resettlement, a Lutheran social service organization, ELCA advocacy staff and LIRS policy leadership. View the archive of the one-hour session, originally presented Nov. 18, 2021. View from the ELCA Vimeo page at https://vimeo.com/648669699 (program begins at 1 minute 20 seconds).

SITUATION UPDATE

According to recent government figures, the United States is on pace to resettle around 75,000+ Afghans in the coming weeks. The U.S. government has evacuated tens of thousands of men, women and children from Afghanistan in recent months and plans to continue evacuation and resettlement operations through 2022.¹

Humanitarian Concerns

In Afghanistan, the situation continues to deteriorate, especially for many women and girls. Having gained access to education, employment, and political opportunities, the prospects for women’s rights under the Taliban government look grim.² Additionally, Afghanistan is contending with a humanitarian crisis. Most recent aid has gone towards staving off food insecurity and the collapse of the public health system and economy.³ Oftentimes, it is women and children who suffer the most during periods of prolonged conflict.

The international community and faith communities have continued to urge protection of civilians, including women and girls, academics, journalists, human rights defenders, and members of ethnic, religious, and other minority group from attacks. The U.S. government has resumed the evacuation of some former U.S.-affiliated Afghans—mostly visa applicants left behind in the hasty operation, while excluding others still at risk.

Humanitarian Parole

During the evacuation operations, many Afghans were admitted to the United States under temporary humanitarian parole status. Humanitarian parole, unlike U.S. refugee status or Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) status, expires after two-years, offers limited benefits, and has no direct path to lawful permanent residency (i.e. a “green card”). Afghans with this status face an uncertain future once they arrive.

Fortunately, as a part of the stop-gap funding bill recently passed by Congress and signed by the president on Sept. 30, lawmakers authorized Afghans admitted with parole to receive the same benefits as refugees, an ID and/or driver’s license.

Resettlement Processing

After being processed and rigorously screened on military bases, these individuals and families are referred to resettlement agencies before continuing to their next destination. Operation Allies Welcome was created to coordinate their arrival, assistance, and resettlement with the help of resettlement agencies like LIRS through its affiliates.

Acknowledging unmet need, the government launched the private Sponsor Circle Program, created to enable groups to sponsor and assist Afghans directly. This program would operate parallel to the existing framework of private resettlement agencies long supported by the American public and faith-based organizations.

LUTHERAN DISASTER RESPONSE ACTIVITY

Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) has been reaching out to synods, congregations and affiliates who are taking an active role in welcoming Afghan families. Support for volunteers and interpreters is critical, as are housing assistance, health and wellness care, and fostering community belonging. LDR is in partnership with LIRS and Church World Service (CWS), the lead organizations in resettling Afghan families.

Find a situation and response update from Lutheran Disaster Response – “Afghan Humanitarian Crisis“
With prayer and directions to give and connect, learn more from LDR blog post – “Situation Report: Afghanistan Humanitarian Crisis“

DIRECT INVOLVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Local connections, for example your area Lutheran Social Service (LSS) location, are a great first place to find out what needs you can help meet in your immediate community.

The Refugee Council USA has posted a map that pinpoints local resettlement agencies, including LSS affiliates, which may direct you to volunteer opportunities.
A more detailed state-by-state is available in the Reception & Placement Affiliate Directory (May 2021) and can help direct you to local opportunities.

LIRS continues to advocate for evacuation of Afghans and their families to give them a place of safety on U.S. soil. “Since we launched our Afghanistan-focused volunteer portal, LIRS and our partners have received more than 45,000 volunteer applications.” Applications to volunteer with LIRS are still open. Their team is hard at work connecting groups and individuals with opportunities to “help with airport pick-ups, apartment set-ups, English lessons, and other critical services,” states the LIRS “How to Help Afghan Refugees” page.

Use the LIRS sign up portal on LIRSconnect to share your availability.
Additional prayer, education and action steps can be found on the “How to Help Afghan Refugees” page.

Church World Service (CWS) has a new opportunity for remote placement of Afghan refugees for congregations that are more than 100 miles from a local resettlement office.

Discover more about Afghan Placement and Assistance (APA) Program community partners from CWS.

A Resettlement Story shared by Lutheran Services Iowa (LSI) staff member

“’Home’ and ‘welcome’ are two concepts that have been central to Lutheran Services Iowa since our founding in 1864. With hearts full of prayer for vulnerable individuals remaining in Afghanistan, we are proud to open our arms to resettle those arriving in Iowa. As a resettlement partner of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, LSI is prepared to resettle 525 Afghans and other refugees in Des Moines, Sioux City, and other areas of the state in the coming months. To support current resettlement needs, LSI is actively recruiting Pashto and Dari interpreters, training volunteers, soliciting financial and in-kind donations, and hiring additional staff. LSI is working with property owners, employers, community partners, and faith leaders to meet individuals’ needs not only when they arrive at the airport, but in the months and years after. LSI has a broad array of post-resettlement services, such as financial literacy, small business development, family wellness, English classes, and more designed to ensure newcomers to our community thrive. [We’re responding] to the love of Jesus Christ through compassionate service.”

ADVOCACY

Thank you to the hundreds of Lutherans and friends who used the “Safety for Our At-Risk Neighbors in Afghanistan” Action Alert from the ELCA Advocacy Action Center, urging a strong federal response to support Afghan neighbors at risk! The customizable way to reach out to your member of congress is still active.

Use the Action Alert to express your priorities as we “urge the administration and Congress to commit to providing refuge for those at-risk and expand and expedite their access to the United States resettlement program.”

Afghan Adjustment Act Needed

Again, we are called to be leaders in society in both offering hospitality and advocating for the newcomer. Congress should come together to acknowledge the humanity of our Afghan neighbors and realize the hope of a future free from harm. Congress can simultaneously prioritize a future for Afghans in Afghanistan, evacuate those who are still at risk, and pass legal protections for new arrivals.

An uncertain legal limbo awaits Afghans who fled their war-torn country unless Congress takes urgent action to introduce and pass an Afghan Adjustment Act. An Afghan Adjustment Act would allow humanitarian parolees, here in the United States, to adjust their status, providing long-term stability and security for themselves and families. Congress has authorized similar legal pathways for Cuban and South Asian refugees. The ELCA is monitoring developments and advocating for urgent, compassionate responsiveness to our Afghan neighbors.

