Today’s post is by Omaldo Perez, Director of Music at Zoar Lutheran Church in Perrysburg, Ohio.

Grafting, as a horticultural technique, is defined as the joining of different plant tissues in a manner that makes possible their future growth together. As far as we know, grafting has been used from the times of the Fertile Crescent in Mesopotamia, and it is still widely used in our day. There are always two components in a graft: the rootstock which provides the nourishment, and the scion which bears the fruit.

In many aspects, but especially regarding my professional development, I have become a small scion grafted into the great rootstock of Lutheran worship thanks to the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians (ALCM). I joined ALCM at the behest of my pastor, George Yoder, who in 2002 correctly intuited that I needed mentoring. Fast-forward sixteen years and I can only marvel at the blessings of a journey punctuated with many face-to-face encounters with living practitioners of the craft, people who passionately care about the role of the cantor in the church. On more occasions than I can count, I have been inspired by their gracious examples as teachers and as friends.

Many, if not all the ideas that I hold dear regarding music ministry have had their genesis at an ALCM conference, either from a workshop, a plenary presentation, a choral reading session, or a book recommendation. Sometimes it was an insightful speaker that lit up my imagination. Other times, it was an imaginative and eloquent musical offering that gladdened my spirits. Very often, during our liturgies, it was the brief brush with what the poet Wallace Stevens once called “the holy hush of ancient sacrifice.”

Thanks to these ALCM experiences, I have been blessed to be a blessing to my community. At Zoar Lutheran Church we are in the process of introducing a teaching bulletin for our congregation, something we have been wanting to do for a long time. Our teaching bulletin is just the latest in a series of tweaks and small improvements. In that sense, we consider the newly designed publication the fruit of our most recent harvest.

This summer, ALCM will offer numerous Hearts, Hands, Voices local workshops for church musicians. I hope by now you have heard of the almost fifty locations nationwide where these one-day events will take place. Hopefully, there will be several workshops within driving distance of where you live and worship. Here in my little corner of Northwest Ohio, church musicians will be able to attend three different events, each offering a variety of resources and presenters. And that is only in the Cleveland-Toledo-Columbus corridor! Therefore, allow me to enthusiastically encourage you to attend and to identify others, who, like me, can benefit from these continuing education events. If a larger event appeals to you, check out the three-day Hearts, Hands and Voices conference at Valparaiso University, July 23-26, 2018.

We cannot overestimate how life-changing a mentorship can be; I am living proof of it. I am reminded of the expression, “passing it on down,” which jazz musicians use to speak of the oral tradition they embody in their playing. We have heard the apostle Paul speaking of running the good race. I would add that ours is a relay race where we learn and “pass it on down” to the next person. Learning is no small part of our vocational journey as church musicians. Fortunately for us, this education happens best not as solitary individuals, but in a community of caring and passionate people, such as the ones you will encounter at any ALCM conference. If you decide to join us for one of these special events, and we hope you do, we trust you will discover new insights into ministry, draw strength from collegial exchanges, and find yourselves, as it has been my experience, refreshed in the bonds of new friendships.

 

ELCA Advocacy Office, Washington, D.C.

 

The Rev. Amy Reumann, director                                                             ELCA.org/advocacy

APRIL 21, PRAY. FAST. ACT: The April day to #PrayFastAct with The Episcopal Church is Saturday, April 21. This month, our focus is on economic opportunity initiatives, education workforce development and programs that help low-income families break out of poverty.

Cyclical poverty is a problem faced by millions of Americans. Many in our communities cannot access education and training because they need a pay-check to feed their family, and often there are too few affordable educational opportunities accessible to them. While some in Congress have proposed adding requirements that the entitlement program recipients must be working to receive assistance, this has historically proven to serve as an additional barrier to achieving self-sufficiency. Look forward to resources around the day of fasting from The Episcopal Church and ELCA Advocacy later this month!

RALLY-2-END RACISM: The national A.C.T. to End Racism rally, organized by the National Council of Churches, took place in Washington, D.C., on April 4. The event brought together faith leaders from dozens of denominations across the country and coincided with the 50^th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination on April 4, 1968. The rally, aimed at raising awareness of racial disparities, came as new reports indicate that higher-income youth of color are more likely to become poor than their white counterparts, and African American homeownership rates have remained virtually unchanged since the 1960s.

Churches and houses of worship have a special call to tackle the barriers of racism. The ELCA social statement “Freed in Christ: Race, Ethnicity, and Culture” (1993) affirms the church’s commitment to proactively engage on just policies that curb inequity in society. Faith leaders across the religious community continue to be advocates on civil rights issues, criminal justice and safe policing communities. Read more about some of the goals and future initiatives of the march here.

CONGRESS PASSES BUDGET: In March, Congress passed a spending bill to fund the government through Oct. 1, the end of the 2018 fiscal year. While the recently approved budget carried record funding for housing programs, addressing opioid abuse and sufficient funds for environmental conservation, many faith leaders remain deeply disappointed by some federal policies that fail to live up to our values by adequately funding programs that support the most vulnerable members of our society.

