We are deeply saddened by the Supreme Court’s decision today on Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and the expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA+) programs. This 4-4 decision will result in the continued separation of families, forcing them to live life in the shadows. As a church with deep immigrant roots and ministry in migrant communities, we pray today for the safety and well-being of the young people, sons, daughters, and parents that will be affected by the Court’s ruling in United States v. Texas. The Supreme Court decision sends this issue back to lower courts, effectively preventing the implementation of an executive order that would have provided parents of U.S. citizen children and some young people relief from deportation.

The ELCA will continue to be in ministry with migrant communities and work towards policies that reflect our biblical calling to welcome all children of God into our communities. As we are reminded in Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” Let us strive ever to love at all times, and provide hope and comfort to our brothers and sisters in this time of adversity.

Learn more about the faith community’s response to today’s decision. Statements will be posted as they are made available:

The Interfaith Immigration Coalition: http://www.interfaithimmigration.org/issues/administrative-action-resources/

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The reflections you will encounter are from Gettysburg seminarians who traveled to Honduras and Guatemala earlier this year in order to better understand the conditions driving so many to leave their communities. The words you will read are excerpts from reports the students wrote as part of the class that brought them on this trip. The videos were recorded for ELCA Advocacy. Each entry highlights something the author learned when they met individuals from communities the ELCA accompanies or is in relationship with. We hope these reflections show the amazing power that individuals have to move from accompaniment to action by walking and advocating alongside affected communities.

We would like to thank Gettysburg Seminary and all of the students who shared their stories with us. 

(All names and locations referred to in these reflections have been changed to protect community members.)

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A call that all Christians have – by Chris Schaefer

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The power people of faith have to connect and listen

A reflection by Alaide Vilchis Ibarra, Assistant Director for Migration Policy

As a new(ish) U.S. citizen, I am always curious about what drives so many of us to be advocates in this country. These reflections remind me that when people of faith spiritually connect and truly listen to others, even those whose language we might not speak, God gives us an amazing power for good.

I am humbled that these seminarians chose to share faithful reflections about their trip to Central America, and I am proud that they viewed advocacy as part of their responsibility as faith leaders. I also know that there are thousands
of others who are out educating friends and neighbors about issues affecting their communities, visiting their elected officials to discuss their concern for brothers and sisters who live in poverty, and work in ministries that provide hope and support for people throughout the world.

As you read these reflections, I hope you take with you a sense of the amazing power that exists in sharing what we learn through accompaniment with others in community and with those in power so that we may live in a world where everyone is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

In the final reflection of this series, we will hear again from Chris Schaefer. Chris traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak with his elected officials about his experience in Central America. His movement from accompaniment to advocacy serves as a great example of the impact people of faith can have in affecting positive policy change.

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Protecting our environment and protecting each other – by Kayla Edmonds

https://youtu.be/yQqbzYaqs7g

“La lucha” “The struggle”

…The most surprising part of our trip to Central America was the massive impact that climate change plays in migration. Due to climate change the communities that had two growing seasons now only have one…If the crop doesn’t come through then they either have to go without or take out loans.

What exactly does accompaniment mean?

A friend of mine explained it to me by using the story from the bible the Road to Emmaus. In the road to Emmaus story, two of Jesus disciples are walking along the road to Emmaus when Jesus appears to them and walks alongside them. We are not Jesus in this story. I don’t think I can emphasize this enough. We. Are. Not. Jesus. We are one of the disciples and our neighbors in Central America are the other disciple. And as we are walking along together, Jesus comes and walks along beside of all of us.

Statistics vs. the real story

We see statistics all the time on migration. Rarely though do we ever hear the stories of those who have migrated or tried to migrate. These people are not numbers; they are real people who are simply trying to provide for themselves and their families a better life. I wasn’t sure what to expect from our trip to Central America, I had never been out of the country or even on a plane for that matter…

Through this trip I realized just how small my world and my view of the world truly was. And for that I am truly grateful. I am more aware of the world outside of my little world and of the need to walk beside of our brothers and sisters in Central America and beyond. Nothing has ever impacted me as much as this trip did, and I look forward to seeing how this experience will shape and change my future ministry.

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“I knew how much they were giving up” – by Ariel Williams

 

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He wanted to be home – by Patrick Ballard

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Reflexiónes de una peregrina – Reflections from a sojourner – by Jennifer Crist

“El sacrificio” “The sacrifice“

We began [our visit] by watching families and jovenes arriving at the end of their attempt to migrate…As we waited outside for the buses of deported migrants to arrive… I wondered who might arrive on the bus that had just been deported from the US due to increased ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids…

There were many more families traveling together than I expected… One could transport these families to somewhere like Disney World, stepping off of the shuttle bus after a long day of lines and rides and eating; carrying backpacks and sweaters.  But these families were not returning from any vacation. Instead of their backpacks carrying all that they needed for one day at the park, their backpacks were carrying all of their possessions, everything they needed to traverse multiple countries.  I wonder what I would put in my backpack?  What if my backpack got stolen?  What would I do?  Unfortunately, I imagine most of these families have faced these questions…

Our final visit of the day was to … a neighborhood claimed as a territory of the MS-18 gang… A twenty-five year old woman, named Luz, spoke about her journey north to Mexico, where she worked until she felt she could no longer be separated from her baby who remained in Honduras.  As she talked, she often paused, expressing her gratitude to God.  She spoke of the reasons she left, as being intimately interwoven with the violence of the neighborhood: “Here the colonia is very dangerous.  Living here limits us.  There is not work, because when they hear we are from this area, they don’t hire us.  We can’t get a loan, because of our address here.  One doesn’t LIVE like this, with insecurity and fear.”…Despite all of her negative experiences, she spoke of the hope she had felt when CASM [the Comisión de Acción Social Menonita] connected with her.  She said, “Thank God….No one ever helped me like that before.”

