“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.

 

Prayer prompts:
For areas of the world impacted by ongoing war, conflict, and violence, especially Ukraine, Palestine, and South Sudan…
For ongoing ceasefire and release of hostages in the Middle East…
For victims of a passenger train attack and hijacking in Pakistan…
For areas of political transition or turmoil, including Greenland, Syria, the Philippines, and Portugal…
For an end to discrimination, harassment, and bullying…
For students who rely on free and reduced-cost school meals…
For all farmers, especially on small and local farms…
For all modern prophets and truth-tellers who boldly declare God’s justice for the poor, the vulnerable, and the outcast…
For all suffering measles, RSV, and long Covid…
For gifts of education, research, science, and medicine, that build up the common good…

Events and observances:
March observances: Ramadan (Islam, Feb 28-Mar 31), Women’s History Month

Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome, died 604 (Mar 12)
National Girl Scout Day (Mar 12)
Purim (Judaism, Mar 13-14)
Holi (Hinduism, Mar 14-15)
Patrick, bishop, missionary to Ireland, died 461 (Mar 17)
Joseph, Guardian of Jesus (Mar 19)
Thomas Cranmer, Bishop of Canterbury, martyr, died 1556 (Mar 21)
Jonathan Edwards, teacher, missionary to American Indians, died 1758 (Mar 22)

Prayers from ELCA resources:
A prayer for those who suffer abuse and violence (ACS p.53)
Mighty Jesus, living Word, soothe the bodies, souls, and minds of the victims of [abuse and violence of all forms]. Bring them peace, hope, comfort, and strength. Bring abusers to justice and prevent them from causing further harm. Stir up the heart of your church gathered here and around the world, that we value justice and healing over silence and shame. Show us the way to your righteousness, led by the voices of those who suffer. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

A prayer for times of financial stress (ACS p.55)
O God, be with farm families in times of economic insecurity. Give farmers courage when stressed to their limits by the challenges of weather, economic policies, reduced income, and increased debt. Guard them against the feelings of failure or despair. Grant them rest, peace, and a supportive community as they labor upon the land you have entrusted to us. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The following topical resources are available from resources.elca.org for use in public worship and personal devotion:
Worship resources and prayers in response to wildfires
Worship resources for the crisis in the Holy Land
Worship resources for the Eastern Europe Crisis
Worship resources for and following national elections

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ELW = Evangelical Lutheran Worship
ACS = All Creation Sings: Evangelical Lutheran Worship Supplement

Additional topical prayers are found in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (pp. 72–87) and All Creation Sings (pp. 46–55), as well as in other resources provided in print and online at sundaysandseasons.com.

Crafted intercessions for every Sunday and festival are provided in the Sundays and Seasons worship planning guide published in-print and online by Augsburg Fortress. Further assistance for composing prayers of intercession can be found here: Resources for Crafting Prayers of Intercession

Prayer Ventures, a daily prayer resource, is a guide to prayer for the global, social and outreach ministries of the ELCA, as well as for the needs and circumstances of our neighbors, communities and world.

Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources and events from other organizations and institutions. These Lutheran and ecumenical partner organizations work alongside the ELCA to support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church.

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Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival

Transforming and connecting lives through faith and music since 1981.

Lutheran Summer Music 2025
Valparaiso University,Valparaiso, Ind.
June 22–July 20

Grades 8-12 | Learn more:
LAST CALL for LSM 2025! Enrollment for this summer is over 80% full, but there’s still time for young musicians to apply and for you to nominate students. Lutheran Summer Music is the nation’s premier faith-based music academy for high school musicians. Students come together from around the country for a joyful summer of music-making through large ensembles (band, choir, orchestra), chamber music, private lessons and elective classes (conducting, composition, jazz, musical theater, handbells, pipe organ) and use their musical gifts in performance, and in worship.

 

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Music that Makes Community

Rooted in Christian contemplative and activist traditions, Music That Makes Community envisions a liberative culture that empowers individuals and communities to claim and use the power of singing to heal our spirits, nurture our common lives, and work for justice. We offer resources, training, and encouragement to individuals, organizations, and communities in the dynamic power of singing to connect others and ourselves.