POISED FOR WELCOME

People of faith are uniquely poised to advocate for a welcome that lives up to the biblical call to love our neighbor, and we are a church that “holds power accountable, advocates justice, stands with those who are poor and vulnerable, provides sanctuary, and meets human needs” (from the ELCA social statement For Peace in God’s World). In the decade after the fall of Saigon in 1975, Lutheran congregations sponsored over 50,000 refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.⁴ We are here, as Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton articulated in her “Supporting Afghanistan” video, for the long welcome.

Again, we hear God’s call to accompany one another while speaking up for a generous policy of welcome. We will walk with our Afghan neighbors as they arrive, as they are resettled, and as they continue to become part of our communities. And we will advocate with and for our neighbors in this moment of need.

ENDNOTES

1 The administration is seeking $6.4 billion for the ongoing effort to resettle Afghans who were evacuated during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
2 More in “What Will Peace Talks Bode for Afghan Women?” (International Crisis Group, 4/6/20)
3 Additional information is available in “Donors pledge $1bn in aid for Afghanistan as UN warns of crisis” (Al Jazeera article, 9/13/21)
4 Find this statistic and more in the ELCA social message “Immigration.”

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

Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: October 2021

PRIORITY CONSIDERATIONS IN FEDERAL DELIBERATION | PIVOTAL COP26 | COVID-19 VACCINES | AFGHAN ARRIVALS AND REFUGEES | BORDER AND ASYLUM UPDATE

PRIORITY CONSIDERATIONS IN FEDERAL DELIBERATION: The ELCA continues high-level advocacy with members of Congress, leadership and staff on making the child tax credit permanent along with other priorities as negotiations continue around both the bipartisan infrastructure legislation passed in the Senate and initiation of a multi-trillion budget reconciliation process in both chambers. Advocacy program directors have also worked with interfaith partners to plan a livestreamed 12-hour vigil, “Keeping the Faith,” on the U.S. Capitol grounds on Oct. 20 to raise awareness in Congress of these priorities.

As negotiations on the reconciliation package advance with congressional leaders and the Biden Administration, the Washington Post reported in early October that early commitments, such as funding to address housing affordability and access to home ownership, may prove among the first to “hit the cutting room floor.” Housing commitments, historically, have often been the first to be left out of stimulus and spending bills. This comes as the U.S. faces an immense shortage of available housing across all income levels and as unaffordability is becoming one of the leading causes of homelessness in our communities. An ELCA Action Alert was issued in mid-September highlighting the need to include affordable housing in the reconciliation bill. Advocates in the faith community are among the few actively supporting such provisions as a high priority, and feedback from religious leaders will be paramount for lawmakers to hear in the coming days and weeks.

PIVOTAL COP26: The ELCA is sending a delegation to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Conference of the Parties (COP26) being held in Glasgow on Oct. 31-Nov. 12. COP26 will be the most significant since COP21 adoption of the Paris Agreement, advancing achievement of the commitments.

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. The aims of COP26 negotiations include to reduce emissions, strengthen adaptation and resilience to climate impacts, scale-up finance and support critical to finalizing the “Paris Rulebook” (detailed rules and procedures for implementing the Paris Agreement), and conclude outstanding issues from COP25. Key specific priorities include enabling ambition through carbon markets; enabling enhanced adaptation action; averting, minimizing and addressing loss and damage; identifying means of implementation, including the initiation of deliberations on a new goal for global climate finance after 2025; and responding to the latest science and the ambition of current emission reduction targets.

COVID-19 VACCINES: President Biden announced that the U.S. will donate an additional 500 million Pfizer- BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines. This brings the U.S. commitments to donate vaccines to a total of 1.1 billion by fall 2022. The World Health Organization has said 2.4 billion are needed by the end of 2021.

The ELCA has been advocating for vaccine donations as well as for loosening of rules to enable other countries to manufacture vaccines to make more vaccines available.

AFGHAN ARRIVALS AND REFUGEES: After intense pressure from advocates, the Administration mounted a coordinated response to support evacuations, screening, immigration services and general processing of Afghan arrivals from interim military installations to final destinations.

Thousands of Afghans have been welcomed by communities across the country. Operation Allies Welcome brought on former Delaware Governor Jack Markell to coordinate the hub as the U.S. prepares to resettle as many as 95,000 Afghan newcomers. A stop-gap funding bill passed by Congress in Sept. injected much-needed funding for resettlement services along with other provisions. Congress must still pass a future Afghan Adjustment Act, which would allow certain arrivals the opportunity to seek legal permanent residence. The Witness in Society staff response to Afghan arrivals has included statements, letters and participation in vigils and informational webinars. Advocacy staff will continue to monitor developments on the Hill that prepare communities for a long welcome.

BORDER AND ASYLUM UPDATE: Thousands of migrants have attempted to seek legal asylum at the border over the past few months, but a public health authority known as Title 42 continues to be invoked. This issue came to a head when the Del Rio sector experienced an increase of Haitian migrants, including families with children and adults.

Around 13,000 camped under the Del Rio bridge before the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deployed a response that forcibly deported around 6,000 people to Haiti and released several thousand others into the U.S. to start immigration proceedings. Through AMMPARO, the church has been active in advocacy against Title 42 and other barriers to asylum that affect migrants in transit, like Remain in Mexico. We’ve also welcomed positive announcements, like expanded eligibility for the Central American Minors Program (CAM).

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 .

U.N.
Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC), United Nations, New York, N.Y. ELCA.org/lowc – Dennis Frado, Director

Women’s Human Rights Advocacy Training

The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in partnership with the World Council of Churches, ACT Church of Sweden, ACT Alliance, Finn Church Aid, Mission 21, and Norwegian Church Aid held the Women’s Human Rights Advocacy Training virtually from 7-9 September 2021. LOWC Program Director Christine Mangale joined LWF colleagues in the planning and facilitation of the training. This year, nearly 60 delegates from faith-based organizations participated in a Training of Trainers (ToT) focusing on advocacy at local and regional levels and strengthening networking and collaboration. Topics discussed during the training included:

“how to design and facilitate a regional training”;
“instruments on gender justice advocacy”;
“how to report on human rights in different contexts”;
“the role of faith-based organizations in gender justice advocacy”;
“how to counter backlashes and address challenges,”
“human rights’ language;”
“gender-based violence in the context of COVID-19”;
“safety and security relating to advocacy on women’s human rights”; as well as
“designing faith-based advocacy”.

The participants are then to take part in designing and leading a regional pilot project, starting with a virtual training in Africa to be held October 11-18, 2021. A LWF resource for faith-based organizations on affirming women’s human rights can be found here.