“Arroz Blanco” “White rice”

Despite being tired from a long day and food preparation in the hot, dark kitchen, I was pleasantly surprised by a migrant passing through, named Marco…Both of our childhood families were very poor.  My mother would prepare white rice with a little bit of milk and sugar for us for dinner; Marco’s mother would prepare arroz blanco with a little bit of coffee and sugar for him for dinner.  We both only realized as adults that this was because our mothers were poor and couldn’t afford better dinners.  To this day, he and I both adore white rice prepared the way our mother’s had prepared it when we were children.  White rice is our comfort food.  As I watched Marco depart the next day, I embraced him and whispered, “¡Te cuidas!” as I thought of his mother and of my oldest Guatemalan sons.  Though our experiences had been similar in childhood, I was born in a different geographical location, not needing to make a perilous journey to a better future.  While I could freely travel into and out of his country, he had to endure violence and hardship in order to enter mine.  A wave of guilt washed over me as I watched him depart with his backpack…

“La Lucha“ “The struggle”

[I] found myself reading about Jesus in the desert being tempted by Satan.  As I read about Jesus enduring many things (hunger, humiliation, etc.), I was reminded of stories that I had heard of hardship in traveling to El Norte….stories of hunger, violence, and violation of basic human rights.  After Jesus endured the temptation, Luke’s version simply has Jesus returning home.  And that is the reality of many migrants as well.  I imagine when Jesus returned home, he was tired from his journey in the desert, but he was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.  According to the writer of Luke, Jesus did not go home to rest from his journey in the wilderness, but instead he began his public ministry of teaching.  And as Jesus stood up in his “home congregation” and revealed his authority from God, he also announced his job description to those who were gathered: to bring good news to the poor and to liberate the oppressed.  Jesus was focusing on justice and mercy.

After returning home…

As I finish this [reflection], the community I have been gathering as a mission developer, Communities of Hope, is preparing to gather in a coffee shop in Harrisburg, PA.  We will sing, hear God’s Word, and share a meal together.  However, we also intentionally decided that at every worship service we would have an advocacy component within our liturgy.  I will share one of the stories from Honduras (listed below) with the community tonight.

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¿Por qué están aquí? – by Chris Schaefer

On our first full day of travel in Honduras, we had the opportunity to visit with a small Lutheran community that gathered regularly at a home in [a] small village. While there, several gentlemen shared their stories of attempts to migrate north to Mexico and the United States. They demonstrated great candor in relating many of the trials, hardships, and set-backs they had experienced before leaving their families and friends behind… After the gentlemen wrapped up their accounts, a patriarch of the village stood up and asked our group, “¿Por qué están aquí?” or, “Why are you here?”  

He continued by expressing some confusion as to our purpose because after all of the questions and answers exchanged between our groups he was still unsure why we would come all this way to ask about information that we already knew, particularly regarding why folks were migrating and what faced them on their journeys. Many of us had to admit that we were actually fairly ignorant about the causes of the immigration crisis… The patriarch’s question struck a chord with me, though, and forced me to reexamine my reasoning in accompanying this group, as well as why our group was there as a whole.

Seeing the faces of our neighbors

The staggering statistics that surround these stories are often too vast to comprehend and fully internalize, but the story of an individual allows and enables us to see the faces of our neighbors and better live out our calling as Christians to love and care for all of our neighbors, regardless of whether they live right next door or in a country far from our home.

As we continued on the trip, my preconceived notions about the intelligence and abilities of those living in the Northern Triangle were continually shattered and rebuilt in a way where I could better see the true nature of partnership in community and how these strangers living in a foreign land demonstrated true discipleship…

Kindling a stronger sense of love, compassion, and justice

I drew great inspiration and strength from our interactions, and because of that, a stronger sense of love, compassion, and justice has been kindled within me, and I am quite certain that the Holy Spirit was present and active in, with, and among us. 

Their strength and courage and trust in God in all things has helped tear down walls of fear and anxiety that surrounded me. I feel strengthened and invigorated to live out my calling as a Christian and I plan to take the stories that were so trustingly and generously shared with us and pass them to others so that the Spirit may work through them as the Spirit has worked in me. 

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Today, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) and the House of Representatives’ Task Force on Poverty, Opportunity, and Upward Mobility released a plan that will launch a bipartisan discussion on hunger and poverty and the policies required to end them.  ELCA Advocacy appreciates Speaker Ryan’s leadership, and that of all who make poverty in our nation a priority for conversation and action.

“As Christians, loving God and loving our neighbors includes commitment to any who suffer from hunger or poverty,” said the Rev. Amy Reumann, ELCA Director for Advocacy. “We are pleased that the plan doesn’t propose to cut or institute block-grants for anti-poverty programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and that it focuses on areas of importance to ELCA hunger work, including housing, childhood education and criminal justice reform as part of the larger picture.”

As a member of the Circle of Protection, a coalition of Christian denominations and anti-poverty organizations, the ELCA was part of meetings with Speaker Ryan’s office leading up to today’s release. Circle of Protection leaders offered this letter recommending key principles to include in the House committee’s plan.

ELCA Advocacy supports the plan’s intent to emphasize the importance of job training and the need to reduce barriers to employment. “We support adequate funding for poverty programs and encourage strong linkages between job training, work and support for families,” said John Johnson, ELCA Program Director for Domestic Policy.

ELCA Advocacy will continue to work with our advocates across the country to engage Speaker Ryan and members of Congress in this important discussion during the election year and beyond. As a church committed to racial justice, our participation will address areas not explored in the plan, including the disparate impact of poverty on people of color and the reality of individuals who face serious barriers to employment.

“In our meeting with Circle of Protection leaders prior to the plan’s release, Speaker Ryan’s staff noted that his Catholic faith led him to consider the whole person in addressing poverty,” noted Reumann. “ELCA Advocacy looks forward to working with our leaders to address hunger and poverty in a way that acknowledges the God-given dignity and worth of all persons.”

CENTRAL AMERICA BLOG SERIES: Gettysburg seminarians traveled to Honduras and Guatemala earlier this year to better understand the conditions driving so many Central Americans to leave their communities. Several of the students shared their experiences with ELCA Advocacy in a three-part blog series released last month. Each entry highlights something the author learned when they met individuals from communities the ELCA accompanies or is in relationship with. These reflections show the amazing power that individuals have to move from accompaniment to action by walking and advocating alongside affected communities. Help share the series now on the ELCA Advocacy Blog!

PRESSURE BUILDS ON FLINT, MICH: After months of divisive debate, members of Congress are still working to pass legislation to provide emergency aid for Flint, Mich. Flint’s residents have spent nearly three years dealing with lead contamination in their water. The U.S. Senate at the beginning of May proposed substantial federal funding for Flint in the draft Water Resources Development Act. Sen. Jim Inhofe’s, R-Okla., bill would enable federal resources to help Flint fix its failing water infrastructure and assist other cities facing similar crises. ELCA Advocacy sent an action alert on Flint in early May as President Obama was visiting the city, but action is still needed to prompt Congress to act. Take action now!