Training Events — Join us for the following events for continuing education, community building, professional development, and celebrating this practice of paperless communal song-sharing.

• April 5: One-day Workshop and Community Sing in Waco, Texas
• October 12: Three-day Retreat in Albuquerque, N.M.

More in-person events near Kansas City, Detroit, Lexington, Ky., Raleigh, N.C., and Atlanta. Please stay tuned!

Monday Morning Grounding — This weekly online touchstone continues to offer song, silence, sacred text and community connection, Mondays at 10 a.m. Eastern / 7 a.m. Pacific until April 7. Register for the Zoom link here.

Resources – Read the MMC blog for articles a variety of topics.

There are also new Job Postings (including one ELCA) on our website.

Please join our monthly newsletter for regular updates and we’ll see you at an event soon!

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Institute of Liturgical Studies

An ecumenical conference on liturgical renewal for the church today.

Rites of Passage: Engaging Occasional Practitioners in a Secular Age
Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind.
April 28–30, 2025

There is still time to register!

The American religious landscape is characterized by declining participation in religious institutions, increasing uncertainty about matters of faith, and a growing population identifying as non-religious. Nevertheless, many people continue to turn to churches at some of the most significant moments in their lives—such as the birth of a child or the loss of a loved one—and many others show up to support them.

Most of our planning resources are directed at the Sunday assembly. Yet, baptisms, weddings, and funerals are liturgical events rich in their potential for service and outreach. How might we more fully consider the possibilities of these occasions to be better prepared to serve a decreasingly churched culture?

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Association of Lutheran Church Musicians

ALCM nurtures and equips musicians to serve and lead the church’s song.

ALCM Conference 2025
Aug. 4-8
Raleigh-Durham, N.C.

The conference theme, For all that is to be, describes our effort to equip people in all stages of their love for music of the church. Whether you are a volunteer, part-time or full-time employed, a student, newly employed, or retired, this conference will nurture your passion for the many ways in which we continue to share the gospel message.

Registration is still available  – visit the conference website to register now. We look forward to seeing you in Raleigh!

Hearts • Hands • Voices are local half- or full-day skills-based workshops organized and hosted by ALCM members. These events are opportunities to learn new skills, share best practices, build relationships and support systems among musicians in your area, and introduce others to the ALCM community.

Events are now being scheduled for 2025. If you are interested in hosting one of these events or would like more information, contact Adam Lefever Hughes at education@alcm.org.

NOTE: Additional events will be added throughout the year, so check this page regularly to see if an event has been scheduled in your area. Check out the table below to view events sorted by date or state or check the Calendar of Events to find events scheduled near you.
 

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Resources from the Center for Church Music

The Center for Church Music is a place where one can tap into an expansive library of resources and perspectives on the music and art of the church, with a focus on a Lutheran context.

“Profiles in American Lutheran Church Music” presents video conversations with prominent church musicians The Life and Career of Richard Proulx, a conversation with Bob Batastini and Michael Silhavy, editors at GIA and The Current Scene, a conversation with Nancy Raabe, president of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, March 2023.

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Journey to Baptismal Living: North American Associate for the Catechumenate

An ecumenical community seeks to support seekers and those who accompany them. The process is an enlivened journey of spiritual formation for those either exploring Christianity or seeking to renew their faith.

The board of Journey to Baptismal Living, formerly North American Association for the Catechumenate, has been very busy, during and since the pandemic, working on producing updated catechetical and liturgical resources as well as updating our website.

Now we would like to connect with parishes interested in the catechumenal process. If you already have a process, we would like to discuss our new resources and also learn from you about your experiences. If you are interested but not active, we are available to do online training. Our new website can provide you with information about who we are and what we do. Or contact us for further information.

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The Hymn Society & The Center for Congregational Song

The mission of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada is to encourage, promote, and enliven congregational singing. The Center for Congregational Song is the resource and programmatic arm of The Hymn Society, connecting resources, leading deep and vital conversations about the church’s song, and collaborating with our partners.

Back in 2020, The Center for Congregational Song hosted a 12-hour broadcast of music and pastoral moments on Election Day in an effort to provide a space for peace in a time of great anxiety. Four years later, the political discourse in the United States is not all that different, and, in some ways, even more charged than it was before. If you find yourself in need of a break from the news, we invite you to recharge by watching our broadcast from four years ago.