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

This is an exciting time for LAMA! Readers may know the LAMA office of the Grand Canyon Synod launched the same month that COVID-19 launched, so our efforts to connect with congregations, legislators and community have, from the jump, been exclusively virtual. But now happily, congregations are beginning to invite Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona into their communities, both virtually and in person – respectfully distanced! – and we are grateful to be making these wonderful connections through preaching and joining forums and groups, all to share our advocacy message.

LAMA’s annual retreat will be in person this year, and we are pleased to be joined by the Rev. Amy Reumann, Director of Advocacy for the ELCA. Pr. Reumann will also be the keynote speaker at the annual LAMA Summit for congregational liaisons and advocates on Sunday, December 5 at Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center in Carefree, Arizona.

LAMA’s first Lutheran Day at the Legislature is set for Tuesday, February 1, 2022 in the Rose Garden at the State Capitol in Phoenix. We welcome this opportunity to gather, to meet legislators, and to voice our common needs in the public square, activating our faith in love.

In addition, the Grand Canyon Synod has launched a new Hunger Leaders Network for hunger champions across the synod to connect, hear about hunger resources both locally and churchwide, share stories, and learn and grow together. The Hunger Leaders Network group meets monthly and is ably chaired by Melanie Hobden.

Colorado
Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Colorado (LAM-CO) lam-co.org – Peter Severson, Director

BALLOT MEASURES: Coloradans will have three statewide ballot measures on which to vote on November 2. Check out the LAM-CO 2021 Voter Guide for our analysis and recommendations! It’s available online at www.rmselca.org/ColoradoBallot2021

LEGISLATIVE FOLLOW UP: The State of Colorado is working on implementing important legislation that was passed in our 2021 session. This includes important protections for agricultural workers, who were brought under the protections of the Colorado Labor Peace Act of 1943 for the very first time. This will include overtime pay, rest breaks, minimum wage, and others. We are working on supporting the implementation process and making sure that the state fulfills its obligations under the new law, particularly around the bills’ mandated “meaningful overtime protections.” A public hearing on this issue is upcoming on November 1.

Check out our 2021 Legislative Wrap-up for all the details on the bills we worked on this year!

DIRECTOR’S SABBATICAL: LAM-CO Director Peter Severson took a sabbatical rest from June 19 to September 19. With gratitude for the experience of restoration and refreshment, he’s back in the office and ready to lead our work this fall!

Ohio
Hunger Network Ohio hungernetwork.org – Nick Bates, Director

Faith community speaks out against the death penalty

The Hunger Network in Ohio hosted a panel on the Death Penalty on October 11 with Southern Ohio Synod Bishop Suzanne Dillahunt and in partnership with the Ohio Council of Churches and Ohioans to Stop Executions as part of a faith advocacy week toward the abolition of the death penalty in Ohio.

Bishop Dillahunt shared the ELCA’s commitment to justice as expressed in our ELCA social statement on the issue prior to hearing from legislators and co-victims. We are grateful for the leadership of HB183 sponsor Rep. Adam Miller (D-Columbus) and co-sponsor Rep. Laura Lanese (R-Grove City) for joining us on the call to share their perspective from the Ohio House of Representatives.

We are hopeful that this legislation will move over the next few months, but we need advocates to keep up the pressure! You can act now by writing a letter to the editor of your local paper.

Click here to send a letter to the editor of your paper!

You can watch the forum and hear the powerful impact stories on our Facebook page here.

Screenshot of Bishop Dillahunt.

Minnesota
Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota (LA-MN) lutheranadvocacymn.org – Tammy Walhof, Director

Rent Help MN logo

Housing Crisis: Although significant COVID- related funding was set aside to address the impending eviction crisis, many renters have had difficulty accessing the help. The Minnesota Eviction Moratorium has now ended, and landlords can evict tenets. If you know someone behind in rent or facing eviction due to the pandemic, please help them access and navigate RentHelpMN.org!

Preparing for the Next Legislative Session: A big part of our fall typically includes educating congregations about our work and meeting with coalition partners.

pre-pandemic Walhof standing at a podium speaking animatedly

Walhof presenting pre-pandemic

We have been in many meetings with the Energy Cluster of Minnesota Environmental Partnership to consider legislation, and plan future options for long-term impact. Additionally, the Homes for All Coalition is collecting proposals that we will review in coalition Policy Team meetings.

The education pieces are more difficult due to the pandemic. Walhof and Rachel Wyffles, LA-MN’s Hunger Advocacy Fellow, are both willing to present or preach in churches if mask-wearing and vaccinations are taken seriously. We have also been brainstorming and working on videos, webinars, and studies. What does your congregation need?

Upcoming Events: Some of our partners are doing webinar events that match our priorities closely, so we encourage participation in the events listed below:

Webinar Series on Affordable Housing & Homelessness (Joint Religious Legislative Coalition). Monthly through February. November 4 focus – Homelessness. Information/Registration
“Hunger at the Crossroads” Webinar Series (ELCA World Hunger). October 27 focus – Hunger & Climate Change. Information/Registration
International Climate Conference – Pre-COP26 Conversation (Fresh Energy). October 26 focus – How Minnesota fits. Information/Registration

Texas
Texas Impact texasimpact.org – Scott Atnip, Outreach Director

The Texas Legislature began a third called special session September 20 focused on redistricting, spending American Rescue Plan Act funds, anti-trans legislation, and banning vaccine requirements. Through ongoing programming, including the Weekly Witness podcast, Rapid Response Team, and Legislative Engagement Groups, we continue to work to equip and mobilize Texans of faith and to help them understand what is happening in their Texas Legislature. In addition, Texas Impact hosted a Redistricting 101 webinar and a briefing with state budget experts on the process for appropriating Texas’ $16M in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Texas Impact also partnered with the ELCA’s own John Johnson on a Weekly Witness episode focused on the Build Back Better Agenda and a training for advocates to meet with South Texas members of Congress on the Build Back Better legislation.

Washington
Faith Action Network (FAN) fanwa.org – Paul Benz and Elise DeGooyer, Co-Directors

Moving Forward with Gratitude invite

FAN Annual Dinner: We will host our annual fundraising celebration virtually on Sunday, November 21 to celebrate our 10th birthday, the Rev. Paul Benz’s years of service, and our shared future. Advocates across the state will be joining us online, with the option to gather in small COVID-safe watch parties. You are welcome to join from your state!

Cluster Meetings: FAN hosts Fall Cluster Meetings as a way to gather with advocates in their local areas, learn about the issues that matter in their region, and build momentum for our work together. We are hosting 11 geographic clusters via Zoom around the state, and have heard from advocates on issues of housing, homelessness, taxation, food, climate and energy, immigration, refugees, and police reform.

