Dear friends,<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not a secret that the political campaign season is underway in America. Turn on your TV, open a newspaper, or, depending on where you are, walk down your street and you\u2019ll see politicians and their staff eagerly courting votes. Candidates for the highest elected offices are traveling by bus, plane and train into small towns and large cities, donning jeans and sweater vests, touring farms and factories, kissing babies and shaking hands \u2014 anything to convince Iowans ( \u2026 or Ohioans, Minnesotans or Floridians, Virginians or \u2026 ) that he or she is listening and understands our communities, our nation, and our world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Throughout the months leading up to the general election, the ELCA Advocacy Ministries invite you to join us on our own tour of the U.S. Through our blog, Voices for Change,\u00a0we will travel to a different state each month, discussing issues of concern for their communities and exploring how they connect to our larger nation and world. As we hear how Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)\u00a0advocates and congregations are serving their neighbors, we will ask ourselves what was asked of Christ, \u201cAnd who is my neighbor?\u201d (Luke 10:29), when grappling with these challenging problems.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On this trip across America, we won\u2019t be winning super-delegates or collecting endorsements \u2014 rather we\u2019ll be sharing stories from ELCA advocates and congregations as they lift up moral priorities facing our neighbors who are near and far away. We invite you to discover America with us over these next few months.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Safe travels,<\/p>\n
The ELCA Washington Office<\/p>\n
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Our first stop is New Mexico, where ELCA congregations serve and advocate in response to widespread hunger.\u00a0<\/p>\n