Read more about the spending bill and how it affects some faith community priorities at the ELCA Advocacy Blog.

INTERNATIONAL FOOD-AID REFORM: Senators Bob Corker and Chris Coons have once again introduced food-aid reform legislation. The Food for Peace Modernization Act of 2018 seeks to build efficiencies in the U.S. international food-aid programs so that the same amount of funding can serve millions more. The bill is timely given discussions around the farm bill reauthorization. Representatives Ed Royce and Earl Blumenauer have introduced a companion bill in the House.

 

Lutheran Office for World Community, United Nations, New York, N.Y.

Dennis Frado, Director

LUTHERANS ATTEND 62^ND SESSION OF THE U.N. COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN: The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) took place at the United Nations in New York March 12-23. The theme was “Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls.” Delegates also reviewed the 47th session agreed conclusions on the theme “Participation in and access of women to the media, and information and communications technologies and their impact on and use as an instrument for the advancement and empowerment of women.” At the end of the session, the Agreed Conclusions, the principal outcome document of the CSW, were adopted.

The Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC) welcomed 20 delegates to the Commission on the Status of Women this year. These delegates joined us from the United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India, Centro Bartolomé de las Casas in El Salvador (a  Lutheran World Federation World Service partner in Central America), ELCA Global Mission Diakonia and International Leaders Program, Justice for Women Program, Washington Advocacy office and United Lutheran Seminary (ULS).

Their participation was made possible by the LWF Women in Church and Society desk, ELCA Global Mission and the ELCA World Hunger and ULS’ Nolde Human Rights Fund. Lutherans came together on Saturday, March 11, for Ecumenical Women at the U.N. orientation day, and on Sunday, March 11, for a day of learning about global Lutheran programs on gender justice, as well as an opportunity to learn more about each other. They also worshiped at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church.

During their time at the commission, the Lutheran delegates were able to attend official and unofficial U.N. events and meet with government representatives from their home countries. On the fourth day, they hosted a parallel event, “Do you have Faith in the SDGs?.”  The event highlighted faith-based organization’s efforts to protect and promote women’s rights as well as urge the United Nations and governments to acknowledge faith-based organizations’ contributions to gender justice and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Read more about the commission from delegate’s blog reflections:

“Proud to tell people LWF has a gender justice policy”

“Half of humanity activating its rights”

“Reflection on the United Nations’ 62nd Commission on the Status of Women”

 

California

Mark Carlson, Lutheran Office of Public Policy                                                     loppca.org

HUNGER AND POVERTY: We were blessed to have John Johnson, ELCA program director for domestic policy and shepherd of state advocacy offices, join us for two days of site visits, sandwiched around a LOPP-CA Policy Council meeting. We visited Holy Trinity, Inglewood, whose early childhood program utilizes the federal Child Care Food Program. Fees for about half their children are subsidized through the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant. Other visits included Iglesia Luterana Fey y Esperanza, Southgate, which houses a Head Start program; the Orange County Food Bank, whose director, Mark Lowry, is Lutheran; The Giving Farm at Westminster High School FFA program; worship at Ascension Lutheran, Thousand Oaks (with a school garden); and an early World Water Day hike along the Ventura River with Farm Church–The Abundant Table near Ojai, surrounded by burned vegetation from the Thomas Fire.

CARE FOR CREATION: We expressed our support for a bill to promote recreation for disadvantaged communities, sponsored by Latino Outdoors, and for budget proposals to fund urban forestry.

RACIAL JUSTICE, GUN VIOLENCE: Following the tragic shooting of Stephon Clark, LOPP-CA Director Mark Carlson participated in the weekly Friday evening Oak Park Peace Walk and was able to share with Police Chief Dan Hahn and the head of the Urban League how three car thieves (white), who had jumped Mark’s home fence and entered a neighbor’s backyard at 3 a.m., were apprehended by a K-9. As a child, Hahn attended Sunday School at the former First English Lutheran in Oak Park. Mark and a handful of Lutherans were among 10,000 or so at the Sacramento March for Our Lives.

Colorado

Peter Severson, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry–Colorado                                     lam-co.org

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: The Colorado General Assembly has just passed the halfway mark for this year’s session. Highlights thus far include:

• HB 1001, Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act. This bill will soon head to the House floor. We support the creation of a paid family leave opportunity for Colorado workers.
• HB 1067, Right to Rest Act. We supported this effort to affirm the equal dignity of our homeless neighbors, but it was defeated in the House Local Government Committee.
• SB 13, Expand School Lunch Protection Act. This bill is in Appropriations, and we are optimistic that bipartisan support will continue to expand this reduced-price lunch subsidy to middle school children.
• SB 214, Request Medicaid Self-Sufficiency Waiver. We oppose this bill to impose work requirements on adult Medicaid recipients, of whom 75 percent already have at least one job. Many others have disabilities and other barriers to steady employment.

We continue to work on these and other bills related to housing, employment and community resilience. Just six weeks remain until the end of the session on May 9.