Tax Town Halls and Candidate Forums: With our economic justice work group, we have been sending advocates to statewide Taxation Town Halls hosted by the legislature’s Tax Structure Work Group. The state of Washington has one of the most regressive tax systems in the nation, so it is vital that we move forward to restructure our tax system to be more equitable. FAN is co-hosting candidate forums across the state, with coalition partners, to hear from local candidates on critical issues of policing, housing, and immigration.

Boarding Schools: FAN’s Interfaith Network for Indigenous Communities issued a statement signed by the three ELCA bishops in Washington regarding U.S. Boarding School history. We also signed on in support of the Truth and Healing Commission Act reintroduced in Congress.

Wisconsin
Lutheran Public Policy Office – Wisconsin (LOPPW) loppw.org – Cindy Crane, Director

John Johnson

Wednesday Noon Live interview with John Johnson, ELCA Program Director for Domestic Policy. Johnson discussed domestic policy to support people experiencing poverty and the recent White House visit of Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the ELCA and Presiding Bishop Michael Curry of The Episcopal Church. We highlighted extending the Child Tax Credit (CTC). We have additional information on the CTC under Hunger on our website and via this Action Alert.

Anti-Sex Trafficking
Shirley Paulson, retired educator and former president of the Women of the ELCA of East Central Synod of Wisconsin, and the Rev. Cindy Crane, the director of LOPPW, testified on SB 245, which looks to make it so that anyone under the age of 18 may not be prosecuted for prostitution. At the hearing, there were several disturbing stories of trafficked youth who were afraid they would be charged with a crime if they called the police due to the current laws in place.

The left image is of a Shirley Paulson sitting at the end of a long wooden table. The top right image shows two women looking at each other, sitting in the same position. The bottom right image shows Cindy Crane standing, speaking to someone not shown in the image.

Left Image: Shirley Paulson
Bottom Right Image: Cindy Crane

It sometimes takes many years to pass a bill. We have been supporting this one for quite a few years now, but it is closer to passing.

Look forward to action alerts on SB 245 and for another significant bill on expulsion of crimes for adult victims of sex trafficking.

Juvenile Justice
Our Raise the Age Coalition is reaching out to businesses to support our efforts to return 17-year-old youth to the juvenile justice system. Recently, members of our steering committee met with the president of Wisconsin Manufacturing & Commerce to discuss this issue.

Settling Afghan Refugees
We have supported the Welcoming Evacuees Coming from Overseas to Mitigate Effects of Displacement Act of 2021, also known as the WELCOMED Act with our Action Alert.

Care for God’s Creation
Pr. Crane will be at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Conference of the Parties, known as COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland!

Advocacy happens through resilience and relationships. The Hunger Advocacy Fellows program, currently in its fifth year, is made possible by ELCA World Hunger. It is a year-long transformative experience that combines leadership development, faith formation, and impactful advocacy that moves us toward an end to hunger and a just world where all are fed.

Hunger Advocacy Fellows are placed with different ELCA-affiliated state public policy offices across the country where they can engage on issues affecting both local and national policy. We are excited to introduce below our 2021-2022 Hunger Advocacy Fellows:

Hannah Peterson (she/her)

Hannah Peterson is currently serving with Lutherans Engaging in Advocacy Ministry New Jersey in Hamilton Square, New Jersey. She recently graduated from Columbia University with a master’s degree in History and Literature, following her undergraduate degree from St. John’s College. Peterson’s internships at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and the National Museum of American History inspired her passion for identifying stories that have not yet been told and lifting up the voices of those in need. She hopes to continue her work building connections between people of different faiths, traditions, and backgrounds.

Isa Peterson (she/her or they/them)

Isa Peterson is currently serving with Texas Impact in Austin, Texas. She is a born and raised Texan from San Antonio and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in Government and Sustainability Studies and a minor in Portuguese. Before joining Texas Impact, she spent her undergraduate years working for environmental nonprofits in Austin, such as Rainforest Partnership and the Shoal Creek Conservancy, advocating for environmental change and urban conversation. Peterson hopes to continue their career focused on the intersection of environmental and social policy during their time with Texas Impact and beyond.

Sandra Roper (she/her)

Sandra Roper is currently serving with the ELCA advocacy staff in Washington, D.C. She recently graduated from the University of Maryland (UMD) with degrees in English and Germanic Studies. Her interest in faith-based advocacy was shaped by Humble Walk, the Lutheran campus ministry at UMD. Roper has interned for the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod and Lutheran World Federation, and has volunteered with Lutheran Disaster Response, Puerto Rico. She hopes to continue building relationships and learning different ways to live her faith in action.

Rachel Wyffels (she/her)

Rachel Wyffels is currently serving with Lutheran Advocacy Minnesota in St Paul. She is a recent graduate of St. Olaf College where she majored in music and religion. While there, Wyffels was president of the St. Olaf Student Congregation Council and played violin in the St. Olaf Orchestra. She is excited for a year of building relationships to advocate for affordable housing, climate justice, and poverty reduction. Following this fellowship year, Wyffels anticipates beginning seminary.

U.N.
Lutheran Office for World Community, United Nations, New York, N.Y. https://www.elca.org/lowc – Dennis Frado, Director

The 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 76) will open on Tuesday, 14 September 2021, followed by the high-level General Debate from 21-27 September. The President-elect of the 76th session is H.E. Abdulla Shahid, Foreign Minister of the Maldives. Once again, the UN is taking extraordinary measures to both meet but take pre-cautions in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Heads of state and government are being encouraged to send video-taped messages for the general debate and the US Ambassador H.E. Linda Thomas-Greenfield took the usual step of saying that sending videos rather than attending personally “… would help prevent it [the General Debate] ‘from being a super-spreader event’”.

Alongside the General Debate two high-level meetings are planned:

High-level meeting to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action: Wednesday, 22 September 2021; and
High-level plenary meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons: Tuesday, 28 September 2021.

A third High-level meeting, on the Global Plan of Action on Trafficking in Persons, will occur on Monday, 22 November and Tuesday, 23 November 2021.

On August 2nd, the UN General Assembly voted unanimously to create the United Nations Permanent Forum of People of African Descent. The Forum, a ten-member advisory body, will work with the UN Human Rights Council and “ … contribute to the elaboration of a UN declaration – a ‘first step towards a legally binding instrument’ on the promotion and full respect of the rights of people of African descent.”

“The move [by the General Assembly] comes just days after the Human Rights Council established a panel of experts to investigate systemic racism in policing against people of African descent, and on the heels of a report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), prompted by the police killing of George Floyd in 2020.” The first meeting of the Forum will take place in 2022.

