By: Nick Bates, ELCA Advocacy State Network, Southern Ohio Synod

Sammie sees things a little bit differently than much of the world. Sammie is a kindergartner, and one morning a friend stole his after-school snack from his book bag. This friend was caught by the teacher and reprimanded. Sammie was understandably upset at first but then realized that some kids in his class just don’t have food at home. His compassion and empathy pushed his anger away. A few weeks ago, Sammie said he wants our next president to make sure every kid has good food to eat.

What a beautiful idea, but it’s not new. Isaiah trumpeted a similar vision to Israel:

Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price (Isaiah 55:1).

The beauty of this vision painted by Isaiah is exemplified through song in order to highlight the beauty that God has for our world today. Through our baptism, we are called to ask new questions and to think differently about our world.

Much of the world says we should just accept and ignore the reality of poverty and hunger. This means we should ignore the more than 15 million children – about 1 in 5 – in our country who are food insecure. We should sacrifice clean water and air because questions remain about how to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. We should blame those struggling to get by. We should fear families fleeing extreme violence and poverty as refugees.

Not only does God offer up a promise to the people to come to the waters, but God is also calling us to a new way of thinking.

But while we are called to invite all those who are hungry to come to the waters to eat without money, we also worry:

If everyone received free food, how would the farmers, truck drivers, grocers and others get paid? If people received free food, would they refuse to work hard? If everyone else received free food, would there be enough left for me and my family? If …

And just like that, questions of fear and scarcity get stuck in our heads.

Our news media likes dichotomies – left vs. right, establishment vs. non-establishment, old vs. young, men vs. women, insider vs. outsider. But as Christians, we know this way of thinking does not fit with God’s way of thinking, creating or being. We have liberals and conservatives praying together for hungry children. We have young and old volunteering together to serve meals to those in need. When we think differently about one another, we also begin to think differently about the world in which we live.

Faith-based advocacy helps bring a new way of thinking to our state legislatures and Congress on a daily basis. Your stories are extremely valuable in helping our elected officials think differently.

Our stories of God’s love for those who are hungry can shift the conversation from who has the largest tax cut plan to who can cut hunger the most. Our stories about God’s beautiful creation can shift the conversation from profitability to sustainability. Our stories about God’s freedom for those held in bondage can shift the conversation from turning a blind eye to envisioning a just economic system.

Regardless of who we are, God is calling us to come to the waters and see a glorious world where all have access to food that will satisfy. From those waters of baptism, we are sent into the world – a messy, complicated world – to draw people toward God’s way of thinking, creating and being.

– Nick Bates, Diaconal Minister Southern Ohio Synod, ELCA

Our ELCA Advocacy initiatives are made possible through support from ELCA World Hunger. As we enter the season of Lent, 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: John B. Johnson IV, ELCA Advocacy Program Director, Domestic Policy

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” – Romans 10:12-13

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those that are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! – Luke 13:34

Last Sunday we heard Paul’s letter to the Romans proclaiming that there is “no Jew and Greek … under one Lord of all” and the story of the temptation of Christ in the wilderness. And this Sunday Paul invites his readers to remember that “our citizenship is in heaven” while Luke’s Gospel is the lament over Jerusalem. When I tune into the latest news about this year’s elections, I can’t help but think about the timing of this Lent’s readings and wonder, is God trying to tell us something?

What if we as Christians didn’t fall into the temptation to believe that my God is not your God? I wonder what would happen if we tried to change the conversation by rewriting the Scripture from Romans this way: For there is no distinction between Democrat and Republican; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. What if candidates began their stump speeches with recognition of the humanity and dignity of their opponent(s) and then began pitching their ideas for the future of our country?

Ok … I know. This isn’t the way we do politics, and I don’t want to be Pollyannaish, but when the rancor gets as bad as it is, I think we are called as a church to speak up. More importantly, we are called to model the notion that we are all the children of one God; that God loves us each individually and has given us each gifts and skills to be in the world. Could we simply agree on this and model it in the world in the way we each exist in the world and to everyone around us?

I had an opportunity to visit the ELCA Southeastern Synod recently for an advocacy event in Atlanta titled: “Your Voice Makes a Difference.” What struck me about this meeting is the work they had done to form an advocacy network in their synod. Rather than concentrating on what divides us, they are seeking to give voice to issues they have found agreement on. In deciding their priority advocacy issues, the leaders asked, “Where do we agree?” This is what they came up with:

~ No one should go hungry.

~ No one should be a victim of slavery.

~ We incarcerate entirely too many people.

~ All children deserve equal access to education.

~ Our current immigration system is broken.

~ All people are of equal value.