MARCH FOR OUR LIVES: The Rocky Mountain Synod joined with the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado in a joint prayer service at St. John’s Cathedral on March 24. Young leaders and allies offered lamentations for the gun violence that has plagued our communities, including several high-profile shootings in Colorado. Nearly 500 congregants then headed out to the march in Denver, one of 13 events in Colorado for March for Our Lives.

 

Minnesota

Tammy Walhof, Lutheran Advocacy–Minnesota                                     tammy@lcppm.org

LEGISLATIVE SESSION: The session is well under way with much activity on issues important to Lutheran Advocacy-MN. Kendrick Hall, Hunger Advocacy Fellow, and Director Tammy Walhof have been attending hearings on housing/low-income and energy concerns.

Tammy prepared testimony twice for the Senate Energy & Utilities Committee on a bill that would give the state’s main energy company undue power to set costs outside regular oversight processes, one of many attempts to weaken oversight. One hearing was cancelled when leaders realized the considerable opposition from conservative, liberal, business, faith and environmental organizations. An amendment deleting the original bill to make it “less bad” was adopted in a second hearing, but only 20 minutes was allowed for opposition testimony to the bill!

CHURCH MEETINGS AND PRESENTATIONS: Kendrick has been busy meeting with pastors, hunger leaders, and hunger grant recipients, both to learn more about their work and situations and to make the links to the state lack of affordable housing. Both he and Tammy have been doing meetings, presentations and sermons across various parts of the state.

HELP BUILD LEGISLATIVE CHAMPIONS ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING OR CLEAN ENERGY: We have several target districts on both issues and need your help and action! We need letters to legislators, letters to the editor, visits with legislators and more. We also need people to be multipliers in their congregations to turn more people into citizen advocates! Give us a call; we’ll put you to work!

Willing to help build champions? Want us to come to your church?

Call us at 651-224-5499.

 

New Mexico

Ruth Hoffman, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry–New Mexico                     lutheranadvocacynm.org

2018 LEGISLATIVE ACTION FINALIZED: Gov. Susan Martinez has completed action on the bills that reached her desk during the 2018 legislative session. There was good news and some bad news. The good news: There was an unexpected increase in the funding for the Food Bank Association’s produce initiative, which acquires and transports fresh produce to food banks and agencies through New Mexico (121,697 square miles). The state SNAP Supplement program, which serves about 16,000 seniors and people with disabilities, received additional monies. Several memorials were passed to explore ways to address hunger, and that work will begin during the interim between June and December. $25 million in additional funds was appropriated for state child-care assistance. Medicaid was fully funded for the next state fiscal year, and more money for services to human trafficking victims was approved. Legislation to reinstate the death penalty was defeated.

The bad news: New funding for the state housing trust fund was vetoed, and a constitutional amendment to substantially increase funding for the quality early childhood program passed the House but not the Senate.

 

 

Ohio

Nick Bates, Hunger Network Ohio                  Nick@HungerNetOhio.org

 

VOTE ON ISSUE 1: On May 8, Ohioans will have the opportunity to vote on Issue 1 to pass redistricting reform. The League of Women Voters and other community leaders pushed for this reform, and state legislative leaders finally got on board. The measure is designed to reduce partisan gerrymandering in Ohio’s congressional races.

Why do we care about the process as the faith community? Legislators elected from non-competitive districts are more loyal to their party activists and ideological stances than the needs of the community. As people of faith, we want legislators to bring people together to solve problems. When elected officials serve more realistic districts, they will be able to listen to community leaders and act on the issues that will improve our communities – like hunger and infant mortality.

This ballot initiative will:

• Require bipartisan support for new congressional district maps: Currently, districts are drawn by whichever party is in power to benefit their party. In Ohio, this had led to non-competitive congressional races. The new process will require additional buy-in from the minority party.
• Keep communities together: The proposal will prevent counties from needlessly being divided. Currently, many counties are divided three or four times, and other districts needlessly incorporate many partial counties, hurting a representative’s ability to know the district and relate to the needs of the community. Districts will still contain the same number of people but will be more compact.

For more information, visit our new action page on redistricting that contains sample bulletin inserts, emails and other steps to take.

 

Pennsylvania

Tracey DePasquale, Lutheran Advocacy – Pennsylvania                             lutheranadvocacypa.org

ANTI-HUNGER LETTER: Thank you to Lutherans from across the state, especially synod hunger team leaders, who signed their ministries on in support of the state’s budget for major anti-hunger programs – the State Food Purchase Program and the Agricultural Surplus Program, which is a model now included in the proposed federal farm bill. The organizational sign-on campaign was undertaken by the statewide hunger coalition, of which LAMPa is a part. Lutherans garnered signatures for every lawmaker! This is something our church can do because of our statewide reach that nobody else in the coalition can.

NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA SYNOD WOMEN OF THE ELCA GATHERING: LAMPa staff provided the keynote address and breakout sessions at the annual synod Women of the ELCA Gathering at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Auburn, March 10.  The program’s theme was justice.