SOUTHEAST SYNOD LAUNCHES NEW ADVOCACY OFFICE: The Southeast Synod celebrated the opening the newest ELCA state public policy office during Southeast Synod Assembly in May. John Johnson, ELCA program director for domestic policy, was invited to make the announcement during Bishop Julian Gordy’s synod address. The Southeast Synod Advocacy Office will receive an initial grant of $30,000 to begin the coordinating work of this first regional (states include Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama) to address hunger and poverty and to equip ELCA members for advocacy.

Our major late victories include SB 190, a bipartisan bill from the Joint Budget Committee that will improve public services, particularly food assistance programs, by incentivizing better administrative practices and hiring additional state-level staff to increase enrollment of eligible families. Another win was SCR 006, which will go on the fall ballot and ask Colorado voters to strike the exception to slavery and involuntary servitude from the state constitution (Article II, section 26). This resolution passed both chambers unanimously.

Unfortunately, several bills we supported did not cross the finish line, including HB 1388. The bill would have given ex-offenders a better shot at being hired, thereby reintegrating into society and reducing recidivism, by “banning the box,” which means removing the question about an applicant’s criminal history from an initial job application form.

COLORADO PRAYER LUNCHEON: Rocky Mountain Synod Bishop Jim Gonia and LAM-CO Director Peter Severson attended the Colorado Prayer Luncheon on May 19, alongside partners in ministry from Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains. Speakers included Gov. John Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock.

CONGREGATIONAL VISITS: Recent advocacy visits by the director include Our Savior’s, Denver; Glory of God, Wheat Ridge; and Shepherd of the Mountains, Estes Park.

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Pennsylvania – Tracey DePasquale, Interim-Director

www.lutheranadvocacypa.org

 

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Virginia – Kim Bobo, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

Neill Caldwell, Communications Director

http://www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org/ 

As part of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy and its programs, Virginia Consumer Voices for Healthcare has increased efforts to get Virginia to take the $4.4 million daily federal Medicaid funding to close its health insurance coverage gap.

Members of the Virginia Consumer Voices for Healthcare team attended a hearing on May 25 at the Virginia State Corporation Commission, which was called to evaluate the impact on Virginia residents of the proposed merger of health insurance giants Anthem and Cigna. A number of people testified, all but one of whom spoke in opposition to the proposed merger, which would reduce the choices consumers will have on health insurance coverage in the commonwealth.

Representatives of the Medical Society of Virginia and the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association both spoke against the merger, noting the anti-competitive marketplace that would result in an already highly concentrated health insurance market in Virginia, where Anthem dominates.

Virginia Consumer Voices for Healthcare Director Karen Cameron testified, pointing out the narrowed networks and lack of consumer choice that would result from the merger would reduce access to quality, affordable health care for people across Virginia.

The Virginia State Corporation Commission’s Bureau of Insurance still has to submit its report to the commission on the implications of the merger for the state’s health insurance market.

The Virginia Interfaith Center continues to prepare resources for its faith communities to use in organizing support for expanding health care and registering voters.

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Washington – Paul Benz, Faith Action Network

www.fanwa.org

ORGANIZING SUMMITS: Faith Action Network (FAN) is in the midst of its four regional organizing summits around our state, where FAN is doing something new: issue work groups! FAN has established four work groups in the areas of economic justice, criminal justice, environmental justice and health care. Each group now has convenors, and the economic justice group is focused on getting signatures for a minimum-wage initiative to qualify for the fall ballot. The intent is to organize and activate our advocates by the issue groups that they select at our summits. The goal is to increase FAN’s effectiveness in creating the change that we all desire for our state and nation.

CONGRESS: The two key issues before Congress that FAN is working on are supporting the Senate Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act and opposing the child-nutrition bill in the House. The sentencing reform act is a bi-partisan effort to reduce mass incarceration by shortening sentences for low-level offenders.  The child-nutrition bill in the House will roll back years of good work to increase access to nutritious meals year-round.

SUPPORT FOR OUR MUSLIM NEIGHBORS:  FAN is involved in two on-going efforts to support the Muslim community in our state.  One is to encourage congregations to post signs at their church that say: “Blessed Ramadan to our Muslim neighbors” or “Love your (Muslim) neighbor as yourself.” The Minnesota Council of Churches has been an inspiration for this. The other is working with the Council on American Islamic Relations and local mosque leaders to negotiate an apology from the leader of an anti-Muslim campaign to keep a local mosque from being built.  The response has seen amazing community support for the mosque. An ELCA congregation hosted a recent forum that had standing room only.

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Wisconsin – Cindy Crane, Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin

www.loppw.org

IT IS SYNOD ASSEMBLY SEASON!  In May, LOPPW was present at four synod assemblies. LOPPW led two workshops at two of the assemblies and had displays at each event.

 

SOUTH-CENTRAL SYNOD: (picture center-right)  Bob Lindmeier, well-known television weatherman and member of the Care for God’s Creation/Hunger team (in partnership with LOPPW), co-led a workshop on climate change with Pastor Nick Utphall and Intern Kyle Kretschmann.

NORTHERN GREAT LAKES SYNOD:  (picture far-right) Participants looking over LOPPW’s new resources on Money & Politics and human trafficking.

 

 EAST CENTRAL SYNOD: (picture far-right) Debbie Doney & Pastor Anne Edison took the pledge to vote.

NORTHWEST SYNOD:  (picture center-right)  Bishop Rick Hoyme and Rev. Mara Ahles-Iverson took the pledge! Elizabeth helped hold the sign but needs to wait a few years to vote.

CONGRATULATIONS TO LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES of Wisconsin/Upper Michigan for its grant to offer a place for healing for youth victims of sex trafficking. LSS will receive a grant from part of the $2 million the state budgeted to help sex-trafficked youth in a rural area of Wisconsin. We appreciate everyone who advocated for this funding via our rally, in response to action alerts, and through our letter-writing campaigns. The state requested proposals several months ago, and LOPPW is are proud of LSS for being the agency chosen. LSS will manage a facility.