I bet if we tried, we could add to that list in some simple and meaningful ways. But these six powerful concepts for that growing network brought unity that is turning into advocacy that will turn into meaningful change.

One of the reasons Lutherans make such an impact on public policy, especially policies that affect our communities, is that we have found a common call to God through Jesus Christ. Our agreement on that makes possible more than we could ever imagine in a divided, broken, rancor-filled world.

Our ELCA Advocacy initiatives are made possible through support from ELCA World Hunger. As we enter the season of Lent, 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. Amy Reumann, Director, Advocacy

Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven (Matthew 6:1).

Fasting, prayer and almsgiving are the traditional disciplines of Lent. In the Gospel reading for Ash Wednesday, Jesus addresses these three acts of piety already well known in rabbinic teaching. Two thousand years later they continue to top the list of Lenten disciplines: refraining from certain food or drink, being more prayerful or making an extra donation to charity.

Jesus is never content to let tradition be. Just when you think you’ve got prayer, fasting and donating down, he puts his own spin on things. Fasting? Don’t complain, but put on a happy face. More prayer? Yes, please, but shut the door so no one sees you at it. Almsgiving? By all means, just don’t let anybody know. When you put your faith into action, Jesus asks you to keep it a secret. Shhhhh. Don’t let anyone know!

His “tell no one” instructions run into immediate obstacles. If this was a tall order in his day, it’s even more challenging in an age when we post, tweet and selfie our every moment. Increasingly, it seems that anything worth doing (and many things that are not) is made public on social media immediately. It follows then that if no one sees it, then why DO it?

Another implication of this text troubles me. Jesus’ admonition to act out piety in secret has helped reinforce the unfortunate belief that acts of faith belong in the private sphere of life.  Prayer, fasting, charity and anything else that has to do with living our faith gets defined as a personal matter between me and God, to the point where a public faith may be denounced as going against Jesus’ own instructions.

Applied too broadly, this interpretation can implant a spirit of timidity that makes Lutherans reticent to speak their faith in public. It dampens our efforts to offer public testimony in the two ways that matter most: the sharing of the good news of Jesus Christ with our neighbor and by witness to Christ through advocacy that lifts up a faithful voice with and on behalf of our neighbor’s needs.

But what if we are not the center of what’s going on in Matthew 6?  What if the word on Ash Wednesday, before it is a warning against being spiritual show-offs, is a theological statement about the God who “sees in secret”? This is the God who sees the best and the worst that we have to offer and still showers us with grace and mercy. This God offers us a promise: Our most holy actions won’t save us but neither will our most cowardly or selfish condemn us. God knows our secrets, including that we are often afraid to speak out as witnesses to Christ, but calls us nonetheless and promises to give us the words when we need them.

Martin Luther famously said, “God doesn’t want our good works. But our neighbor does.” He didn’t keep silent in the face of injustice but wrote hundreds of letters advocating for compassionate policies and structural change. He taught that faith is not a secret but a mystery about a God who sees, loves, forgives, heals our sin sick souls, and as a consequence, we are called to do the same, particularly on behalf of the people and the places that are broken and hurting.

Of course, inner disciplines nurture and ground our outward witness. We need both. But if Lent, more than any other time of the Christian calendar, asks us to tend to and focus on our own sin, confession and renewal, how much more could it become a time for nurturing the same practices in public?

What if this Lent we fasted from inwardly focused piety to outwardly motivated action, from prayer in private to public lament and truth-telling, from almsgiving that that goes beyond charity to raising of voices and action for greater justice?

It’s strange that we kick off Lent marked by ashes as an external sign of faith, but can spend the season focused only on internal attitudes. How about living Lent out loud this year? The leaders of your ELCA advocacy ministries will accompany you through the next weeks with blog posts and alerts to point to the places where we can and are moving as church together from private to public, from self-regard to neighbor-love, from focus on individual sin to calling out societal transgressions, from secret faith to public proclamation of the hope that comes at Easter. I wish you a blessed and holy Lent.

Our ELCA Advocacy initiatives are made possible through support from ELCA World Hunger. As we enter the season of Lent, 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.

Ohio’s Legislature has returned from their holiday break with a full calendar in front of them. The Legislature will work on a capital budget over the next few months to allocate resources for building projects. They are also looking at Ohio’s unemployment compensation system. HB 394 will cut benefits to those unemployed and limit many low-wage workers from qualifying for assistance between jobs. The issue of Ohio’s unemployment compensation system has to come to the Legislature’s attention, because we continue to owe the federal government for money borrowed during the Great Recession. HB 394 will hurt families struggling to get by and leave the system short on revenue. The Ohio Legislature should strengthen assistance for individuals and families who are in between jobs.