LUTHERAN DAY: Staff continues preparations for Lutheran Day at the Capitol Monday, May 21. Click here to learn more. In the evening, LAMPA will partner with Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light to hear from Dr. Richard B. Alley, Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences at Pennsylvania State University, who was a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

FARM BILL ROUNDTABLE:  Tracey DePasquale attended a roundtable discussion, hosted by the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, on the importance of a strong farm bill and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Attendees met with Rep. Glenn Thompson, chair of the congressional subcommittee on nutrition, and  Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding.

 

Southeastern Synod

Hilton Austin, director              

March was an exciting month. I can’t begin to thank all of the people who took action this month building a better tomorrow. We have been busy working alongside our partners at the Capitol, marching and visiting legislators to talk about crminal justice reform, human trafficking and immigration. We had the opportunity to meet with two conferences to talk about the importance of our work. March 28 was the close of the Mississippi legislative session, and March 29  will mark the close of the Georgia General Assembly, but it was still in session for this update. So far, we have had a fairly successful season; we are still waiting to see the outcome of a couple of important bills in Georgia. We had a great turnout for the New Americans Celebration where we joined with CRSA and LSG to defeat Georgia SB 452, relating to criminal procedure and penal institutions, respectively, so as to require a peace officer to take certain actions upon verification that a suspect is an undocumented immigrant; to clarify and require certain actions by the Department of Corrections, sheriffs, municipal custodial officers, the state Board of Pardons and Paroles, and the Department of Community Service regarding people not lawfully present in the United States; to prohibit release from confinement people who are undocumented immigrants; to require the Board of Pardons and Paroles to consider certain factors; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. It passed the Senate; we are hoping to stop it in the House on this last day.               

Washington

Paul Benz, Faith Action Network                                                                                             fanwa.org

Breakfast After the Bell will make breakfast part of the school day for high-need schools, helping students focus on learning.

The Washington Voting Rights Act enfranchises under-represented communities by removing the restriction under state law that prevents local governments from improving their election system.

An ombuds office bill creates an independent corrections ombuds office in Washington that is available to people in prison, as well as to their family members.

A police accountability bill enacts into law most of the provisions of Initiative 940, which requires law enforcement       to undergo de-escalation training, administer first aid after an incident, and notify tribes when incidents involve tribal members. It also amends the use of deadly force statute by defining “good faith.”

A legal financial obligations bill deals with the debt accrued due to legal fines and court fees when someone is in prison. It eliminates the 12 percent interest rate on non-restitution Legal Financial Obligations, prioritizes restitution payments, and prevents the courts from imposing these costs on those who are too poor to pay.

A bill addressing missing and murdered indigenous women requires the Washington State Patrol to work with tribal law enforcement and the governor’s Office of Indian Affairs to conduct a study to increase state resources for reporting and identifying missing American Indian women throughout Washington State.

A bill concerning the document recording fee increases and makes permanent the fee to file real estate documents, helping to fund the effort to combat homelessness.

 

Wisconsin

Cindy Crane, Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin                                              loppw.org

PUBLIC BENEFITS BILLS:  The Legislature suddenly introduced 10 bills, a few of which had come up earlier, as part of a proposed packet for welfare reform. LOPPW registered against seven of the bills. Six of those seven passed. We were pleased that the bill that would have required a photo ID for FoodShare recipients, the main one LOPPW advocated against, did not pass.  LOPPW met twice with a public-benefits coalition to strategize how to work with the organizations that are tasked with implementing the changes mandated in the six bills that passed. We are concerned that changes will not adequately be made known to recipients, and there will not be sufficient assistance for people to navigate the changes, causing many to fall through the cracks

LOPPW connected with volunteers to create a new project to build awareness about the toll-free number for victims of trafficking and those who suspect trafficking to call.  control to our legislative efforts. The legislative session ended with a school-safety bill and small change in background checks, but there is still a lot of work to do.

LOPPW Care for God’s Creation team  leads a workshop on climate change at a synod-wide event in Janesville

LOPPW volunteer co-leading a workshop

An Anti-sex trafficking workshop at Midvale Lutheran Church in Madison

 

In March, Congress passed a spending bill to fund the government through October 1st, the end of the 2018 fiscal year. While the recently approved budget carried record funding for housing programs and sufficient funds for environmental conservation, many faith leaders remain deeply disappointed by some federal policies that fail to live up to our values in adequately supporting the most vulnerable members of our society.

The federal budget is more than dollars and cents. It reflects our national priorities and promotes the collective common good.  In this last year, Lutherans took action on critical issues in the federal budget through the “For Such a Time as This” campaign, petitions and phone calls to their lawmakers, and other action alerts through the ELCA Action center. The Presiding Bishops of the ELCA and the Episcopal Church asked you to lift your voice in support of programs that bring us closer to a just world where all are fed. The consistent impact from people of faith made a major difference in shaping public discussion around our federal budget priorities this year. Thank you for your faithful advocacy.