Minnesota
Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota (LAMN) http://www.lutheranadvocacymn.org/– Tammy Walhof, Director

Staffing Addition: We are excited to welcome Rachel Wyffels as our new ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow! Wyffels is a recent graduate of St. Olaf College, where she majored in religion and music, and served as president of the Student Congregation for two years. Hunger Advocacy Fellows are made possible through ELCA World Hunger and ELCA Advocacy.

MN Senate Leadership Changes: Both Sen. Paul Gazelka (R), Senate Majority Leader, and Sen. Susan Kent (DFL), Senate Minority Leader, resigned their leadership roles in the Minn. state senate. Sen. Kent stepped down to prioritize family. Sen. Melisa López Franzen (DFL) was elected as the new minority leader (and the first person of color to serve as senate minority leader). Sen. Jeremy Miller (R) was elected as the new majority leader to replace Sen. Gazelka, who announced his candidacy for governor. Sen. Gazelka joins a crowded Republican field, including Sen. Michelle Benson, Sen. Scott Jensen, Mayor Mike Murphy, Dr. Neil Shah, and Mike Marti. The Republican nominee will run against incumbent Gov. Tim Walz (DFL), who is expected to seek a second term.

MN Synod EcoFaith Retreat: We were pleased to join leaders from the Northeastern Minnesota (NEMN) Synod EcoFaith Network and other synod creation care efforts from across the state for a leadership retreat at Camp Hiawatha. It focused on addressing needs of congregations/church leaders in integrating creation care, and action addressing the climate crisis. We encourage you to follow Green Blades Rising to keep updated on the activities of the NEMN Synod EcoFaith Network.

Ohio
Hunger Network in Ohio https://www.hungernetohio.com/ – Nick Bates, Director

As redistricting debates heats up, we are grateful for faith leaders who offer testimony to make sure our legislative districts represent our communities. HNO director Nick Bates offered testimony on Sept. 14 in Columbus about the divisions of the Hilltop community. Similarly, the Rev. Seth Bridger offered testimony in Cleveland the evening before.

Death Penalty: Please join us on Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. for a conversation about the death penalty in Ohio with faith and legislative leaders. Register online for this virtual event. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMofu-przMoGdTMqvlphegAhpQ4YTf7dBza

Texas
Texas Impact https://texasimpact.org/ – Scott Atnip, Outreach Director

The Texas Legislature completed their second called special session with a third scheduled to begin Sept. 20. Following a “Let My People Vote” rally at the Capitol featuring Bishop Sue Briner of the Southwestern Texas Synod and about 500 Texans of faith rallying for voting rights, Texas Impact continued to equip and mobilize Texans of faith around priority legislation in the second special session. The Legislature passed several bills monitored by Texans of faith, including on voter suppression, Critical Race Theory, border militarization, and more. The third special session will focus on redistricting, appropriating American Rescue Plan Act funds and bills, and discriminating against transgender children.

The work continues to equip and mobilize Texans of faith to help them understand what is happening in their Texas Legislature through ongoing programming, including the Weekly Witness podcast, Rapid Response Team, and Legislative Engagement Groups. Special opportunities are planned for September, including a Redistricting 101 webinar and a briefing with state budget experts on the process for appropriating Texas’ $16M in federal ARPA funds.

Finally, the Texas Impact team was excited to welcome Isabelle “Isa” Peterson as a Hunger Advocacy Fellow for the year! Peterson is a recent graduate of UT-Austin, and a member of Zion Lutheran Church in San Antonio.

Washington
Faith Action Network https://www.fanwa.org/ – Paul Benz and Elise DeGooyer, Co-Directors

New Policy Engagement Director – Kristin Ang! We are delighted to announce our new Policy Engagement Director, Kristin Ang, who begins work with FAN on Oct.4. Ang brings policy leadership experience as a Port Commissioner for Tacoma, along with experiences as an immigrant, Filipina American, lawyer, and collaborator in interfaith circles in Pierce County. She will bring these gifts to FAN along with a spiritual grounding in compassion and justice. FAN advocates will get to meet Ang during the fall months as she learns about our network during cluster gatherings, as well as our coalition partners, alongside FAN staff.

Advocating for a Just Budget Resolution Package The House and Senate have passed the budget resolution which is the framework for the $3.5T social infrastructure bill/Build Back Better. Now the hard work begins in committees of jurisdiction to start building this enormous funding proposal. It is facing opposition by big business and corporations, coordinated by the US Chamber of Commerce, so FAN is urging our network to advocate for critical pieces of this package, including rental assistance, housing, the Expanded Child Tax Credit, and the Earned Income Tax Credit. See the letter FAN signed onto with national partners here: https://airtable.com/shrFCsyJdU5poVTtm.

Cluster Meetings FAN hosts Fall Cluster Meetings as a way to gather with advocates in their local areas, learn about the issues that matter in their region, and build momentum for our work together. Most Clusters will be hosted online due to COVID concerns.

Wisconsin
Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin (LOPPW) https://www.loppw.org/ – Cindy Crane, Director

Wednesday Noon Live interview with Vance Blackfox, Desk Director for American Indian Alaska Native Tribal Nations.
Blackfox included important info on what congregations can do.

Medicaid and the Child Tax Credit
LOPPW interviewed Researcher and Health Policy Programs Director Donna Friedsam of the Institute for Research on Poverty at UW-Madison to explore both sides of the debate on Medicaid expansion in Wisconsin.
We encouraged members to contact their U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators while they were back in district. We focused the Medicaid Saves Lives Act BadgerCare and expanding the Child Tax Credit beyond 2021.
We also are advocating to make the 2021 Child Tax Credit known to people who qualify for the refundable credit but haven’t received it yet and need to fill out a non-filer form. People can use posters and handouts we created from our website.

Northwest Synod of Wisconsin Biblical Justice Forum: LOPPW’s director led a workshop on lifting our public voices rooted in our Christian and Lutheran tradition at Luther Park in Chetek.

Juvenile Justice
Our Raise the Age Coalition, with a focus on returning 17-year-old youth to the juvenile justice system, interviewed a new intern to continue some of the work that our former Hunger Advocacy Fellow, Kyle Minden, did. Keiko Engel, a senior in social work at UW-Madison, was hired by the Sentencing Project. Her direct supervisor is a coalition member from the Wisconsin Association of Family & Children’s Agencies. LOPPW is also helping Engel to get on board.

Following are updates shared from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices.

Find a map and full list of ELCA affiliated SPPOs using our state office map.

U.N.