For more information about HB 394 or other legislation before the Legislature, contact Nick Bates, diaconal minister in the Southern Ohio Synod at Batesyep@gmail.com. 

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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 held its “Day for All People” on Jan. 20, with about 250 participants who heard speakers on various issues and then attended the General Assembly to meet with their legislators. Legendary preacher Dr. James Forbes was the keynote speaker, talking about America’s ongoing racial divide. Organizers were excited by the attendance of several student groups, including a group of Muslim students from a school in Richmond.

Because the Legislature is in session, Virginia Consumer Voices for Healthcare, part of the Interfaith Center, is busy attending hearings and advocating to “close the coverage gap.” Virginia is one of 18 states that have not accepted federal Medicaid funding.

Finally, the center will have a new executive director starting Feb. 9. Kim Bobo from Chicago, a nationally known advocate for social justice and interfaith cooperation, who wrote a book on faith-based organizing, has accepted the position.

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

www.loppw.org

HISTORY AND ADVOCACY TODAY: LOPPW Advisory Council Member Venice Williams is the main organizer of an annual celebration of the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Body & Soul Healing Arts Center in Milwaukee, where she is the executive director. 2016’s theme was “Coming out of the Shadows of Global Slavery and Human Trafficking. LOPPW’s director led a workshop at the event. To a crowd of about 200 people Venice said, “If the Reverend Dr. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. were alive today global trafficking and sex trafficking would be at the top of his list.”

MORE ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING: LOPPW/Cherish All Children’s team has set dates for conferences: June 25 in Wisconsin Rapids, at the edge of East Central, bordering La Crosse Area and South-Central; July 9 in Superior in Northwest; and Sept. 14 in Madison in South-Central for a statewide conference and rally.

The LOPPW director testified on two anti-trafficking bills.

FEDERAL: Advisory Council Member Eric Larson has made the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act known in the Northern Great Lakes Synod. Most recently, Zion Lutheran Church in Marinette is making the legislation and their response to it using Washington, D.C.’s, post cards and the handout, Combatting Childhood Hunger, part of their emphasis during their hunger and poverty education and action.

SYNOD EVENT: LOPPW’s director gave a brief presentation on LOPPW and highlighted 2016’s focus on ELCA World Hunger at Lead and Learn in Milwaukee; she was also part of a panel on social justice.

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Contact us at washingtonoffice@elca.org ​​

By Mary Minette

After nearly 10 years of service as ELCA Advocacy director for Environmental Policy and Education, Mary Minette has completed her work with the ELCA Advocacy Office and is moving to a new position.

 “Mary has provided tremendous leadership for the whole church in her vocation and passion to care for creation. Her voice and perspective is respected from Washington, D.C., to congregations and synod assemblies throughout the church.” – Stephen Bouman, ELCA executive director for Congregational and Synodical Mission

 We hope you enjoy her final Living Earth Reflection below. Mary’s thoughtful and faithful leadership will be greatly missed by Lutheran advocates and ecumenical partners, but in her new role she continues her work for creation justice. Please join us in thanking God for Mary’s ministry and wishing her the best of luck!

On Dec. 12, 2015, in Paris, nearly 200 nations agreed for the first time to collectively take steps to address climate change. The Paris agreement was the culmination of years of movement building by groups ranging from environmentalists to labor unions, from local governments to the business community. The faith community has played a key role in the U.N. climate negotiations since their beginnings at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, but in Paris faith advocates were present in the highest numbers and had the greatest visibility and access ever.

Under the Paris agreement each country has pledged to set its own greenhouse gas emission reduction goals and to review those goals on a regular basis. As of this writing, 160 countries have submitted national goals, or Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC).  The INDC for the United States includes actions across our economy—raising fuel economy standards for cars and trucks, regulating carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and methane emissions from oil and gas production, increasing energy efficiency, and encouraging adoption of renewable energy technologies. Other countries have also stepped forward with ambitious plans. For example, during the Paris meeting in December, leaders of African nations announced a new initiative that will make their continent a leader in the adoption of renewable energy—addressing both climate change and the continent’s need for energy development.

The Paris agreement pledges to keep total human-induced global warming below a 2-degree Celsius increase from pre-industrial levels, which climate scientists consider a key threshold for preventing catastrophic climate change. Although current INDC are not sufficient to meet that goal, the Paris agreement also includes mechanisms to review current commitments and to scale up ambition for reducing greenhouse gas emissions every five years. This creates opportunities for advocates to put pressure on our own governments to make good on their promises and to increase ambition over time; however, it will be incumbent upon all of us to make sure that we keep building pressure on our elected officials to ramp up their goals.

The Paris agreement includes financial commitments to help developing countries adopt cleaner energy technology and to help vulnerable countries adapt to already occurring climate change, including rising sea levels, increases in severe weather, and long-term droughts.