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Contact us at washingtonoffice@elca.org

By Alaide Vilchis Ibarra, Assistant Director for Migration Policy

UPDATE: The Department of Homeland Security has continued to target Central American children and families for deportation since January. On May 12, 2016, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that they plan to strengthen the efforts to detain and deport vulnerable children and families in May and June. Although further information has not been released, as a church, we continue to stand with the churches and organizations we accompany in the protection of children, families and all vulnerable communities in Central America.

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Para ver esta respuesta en español, vaya aqui.

This month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began operations to track and deport Central American families that arrived in the U.S. after January 1, 2014. We know that at least 121 individuals have been taken into custody and reports have surfaced of children being pulled out of homes in the middle of the night.

As a church grounded in Biblical mandate to respect the human dignity of all of God’s creatures, we stand strongly against prioritizing vulnerable children and their mothers for deportation. These tactics neither honor our faithful calling to love one another nor respect the dignity of our neighbors.

Additionally, we join Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) in our concern for ensuring access to justice in the U.S. for these families who must navigate a complex legal system, often without necessary support. This December, our own presiding bishop, the Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, witnessed first-hand the uncertainty and stress faced by children and families in Chicago’s immigration court.

The ELCA lives out God’s calling to send us into the world by accompanying displaced children and families in the U.S. and in Central America through our companion relationships with churches and faith partners. Through these relationships, we receive critical insight into the realities faced by children and families who are forced to leave their communities due to targeted violence (as outlined in our report, Our Communities in Crisis).

Today, violence in countries where these children and families targeted by DHS will be deported to remains unbearably high. El Salvador is currently facing murder rates not seen since its civil war in the 1980s. The Salvadoran Lutheran Church recently reported seeing up to 30 families displaced in one neighborhood over the course of only a few days. Honduras continues to have some of the highest murder rates in the world, and in Guatemala, the United Nations reports that two women are killed each day.

As a church with faith partners working with deported children and families in El Salvador and Honduras, we know that deportation does not serve to deter children and families from leaving their communities.

In a statement from the Mennonite Social Action Committee (CASM), an ELCA partner working in a repatriation center for children and families in Honduras, they explain that “during this process of receiving deported [children and families], we have witnessed the harsh reality that [deportation] brings for these people and their families. [Families] have to come back to the same realities of extreme poverty, lack of opportunities, violence and lack of citizen security that led them to leave the country in the first place.”

Through our relationships in Central America and because of our church’s history that is deeply rooted in migration, we will continue to support our partners in the region and in the U.S. through witness, accompaniment, prayer and advocacy.

“We must advocate with our governments and authorities for the humane treatment [of migrants], and to launch fair processes for people who should be welcomed as asylum seekers, not for political reasons, but for their safety and security.” said Bishop Medardo Gomez from the Salvadoran Lutheran Church in a call to acknowledge the rights and vulnerabilities of those fleeing Central America today.

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Our partner, Church World Service, suggests the following resources to respond to this issue:

Know Your Rights

If you are tied to immigrant led congregations, it is imperative to educate all immigrant communities on know your rights resources. The most important information is DON’T OPEN THE DOOR to Immigration Customs Enforcement or anyone else if they do not have a warrant signed by a judge.

AFSC- Know Your Rights- Conozca Sus Derechos

United We DREAM Know Your Rights

Guide to sharing your story of rights abuses, raids and deportation

Video-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC2NgdEgD94

Report When A Raid Is Happening:

HOTLINE: 1-844-363-1423

TEXT ALERTS WATCH ICE: 877877

Call the White House

White House Comment Line directly at 1-888-907-2053.

“I’m from City, State, Congregation/Community and as a person of faith, I urge President Obama to immediately STOP plans to deport Central American children and families. These individuals are fleeing violence and should have access to legal counsel so that they can apply for asylum and protection in the United States.”

CONGRESS TAKES STEPS THAT COULD SET BACK CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS: The ELCA is committed to fighting childhood hunger. That commitment, rooted in the baptismal call to care for our neighbors in need, is why we as a church have advocated for a strong renewal of the child nutrition programs that are critical to the health and well-being of children and families throughout our nation. The House last month introduced a new version of the child nutrition re-authorization bill (Improving Child Nutrition and Education Act of 2016). ELCA Advocacy strongly opposes this legislation because it would roll back years of progress made by our nation’s child nutrition programs. The bill is in the House Education and Workforce Committee. Click here to read our action alert urging Congress to improve these programs.

ELCA ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN ECUMENICAL ADVOCACY DAYS: Christian advocates from across the country gathered in Washington D.C. for Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD), April 15-18. For the 14th annual gathering, the EAD theme was “Lift Every Voice – Racism, Class and Power.”  As part of the ELCAvotes initiative, ELCA Advocacy, Racial Justice Ministries, and Young Adult Ministries brought 16 participants from 12 states to EAD to serve as ELCAvotes ambassadors. These leaders are now taking the information they learned from EAD back to their communities. The ELCA also supported the participation of 17 young adults in EAD this year. The weekend concluded with a day of action, where attendees visited the offices of their senators and representatives, advocating on two key issues: “supporting the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015 as a substantial legislative step to restoring and strengthening the Voting Rights Act of 1965” and “defeating the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement that deepens inequality and prioritize corporate interest over both God’s creation and people, especially vulnerable communities in the U.S. and abroad.” ELCA staff from ELCA Global Mission and Domestic Mission units attended, including staff from Lutheran Office for World.

THE GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY ACT ADVANCES: Both chambers of Congress passed their versions of the Global Food Security Act, a top priority of ELCA Advocacy. Congress must now reconcile the two bills and send the final legislation to the president to sign. Our advocacy will continue to ensure that a final bill will be sent to the president’s desk by the end of this year. The bill provides congressional authorization to Feed the Future, a U.S. government initiative charged with combating chronic hunger and food insecurity around the world. It ensures that every dollar spent accrues value in global productivity, expands opportunities for education, reduces violence and helps those who suffer from food scarcity. Through Feed the Future, countries are able to increase agricultural and nutritional investments. As a result, farmers are able to feed their families, communities, and can contribute to their countries’ economic growth.