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Augsburg Fortress Events and Resources

Augsburg Fortress is the publishing ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Music Sourcebook for Life Passages: Healing, Funeral, and Marriage

Once the life of faith is begun through the waters of baptism, no subsequent passage is made alone. The resource assists in planning for services of life passage including marriage, funerals, and healing services. It contains music originating in different cultures, varying accompaniment styles, and includes reproducible pages, an appendix of additional resources, and a CD-ROM of files to assist in the creation of service folders.

 

Using Evangelical Lutheran Worship, Vol 1: The Sunday Assembly

Addresses the general principles that have guided the shaping of Evangelical Lutheran Worship, considering that central liturgy of Christian worship, Holy Communion. This text examines how worship interacts with environment, music, and the preached word, and features useful and practical suggestions for all those who lead the assembly in communion.

 

Join us this summer for our annual music clinics. This year’s phenomenal clinicians are Jennaya Robison (choral) and Jan Kraybill (organ). Check out our website to read more about these talented practitioners, explore the daily schedule, and register for a clinic in your area!

• July 18–19, Columbia, S.C.
• July 21–22, Columbus, Ohio
• July 24–25, Philadelphia, Pa.
• August 11–12, Twin Cities, Minn.
• August 14–15, Chicago, Ill.

 

Catalyst Question

What words come to mind when you think of Lent?

Confession and Protest

In Luke 13:31-35, we hear Jesus lament about Jerusalem. It’s quite an odd thing for the Messiah of Israel to lament about Israel’s capital. How strange for the Son of God to weep over the city of God. Yet, it’s Jesus’ love for Jerusalem, for God, and for God’s people that leads him to cry out. Simply put, Jesus is saying that Jerusalem is not living up to its promises. Rather than be a city where the voice of God is welcome, the religious leaders oppress the prophets that speak God’s word. Instead of celebrating God’s presence, the political elite fear it. When Jesus laments over Jerusalem, it comes from a place of love–even of hope–rather than a place of hatred.

Another way to think about this passage is a protest. By naming the difference between Jerusalem’s ideals and Jerusalem’s actions, Jesus protests the difference between the two. Since our primary practice in Lent is to confess sin, it’s not common to consider protest as a practice of the season. Yet, consider that the goal of protest and the goal of confession are both to seek reconciliation. They seek to restore the ideals of life for all people. Confession primarily calls for personal accountability and behavior change, while protest primarily calls for social accountability and behavior change.

Consider the recent marches on International Women’s Day. The goal of these demonstrations was to confront the injustices of things like violence against and exploitation of women, as well as our cultural acceptance of these sins. Similar protests have arisen to defend justice for immigrants in countries across the globe, to name the injustices of war, and more. Such confrontations seek to end the negative behaviors and restore healthy relationships. Like Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem, these cries come from a place of love, even hope, that this confrontation will one day end with restored relationships.

To be clear, protest and confession aren’t the same thing. Instead, this Lent, we should consider what kind of sins protests seek to expose, because Lent is a time of confrontation. We’re confronted by sin, both our own and others. We’re confronted with ruptured relationships. We’re confronted the need for change. Fortunately, in Jesus, God confronts us with both justice and love. Not only do we come face to face with sin, but in Jesus, we also come face to face with forgiveness and a path to reconciliation. Throughout Lent, we will journey further along that path that leads us through death and into the abundant life of Christ.

Ask Yourself

What kinds of sin are keeping you separated from God and from other people? This Lent, consider how confronting those sins can lead to restored relationships.

Ask a Friend

What are the similarities and differences you notice between confession and protest?

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.