A key priority for faith advocates during negotiations was helping vulnerable countries address so-called “loss and damage,” the term used to refer to irreparable impacts of climate change on lives and livelihoods, including loss of territory. Island nations, such as Kiribati, might soon be completely submerged and will face relocation and sovereignty issues.

The Paris agreement did not provide a final answer to these difficult questions, but it did include a recommendation to continue working for solutions to loss-and-damage issues, which faith advocates can build on in future years.

How can we help support the Paris agreement?

We can support initiatives, such as the Clean Power Plan, to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and rules to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector.

We can continue our strong support for the U.S. contribution to the Green Climate Fund and to poverty-focused international development.

This agreement, for the first time, considers local actions as part of what will be needed to keep temperatures within safe boundaries. As advocates, we can work with our cities and counties and states to push for more renewable energy, higher energy efficiency standards for buildings, better land use practices and other things that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

We can build on what many of our congregations are already doing—making our buildings more energy efficient, putting solar panels on church roofs and geothermal heating and cooling systems under our foundations.

And we can continue to look at our individual contributions to climate change—driving less, turning down the thermostat, recycling, and prioritizing small and large actions to reduce our carbon footprint.

 And most importantly:

Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. – Romans 12:11-12

By: Fumi Liang, Huntington Beach, CA

I am Fumi Liang from Huntington Beach California and I want to tell you a story about a group of senior citizens who are trying to make a difference in caring for the environment.

My friend Dick started a program called “Paper Rollers” many years ago. About 20 seniors came to church every Thursday to make 20 lbs of newspaper rolls and sell them to a floral company. When Dick passed away, nobody wanted to take over his job to organize this program. As a leader of a senior ministry at my church, I could have moved away from this project, but I didn’t want Dick’s legacy to die. So I took over and I’m glad I did, because I found out how much these seniors care about the land our God created.

The seniors in my church worry about how we’re not taking care of the land we live. They want to continue to do as much as they can to keep our land healthy for their next generation. They taught me, through their action, to be deeply concerned about our environment and the effect climate change will have on my grandchildren’s lives. I sincerely hope that through the Green Climate Fund, government can help combat climate change so we can keep the earth green and clean.

This is the message I gave when I met with the offices of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Rep. Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Scott Peters on Capitol Hill as part of the ELCA’s Advocacy Convening in Washington, D.C. last year.

This convening occurred in the midst of Pope Francis’ visit to Washington. It was the time for the ELCA to get together with the Episcopal Church to share prayers, formation, and practice of our baptismal mandate to strive for justice and peace. This was the first time that ELCA Advocacy invited community leaders from across the United States to attend the event alongside ELCA bishops. I was one of 17 community leaders invited to attend and learn how to become an effective Advocate. Having said that, I was very nervous about participating because I didn’t have any idea about what I would be expected to do.

I knew nothing about ELCA Advocacy; who they are and what they do for what purpose. Everything was new to me. I just had to trust and asked God to give me His extra mercy to guide me through this new challenge.

I was impressed by one of the speakers who emphasized how important it is for us to be truthful when we talk about the issue that matters to us. I always thought that religion and politics should never mix together. However, I discovered during my time in Washington that it could work beautifully if the contact between religion and politics was not for the disputes of powers, money and fame but for the purpose of serving people. After all, people come to church for help and comfort.  They want to find the answer of their needs and heal for their pains. If church cannot do that for them, who else can?

Through my participation in the 2015 Advocacy Convening, I realized that the ELCA’s Advocacy ministry can help provide opportunities to make a difference. While in Washington, we urged Congress to provide appropriate funding for global health and refugee services, emergency food assistance, and other development programs through the international Affairs Account; to promote robust structures that help developing countries adopt clean energy technologies and adapt to climate change impacts through the Green Climate Fund; and to protect children and families in Central America by investing in poverty reduction, human rights, and citizen security.

Prior to meeting with Congress, I received training on how to address your opinion effectively. I practiced and prepared my own story and its relation to climate change and environmental issues. It was a great challenge for me to deliver what I wanted to say within 2 to3 minutes. I was grateful that Bishop Finck, Bishop Erwin, Mark Carlson of the Lutheran Office of Public Policy California helped me shape my story and present it during our meetings. Not in my wildest dreams did I think that one day I would voice my concerns on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

After I returned from my trip, I shared my experience with my senior group on Thursday during their “Paper Rollers” time. They were so pleased to know that the ELCA is concerned about our environment and that I was able to give voice to my community’s experience. When I saw their delighted faces, I felt really blessed because I didn’t just attend a fun event in Washington, I was also able to bring ELCA Advocacy home to them by sharing my experience.