CONGRESS PASSES OLDER AMERICANS ACT: Last month, President Obama signed the Older Americans Act into law. The Older Americans Act is a critical piece of legislation that authorizes supportive services for older adults through Area Agencies on Aging, family caregiver supports, nutrition programs and the Senior Community Service Employment Programs. The re-authorization of the act was a priority for ELCA Advocacy and Lutheran Services in America since it was allowed to expire in 2015. ELCA Advocacy promoted this legislation by collecting nearly 500 postcards written to Congress from Lutherans.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: The Colorado General Assembly will meet until May 11, which means that Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-Colorado priorities have several more days to move through the legislative process. Our remaining major priorities include SB 190, a bipartisan bill from the Joint Budget Committee that will improve public services, particularly food assistance programs, by incentivizing better administrative practices and hiring additional state-level staff to increase enrollment of eligible families. Colorado currently ranks 45th in the nation for timeliness and accuracy in delivering food assistance, and Colorado merchants lose out on an estimated $686 million annually in grocery sales from unenrolled households. Another priority bill is HB 1227, a bipartisan bill that creates accommodations for low-income parents receiving child care assistance. A final bill is SCR 006, which would strike the exception to slavery and involuntary servitude from the state constitution (Article II, section 26). This resolution passed the Senate on a 35-0 vote, and if it passes the House, will be referred to Colorado voters on the fall ballot.

CHURCHWIDE CONNECTIONS: The directors of all ELCA-connected state advocacy offices gathered in Chicago for the churchwide Domestic Mission unit meeting in April. It was a time of fellowship and networking with churchwide colleagues. It gave our advocacy office directors the chance to share updates and best practices and to celebrate one another’s accomplishments for the sake of our common calling to public policy justice.

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Ohio – Nick Bates, The Faith Coalition for the Common Good

nick@oneohionow.org

It’s been a relatively light legislative spring around the Statehouse. Gov. John Kasich delivered his State of the State address in Marietta on April 6, with fewer policy proposals compared to his previous addresses. A new report released addresses some of the realities in Ohio. It highlights outcomes related to the health, economy, education and inequality in Ohio.

CAPITAL EXPENDITURES: The Ohio capital budget increases resources for infrastructure. While this is a positive step, many needs remained unmet. For example, the state has not invested adequately to help farmers in northwest Ohio protect the streams, rivers and Lake Erie. The state has invested in lead contamination notification but still has not invested in lead removal.

RENEWABLE ENERGY STANDARDS: Ohio’s renewable energy standards previously had overwhelming bi-partisan support. However, in 2014, they were temporarily suspended over the protests of Lutheran leaders. A bill was announced in mid-April to expand the temporary freeze until 2019. Renewable energy is a growing job sector in Ohio that this freeze hurts.

PREGNANCY PROTECTION ACT: Faith leaders have won the support of every female state senator to pass a bill to end discrimination against pregnant women in Ohio. The bill had its first committee hearing the week of April 18.

MEDICAID CHANGES: A new plan, if approved, would undercut the positive steps Ohio has made toward health care access for the most vulnerable. The plan would require the poorest Ohioans to start paying for Medicaid. Experts estimate that 140,000 Ohioans would likely lose coverage under the new rules.

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Pennsylvania – Tracey DePasquale, Interim-Director

www.lutheranadvocacypa.org

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Southeastern Synod – Hilton Austin Jr., Georgia

haustin337@att.net

As we approach our one-year anniversary with our upcoming Synod Assembly, I can only say it has been an interesting and busy year, never a dull moment. Thanks go out to John Johnson and the folks in the Washington, D.C., office for their help and guidance and especially to all of those folks across our synod who participated in rallies, marches and events, along with those who helped coordinate and publicize those events.

Currently, we are making preparations for the Synod Assembly at the end of May. We will have an exhibit table outside the Plenary Hall to talk to folks about the importance of our work and our need for advocacy coordinators in each congregation. On Saturday, we will present an immigration advocacy workshop and host an advocacy luncheon.

In April, we published the first edition of an e-newsletter; it will be published three times a year, September, January and April. September will be the Discernment Edition to set priorities for the upcoming legislative season. January will be the Action Edition with current pending legislation and Lobby Days dates. April will be the Wrapup Edition.

We are very excited about the current ongoing conversation with Presbyterians for a Better Georgia and the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta concerning working together and also opening an ecumenical advocacy office in Atlanta. We plan to have the office in our synod office, from which we will also be able to help coordinate and support advocacy efforts in Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi.

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Virginia – Kim Bobo, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

Neill Caldwell, Communications Director

http://www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org/ 

In the last few weeks, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy staff members have been listening to fellow citizens and activists talk about health care access in Virginia and some Virginia legislators explain why they oppose expanding coverage in the Commonwealth by taking federal dollars allocated under the Affordable Care Act to pay for expansion. Sen. Amanda Chase, R-VA11, thinks that a concierge-medicine approach is preferable to coverage expansion under the Affordable Care Act.

Virginia Consumer Voices for Healthcare, the health care advocacy arm of VICPP, was invited to participate in an NAACP event in Richmond, #HealthcareMatters. The panel discussion was moderated by Community Outreach Coordinator Cassandra Shaw, with the Rev. Marlon Haskell of Chicago Avenue Baptist Church, NAACP Richmond Health Committee Chair Marilyn Campbell, motivational speaker and clinical social worker Germika Pegram, and community activist Christopher Green joining the panel. The panel, and the attendees, agreed that community action was the only way to shift thinking in the General Assembly on the importance of closing the coverage gap via access to quality, affordable health care for all Virginians.

For National Minority Health Month (April), Virginia Consumer Voices for Healthcare and the Virginia Interfaith Center are partnering with African American faith organizations/judicatories and churches to make a unified, faith-based push to compel their state leaders to close the coverage gap. They’re also working with two nationally known African American faith leaders, the Rev. William Barber and Dr. James Forbes, on the Richmond leg of their 19 city “Repairers of the Breach” revival tour.

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Washington – Paul Benz, Faith Action Network

www.fanwa.org

ANNUAL VISIT TO NATION’S CAPITOL FOR ECUMENICAL ADVOCACY DAYS: Office visits were made to 11 of our 12 congressional offices (we met three members of congress; the rest were staff). The key issues we discussed included child nutrition, opposing block granting of SNAP, support for voting-rights bills, opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and support of funding for the Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem. Faith Action Network also made visits to our friends at the National Council of Churches, the Friends Committee on National Legislation, and the Interfaith Criminal Justice Coalition convened by the United Methodist Church. Our state delegation was made up of many young adults, and we participated in the marches and rallies on Capitol Hill that day.