Prayer prompts:
For areas of the world impacted by ongoing war, conflict, and violence, especially Ukraine, Palestine, Myanmar, and South Sudan…
For those in the path of Cyclone Alfred in Australia…
For those who are unemployed, underemployed, or facing uncertainty regarding employment…
For areas of the United States facing significant winter weather…
For Pope Francis, during his continued hospitalization…
For Muslim neighbors observing Ramadan…
For Jewish neighbors celebrating Purim…
For those preparing for baptism during the holy season of Lent…
For the dignity, autonomy, and safety of women, and in thanksgiving for their gifts and contributions in the world…
For all whose civil rights are threatened or erased, especially our transgender neighbors…
For safety and protection for migrants, and for justice for those who have been deported or forcibly relocated…
For those who use God’s gifts of science and medicine to explore cures, preventions, and vaccines…

Events and observances:
March observances: Ramadan (Islam, Feb 28-Mar 31), Women’s History Month

Perpetua and Felicity and companions, martyrs at Carthage, died 202 (Mar 7)
International Women’s Day (Mar 8)
Daylight Saving Time begins (Mar 9)
Harriet Tubman, died 1913; Sojourner Truth, died 1883; renewers of society (Mar 10)
Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome, died 604 (Mar 12)
National Girl Scout Day (Mar 12)
Purim (Judaism, Mar 13-14)
Holi (Hinduism, Mar 14-15)
Patrick, bishop, missionary to Ireland, died 461 (Mar 17)

Prayers from ELCA resources:
A prayer for those preparing for baptism (ELW p.75)
Merciful and most high God, creator and giver of life, you have called all people from darkness into light, from error into truth, from death into life. Grant grace [those preparing for baptism] and bless them. Raise them by your Spirit. Revive them by your word. Form them by your hand. Bring them to the water of life and to the bread and cup of blessing, that with all your people they may bear witness to your grace and praise you forever through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A prayer for interreligious cooperation and understanding (ACS p.51)
Holy Trinity, one God, you show us the splendor of diversity and the beauty of unity in your own divine life. Make us, who came from many nations with many languages, a united people that delights in our many different gifts. Defend our liberties, and give those whom we have entrusted with authority the spirit of wisdom, that there might be justice and peace in our land. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our sovereign and our Savior. Amen.

The following topical resources are available from resources.elca.org for use in public worship and personal devotion:
Worship resources for International Women’s Day
Worship resources and prayers in response to wildfires
Worship resources for the crisis in the Holy Land
Worship resources for the Eastern Europe Crisis
Worship resources for and following national elections

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ELW = Evangelical Lutheran Worship
ACS = All Creation Sings: Evangelical Lutheran Worship Supplement

Additional topical prayers are found in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (pp. 72–87) and All Creation Sings (pp. 46–55), as well as in other resources provided in print and online at sundaysandseasons.com.

Crafted intercessions for every Sunday and festival are provided in the Sundays and Seasons worship planning guide published in-print and online by Augsburg Fortress. Further assistance for composing prayers of intercession can be found here: Resources for Crafting Prayers of Intercession

Prayer Ventures, a daily prayer resource, is a guide to prayer for the global, social and outreach ministries of the ELCA, as well as for the needs and circumstances of our neighbors, communities and world.

Dismantle: An Anti-White Supremacy Lenten Devotional

This devotional was created in response to the call of the 2019 Churchwide Assembly to condemn white supremacy and racist rhetoric. As you journey through Lent, this resource will challenge you and bring you closer to the radical neighbor-love that Christ demands in the Gospels.

DOWNLOAD | DESCARGAR

Cleaning the mud off my boots after a recent flood response, I noticed the grittiness of it.

It reminded me of preparing the ashes for Ash Wednesday. Burning last year’s celebratory palms, sieving them fine, mixing them with oil.

I see the impermanence of things, of even life itself, in the mud and ashes.

Ash Wednesday, a day when we acknowledge our mortality and our own return to dust.

Mucking out after a flood, removing what was once treasure that has now become trash.

Too often we overlook the physicality of the Christian faith in our anticipation of Heaven. We focus on the promise of our spiritual future, and, yes, that will be a wonderful thing. No more tears and reunions of all sorts. Wholeness that we can only wonder and dream about.

And yet, though we worship and celebrate God With Us, a peculiar God that took on the stuff of their own creation to be with their creation, we sometimes forget that there is more to the promise than “pie in the sky, by and by”.

The Kingdom of God is now, in the wine and bread, in the water and ashes, in our call to serve and love our neighbor.

The Kingdom of God is even found in flood mud.

No, really.

When we are more like Christ, do we become more human or less?

I believe we become more human, specifically, we become the humanity that God hoped we would be. Loving, caring, invested in one another’s well-being. Trusting in the abundance of God.

