By the Rev. Sara Lilja
Director, Lutheran Episcopal Advocacy Ministry of New Jersey

This line from the Gospel of John, “you always have the poor with you,” has been often misquoted. I hear this text cited as justification for inadequate public policy efforts to eradicate poverty. But it is a misread of the text.

Lazarus hosted a dinner six days before Passover. After the meal, Judas criticized Mary for having spent nearly a year’s wages to purchase beautifully perfumed oil to anoint Jesus’ feet.  Jesus defended Mary’s actions; he reminded the gathered disciples that he would not be with them much longer (knowing that his arrest was near). So Mary’s anointing was appropriate. Continuing, Jesus added that there would be many more opportunities to address the needs of the poor in Bethany.

The narrator of this story, John, comments that Judas was mad because he kept the “common purse,” which was money to be used to care for the poor. John asserts that Judas had been stealing money from this purse. Judas would have liked Mary to make a large donation into the purse rather than spending it on oil, so that he could skim more for himself.

Jesus never teaches that God intends or is pleased with an economically stratified society where some are wealthy and some poor. Jesus’ acknowledgment of the needs of the poor should never be understood that he condoned poverty. No, over and over again we learn of Jesus’ intention to close the wealth gap by paying workers a fair wage, forgiving debt, and welcoming the disenfranchised into community.

The conversation that might appropriately grow from this text is: What are the opportunities to serve the poor in Bethany and within my neighborhood so that all people might be economically self-sufficient? A pastor friend of mine recently wrote to his senator, “I’m hoping to work my way out of the food pantry business. Not because I don’t care, but because I believe finding a solution for hungry families is not to continue sharing food, but to help all people buy their own. Equity, love and unbiased fairness are essential to ending the gap between those [who] eat and those [who] don’t. We are committed to feeding families, but we are also committed to advocating for policies and legislation that work for the good of the whole.”

A prayer for people:

For people in poverty, who live in a state of illiteracy and frustration.

For men whose labor is less valued and exploited because they are unskilled.

For boys who have migrated to cities, other countries and continents in search of  jobs to improve the economic conditions of their families, but they are landed in the most strenuous, the dirtiest and lowest paid jobs.

For women who suffer at the hands of their in-laws, because of her dowry and other cultural and family traditions.

For children who are suffering in pain and misery because of illness and malnutrition due to poverty.

For couples who are deprived of mutual love and close bonds of fellowship because of separation and divorce.

For the differently abled who struggle for dignity, equality and for meaningful work.

For public officials who are working in affairs of policy and decision making.

For all people who endeavor to eradicate poverty.

Amen.

Based on Beulah Shakir’s prayer, who lives in Pakistan

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. 

Earlier this month, the Rev. Nelson Bock, co-director of Wartburg West,  testified at a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) hearing in Colorado. At the hearing, Pastor Bock voiced the faith community’s concern for God’s Creation, and his support for a proposed rule that would reduce Methane Emissions on Public and Tribal Lands. You can learn more about the BLM proposed rule at the Dept. of Interior by clicking here. 

Lakewood,  CO  March 1, 2016

I am a Lutheran minister, and I teach on the subject of religion and the environment for a Lutheran college. I am also a GreenFaith fellow, having graduated from the GreenFaith program for religious environmental leadership in 2008. And I am a member of the Board of Directors of Colorado Interfaith Power and Light, one of 40 IPL state affiliates working with communities of faith to lessen the impacts of climate change through education, through taking action to reduce their own carbon footprints, and through advocacy for more environmentally responsible policies at every level of government. We do this out of our conviction that we human beings have a divine calling and responsibility as caretakers of the creation– the beautiful, intricate, interdependent web of life and natural resources upon which all life, including our own, depends.

We cannot pretend that our activity on the earth has no impacts and no consequences. Indeed, our own well-being as a human community is dependent on the well-being of the ecosphere of which we are a part.

In addition to what we know about the emission of carbon dioxide by the burning of fossil fuels, including natural gas, and its affect on the climate, we also know that methane is itself a greenhouse gas at least 25 times more potent than CO2, and that the increasing leakage of methane into the atmosphere in connection with drilling and fracking activities has become a growing problem as we seek ways to limit emission of greenhouse gases. We must have strong regulations by which we can enforce the need for such limits.