As Congress and the Administration prepare to move on to the next budget cycle, here are some important outcomes of the top ELCA priorities in the FY18 budget bill:

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HUNGER:  The omnibus included increases for essential nutrition programs for low-income children and adults. It includes $28 million for the Summer EBT, which is $5 million more than FY17. It also includes $6.175 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, sufficient to meet expected need based on current estimates. The Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which distributes food boxes to low-income home-bound seniors, received $238.1 million, an increase of $2 million over FY17; this program was proposed for elimination in President Trump’s budget. Mandatory spending for SNAP/food stamps is included at $74 billion to cover all eligible participants. Child Nutrition Programs received $24.2 billion in mandatory funding to fully fund the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Summer Food Service Program, and Child and Adult Care Food Program, an increase of $1.5 billion over FY17 levels.

HOUSING:  The spending bill included positive news for many federal housing programs, with some of the highest funding levels most programs have seen in years. Nearly every faith tradition in the U.S. shares a common aim to end homelessness, and investments in proven programs greatly help communities striving to meet those ends. The bill offers increases in housing construction and restoration for low income seniors, incentives for private partners to further affordable housing, and maintains existing vouchers for those of us in the greatest need. High housing costs are still a critical challenge in every state of the U.S., with far too many extremely low income households paying well over half their income on their home. While more must be done, continuing funding for effective housing programs are critical in addressing poverty. Read more about some of the programs that help curb homelessness and housing poverty by clicking here.

ENVIRONMENT:  The omnibus bill provides better than anticipated funding for environmental and energy matters when compared to the Administration’s proposed budget. Congress appropriated $35.25 billion for the Departments of Interior, Environment and Related Agencies; and $43.2 billion for DOE. This goes to provide some protection of the environment and addresses some key energy matters.  The omnibus also provides support for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) which addresses such matters as biodiversity and desertification; and the Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund which helps developing countries phase out ozone depleting substances. While there was no mention of funding for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), these two entities could still receive funding from discretionary funds. You can read more by clicking here.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE:  The final text of the spending bill did not include language to repeal the “Johnson Amendment,” which would have allowed religious institutions and nonprofits to endorse political candidates running in an election. Weakening the Johnson Amendment would only have exacerbated the role of money in politics and threatened to politicize houses of worship that are not divided by partisan lines. Over 100 faith organizations, philanthropic charities, and religious denominations (including Lutheran pastors and champions through ELCA Advocacy) have mobilized against it. Interested faith leaders and congregations can still join the petition to help keep churches independent at Faith-Voices.org.

MIGRATION:  Congress failed to pass legislation that provides protection to DACA recipients alongside a budget, the likeliest timing to have reached a compromise. The budget for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) included funds for border repairs and fencing as well as an increase in mandated detention beds for immigrants (now over 40,000 beds, read more here). While there were no funds for a border wall or more Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents, there was a $6.3 billion increase in DHS funds from last year. Additionally, some U.S. funds to Central America to help address the issues driving people to flee continue to have important human rights conditions. However, this budget also provides funds for military training of forces known to have committed human rights violations. Most concerning this budget provides funds for training to the Honduran military, linked to the oppression of demonstrators after fraudulent elections.

INTERNATIONAL: The International Affairs budget was funded at a topline amount of $54.02 billion, a reduction of $3.3 billion (6%) from FY17 budget. Some programs that focus on poverty reduction received significant reductions, while a few others were maintained at same levels as last year’s.

Read more about some of the specific programs that we advocate for in the international affairs budget here.

 

Robert Moore is a rostered pastor in the ELCA serving Global Missions in Leipzig and Wittenberg where he is director of the ELCA Wittenberg Center.

In the summer of 2017 the Protestant Church of Germany (EKD) reached out to the ELCA to collaborate on worship materials in German and English to assist congregations who wish to observe the 50th Anniversary of the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr. continues to be an important figure in Germany. In 1964 he preached in both West Berlin and East Berlin (Marienkirche) to enthusiastic crowds. His stance against oppression and his commitment to non-violent resistance deeply impressed the German leaders, especially in East Germany. King had been invited to preach by the famous Nazi resistance leader Heinrich Grüber who was Provost (superintendent) of the church district in East Berlin.

Germany also played a role in the name of Martin Luther King, Jr. who has born and named Michael King. During a visit to Germany the father, Michael King, had become deeply impressed by Martin Luther, the inspired and inspiring leader of the 16^th Century Reformation. It was Luther’s understanding of freedom that motivated the father to change his name from Michael King, Sr. to Martin Luther King, Sr. At the same time he announced to his son that he also had a new name, Martin Luther King, Jr.

As director of the ELCA Wittenberg Center I set out to work with the Office of Worship (Kevin Strickland), and two theologians, Prof. Craig Nessan (Wartburg Seminary) and Dean Kathryn “Kit” Kleinhans (Trinity Seminary) to gather materials that could be posted on ELCA synodical and congregational websites. The Office of Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations (Kathryn Lohre) has also worked with us in this project.