Watch what happens after a flood. Neighbors take each other in and make sure everyone is accounted for. Strangers show up to clean out houses, to offer hugs and listening hearts. Food is shared. Help is accepted and reciprocated. Communities mourn their losses as communities.

To quote a recent Welch, WV flood survivor: “We become human again.”

When we take on the ashes of Ash Wednesday or the mud from another flood, we become human again. We recognize our place in the Kingdom; we accept the invitation to participate in it.

Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return. Now, go out there and get muddy.

 

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Reverend Deacon Mary Sanders and serves as a minister of word and service in West Virginia and western Maryland. Prior to seminary, she served as an environmental inspector for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. Her sense of call is to serve the people and environment of Appalachia. She lives on her great grandma’s farm with two dogs and two cats and is surreptitiously planting a food forest around her cabin.

 

Catalyst Question

Name three things that you’re able to do but should not do. Why don’t you do them?

Fasting for Others

Lent this year begins with Ash Wednesday on March 5th. If you’ve heard of Lent before, you might have encountered the practice of fasting. To fast is to temporarily stop doing something you’re normally allowed to do, like eating sweets or red meat. The purpose of fasting, according to the Rev. Dr. Anne Burghardt, is not just personal sacrifice but also to increase our understanding of others’ needs. Rev. Dr. Burghardt, the General Secretary of The Lutheran World Federation, reminded listeners in a recent sermon that the purpose of fasting is to turn us outward: toward God and toward others.

This Sunday’s reading from Luke 4:1-13 records Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. The Devil tempts Jesus with things that he is able to do, but each time, Jesus avoids the temptation with a focus on God. Rather than take up power in order to serve his own needs, Jesus turns his focus outward. While his responses in this passage focus on God, Jesus’ external emphasis includes both God and others throughout his entire ministry. Throughout his life, Jesus shows us that, by fasting, we can expand our focus in ways celebrate God and serve God’s people. Fasting isn’t a diet or exercise regime meant only for your benefit. Fasting should be a practice that doesn’t just change our behaviors, but changes our relationships, all for the better.

This Lent, consider adopting a fast that puts positive attention on other people. If you give up a food, consider how you can share food with others. If you give up a hobby, consider how you might spend intentional time with others. If you give up buying things, consider how you might give generously to others.

Ask Yourself

If I choose to fast, how will I focus that practice focuses on God and others, rather than myself alone?

Ask a Friend

What are the Lenten practices you’ve experienced that helped you better connect with God or others? If you’ve not practiced Lent before, what changes have you made in your life to create better relationships?

This year marks two years in my role as the ELCA Director of Innovation and Ideas. While I’d love to say I’ve stopped getting this question, the most persistent question remains: What do you do again? The question persists no matter how many conversations I have with partners, colleagues, and friends. So, I’ve decided to reflect on it in this blog post.

When people hear “innovation,” most think of tech startups, Silicon Valley, or the latest app. Rarely does the term conjure up images of church pews, liturgy, “churpreneurs” (church entrepreneurs), or communion wafers (seriously, who decided we should use those?). Yet, here we are, talking about innovation in the ELCA.

Don’t worry—no one’s in a lab tinkering with prototypes for “God 2.0.” The ELCA isn’t trying to “upgrade” Jesus. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Instead, at the ELCA Innovation Lab, we focus on how we experience, communicate, and share the unchanging message of God’s love in ways that adapt to who we are, where we live, and how we see the world.

For centuries, the Christian church has communicated the Gospel in ways that reflect the times and cultures of its people—because that’s what humans do. Luther’s 95 Theses? It was the printing press that made it possible for people to access the Bible in their own language—an innovation that brought both tears of joy and torches of outrage.

People encounter God in deeply personal ways, shaped by their cultural contexts, identities, and experiences. The ELCA understands that innovation doesn’t mean changing God; it means rethinking how we connect with God and one another in an ever-evolving world.

We know that the Gospel doesn’t change. The message remains one of grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love. However, we also know that how we communicate that message must be as dynamic as the people we are called to serve.