Highlights from Ecumenical Advocacy Days include preaching and leadership from the Rev. William Barber of North Carolina, as well as being with people of faith from around the country advocating on social justice issues with the theme: “Lift Every Voice! Racism, Class and Power.”

Faith Action Network is now working on our four regional summits during May and June in Seattle, Spokane, Vancouver and Yakima. At those events, we will organize by our issue work groups, such as economic justice, environment, criminal justice and health care.

ELCAVOTES: We are also promoting ELCAvotes at our synod assemblies, encouraging congregations and members to get engaged in this year’s elections, as well as introducing resolutions to Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery, which is an act of solidarity with our Native American brothers and sisters, and acknowledges white privilege.

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Wisconsin – Cindy Crane, Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin

www.loppw.org

CEREMONIAL SIGNING: A significant anti-sex trafficking bill that LOPPW supported has become law. Bishop Mary Froiland, LOPPW Advisory Council member the Rev. Barb Girod, and the director attended the ceremonial event in Madison. LOPPW volunteer Robbie Joern attended the actual signing in Hudson.

NEW STATE CLIMATE TABLE: LOPPW was part of an all-day organizing meeting for an emerging Wisconsin Climate Table to broaden the efforts of secular and faith-based organizations to support a Clean Power Plan and other healthy environmental efforts in Wisconsin.

TWO NEW 2016 RESOURCES: 

1. Human Trafficking – What does the church have to say? A new resource for congregations to use with youth and adults.
2. Money & Politics: The Gradual Distortion of American Politics and its Impact on Poverty – What does the church have to say? We also have a one-page summary of the longer Money & Politics. Go to loppw.org/resources/. Thank you to our former intern, Genevieve Baldwin, for her work on 2016 LOPPW anti-human trafficking resource and to intern Kyle Kretschmann for his work on the money and politics resource.

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Contact us at washingtonoffice@elca.org ​​

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: The Colorado legislative session passed the halfway mark in March, and Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-Colorado (LAM-CO ) has been busy  advancing our priorities. The Joint Budget Committee has been meeting to work on the Long Bill for the upcoming fiscal year, and LAM-CO has partnered with Hunger Free Colorado to ask members to add funding for additional agency staff to increase food assistance program enrollment.

Other priorities for the coming month include: a bill to initiate a study of the child care needs of low-income parents while they pursue higher education (HB 1050), a bill to exempt low-income people from requirements to pursue legal action around child support before receiving benefits from the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (HB 1227), a bill to ensure the continued funding for non-profits to assist people in acquiring necessary identification documents (HB 1386), and a bill to allow job applicants with a criminal record to be considered by employers rather than be immediately excluded from review (HB 1388). We await the late introduction of several additional bills that we have signed on to support as well.

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Ohio – Nick Bates, The Faith Coalition for the Common Good

nick@oneohionow.org

How does Ohio do compared to other states on metrics that matter – like hunger, infant mortality, college tuition, median wage and high school graduation? After 10 years of massive tax cuts for the wealthy, does Ohio have more jobs and better pay? A new report seeks to answer these questions in an accessible manner and highlight areas for new public investment. For example, if we roll back the most recent round of income tax cuts in Ohio – we could end hunger in our state.

As John Edgar, a Methodist pastor, said in a press conference on April 1 – highlighting the need for  investments to comprehensively address poverty and inequality – “Thousands of families across this state are refusing to give up, and my message this morning is that we shouldn’t give up on them. … 10 years of tax cuts have cut the center out of the safety net of social services. We are seeing families drawn further and further down in a vortex of poverty.”

You can read the report here. For more information on the report, contact the report’s author, ELCA Diaconal Minister Nick Bates, at Nick@OneOhioNow.org.

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Pennsylvania – Tracey DePasquale, Interim-Director

www.lutheranadvocacypa.org

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Virginia – Kim Bobo, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

Neill Caldwell, Communications Director

http://www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org/ 

The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP) and the Virginia Council of Churches released a joint statement in wake of the most recent terror attacks in Brussels and elsewhere. Here is the text of the statement:

“The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy and the Virginia Council of Churches are calling on Virginia’s elected leaders — and all citizens — to renew our commitment to religious freedom and pluralism and refrain from scapegoating our Muslim citizens and neighbors in the wake of another tragic action of violence.

“Virginians are proud of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, drafted by Thomas Jefferson and passed into law by the Assembly in 1786. Virginia’s leadership paved the way for the first amendment’s freedom of religion in the Bill of Rights in 1789.

“Today, we mourn with the people of Brussels and all those who have faced terrorist attacks. We know that politically motivated terrorists often use religious language to justify their actions. Many faith traditions have experienced their language usurped to justify political actions and decisions. Our society is best-served by respectful civil discourse and discussion, not suicide bombers. Mosques and Muslim leaders throughout Virginia condemn the violence.

“The heart of all religious traditions is love of God and love of neighbor. The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy united Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and others in Virginia to advocate justice in our Commonwealth’s public policy. The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy was birthed out of the Virginia Council of Church’s policy efforts in 1982, and we continue to share a close relationship. Together, we seek to close the health care coverage gap, reform our criminal justice system and reduce hunger and poverty in the state.”

VICPP did not fare well in the latest session of the Virginia General Assembly, as only a plan to reduce or end childhood hunger could be counted among legislative victories. But the organization will continue to advocate for its priorities, which include closing the health insurance coverage gap, reducing gun violence, criminal and economic justice reforms, and fair immigration laws.

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Washington – Paul Benz, Faith Action Network

www.fanwa.org

The Washington Legislature adjourned on March 29, and Faith Action Network (FAN) celebrated four budget victories: 1) mental health funding for more staff to alleviate the boarding of people who are mentally ill, 2) funding for the Civil Legal Needs program to help at-risk households stay afloat, 3) funding for a homeless students voucher system to create housing stability and facilitate academic success, and 4) language repealing a state prohibition of allocating public funds for post-secondary education in prisons to reduce recidivism.

FAN had five policy bills signed by the governor: 1) criminal justice reform, focused on a certificate program to help those coming out of prison secure housing and employment, 2) a new statute to begin a voucher system to identify homeless students in our public schools and create housing stability and facilitate academic success, 3) a new statute to eliminate certain chemicals from kids’ flame-retardant products that are sold or manufactured in Washington, 4) a short-term task force created to bring recommendations to the 2017 Legislature regarding police-community standards and law enforcement use of deadly force, and 5) a new statute that expands our state’s definition of human trafficking to include labor trafficking.