The materials are available at

https://www.ekd.de/ekd_de/ds_doc/Martin-Luther-King-2018.pdf

A service is scheduled for April 23 in the Sophienkirche in Berlin. I will participate in that service.

 

 

Drew Tucker, Columbus, OH

 

Warm-up Question

What’s one goal that’s so important to you that you won’t give up until you have it? Why is it so important?

Stubborn Hope

We lost a hero recently. Linda Brown, whose name featured prominently in the 1964 Supreme Court Case Brown vs. Board of Education, died on March 25, 2018. In 1950, this 76-year-old Civil Rights champion attempted to enroll in an all-white elementary school in Topeka, Kansas. Young Linda’s father, Rev. Oliver Brown, attempted to register her for classes. When she was denied access, Rev. Brown sued the school on Linda’s behalf. The Supreme Court finally ruled in Linda’s favor in 1954, ensuring equal access to education for all people. She and her father Oliver lived to see the day, in 1956, when all schools in Topeka were officially integrated. Yet, as Linda lived much of her life in Kansas, she noticed that the end of official segregation policies didn’t eradicate the actual segregation of schools. In 1979, she reopened the case, claiming that Topeka schools weren’t, in fact, integrated, despite the Supreme Court’s ruling. Finally, in 1993, the court ruled in her favor, forcing new schools to be built and new policies to be enacted to ensure that integration was a lived reality for students in her hometown.

Linda’s struggle for the experience of true equality is not over. The process for integrating schools has been long and drawn out. Even as recently as 2016, some schools still utilized loopholes and local policies to enforce de facto segregation by race. While Linda didn’t live to see the absolute end of segregation, she did live to see the end of it within her world of Topeka, Kansas. She fought her entire life, as a child and as an adult, to ensure that children of color and white children would have the same access to education and the opportunity to learn together, eat together, play together, live life together. She would not give up until that goal was accomplished.

More about Linda Brown

A short video on her importance in the Civil Rights Movement

Discussion Questions

• How have you personally benefited from Linda Brown’s fight for integration and the ruling of Brown vs. Board of Education?
• Do you still see segregation in the world? If so, where?
• Imagine working your entire life for a goal this big. What would it take for you to commit to that lifelong effort?
• What, do you think, it felt like when Linda saw that integration hadn’t been accomplished by 1979? What do you think it felt like in 1993 when it became more of a reality?

Second Sunday of Easter

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year B at Lectionary Readings

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

There’s a lot going on in this story. First, the disciples are hiding because they are afraid. Why? Likely because people are starting to tell the story that they’ve heard whispered in the streets: Jesus’ body isn’t in his grave. The disciples are afraid because they know they didn’t take Jesus’ body, so something weird is going on. They’re also afraid because the Roman and Jewish authorities likely believed the disciples were responsible for taking Jesus’ body, trying to fake a resurrection and start a revolution against Rome. The disciples lock the doors because they’re afraid of what happened to Jesus and afraid of being blamed for whatever has happened since.

The risen Jesus doesn’t let a deadbolt stop him, though. He appears on the other side of the locked door, declares God’s peace to the disciples, and shows them the wounds in his hands and side. The overjoyed disciples then receive the Holy Spirit from Jesus, as well as the power to forgive sins (or not – yikes).

Well, almost everyone receives this presence and purpose. Thomas wasn’t there. Silly Thomas. When the others tell Thomas that he’s missed Jesus’ presence, Jesus’ gift of the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ mission to forgive the sins of the world, he replies: “Nah, bro. Unless I see his wounds, I won’t believe it’s true.” Well, that’s my paraphrase, anyway.  This is why people refer to Thomas as “Doubting Thomas,” because he was so dense as to doubt that a dead guy was alive again. I’m with Thomas, here. All of the other disciples saw Jesus’ hands and side. All Thomas wanted to see was what the other disciples saw: the fullness of Jesus before him.

There’s another reason that I think Thomas wanted to see Jesus before he’d believe it was truly Christ, alive from the dead. Earlier in John’s Gospel, when Jesus risks his own death at the hands of the Chief Priests, Scribes, and Pharisees in order to raise Lazarus from the dead, Thomas is the one who is willing to take that risk with Jesus. Thomas says to the other disciples, “Let us go, that we may die with him.” Thomas is so deeply committed to Jesus’ leadership that he’s willing to die for it just a few chapters earlier. He was so deeply committed to this goal, following Jesus, that when the other disciples shared a story of resurrection, Thomas would settle for nothing less than an experience of resurrection. Thomas stayed vigilant for the fullness of Christ, wounds and all, to ensure that the resurrection goal had been accomplished.

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think Jesus had scars after the resurrection?
• Jesus’s activity here is clearly miraculous. How would you respond if you witnessed a miracle, like the first disciples?
• How would you respond if, like Thomas, your friends told you something miraculous had happened?
• The last two verses of the scripture say that the Gospel according to John was written so that we might believe that Jesus is God’s Child, the Messiah. What in this story helps you to believe in Jesus? ‘
• Where do you see intersections between the story of Thomas and the story of Linda Brown?