“… and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” – Micah 6:8

Discussing “racism” is difficult for many of us. However, the fears within this word must be addressed. The tragedy in Charleston, S.C., on June 17, 2015 sparked a light that had to be shined for the way the victims’ families and communities responded through love and forgiveness. This was the inspiration behind “Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America.”

If you have not viewed “Shining a Light”” already, I highly recommend it. Not only are the songs that were selected by the dedicated diverse artists powerful and meaningful, the hour-long conversations from Charleston; Ferguson and Baltimore open a dialogue on the realities and truth of the current racial struggles we still face in today’s society. The conversations are very black and white due to the open racial hatred that African Americans have been faced with – especially over the last several years – and that has directly impacted their communities. If it had not been for the artists, media and organizations promoting this important topic, the oppressed and voiceless people would still be unheard.

Racism will always be alive and well, but if we want to live in a world of possibilities for all people, let’s continue the conversations with truths – the truth of racial disparities between law enforcement and black males, the truth of racial profiling in black communities, and the truth of the unjust justice system that targets minorities – just to highlight some of the discussion topics.

Today we celebrate the birthday of a great man, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who still has a light burning at his gravesite to remind us of where we were, where we are and where we aspire to be. But the best light of all is that bright star that showed the way to the promised Christ child sent to love us all equally. Where is your light? 

Jackie Maddox, ELCA Advocacy

 

Lutherans are taking action across the country! Below you will find our monthly State Advocacy Newsletter. Share with your friends!

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Washington, D.C. – Amy Reumann, Director of Advocacy

www.elca.org/advocacy

Earlier this week, President Obama gave his final State of the Union address to Congress. As lawmakers across the political spectrum prepare their 2016 legislative agendas, we urge our elected officials to ensure that our nation’s public policies embody biblical values of peacemaking, hospitality to our neighbors, care for creation, and concern for our brothers and sisters facing poverty and struggling with hunger. Among other advocacy priorities, we urge Congress to: 

REFORM OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: In early 2015, the ELCA, alongside our faith community partners, demanded criminal justice sentencing reform to restore a common-sense approach to nonviolent drug sentencing. We know that excessively high mandatory minimum sentences over-crowd federal prisons, unfairly punish our brothers and sisters living in poverty, and do little to reduce crime. We are pleased that Congress responded! The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015 (S.2123) is bipartisan legislation that makes modest reforms to the federal criminal justice system by restoring the ability of federal judges to determine fairer and more realistic sentences and by reducing mandatory minimums for nonviolent drug offenses. This call is shared by both sides of the isle in Congress, and now the president has joined. We are pleased by the momentum this important legislation is gaining, and we will continue our advocacy efforts until common-sense reforms are made.

COMMIT TO REDUCING EXTREME POVERTY: Millions of people around the world continue to suffer from extreme poverty. Food insecurity, lack of medical services, gender-based violence, and humanitarian crises are some of the issues we will continue to focus on this year. The U.S. government plays a critical role in improving the lives of our brothers and sisters in need. It is imperative that we hold our government accountable to its commitments to reducing extreme poverty. A big part of this work is to ensure that Congress allocates funds for existing relief and development programs, as well as to advocate for systemic reforms so that these programs are more efficient.

PROTECT THOSE WHO SEEK SAFETY: ELCA Advocacy will continue to focus on ensuring that U.S. policies protect those who must leave their homes in search of safety. In 2015, we joined with faith leaders across the country to speak out against religious discrimination in our refugee system and asked for a compassionate investment in Central America to address the displacement of unaccompanied children and families. This year, we will continue to urge the U.S. government to ensure that funding recently allocated for Central America is spent in ways that protect those fleeing violence and persecution. In addition, we will work to make sure that refugees coming through Europe receive appropriate humanitarian protections. Refaai Hamo, a Syrian refugee present at the State of the Union, was fortunate to find safety in the United States and a new home through Lutheran Social Services of Michigan, but thousands continue to risk their lives to find safety or live in refugee camps.

FULFILL OUR PROMISE TO CARE FOR GOD’S CREATION: In 2015 the Obama administration issued two final rules under the Clean Air Act that restrict carbon dioxide emissions from new and existing power plants. Coal-fired power plants are the single largest source of emissions of carbon dioxide, one of the primary causes of climate change. The carbon rules are the centerpiece of the administration’s strategy to carry out pledges made in Paris toward a new global climate change agreement that will go into effect in 2020. Although the carbon rules are now final, Congress has the ability to challenge them under the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The House and Senate held a CRA vote on the rules last fall but failed to get enough votes to override a presidential veto. This spring, ELCA Advocacy will take action as Congress again considers use of the CRA to block these rules and will continue to build upon last year’s legislative successes, such as protecting U.S. contributions to the Green Climate Fund.