Lutheran Office for World Community, United Nations, New York, N.Y. https://www.elca.org/lowc –Dennis Frado, Director

The Generation Equality Forum concluded with concrete commitments to advance parity by 2026: The Generation Equality Forum took place in Paris from 30 June to 2 July 2021. The Forum was co-hosted by France and Mexico and convened by UN Women, in partnership with civil society and youth representatives. Nearly 50,000 people participated in a mainly virtual format to take stock and rapidly accelerate progress towards gender equality, as outlined in the landmark 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Close to $40 billion was pledged in new investments from governments, the private sector, civil society and others to help fund a new global five-year action plan to accelerate gender parity by 2026. The Forum launched a Global Acceleration Plan for Gender Equality designed by six Action Coalitions, as well as a Compact on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action. New gender equality initiatives focused on health, sports, culture, and education was also announced. UN Women will oversee the implementation of the 5-year action plan and the commitments made.

As Lutherans, we had delegates actively participate virtually, and joined over 30 global and regional faith actors in a joint communique that we turned into a video message. In addition, the Lutheran World Federation made commitments to the Action Coalition on Gender-Based Violence and pledged to accelerate efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in church and society. LOWC’s Christine Mangale and LWF’s Sikhonzile Ndlovu led the Lutheran engagement and delegation to the Forum.

Upper left: moderator Janet Mbugua – Kenyan media personality, author and founder of Inua Dada Foundation; upper right: Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka – Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women; lower: Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations.

Israel-Palestine concerns conveyed to Biden Administration officials: In June LOWC Director Dennis Frado was able to attend two conference calls organized by Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) with Biden Administration officials at the White House and with the US Agency for International Development. As these were among the first meetings with the Administration on Israeli-Palestine issues, the CMEP representatives took the occasions to raise a number of matters that had been communicated by their heads of churches and organization in March. Particular attention was drawn to the need for US bilateral assistance to the West Bank and Gaza to be re-started and increased, especially given the additional humanitarian needs in Gaza because of the intensified conflict between Israel and Hamas in May. Appreciation was expressed for the Administration’s efforts to support the recent truce but called on the White House to be more active and vocal in urging Israel to halt home demolitions, seizure of Palestinian homes and land and settler violence against Palestinians.

Delaware

Delaware Lutheran Office for Public Policy https://demdsynod.org/delaware-public-policy-office – Gordon Simmons, Director

The Delaware Lutheran Office for Public Policy supported four bills this year, and three have now passed:

1. The Legislature voted to make “Opportunity Grants” permanent, funneling up to $60 a year (statewide) to public schools with high percentages of low-income students and students learning English.

2. The Renewable Energy Goal for the state was increased from 25percentby 2025 to 40 percent by 2035.

3. The minimum wage was increased to $15 per hour (in increments) by 2025.

The fourth bill, which will likely be take up next year in the second year of the state’s legislative session, will require registration (and training) before the purchase of firearms. The bill has passed the State Senate but has yet to be taken up by the House.

We held our annual “Day at the Capitol” virtually this year.

Minnesota

Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota (LAMN) http://www.lutheranadvocacymn.org/– Tammy Walhof, Director

Special Session: Negotiations on the 13 spending bills continued through all three weeks of special session. Hideously long “debates” dominated in the House as a handful of House minority members filibustered several bills. Although all budget bills were passed, the legislature came within hours of not finishing before the new fiscal year.

Clean Energy: The Commerce/Energy bill included the longest “debate” at roughly 25 hours. It passed 70-60 in the House and 60-5 in the Senate.

Included: agriculture weather study (changes impacting farmers); solar for schools/community colleges; pilot project covering old landfills (brownfields) with solar farms (brightfields); North Minneapolis training center (renewable energy jobs); Energy Transition Office. (Separate ECO bill for energy efficiency passed during regular session).
Defeated: Coal power protection, natural gas usage decrease prevention; reduction of current renewable energy requirements, although we’ve already surpassed those levels).
Not Included: bold comprehensive solutions to address the scope of the climate crisis; resilience/adaptation tools.

We rejoice in what passed, breathe easier knowing we helped defeat rollbacks, and recognize that we have an important role addressing fears about clean energy and climate change denial.

Housing and Homeless: The most contentious part of the Housing bill was an off-ramp for the eviction moratorium, but Housing passed 72-59 in the House and 66-0 in the Senate. Shelter and homeless services are part of Health & Human Services (HHS), which passed 69-56 in the House and 62-4 in the Senate.

Off-Ramp timetable:
- July 1 – Evictions allowed for reasons other than non-payment
- August – Leases end for COVID non-payment if not eligible for assistance
- October – 15-day eviction notices for non-payment unless assistance application submitted. Despite reasonable off-ramp, we expect dramatic increases in homelessness.

Other Housing: $10 million one-time funding for Challenge Fund, Manufactured Home Park Infrastructure program, workforce homeownership, Homeownership Assistance Fund, Local Housing Trust Fund in matching grants, Shelter Provider Task Force examining failings in shelter system, and $100 million in Housing Infrastructure Bonds.
Shelter (HHS): Underfunded Emergency Services Program dramatically increased for staffing, transportation, childcare, mental/behavioral health care; Housing Support Program providing $50 per month increase and program changes; and a new fund for the Shelter Capitol program
These are big wins and reasons to celebrate. We know getting so many action alerts on the Eviction Moratorium Off-Ramp was tiring, but your action mattered!

COVID-19 pandemic intensified need in an area already in crisis. We will continue to need churches to make housing a focus.

Ohio

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

The Budget crosses the finish line: Many THANK YOUs to our network for their budget advocacy here in Ohio. In January, we set out to stop tax cuts, improve a school funding formula, and address housing and hunger here in Ohio. Here is a quick rundown:

School Funding Formula: The legislature, in the final hours agreed to the school funding formula known as ‘the Fair School Funding Plan’ or also known as “Cupp-Patterson” or “HB 1”. This will improve the equity of the distribution of state dollars for years to come. However, the formula, when its run says Ohio should be investing about $2 billion more into our students than we are. The advocacy continues!
SB 17: In the 11th hour, the Senate inserted these harmful provisions into the budget, but through the advocacy of many individuals and organizations, we were able to have them removed in the final hour before passage. A special thanks goes out to Finance Committee Chair, Rep. Scott Oelslager for his understanding that these provisions would take food off the table of hungry Ohioans. 
Housing: Some additional dollars were added to support some housing options for Ohioans and dangerous amendments were removed that would have made it more difficult to offer affordable housing in Ohio. 
Massive tax cut for the wealthy: The reason we did not see more money put into our schools and affordable housing efforts is simple – tax cuts for the wealthiest 1% who will receive a 16.8% income tax cut. The poorest Ohioans will receive nothing, and others will about $40 a year from a 3% income tax cut. These billions of dollars could have improved Ohio dramatically.