Activity Suggestions

• If you can be outside or in a gymnasium, play games like Capture the Flag or American Eagle that emphasize a goal and a tactile element.
• Workshop with students their own stories of encountering Jesus, and encourage them to share those stories so that others might come to know God more.
• Do affirmations as a group.  Each person takes a turn to sit in the center or front of the group and hears affirmations of their faith and their presence in the church.  State explicitly how each affirmation is to strengthen them as they pursue God-given goals, like Linda Brown and Thomas.

Closing Prayer

God of life, you invite us all into the same classroom to learn of your love and send us each to share it with every person we encounter. Help us to share your story with others, so that they, like Thomas, want to see you, touch you, and know the fullness of your presence. Thank you for showing up in the locked doors of our hearts and offering us your peace, your Spirit, and your forgiveness. We thank you, Jesus, and we love you. Amen.

 

Last week, ELCA World Hunger and ELCA Global Mission staff visited with companions in Malawi, learning more about the great work local volunteers and leaders are doing with support from ELCA World Hunger. Below, David Mills, the program director for budget and operations on the Diakonia team in the ELCA’s Global Mission unit, shares one of the stories he has heard during the visit. For a previous field report on Malawi from David, click here.

 

Siteliya Lakisoni knows her name.

Siteliya is a mother of six children, including her daughter, Patilisha, whom she adopted after Patilisha became an orphan. For two years, Siteliya has been attending Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi (ELCM) adult literacy classes offered in Salima, Malawi.

She told me, “Before I started attending class, I could not read or write. I knew nothing.”

Today, she wrote her name on the board, her hand moving with confidence and pride. When I asked her how gaining the ability to read and write had changed her life, she said,

“I used to receive letters and notifications about community services being offered, and I could not read them without help. Now I can read them, I can interpret them for my community.”

Patilisha was standing by her side as Siteliya and I conversed. She was composed and steady, sharpness of mind evident before she even spoke. I asked her what it meant to her that her mother could read and write now, and she told me plainly and confidently,

“When I see my mom read and write, I feel good. I want to learn from my mom. When I grow up, I want to be a teacher.”

When a woman gains knowledge, that knowledge washes like holy water over every layer of community, bringing nourishment and new life to the people and to the land. And a generation of young girls are inspired to follow the trail blazed for them, leaving that path wider and more trodden still for the ones who will come after.

When a woman knows her name, the world is never the same. Thanks be to God, Siteliya knows her name.

Learn more about how you can walk alongside the women like Siteliya who will forge Malawi’s future through ELCA World Hunger’s “40 Days of Giving.”

Brett Davis, Washington, DC

 

Warm-up Question

Are you a creature of habit?  Do you like routine/structure?

Extreme Happiness

Alexsander Gamme is a Norweigan adventurer and explorer who has seen some incredible sights.  He’s summited Everest and been to some of the wildest, highest, and most remote places in the world.  He might be a bit of an adrenaline junkie – but maybe even that can become habit?

A video from one of his expeditions went viral a few years ago and has since been picked up on several news stories because it is one of the purest, most unbridled displays of sheer joy.  The video is self-footage from day 86 of his solo South Pole expedition, and it’s the last leg of his journey.  He’s approaching the spot where his last stash of food and supplies is set.  It’s a routine thing, and although he is probably happy approaching it, he is tired, hungry, and calm.  He mutters and talks to himself as he digs the bag out of the snow, and then you see him calmly opening and describing its contents – until – there’s a pause and then just a shout of sheer joy – “YAAAAAAAAA!”

This is the happiest you’ve ever seen someone, certainly about a bag of Cheeze Doodles but probably anything else.  He then throws the bag high up in the air; it lands on the snow with a soft thud, as he continues screaming his happiness.  He continues unpacking other things, gear, and then another shiny package catches his eye – this time a king-size candy bar.  This discovery, and a couple other sweets he finds, leaves him laying on the snow clutching a bag of candy, giggling and yelling in a free and joyful way.

(The video is called “basic needs – extreme happiness,” and you can watch it here if you’re able.)

Gamme has commented later that he intentionally did not make notes or know what was in each pack, so that it would be a surprise.  He talks to himself and sounds so tired as he approaches and begins opening the pack – one news story about this included a rough translation: “He says in the beginning that he is so hungry. He wonders if they have left any goodies apart from the most important stuff. He finds Vaseline and wishes to find food. He doesn’t know if they have left anything to eat. And then he finds the snacks, cheese and candy. And before that, when he crawls back to the camera, he says he didn’t think there will be any, but you should never lose hope.”

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever experienced joy like this?
• If your packed lunch every day was the same thing, and then one day it was ___(you fill in the blank)___, how would you react?
• Do you think people fake this kind of joy sometimes?
• Can you think of some times, personal or not, when a very routine moment has been interrupted by joy?
• Do you think that real joy has to be a surprise?

Resurrection of our Lord

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year B at Lectionary Readings

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

We think of Easter as this special day, and this is, of course, a special story.  But not at first.  As the story begins, Jesus has died and everything has changed for his disciples.  What are they to do now?  We’re not sure what the men are doing at this point in Mark’s gospel, but we know what the women do.