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Wisconsin – Cindy Crane, Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin

www.loppw.org

PLANNING AND RESOURCES: With the Wisconsin Legislature winding down, LOPPW has increased its focus on preparing for synod assemblies, completing a resource on human trafficking (for youth and adults) and a resource on money and politics and its impact on poverty, and strategizing and networking to organize candidate forums. We will have completed our two new resources by the time of the first assembly at the end of April.

PROTECTING CHILDREN: We have locations and dates for the three conferences for human trafficking with details about the Wisconsin Rapids conference organized by LOPPW and Cherish All Children. Change to three sentences People are now able to register for the first of our three conferences on human trafficking. All three events are being organized by LOPPW and Cherish All Children with support from the national Women of the ELCA. Register for our June 25th conference in Wisconsin Rapids by clicking here.

CARE FOR GOD’S CREATION HUNGER TEAM: LOPPW has assisted two synods in creating hunger teams in Wisconsin. The South-Central Synod team emerged as a partnership between the synod and LOPPW. LOPPW can accompany or partner with teams depending on what works best. The focus of this team is on climate change, water and poverty. At a synod-wide gathering in March, LOPPW’s director and two team members led a workshop.

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Contact us at washingtonoffice@elca.org ​​

By: Ali Brauner

Associate director, Cathedral in the Night

The reality of affordable housing in America today is far less positive than most of us would like to believe. Agencies are understaffed and case managers are overworked. Underfunded and overstretched, the programs designed to help people get back on their feet and achieve self-sufficiency have far too many gaps through which a person might fall, with virtually no built-in safety nets to catch those who do. There are mountains of paperwork, tedious, long hours in crowded waiting rooms filled with small children who can’t receive the attention they need from their stressed, anxious parents. I know this because I was there myself.

In truth, I cannot write from the point of view of the stressed parent, nor as the child fussing over the long hours sitting still under the florescent lights. I was there as an advocate, at once empowered and helpless. The mother of two young children sat next me to in the unflattering light of yet another waiting room, with its peeling paint and stained, warped floorboard. Stacy and I were the first to arrive at the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), but by noon the room was filled with people.

It is Stacy’s story that I want to share today, with her permission. Her name has been changed to protect her privacy, but all other details are true.

Stacy is strong and powerful, well spoken and incredibly well organized. While other mothers in the room barked at their toddlers to sit still, keep quiet and behave, tasks impossible for a person who is only 2, Stacy calmly responded to her child’s request for attention with patience and affection. She came prepared with snacks and distractions, books and crayons, coloring books and Legos. He stayed happily on the floor by her feet, indigo and violet swirls covering Mickey Mouse’s smiling face.

I accompanied Stacy to the DTA office because she was facing eviction. Her story is remarkable. A physical disability makes movement and travel hard on her body, leaving her in a fair amount of pain. Once homeless, she lived in a motel for a short time before being placed in an apartment with her young child. At the time, a state-funded program paid the portion of Stacy’s rent that she was unable to afford, allowing her to scrape by with her minimal income. Her disability has left her currently unable to work.

In addition to the physical pain, years of hardship and traumatic experiences have left emotional scars on Stacy’s spirit, which she is strong enough to acknowledge, but she doesn’t let them slow her down. She explained that the process of finding housing, getting swept off the street and into supportive programs required countless hours of paperwork. At an unstable time in her life, she is unclear what paperwork was signed, what information was given, who she even spoke with. The fog of trauma combined with the near impossible task of filling out the required paperwork for things like housing, health care, day care vouchers, food stamps, etc., leaves a person feeling exhausted, drained and even punished. It’s exhausting to be poor.

For a few years, the program in which Stacy was enrolled kept her safely housed, but over time, the budget for the program was slashed and a time-limit was placed on the assistance. Her housing voucher expired on Jan. 31. Without intervention, she would be homeless by the end of March.

I met Stacy at Cathedral in the Night, an outdoor church in Massachusetts. In December, she came to us, anticipating the end of her voucher and the chaos that would follow. When she asked us for help, she surprised us. Her hope was not so much for a resolution to her own housing crisis. What she really wanted was to help those like her, to tell her story to people in positions of power so that the system might be changed for the better. I continue to be impressed and inspired by Stacy’s spirit.

I was able to set up a meeting quite quickly between Stacy and U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, her representative in Congress. In the weeks prior, we helped Stacy write out her story in detail, shaping it into a clear, powerful narrative of struggle and survival, one that moved the congressman during our meeting. Not surprisingly, Stacy spoke in a clear, calm voice as she told her story to him, advocating for herself in a way she had been unable to do before. Her young son sat on my lap as Stacy spoke, crayons strewn across the table, and McGovern seemed perfectly at peace in the chaos.

We expected him to respond like most politicians might, with promises to work harder to make the country better, but then he looked at his staffer, sitting behind him at the table, and said, “Now, who do we need to call?” We continue to be pleasantly surprised by his commitment to not just his community as a whole but to the individuals within it. A few days after our meeting, he had written Stacy a letter of support and had called the directors of several housing organizations trying to find a solution to her crisis.

On the day of the DTA meeting, I was able to give Stacy a ride to the office, sitting with her in her meetings and keeping her child occupied. By car, the journey takes 30 minutes. By bus, it would have taken more than two hours, each way. Being poor is a terrible waste of time. After a phone call from McGovern’s office, armed with a letter signed by him, we still waited more than two hours before being seen, only to be told there was nothing the agency could do.

In spite of this, Stacy told me on the way home that my presence in the room made her feel supported and visible. She said that she had never been treated so well by a housing agency. I was there only as an advocate, helping to keep tones of voices low, asking clarifying questions, and taking good notes. When the young child got antsy, I would walk with him in the halls, allowing Stacy to focus on the meeting.

Even though we didn’t walk away that day with a solution to her housing problem, it did feel like a win. For me, I felt like the reality of the housing world had hit me in the face and opened my eyes wide. For Stacy, she felt visible and seen, supported and cared for by her church.

Eventually, Stacy was able to find an organization to help her stay afloat until a Section 8 voucher becomes available for her. Having a place to live is so important for her and her two children.