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New York, NY – Dennis Frado​, Lutheran Office for World Community

A DISCUSSION ON ‘FORCED DISPLACEMENT, REFUGEES, AND MIGRATION’: On Dec. 16, Dennis Frado and Nicholas Jaech with the Lutheran Office for World Community participated in a public consultation on the discussion paper “Forced Displacement, Refugees, and Migration” produced by the Independent Commission on Multilateralism (ICM). This paper highlighted the current migration crisis, citing 230 million current migrants, which includes 59.5 million displaced persons. ICM, which is affiliated with the International Peace Institute, writes that this is the “biggest humanitarian crisis in the history of the United Nations.” This paper also offers recommendations for “an improved multilateral response” including convening a global summit on the issue, strengthening international coordination among key agencies, organizations and U.N. member states, and strengthening the 1951 Refugees Convention. During a question and answer period, Dennis inquired about the negative impacts of climate change on migration and displacement, citing the current and future crises of island nations facing rising ocean levels. He asked about the probably inevitable need to resettle the populations of these island states and its implications for national sovereignty and preservation of cultures.

Two days later, on Dec. 18, International Migrants Day was recognized at the United Nations. During an event held by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), William Lacy Swing, director general of IOM, stressed the need to recover from the “amnesia” about historic patterns of migration, citing the migration patterns in and out of the United States. At this event, the Population Division of the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs reminded the audience of the connection between migration and the recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals, referencing goal 10.7, which calls on countries to “facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies.”

A U.N. BRIEFING ON EL NIÑO: On Jan. 7, the Lutheran Office for World Community attended a briefing on “The Humanitarian Consequences of El Niño and the Need for Urgent Action,” organized by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). This event informed member states and U.N. organizations about the current and potential effects of this season’s El Niño weather pattern. Consistently reinforced was El Niño’s connection to climate change – El Niño is not a product of climate change, but occurring in a world with a changing climate makes El Niño’s effects more extreme and unpredictable. The 2015-2016 El Niño pattern is already one of the three strongest since 1950, with models predicting that it could become the strongest on record. Various reports were made on the already damaging effects of the 2015-2016 El Niño – major droughts in Eastern and Central Africa, Central America, and the Pacific region, among others. As the rainy seasons return, the risk of flooding, landslides, and waterborne diseases significantly increase in these drought-ridden regions. Key messages issued by OCHA and other speakers centered on two actions: 1) an urgent response by the international community to address the current humanitarian needs caused by El Niño, and 2) investing in long-term risk and vulnerability reduction, which is critical and needs to be increased. For further analysis of El Niño’s effects by region, please click here.

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California – Mark Carlson, Lutheran Office of Public Policy

www.loppca.org​

STATE LEGISLATURE: California’s legislators reconvened Jan. 4 for the final year of its two-year session, and nearly one-sixth of them gathered that afternoon at Mercy Commons (see photo), a newer permanent supportive housing site in the block next to the county jail and Matsui Federal Building, to launch a bi-partisan effort to generate new resources and redirect existing resources to address our state’s homelessness crisis. The focus will be on “housing first” and mental health services, and the proposal becomes part of budget priority debates that are underway following Gov. Jerry Brown’s Jan. 7 release of his fiscal year 2016-17 budget proposal. With healthy growth in revenue, the governor is still wary of future recessions, the expiration of temporary recession-era sales and income taxes, the need to invest in deteriorating infrastructure, and the challenge of paying for MedicAid/Cal, which now covers one-third of Californians and half its children. California’s first Earned Income Tax Credit is funded into its second year, and there is a small cost of living allowance for elderly and disabled assistance, but an LOPP-CA priority, eliminating the CalWORKS/TANF maximum family grant rule that contributes to child poverty, was not in the proposal.

 

CLIMATE CHANGE PRIORITIES: Defending California’s climate change laws and advocating for equitable investment of cap-and-trade funds, now growing into the billions, will continue to be a LOPP priority. We joined a letter initiated by the Trust for Public Land calling for a Community Greening Fund focused on green infrastructure and forestry in urban communities. LOPP also participated in an interfaith post-Paris briefing.

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Colorado – Peter Severson, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Colorado

www.lam-co.org

The Colorado General Assembly convened on Wednesday, Jan. 13, to begin its 2016 legislative session. Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-Colorado was on hand for the opening ceremonies and is ready to dive in for a busy year of public policy advocacy.