Our approach to innovation isn’t about marketing gimmicks or trendy buzzwords. It’s about recognizing that God meets us where we are—whether that’s in a small rural congregation, a city coffee shop turned worship space, a barbershop, a community center, an ecumenical Christmas cantata, or even a neurodivergent choir.

It’s about asking the question: What does it mean to create spaces where God’s presence feels tangible, accessible, and life-changing?

Innovation isn’t about manufacturing cookie-cutter experiences of faith. It means truly listening to people’s stories, contexts, and needs. It means asking, How can we make room for God to meet you where you are? God isn’t confined to steeples and Sunday mornings; God is present in the messy, beautiful complexity of our lives.

Innovation isn’t about losing the sacred; it’s about making the sacred relevant. It’s about embracing creativity and laughter because a joyful God delights in our joy.

The Bottom Line: Jesus Doesn’t Need Rebranding. The message of love, sacrifice, and redemption is timeless. How we carry that message into a world searching for hope, connection, and belonging does need rethinking.

The ELCA’s unique ability to innovate lies in its commitment to remaining rooted in tradition while staying agile enough to adapt to the world as it is. God is not a distant relic but a living, present reality, and the work of innovation in the church is to help people realize that.

So, no, we’re not prototyping a new God. But we are reimagining what it means to encounter the God who has always been here—in the beginning. And in a constantly evolving world, that’s an innovation worth celebrating.

Then, let’s reimagine the future of faith together! Contact the ELCA Innovation Lab to explore meaningful ways to collaborate, dream boldly, and shape new expressions of ministry.

Is your synod, church, or community ready and willing to try something new? Let’s connect (Lab@elca.org) and create something new!

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

Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: February 2025

DOMESTIC SERVICES AND GRANT ACCESS | PRESIDENT TRUMP WITHDRAWS FROM THE PARIS AGREEMENT | FOREIGN ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS | USAID IMPACTS | IMMIGRATION IMPERATIVES

This month has seen rapidly developing impact of executive actions from President Trump, jolting a vast array of government agencies and the people who intersect with related vital supports. All Witness in Society staff have been active with ELCA colleagues and partners to discern and advocate in the rapidly evolving, complex political climate, and with voicing ELCA priorities through shared experiences and ELCA social teachings with policy makers.

The ELCA presiding bishop has brought important reflection and action on current events, including through videos. Find “Responses to Executive Orders on Immigration” (2/14/25), “ELCA Responds to False Accusations on X” (2/2/25) and “Faith, fear and the call to community” (2/21/25) from the playlist on the ELCA Advocacy YouTube Channel as well as ELCA socials.

 

DOMESTIC SERVICES AND GRANT ACCESS:  Confusion follows an executive order implemented by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of a federal funding freeze on all federal aid and grants to organizations – largely impacting states and nonprofits. Though the memo has since been rescinded, aftershock impacts continue. The aftershock impacts left many domestic program funding portals, such as Medicaid for states and Section 8 assistance, inaccessible. Access to grants was closed for several days – with some programs still inaccessible for a lingering period, and with a federal judge citing evidence that the administration is continuing to freeze programs despite a court order.

Why It Matters in the ELCA

Regular administration of basic domestic services and grants is a core necessity for many low-income programs. The tangible result of this freeze included pausing research for cures for cancer, halting food assistance, stopping infrastructure construction, closing suicide hotlines, and much more. Delays in payments also resulted in furloughing programmatic staff while creating mass confusion among shelters, food pantries and contractors. Though the federal freeze for domestic aid programs has since been rescinded, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staff have indicated they will continue combing all programs that help low-income families for consideration of elimination.

What’s Next

Several non-profit organizations and states, including the National Council of Nonprofits, are leading lawsuits against this U.S.-wide grant freeze which resulted in the initial withdrawal of the memo. ELCA Witness in Society staff will be tracking the progress of the lawsuit alongside Lutheran partners, while sharing with lawmakers the impact of the short-term freeze.

PRESIDENT TRUMP WITHDRAWS FROM THE PARIS AGREEMENT: Upon being inaugurated into the office of the U.S. president, Donald Trump immediately issued an EO calling for the United States to withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. This action will take the United States out of the first global agreement to collectively combat climate change.