Join us on July 19th at 3:30 pm as we discuss the budget with the Ohio Council of Churches. Register.

Pennsylvania

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry- Pennsylvania (LAMPa) https://www.lutheranadvocacypa.org/ – Tracey DePasquale, Director

As the General Assembly recessed in late June, LAMPa celebrated a $3 million increase in the state’s major anti-hunger programs and an extra $300 million in basic education funding, $100 million of which is targeted to the poorest schools.

“Our hunger advocates did a tremendous job in sharing stories of the need they continue to see and convincing the legislature that we could not go back to pre-pandemic funding levels,” said LAMPa Director Tracey DePasquale.

LAMPa also advocated for accelerating the process of closing one of the largest school funding equity gaps in the country through LevelUp PA, which garnered bipartisan support to win passage as part of an historic $416 million increase in public education funding.

Although supportive of bipartisan elections reforms sought by county officials, LAMPa applauded the governor’s veto of legislation that included those reforms but imposed other measures that would have created barriers to voting and undone reforms passed in 2019. LAMPa co-hosted a webinar on the legislation in early June.

Also in June, Hunger Advocacy Fellow Larry Herrold participated in a virtual advocacy day with partners seeking a path to 100% renewable energy and attended the Upper Susquehanna Synod Assembly after having assembled kits for the 200 voting members. The kits included letters to legislators asking for increases to the Pa. Agricultural Surplus System and the State Food Purchase Program, as well as information about advocating with LAMPa. He delivered completed letters to lawmakers in time for the passage of the state budget.

Herrold traveled to Gettysburg to conduct research on Lincoln Cemetery, an African American cemetery in use since the Civil War. This research is part of LAMPa’s ongoing focus on the land that connects us.

Both Herrold and DePasquale attended a meeting of the Upper Susquehanna Synod Advocacy Team in July. DePasquale spoke at a Capitol press conference on health care as a factor in hunger and poverty as legislation was reintroduced regarding surprise medical bills and prescription drug prices.

As Herrold’s fellowship concludes, he is working to finish long-term projects, including the organization of digitally photographed archival material and the refinement of databases of new and existing advocates and service ministries.

In August, Herrold will help lead an in-person “MinistryLab” along with Lutheran Disaster Response and creation-justice advocates in Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod. The lab aims to engage young adults in the ministry of the ELCA. Both Herrold and DePasquale are working with Lutherans Restoring Creation to build or strengthen green teams in every synod as they prepare for the Season of Creation and the launch of ELCA advocacy priorities on climate, just transition, and sustainable agriculture.

Texas

Texas Impact https://www.texasimpact.org/ – Scott Atnip, Outreach Director

The Texas Legislature is being called back in for a 30-day called special session beginning July 8 to address several “extraordinary items,” most notably bills that would suppress the votes of Texas voters.

Texas Impact is sponsoring a “Let My People Vote” campaign featuring a liturgical guide for local congregations and a rally at the Capitol July 19 in partnership with the League of Women Voters, the NAACP, and La Voz de la Comunidad (LULAC). Bishop Sue Briner, ELCA Southwestern Texas Synod, will be a featured speaker.

Texas Impact is mobilizing Texans of faith through the Rapid Response members, Legislative Engagement Groups and the Weekly Witness program. 

Virginia

Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy https://www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org/ – Kim Bobo, Executive Director

On July 1, the new bills on which VICPP led the advocacy became law. The death penalty was abolished, thus saving the lives of two men on death row. Virginia became the first state in the south to abolish the death penalty. A new healthcare benefit was added providing prenatal care to 9000 undocumented women. VICPP is now working to get the word out in immigrant communities about this new benefit. Approximately 30,000 home healthcare workers now have access to paid sick days. In next year’s General Assembly (beginning in January), VICPP hopes Virginia will adopt a broader paid sick day standard so that all Virginia workers will have access to five paid sick days a year.

On August 2, the General Assembly will reconvene for a special session to consider how best to use the federal dollars coming to Virginia from the American Rescue Plan Act. VICPP will be partnering with other low-income family advocates to push for uses that focus on helping the most vulnerable in the commonwealth. To join this effort, make sure you are on VICPP’s email action list. Sign-up at www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org. Also, if your congregation does not have a congregational liaison who works with VICPP, recruit someone for this important role and connect with Dora@virginiainterfaithcenter.org.

Washington

Faith Action Network fan@fanwa.org – Paul Benz and Elise DeGooyer, Co-Directors

Faithful Vaccines: Eleven faith leaders from across Washington State participated in a joint effort to encourage people of faith to get vaccinated against COVID-19. We are excited to share their work both in this video – Faith Leaders Speak: Don’t Hesitate – Vaccinate! – as well as individual videos on our Vaccine Toolkit, in English and Spanish. We wish our partners across the country success in getting their communities vaccinated as well since our health outcomes are tied to one another.

FAN is Hiring! As Faith Action Network celebrates our tenth birthday this year, we continue to move faithfully forward as Co-Director, Rev. Paul Benz, retires at the end of 2021 and current Co-Director, Elise DeGooyer, becomes FAN’s Executive Director. FAN’s public policy work, led by Paul these past 10 years, will continue under the leadership of a Policy Engagement Director. If you know good candidates in Washington State, please send them our job description!

Statewide Policy: We are in the interim period after the legislative session ended this spring, but there is still work to be done in implementing bills that have passed. FAN is partnering with Earth Ministry to encourage Governor Inslee to sign an executive order for Clean Cars by 2030, a bill that had passed the legislature with broad community support which Governor Inslee partially vetoed. We are hoping to move this legislation forward to stay on-track with the Governor’s and the President’s climate goals as well as the Paris Climate Accord.

Congressional Policy: We are encouraging advocates to urge their House members to ask leadership to bring the HR 40 Reparations bill up for a vote. FAN cosponsored the Roadmap to Freedom legislation to pave a just and compassionate way forward for immigration reform, and we have requested a meeting with Senators Murray and Cantwell to discuss this. We continue to monitor the Justice in Policing Act to make sure it includes the elimination of qualified immunity.

Wisconsin

Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin (LOPPW)  https://www.loppw.org/ – Cindy Crane, Director

Juvenile Justice: Hunger Advocacy Fellow Kyle Minden led a full Raise the Age coalition meeting and a small group to discuss creating a steering committee to speak for the coalition. We are now in the phase of strategizing long-term educational goals because returning 17-year-old youth to the juvenile justice system did not make it into the Wisconsin State Budget.