As we celebrate the arrival of the new year, we also reflect on where we’ve been. In the past year, LAM-CO has been deeply involved in congregational-level education about advocacy, with a particular focus on how advocacy fits into the life of discipleship to which we are called as people of faith. Besides visits to Colorado ELCA congregations to preach and teach, presenting at the Rocky Mountain Synod Assembly and Theological Conference, addressing the many coalitions in which we participate, and sending e-newsletter updates, LAM-CO is connecting with thousands of people across Colorado and beyond. We hope to see even more of this in 2016, which will be an important election year in our state and nation.

State Sen. Jessie Ulibarri (center, front) visits the RMS Office of the Bishop and staff in December. Sen. Ulibarri represents the neighborhood in which our office is located.

Our priorities remain steadfast in the coming year: a better and more robust social safety net for those living on the margins, improved access to anti-hunger and anti-poverty programs for those who need them, a higher minimum wage that is commensurate with the actual cost of living, consistent shelter and support services for those without a home, an end to denial of dignity and needless taxpayer expense in the criminal justice system, and a higher standard of environmental protection that shows real care for creation.

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Pennsylvania – Tracey DePasquale, Interim-Director

www.lutheranadvocacypa.org

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Virginia – Charles Swadley, Interim President and CEO

Neill Caldwell, Communications Director

http://www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org/ 

On Wednesday, Jan. 20, the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy will host the 2016 “Day for All People,” an opportunity to learn about some key issues facing the Virginia Legislature and then speak to delegates and senators about those issues. This is an annual event that invites participation of multi-faith communities in the process of advocating for issues that impact the most vulnerable and voiceless in the state. The theme for 2016 is “Racism, Beyond the Confederate Flag.” The keynote speaker will be the Rev. Dr. James Forbes of New York City, recognized as one of the best preachers in America.

The event will start at 9 a.m. at the Claude G. Perkins Living and Learning Center on the campus of Virginia Union University and move to the General Assembly building and the state Capitol. The day will conclude at 3 p.m. Tickets are $30 for the event, $15 for students, which includes continental breakfast and lunch. Transportation to and from the VUU campus and the General Assembly will be provided. For more information or to register, go to www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org/.

Regional legislative public hearings are scheduled for Jan. 7 in Fredericksburg, Wytheville, Chesapeake and Richmond. The hearings will receive comments on the governor’s proposed amendments to the 2016-18 biennial state budget. Gov. Terry McAuliffe introduces his proposed two-year, approximately $100 billion spending plan on Dec. 17. That will be the starting point for the House Appropriations and Senate Finance committees, which are tasked with presenting a budget before the end of the 2016 General Assembly session.

Virginia Consumer Voices for Healthcare staff are thinking of friends and neighbors who still don’t have access to quality, affordable health care. Gov. McAuliffe has included a proposal to take the federal dollars that would fund that access for Virginia’s working poor, including many veterans and/or their families, whose income is too low to qualify for tax credits for coverage on the Healthcare.gov marketplace and who don’t have health benefits through their employers. Taking the federal dollars would pay for 90 percent of the bill. With the savings from covering some state expenditures with these new dollars and hospitals willingness to contribute, Virginia would save more than the 10 percent.

The proposed spending plan does include money for a universal breakfast program for elementary school children, something that is a new advocacy effort for the Virginia Interfaith Center in partnership with the Virginia Poverty Law Center and Virginia Hunger Solutions.

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Washington – Paul Benz, Faith Action Network

www.fanwa.org

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

www.loppw.org

A 2015 REVIEW: LOPPW was the only Wisconsin group to hold a Safe Harbor rally to support legislation and funding to assist youth victims of sex trafficking.

Bishops, grassroots leaders and LOPPW staff visited legislators on the Hill for the ELCA/Episcopal Advocacy Convening.

LOPPW worked with two synods to help initiate a hunger team in one, and a Care for God’s Creation team linked to ELCA World Hunger in the other. We also participated in the Region 5 hunger gathering in Dubuque, Iowa.

LOPPW is a part of People of Faith United for Justice, a group that organized the 2015 statewide Advocacy Day focused on poverty.

LOPPW staff was present at the governor’s signing of an anti-trafficking bill that we supported.

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Contact us at washingtonoffice@elca.org ​​

ACTUALIZACION: El Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS, por sus siglas en ingles) ha continuado a priorizar a niños(as) y familias para deportarlos(as) desde enero. Ayer, El Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos anuncio que planean fortalecer los esfuerzos para detener y deportar a niños(as) y familias vulnerables en mayo y junio. Aunque más información no ha sido publicada, como iglesia, continuamos solidarizándonos con iglesias y organizaciones a las cuales acompañamos para proteger a niños(as), familias y todas las comunidades vulnerables en Centroamérica.