Why It Matters in the ELCA

The ELCA stands strong in its commitment to caring for creation, and in that commitment, bolstered by the 2023 social message “Earth’s Climate Crisis,” calls for government action toward combatting climate change and promoting a clean energy transition. The ELCA has been present and advocating for positive action at the annual Conference of Parties to the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP). The experience of our Lutheran delegation at the recent COP29 was shared in a webinar. A recording of this webinar, “Voices of Faith in Climate Action: COP29 and Beyond,” is available.

What’s Next

As one of the largest global emitters of greenhouse gases, the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Agreement gravely threatens global progress on climate change as well as multilateral cooperation more generally. ELCA advocacy staff will continue to advocate for policies and regulations in line with the Nationally Declared Contribution (NDC), country commitments to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change within the Paris Agreement, which were announced by the outgoing Biden administration.

FOREIGN ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS:  Most U.S. foreign assistance programs have been impacted by a series of EOs and directives that were issued by President Trump soon after his inauguration. The administration has sent stop-order requirements to all existing foreign assistance awards, effectively pausing implementation of many development and humanitarian programs in low and middle-income countries. This is in addition to the EO pausing new U.S. foreign assistance obligations and disbursements pending a 90-day review. The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS (PEPFAR) is one of the programs that have been impacted.

Why It Matters in the ELCA

The ELCA has long been involved in advocacy related to U.S. foreign aid to help fight hunger, extreme poverty and disease around the world. Millions of lives have been saved because of U.S. foreign aid programs such as PEPFAR, which by itself has saved over 25 million lives.

What’s Next

While Secretary of State Marco Rubio has now issued an emergency humanitarian waiver to allow portions of PEPFAR programs to continue, the waiver is temporary and limited in scope. It does not cover new or future work unless a separate waiver is granted and does not apply to other global health efforts such as cervical cancer screenings. Witness in Society staff are working with advocacy partners to push back against suspension of U.S. foreign assistance.

USAID IMPACTS: Currently, the attempted dissolution of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the government agency overseeing global efforts to improve health and education and decrease poverty and hunger, is having a large impact on global assistance around the world, with broad impacts including to Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH). This includes the inability for humanitarian aid to arrive to intended communities, and grants, contracts and payments already owed to organizations going unpaid or being cancelled. Such payments included funds set to be paid to the AVH, which is run by Lutheran World Federation. The actions impacting USAID started with a stop-work order, halting nearly all USAID programs pending a 90-day review, followed by layoffs and a shutdown of the USAID website, along with an order impacting workers.

Why It Matters in the ELCA

As of this writing, $10 million in payments that were already obligated and set to be paid out in January 2025 to AVH are in limbo. USAID’s payment system is still not working and the process for obtaining a humanitarian waiver is unclear and disorganized. There is no clarity whether this money will ever arrive at the hospital, despite this money being allocated by last year’s 118th Congress to the hospital.

What’s Next

Witness in Society and LWF staff members worked together to submit a humanitarian waiver to the U.S. Department of State in support of unfreezing the $10 million obligation and are working to follow up on that request. Additionally, ELCA advocacy staff will be supporting advocacy efforts by LWF in Washington, D.C. at the end of February in support of future funds for the AVH and the wider East Jerusalem Hospital Network.

IMMIGRATION IMPERATIVES: Well over ten of the Trump administration EOs are directly related to revoking the previous administration’s immigration imperatives or setting new policies and directives. Immediate impacts included from the EO “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” which expands expedited removal nationwide. Expedited removal is a fast-tracked deportation process without, generally, a chance to go before a judge. It mainly applies to more recent newcomers suspected of being undocumented. In recent days, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has also revoked the protected areas memo, which restricted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in places like churches, hospitals and schools. Additionally, EOs have threatened various temporary protection programs. Affected parole programs include those for Ukrainians, Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, and Central American minors. An extension for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans was also revoked.

Why It Matters in the ELCA

The combined EOs represent an unprecedented expansion of immigration enforcement—beyond what has been attempted before or may even be reasonable and feasible. The ELCA social policy resolution, “Towards Compassionate, Just, and Wise Immigration Reform,” specifies that, “This church advocates for a fair deportation process consistent with American values, for example, the right to appointed legal representation and a hearing before a judge.” Family unity and due process for immigrants remain a concern amid the flurry of actions. As the policies roll out: Lutheran congregations have been forced to cancel worship celebrations as community members express fear; congregations have navigated how to share Know Your Rights information with community members; and Lutheran members and congregations who sponsored refugees, Ukrainians and Venezuelans under the temporary parole programs have expressed concern about the future for those they welcomed.