Cathedral in the Night is proud to have walked with Stacy and her family through this difficult journey, never speaking for but simply keeping watch and bearing witness to the hardship of poverty and disability. We are so grateful to McGovern for all his work on behalf of this family and look forward to new ways that members of Cathedral in the Night will be involved in advocacy.

By the Rev. Cindy Crane
Director, Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin

A photo of birds perching on telephone lines fills the front cover of the book, “Mobbing,” by Maureen Duffy and Len Sperry. The small creatures look as innocuous as notes resting on lines of music. However, the birds get center attention because of their tendency to join together to overtake larger animals. Recent studies show that if two particular birds have bonded to mob their prey once, the likelihood of their banding together in the future to gain advantage over another target grows exponentially. But the book isn’t about birds. It’s about human beings.

Mobbing is bullying that involves more than one person and has institutional buy-in. At least that’s one definition. When an entire agency, school, condo association, workplace, club, place of worship, government, or a political leader with followers condones abuse, validity is added to actions we would normally find abhorrent. There is something seductive about getting in line with a crowd even when it is moving in a questionable direction.

We stay alert to public policies that could add or diminish lawful layers of discrimination or violent behavior in general. Lessons from history add urgency to our advocacy when we notice disturbing trends repeating themselves. How will we engage?

Some mobbing is almost invisible, but the harm can have devastating consequences for the target, at times even leading to suicide. Duffy and Sperry refer to mobbing as a legal way to commit murder. Survivors often suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome and are left with a changed worldview; it becomes harder to trust, have hope in transformation, and to not see life through a lens of cynicism. The treads in a brain of someone recently bullied or mobbed are most similar to those of someone who was just raped. Whether we have witnessed mobbing or have only read about overt forms of it in the news, the story on Good Friday seems familiar. We don’t talk about it, but people sometimes mob. It happened to Jesus.

A band of soldiers, police and religious leaders swooped in to overpower the Messiah. As the abuse intensified, Jesus didn’t struggle with his worldview or faith. Instead, we hear about Pilate having no power over him and of Scripture being fulfilled. At this point, it’s easy to think about this story being about the glorification of suffering, of Jesus dying because he wanted to die. These interpretations have fostered misunderstandings that victims of abuse or oppressed groups should acquiesce to oppressors just like Jesus did, missing Jesus’ resistance to injustice that led him to the cross. His profound love and forgiveness went hand in hand with his challenging parts of society that were legally designed to ostracize certain people. And his defiance of the distorted messages hurled at him up to his death was entrenched in God’s love.

Knowing what mobbing does to a person, Jesus’ air of resistance is remarkable. If there is a context in which to say, “I’m not like Jesus,” this is it. The vision that St. John lets us in on is of the Jesus who was in complete control. He wasn’t a warrior, but he didn’t act like prey either. Facing the soldiers, he exuded calm and told them to leave his disciples alone, protecting and loving them even though he knew most would desert him. He was unwavering with Pilate, one of the most powerful people in Israel. He carried his own cross. And in this gospel from the cross, Jesus didn’t express a sense of abandonment.

The Jesus whom John experienced was steady while the people around him displayed a whole array of responses. Judas betrayed him. Peter denied his discipleship. Pilate was agitated by the injustice the mob demanded but in the end went with the crowd. His mother, aunt, Mary Magdalene, and the beloved disciple stayed close to the cross.

How do we respond to Jesus? By grace, the gospel gives us courage to have a public voice when facing powerful systems that frame our society. And we discern between organizing out of love and ganging up on others to exert abusive power. This lesson teaches us that God in Jesus walks with those who are mobbed; they/we never have to journey alone. The story reminds us of Christ’s love, even when we falter and move against justice.

People sometimes mob, but that is not what defines the drama in John’s lesson. God incarnate in Jesus, Jesus’ authority and love shape the story of Good Friday. The story shapes us. For now, for this part of Holy Week, that is the hope revealed.

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You can learn more about the work of Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin by visiting their website at loppw.org/.

Our ELCA Advocacy initiatives are made possible through support from ELCA World Hunger. As we near the end of this Lenten season, register yourself or your congregation for ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving to ensure that we can continue to work for systemic change that truly supports our brothers and sisters facing poverty and hunger.

By the Rev. Paul Benz, Director, Faith Action Network

On Palm Sunday (the Passion of our Lord Sunday) it is very common across denominations to have a processional in order to remind us of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem – the political and religious “capital” of Israel. The people were enthralled and excited about this as Jesus walked in procession into Jerusalem, riding on the crest of his popularity as a miracle worker, truth teller and son of God.

When we read the texts recounting what Jesus did after his triumphant procession, we learn about how he spoke “truth to power” and how he touched and transformed lives. Jesus’ mission was to not only cleanse the temple but to “cleanse” people’s lives and all of creation through the ultimate sacrifice of giving his life on the cross. As advocates, we can use the mission of Jesus’ procession into Jerusalem as a guide for actions that we can take as part of our own “procession” toward justice and peace.

One such action might be to exercise our public voice by speaking to those in power about the necessary reforms we need in order to help our brothers and sisters who face hunger and poverty. The most effective way to affect this policy change in the long-term is to first build relationships with our own community members that are affected by the public policies enacted by our government and then create platforms with them so that they are able to speak their truth directly to these decision-makers.

Today in this country we are in the midst of a moment where competing popular public figures promise to improve people’s lives and move America in a positive direction. Our nation and we the people have many key decisions before us this year, and our faith tradition compels us to be engaged. Another action that can help us walk in procession toward justice is to engage in our electoral process and ensure that all citizens are provided the opportunity to participate. (You can join fellow Lutherans as we pray and act together this year by joining our #ELCAVotes initiative!)

As we continue through Holy Week, the Easter season, and the rest of this year, may we remember our baptismal calling and vocation as it directs us to walk in procession into the halls of power AND into our neighborhoods using our voices to speak out (and our ears to listen), empowering our neighbors, and using our hands to touch and transform.

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You can learn more about the work of Faith Action Network by visiting their website at http://fanwa.org/.

Our ELCA Advocacy initiatives are made possible through support from ELCA World Hunger. As we near the end of this Lenten season, register yourself or your congregation for ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving to ensure that we can continue to work for systemic change that truly supports our brothers and sisters facing poverty and hunger.