Escrito por Alaide Vilchis Ibarra, Subdirectora de Incidencia Política

Este mes, el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS, por sus siglas en Ingles) comenzó operaciones para buscar y deportar a familias Centroamericanas que llegaron a EE.UU. después del 1º de Enero del 2014. Sabemos que por lo menos 121 individuos fueron detenidos en la primera semana y se han reportado instancias en las que niños(as) han sido sacados(as) de sus casas a medianoche.

Como iglesia basada en el mandato bíblico de respetar la dignidad humana de todas las creaturas de Dios, estamos fuertemente en contra de priorizar a niños vulnerables y sus madres para su deportación. Estas tácticas no honran nuestro llamado como comunidad de fe a amarnos el uno al otro ni respeta la dignidad de nuestro prójimo.

Además, nos unimos a Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) declarando nuestra preocupación por asegurar el acceso verdadero a la justicia para estas familias en EE.UU. quienes tienen que navegar un sistema legal complejo, muchas veces sin el apoyo necesario. Este Diciembre, nuestra propia Obispa Presidenta, la Reverenda Elizabeth Eaton, fue testigo de la incertidumbre y el estrés que niños y familias enfrentan en la corte de inmigración en Chicago.

La ELCA vive la llamada de Dios de mandarnos al mundo acompañando a niños, niñas y familias deslazados(as) en EE.UU. y en Centroamérica a través de nuestras relaciones de compañerismo con iglesias y compañeros en fe. A través de estas relaciones, recibimos una perspectiva crítica sobre las realidades que enfrentan niños y familias que son forzadas a salir de sus comunidades por la violencia (como trazamos en nuestro reporte, Nuestras Comunidades en Crisis).

Hoy, la violencia en los países a los cuales estos niños, niñas y familias serán deportados continua siendo intolerablemente alta. El Salvador está enfrentando tasas de homicidios que no ha visto desde su guerra civil en los 80s. La Iglesia Luterana Salvadoreña ha reportado que ha visto hasta 30 familias siendo desplazadas de sus comunidades en solo unos días. Honduras continua teniendo una de las tasas de homicidios más altas en el mundo, y en Guatemala, las Naciones Unidas reporta que dos mujeres son asesinadas cada día.

Como iglesia con compañeros en fe que trabajan con niños, niñas y familias deportados en El Salvador y Honduras, sabemos que deportarlos no sirve para prevenir que salgan de sus comunidades.

En una declaración por la Comisión de Acción Social Menonita (CASM),una organización compañera de la ELCA trabajando en un centro de repatriación de niños y familias en Honduras, explica que “durante este proceso de recepción [de niños(as) y familias], hemos visto las dificultades que [la deportación] ha significado para estas personas y sus familias, teniendo que regresar a la misma realidad de pobreza extrema, falta de oportunidades, violencia e inseguridad ciudadana que ha sido causa para emigrar fuera del País.”

A través de nuestras relaciones en Centroamérica y porque somos una iglesia con raíces migrantes, seguiremos apoyando a nuestros compañeros en la región y en EE.UU. a través de testimonio, acompañamiento, rezo e incidencia política.

“Debemos abogar con nuestros gobiernos y autoridades para el trato humano [de migrantes], y para [que se realice] una investigación real en los casos que necesitan las personas ser aceptados como asilados, no por políticos, si no,  para la seguridad y protección de sus vidas.” Dijo el Obispo Medardo Gomez de la Iglesia Luterana Salvadoreña en una llamada a reconocer los derechos y vulnerabilidades de aquellos que salen de Centroamérica hoy.

Nuestro socio, Church World Service, sugiere que usen los recursos siguientes para responder a el tratamiento de familias Centroamericanas:

Conozca Sus Derechos

Si tiene vínculos con congregaciones encabezadas por migrantes, es muy importante que las comunidades migrantes entiendan sus derechos. La información más importante es NO LE HABRAN LA PUERTA a agentes de Inmigración y Protección de Fronteras (ICE) o a cualquier otra gente que no tenga una orden firmada por un juez.

AFSC- Know Your Rights- Conozca Sus Derechos

United We DREAM Know Your Rights/Conozca Sus Derechos

Guía para compartir su historia de violaciones a sus derechos, redadas y deportaciones (En Ingles)

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

Reporte cuando una redada está pasando:

HOTLINE: 1-844-363-1423

MENSAJES DE TEXTO A: 877877

Hable a la Casa Blanca

La línea de comentarios de la Casa Blanca: 1-888-907-2053

“Soy de Ciudad, Estado, Congregación/Comunidad y como persona de fe, le pido al Presidente Obama a que PARE inmediatamente planes de deportar a niños, niñas y familias Centroamericanas. Estas personas están huyendo de la violencia y deben tener acceso a asistencia legal para que puedan solicitar asilo en Estados Unidos.”