What’s Next

Before and after the EOs, numerous briefings have taken place with ELCA communities and networks to help others understand the lay of the land and share resources. The ELCA program director for migration policy has shared updates in multiple networks. The ELCA Action Alert on the foreign aid funding freeze also addressed the extremely concerning pause on resettlement aid for recently arrived refugees. ELCA advocacy has also been active on the Hill. The ELCA program director, Latino Ministry, and program director, migration policy, recently met with Republican and Democratic offices to discuss the impact of the EOs and encourage common-sense solutions for the community.

 

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By Solveig Muus, Director, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona 

Lately I’ve been thinking about the many ways our Church intersects across so many different channels, and about how that intentional intersectionality benefits the whole. ELCA-affiliated state public policy offices (sppos), like Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA), are one of those channels. I’m privileged to serve on the planning teams for this year’s sppo retreat as well as the ELCA World Hunger Leaders Gathering. In these settings and others, I’ve heard Christians in the ELCA passionate about the ways in which we, as Lutherans, connect people to create possibilities.

Below is just a thimbleful of the happenings in my world that are making connections.

• In Mar. 2024, the Hunger Leaders Networks in ELCA Region 2 (California, Nevada, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico) embarked on a year-long journey to plan the 40-40-40 Region 2 Lenten Challenge for 2025, in which the five ELCA synods in Region 2 challenge one another to participate in spiritual and physical practices and to raise funds through Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) for a major water project at the Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission (NELM) in Rock Point, Ariz. during the 40 days of Lent. I will be sharing this story in a Collaborative Learning ‘course’ through LDR called “LDR and ELCA World Hunger Intersections: Navajo Lutheran Mission” on Wednesday, March 5 (2:00 EST). Great possibilities in Region 2 – Lutheran Disaster Response – ELCA World Hunger – NELM intersectionality.

• In October 2024, the Rev. Sara Lilja, my sppo colleague at Lutherans Engaging in Advocacy Ministry New Jersey (LEAMNJ), mentioned a New Jersey bill (S-3672) recently introduced called the Immigrant Trust Act that safeguards the privacy of immigrants and limits how their immigration status is shared amid growing anti-immigrant sentiment. Thinking this could be important for Arizona as well, I proposed it to one of our state senators – who agreed and introduced the bill (SB1362) in the Arizona legislature in February. Great possibilities in SPPO – New Jersey – Arizona intersectionality.

• On Feb. 2, Lutherans of all stripes felt the sting of false accusations and misrepresentations of the funding that supports Lutheran organizations across the country, and came together as never before to defend our Lutheran service organizations. Great possibilities in inter-Lutheran intersectionality.

• On Feb. 10, Lutherans gathered at the Arizona Capitol for LAMA’s annual Lutheran Day at the Legislature. Two hundred people enjoyed a rally, legislative appointments, lunch, prayers and introductions from the House and Senate galleries and more. We were joined by 18 members of an United Church of Christ (UCC) church who share our Lutheran values, are passionate about advocacy and wanted to join their voices with ours. What are the possibilities here? Great possibilities in interfaith intersectionality.

• On Feb. 24, I attended the hearing of HB2191, Arizona’s “Yes In God’s Back Yard” (YIGBY) bill in the House Appropriations Committee. This is one of three bills (out of 1,802 introduced this session) that LAMA championed on Lutheran Day. Testimony (including by one of our ELCA Lutheran pastors), reasonable questions, lively discussion, pushback, bluster and exasperation ensued. The bill needs work, but it has bipartisan support. For now. Great possibilities in Bipartisan intersectionality.

I am inspired by the ways we connect with one another; I feel invigorated and challenged. This intersectionality gives me hope for the future of our Church, and reminds me of the importance of every connection we make. When it feels discouraging, or friends and colleagues share frustrations about our inability to affect change, I draw encouragement from our interconnectedness, knowing God is present in this work, the great weaver, making us a tapestry.