I also have personal testimony on the topic of methane leakage. My wife and I own property in the North Fork Valley on the western slope of Colorado. Last year, as we were driving through the national forest on Stevens Gulch Road south from County Road 265, we turned off on a Forest Service Road. As we drove along, we began noticing a strong smell of fumes. We rolled down the windows, but the smell was coming into the car from outside, so we rolled the windows back up.Soon we came to a place where the road was blocked and a man who was not wearing a Forest Service uniform told us the road was closed and we had to turn around. When we asked why the road was closed, he told us they were drilling a mile or so down the road. So we turned around and drove back to 265. The strong smell persisted, and we began experiencing headaches and nausea. As we continued to drive away, about 15 minutes later both the smell and the symptoms of illness were gone. Our suspicion was and is that they were caused by hydrocarbons leaking from that well, and we will do whatever we need to in order to prevent further drilling for oil and natural gas without those stringent safeguards.

Thank you.

The Rev. Nelson Bock

Interested in hearing more faith perspectives on the BLM Methane Rule? Read more, including thoughts from Lutheran Pastor David Nichols, by clicking here! 

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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 and the Virginia Consumer Voices for Healthcare co-sponsored a press conference on Feb. 17 at the General Assembly Building in Richmond, featuring several faith leaders who had signed a letter to the legislators asking them to close the Medicaid coverage gap. They were only a representation of the nearly 300 religious leaders who signed the letter. “How is it that living in this great and blessed commonwealth of ours, Virginia, that in the midst of all of this greatness, we are giving consensus to allowing more and more of our citizens to fall into vulnerability?” said Imad Damaj, founder of the Virginia Muslim Coalition for Public Affairs.

An estimated 400,000 Virginians fell into an insurance coverage gap created when the state did not expand Medicaid as the Affordable Care Act intended. A 2012 ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court made Medicaid expansion optional for states. Advocates say the lack of Medicaid expansion has left some of the most vulnerable people out of luck when it comes to health insurance coverage, as they are not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid and they don’t earn enough to qualify for subsidies to buy insurance on the health insurance exchanges. Virginia’s Republican-controlled House and Senate have rebuffed attempts by Gov. Terry McAuliffe to expand Medicaid. The House of Delegates instead has offered additional funding to free clinics around the state. “Funding for more clinics is a woefully inadequate response” to the crisis, Kim Bobo, the new executive director of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, said in response.

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Washington – Paul Benz, Faith Action Network

www.fanwa.org

Our Legislature’s 60-day session began on Jan. 11 and will be over soon; the last day is March 10. Three weeks ago, Faith Action Network (FAN) gathered 270 advocates together from 39 of our 49 legislative districts for Interfaith Advocacy Day, during which advocates attended 108 meetings with legislators or their staff.

Some of FAN’s key bills that are still alive include:

• Breakfast After the Bell, which increases access to breakfast for kids from economically disadvantaged households.
• The Voting Rights Act, which will address disenfranchisement within communities of color caused by broken election systems and will allow jurisdictions to find solutions that work for that community.
• The Use of Deadly Force Task Force will bring recommendations for better police-community standards.
• School vouchers for homeless youth.

FAN coordinated a meeting of religious leaders with the governor, where a main topic was about the divisiveness between parties in the Legislature. Afterward, the group issued a statement on the need for civility in the political process.

After the legislative session, FAN staff look forward to denominational spring assemblies and beginning our issue work groups (economic justice, the environment, and health care, etc.) at our four regional summits in Spokane, Seattle, Vancouver, and Yakima.

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

www.loppw.org

February was a significant month in the Wisconsin Legislature.

PROTECTING CHILDREN: The Assembly and Senate passed a significant anti-trafficking bill LOPPW supported. AB 737 has about two-thirds of the Safe Harbor bill, including sex trafficking added to the definition of child abuse, a mandate that law enforcement report suspected child abuse by non-caregivers to the state Department of Children and Families, and additional funding to support victims of sex trafficking. LOPPW was present for the governor’s signing of SB 308, which will help fill gaps in child protection related to the appointment of a successor guardian for a child in need of protection or services.

FOOD SECURITY: We opposed AB 222 that would require recipients of FoodShare to use a photo ID. It passed the Assembly several months ago but recently stopped in the Senate (for now).