Advocacy Trainings: The director gave a Zoom consultation on building an advocacy ministry to leaders of a congregation in the East Central Synod.

Youth: In the Greater Milwaukee Synod, we led a training on the basics about advocacy to youth as part of their congregation’s at-home mission trip, connecting their visits to places such as food pantries, with advocacy.

Advocacy Training with youth at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Wauwatosa: We also held our second meeting with a handful of leaders from around the state to discuss possible future advocacy events for youth. We have had contact with representatives from all six synods that LOPPW works with.

Care for God’s Creation: LOPPW’s director is part of the Wisconsin Climate Table leadership team again.

Immigration: Staff gave a blessing to a group marching for Dreamers and a return to fairness in obtaining Wisconsin drivers licenses and met the marchers at the end of the march.

LOPPW Council: We welcome new Council Member Kristi Jones, healthcare professional and member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Madison as a new council representative of the South-Central Synod.

Facing family violence so peace catches on

Women’s roles and social change

Rippling impacts of gender injustice

Church based actions to prevent violence

Call to promote gender justice

Invest in future by telling Indian boarding school truth now

History Repeating

Truth of Indian Boarding Schools

Need for God’s Grace

MORE

November Update: UN and State Edition

U.N.

Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC), United Nations, New York, N.Y. – ELCA.org/lowc

Dennis Frado, Director

Colorado

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Colorado (LAM-CO) – lam-co.org

Peter Severson, Director

Minnesota

Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota (LA-MN) – lutheranadvocacymn.org

Tammy Walhof, Director

Texas

Texas Impact – texasimpact.org

Scott Atnip, Outreach Director

Washington

Faith Action Network (FAN) – fanwa.org

Paul Benz and Elise DeGooyer, Co-Directors

November Update: Advocacy Connections

Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: November 2021

Welcome of Afghan newcomers

WEBINAR VIDEO: “Walking Beside Our Afghan Neighbors”

SITUATION UPDATE

Humanitarian Concerns

Humanitarian Parole

Resettlement Processing

LUTHERAN DISASTER RESPONSE ACTIVITY

DIRECT INVOLVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

A Resettlement Story shared by Lutheran Services Iowa (LSI) staff member

ADVOCACY

Afghan Adjustment Act Needed

POISED FOR WELCOME

ENDNOTES

October Update: Advocacy Connections

Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: October 2021

October Updates: UN and State Edition

U.N. Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC), United Nations, New York, N.Y. ELCA.org/lowc – Dennis Frado, Director

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

Colorado Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Colorado (LAM-CO) lam-co.org – Peter Severson, Director

Ohio Hunger Network Ohio hungernetwork.org – Nick Bates, Director

Minnesota Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota (LA-MN) lutheranadvocacymn.org – Tammy Walhof, Director

Rent Help MN logo

Walhof presenting pre-pandemic

Texas Texas Impact texasimpact.org – Scott Atnip, Outreach Director

Washington Faith Action Network (FAN) fanwa.org – Paul Benz and Elise DeGooyer, Co-Directors

Moving Forward with Gratitude invite

Wisconsin Lutheran Public Policy Office – Wisconsin (LOPPW) loppw.org – Cindy Crane, Director

John Johnson

Left Image: Shirley Paulson Bottom Right Image: Cindy Crane

Introducing 2021-2022 Hunger Advocacy Fellows

September Update: UN and State Edition

U.N. Lutheran Office for World Community, United Nations, New York, N.Y. https://www.elca.org/lowc – Dennis Frado, Director

Minnesota Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota (LAMN) http://www.lutheranadvocacymn.org/– Tammy Walhof, Director

Ohio Hunger Network in Ohio https://www.hungernetohio.com/ – Nick Bates, Director

Texas Texas Impact https://texasimpact.org/ – Scott Atnip, Outreach Director

Washington Faith Action Network https://www.fanwa.org/ – Paul Benz and Elise DeGooyer, Co-Directors

Wisconsin Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin (LOPPW) https://www.loppw.org/ – Cindy Crane, Director

Summer Edition: UN and State Updates

U.N.

Lutheran Office for World Community, United Nations, New York, N.Y. https://www.elca.org/lowc –Dennis Frado, Director

Delaware

Delaware Lutheran Office for Public Policy https://demdsynod.org/delaware-public-policy-office – Gordon Simmons, Director

Minnesota

Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota (LAMN) http://www.lutheranadvocacymn.org/– Tammy Walhof, Director

Ohio

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

Pennsylvania

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry- Pennsylvania (LAMPa) https://www.lutheranadvocacypa.org/ – Tracey DePasquale, Director

Texas

Texas Impact https://www.texasimpact.org/ – Scott Atnip, Outreach Director

Virginia

U.N.
Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC), United Nations, New York, N.Y. ELCA.org/lowc – Dennis Frado, Director

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

Colorado
Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Colorado (LAM-CO) lam-co.org – Peter Severson, Director

Ohio
Hunger Network Ohio hungernetwork.org – Nick Bates, Director

Minnesota
Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota (LA-MN) lutheranadvocacymn.org – Tammy Walhof, Director

Texas
Texas Impact texasimpact.org – Scott Atnip, Outreach Director

Washington
Faith Action Network (FAN) fanwa.org – Paul Benz and Elise DeGooyer, Co-Directors

Wisconsin
Lutheran Public Policy Office – Wisconsin (LOPPW) loppw.org – Cindy Crane, Director

Left Image: Shirley Paulson
Bottom Right Image: Cindy Crane

U.N.
Lutheran Office for World Community, United Nations, New York, N.Y. https://www.elca.org/lowc – Dennis Frado, Director

Minnesota
Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota (LAMN) http://www.lutheranadvocacymn.org/– Tammy Walhof, Director

Ohio
Hunger Network in Ohio https://www.hungernetohio.com/ – Nick Bates, Director

Texas
Texas Impact https://texasimpact.org/ – Scott Atnip, Outreach Director

Washington
Faith Action Network https://www.fanwa.org/ – Paul Benz and Elise DeGooyer, Co-Directors

Wisconsin
Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin (LOPPW) https://www.loppw.org/ – Cindy Crane, Director

Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota (LAMN) http://www.lutheranadvocacymn.org/– Tammy Walhof, Director

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry- Pennsylvania (LAMPa) https://www.lutheranadvocacypa.org/ – Tracey DePasquale, Director

Texas Impact https://www.texasimpact.org/ – Scott Atnip, Outreach Director

Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin (LOPPW)  https://www.loppw.org/ – Cindy Crane, Director