PRISON REFORM: We supported SB 280, which would return first-time, nonviolent 17-year-old offenders to the original juvenile justice system. An amendment was added in February, but the bill is still on hold. We supported SB 322, which would increase compensation for those wrongfully imprisoned and provide assistance for them after their release. The bill recently passed in the Assembly but has been referred to the Joint Committee on Finance.

WATER: We spoke against SB 432, which would streamline corporations’ ability to privatize public utilities and diminish our public voice in the process. We had concerns about costs, especially for people in poverty, and water safety. The bill died in the Senate.

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Contact us at washingtonoffice@elca.org ​​

By: Peter Severson, Director, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-Colorado for the Rocky Mountain Synod

Few of Jesus’ parables are as familiar or artistically resonant as the parable of the prodigal son. Rembrandt immortalized it on canvas. Benjamin Britten set it to lyrics and music. Henri Nouwen wrote a spiritual autobiography around it. Of the multitude of literary and linguistic artifacts that the Bible has deposited into Western culture, the idea of the “prodigal son” is among the most well-known and well-trod.

All of which sometimes makes it hard to hear the parable with fresh ears. Those who grew up in the church will know the beats by heart. The son asks for his inheritance early. He travels to a distant land, squanders it all, and ends up destitute. He comes to his senses (or as the King James and NRSV say, “he came to himself,” Luke 5:17) and realizes that even his father’s servants have enough to eat, so he beats a quick retreat back to the old homestead and begs his father’s forgiveness. Whether the son’s plea is sincere or not, the father welcomes him back joyfully and promptly throws a huge party, fatted calf and all. The brother returns from the fields, sees the party in progress, and is more than mildly piqued at the excess of it all. Jesus wraps it up with the heart of the parable: The father has forgiven this son, who was dead and now has come back to life.

It’s a model of reconciliation and forgiveness, an almost staggering display of generosity of heart that is hard to imagine playing out in modern Western culture. In our culture, those who would presume to ask for an inheritance early would be looked on with suspicion and probably scorn. Anyone who would squander their resources in profligate depravity certainly deserves to live in destitution. And a son who would come home after all that and beg forgiveness, well … certainly no one is obligated to forgive him, even his own parents. These are the messages we’d most likely hear in the contemporary cultural moment.

As an advocate, I find myself hearing something new in the parable this time, and it comes from the juxtaposition of those culturally defined reactions with the beats of the story. Typically, this is read as a story that is principally about forgiveness and reconciliation. I still read it that way. But what if we read it also as a story about generosity and solidarity? A story where a person who has reached the depths of destitution is treated as still human, still worthy of welcome, still worthy of “caritas,” still worthy of grace?

Many advocates who work with and on behalf of people living in poverty will tell you that familiar tropes arise time and again among opponents who don’t want to change the system. Many people are comfortable with our economic status quo, and many believe in the ideology that our position in life is determined almost exclusively by our relative merit and skill in society. The poor, the argument continues, are largely in that condition by their own fault, and so a social program to assist them is predicated on a false assumption that they don’t actually deserve their destitution. This is the “bootstraps” mentality, which is especially prevalent here in the American West.

As I read this parable, however, I encounter something amazing: Here is a person who actually does create his own economic reality, and actually does squander all his resources and land himself in poverty – a far cry from the circumstances of virtually any impoverished family in the United States today, but with the same endgame of penury. And yet this son, who by all rights deserved to be mucking about in the sty with pigs, who deserved no “helping hand” up, is welcomed back with joy anyway. It doesn’t matter that he “brought it on himself” – grace and welcome and “caritas” are given freely. The older brother’s rage then becomes newly familiar, perhaps, as we see him frustrated that someone so reckless would be given help to be restored and made whole. Doesn’t he deserve to get left behind and trampled underfoot? How dare he be welcomed back? When we read with this lens, the parable becomes an even more deeply and radically counter-cultural message. It does everything that our modern competitive capitalist economy tells us not to do.

How rich in compassion is the father for his prodigal, profligate son. And how rich are we called to be with our impoverished neighbors, whose circumstances deeply resemble that of the son and yet did not arise by “squandering [their] property in dissolute living”? (Luke 5:13) Rather than viewing our neighbors as competition to be defeated, as discardable, as somehow less-than-human beings, what if we chose the way of Jesus? He asks us instead to be reconciled through him to all our neighbors, to be restored to right relationship. He asks us instead to be vessels of grace and mercy. May it be, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

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: 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.