The women (Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome), are simply following routine.  Burial practices are a cultural practice, more elaborate than a habit like brushing your teeth or turning off lights when you leave a room, but still, this is a habit.

What’s striking is how normal this scene is.  At the very beginning of the passage is the note “when the Sabbath was over.”  This tells us that the women had done what they had done every Saturday – kept the Sabbath.  Even if grieving, they probably went through all the regular motions of their Sabbath day.  Then it’s Sunday morning, and they get up and do together what they would have done for any loved one who has died.  It seems special to us, but this is what would’ve been done for everyone – spices to prepare the body, caring for the tomb.  They ask the question “who will roll away the stone for us” because they’ve done this before.  As hard as it is, it’s also routine – like family members who might go to visit a loved one’s grave today and have to call ahead of time to make sure the cemetery gate will be open.

Jesus’ death didn’t change their routines.  Maybe the women are trying to use their routines to make sense of Jesus’ death.  While we all react differently to grief and shock, this is something that can be helpful – having things to do, routines to follow, words to say, and practices that help bring meaning.

This is a totally normal story – and should sound pretty ho-hum…  until they see the stone has been moved… and a “young man” sits there and tells them – “do not be alarmed.”  But they are, at first.  Something that was so routine has been totally interrupted.  Such an interruption can at first naturally bring fear – a part of our body’s shock reaction – but can blossom into joy.  Perhaps after everything that happened with Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion, the routine practices were needed, so that they could be interrupted by the joy of the resurrection.

Discussion Questions

• Do you find routine helpful in making something meaningful, or does it just get boring? (Possible examples: a bedtime “I love you” from a parent, a special way you and a friend greet each other, etc.)
• Do you find worship to be routine? Are there things that your church community does in worship every week?  Are they meaningful, stale, or both sometimes?
• Have you ever had a time when a routine was really helpful, so that you had something to do?
• Could routine help us notice the moments of sheer joy that happen? Can you think of any examples of this?

Activity Suggestions

How could your group share a taste of the experience that Gamme had with the cheez doodles and candy bar?  Brainstorm a few ways that you could bring joy into something that is so totally routine.  This could be as simple as writing encouragement on sticky notes and putting them somewhere that someone will encounter them while doing a very routine task.  This could be a way to bring resurrection joy to someone else today!

Closing Prayer

God of surprise, shock us.  Open us up to find joy in small things – like Cheez Doodles or a candy bar, or a smile – in the midst of the ordinary routines of life.  We thank you for the gift that life is sometimes boring, with peace and no stress.  Tomorrow, on Mondays and in all the ordinary stuff of life, help us to see you.  Give us patience and strength to follow you faithfully like the women at the tomb, and when joy breaks in, to shout like Gamme and let joy free.  Amen.

By Amanda Silcox, Hunger Advocacy Fellow,Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

Two of my favorite moments in the church year take place during Lent. The first takes place on Ash Wednesday, when everyone receives the mark of the cross in ashes on their forehead and the pastor says, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” The second is Good Friday at the end of the reading when the pastor quotes Jesus saying, “It is finished” and slams the big Bible shut. I have always looked forward to these moments, but I have never really though about why.

Of course, I enjoy the excitement of the Advent & Christmas season and the joy of Easter, but who says Lent is their favorite time of the church year? Recently, I’ve been reflecting on why I love these particular Lenten moments, and I think it’s simply because they’re different.

These moments are drastically different from other experiences in our society. In the U.S., we don’t like to think about our mortality. We don’t like to think about all the things we’ve done wrong or all of our imperfections. We would much rather talk about our successes and achievements or how we have overcome challenges in our lives.

Because we strive to avoid our problems and imperfections, so much of our society is built on finding something that is wrong with us and then finding an easy fix to sell us. Beauty companies convince us that we need so many different soaps, gels, serums, lotions, toners, oils, razors, brushes, and styling tools to fix the parts of us that aren’t deemed perfect or beautiful by society’s standards. Tech companies advertise new apps, speakers, software, computers, TVs, and social media platforms for problems that I didn’t even know existed. Every time that we’re told just how totally and completely messed up we are, we’re given a quick fix. Something we can buy to fix all of our problems! At least until we discover a new problem.

But God’s response is different. God tells us that there is nothing we can do or a product we can buy to make ourselves perfect. Humans have been messing things up for generations and will continue to do so. Yet, Jesus chose to sacrifice himself for us because we as humans are so dearly beloved. It’s a type of love that I cannot understand.

I love receiving the mark of the cross and being reminded, ”Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” I love the end of the Good Friday service when the pastor slams the Bible shut and says, “It is finished.” But most of all, I love taking time during the season of Lent to reflect on my life, my actions, & my words. Lent reminds me of all the ways I am imperfect but that no matter how many times I fail to make the “right” decision, we all have a God who loves us and chooses us, now and forever.

That’s why I love Lent.

This week, ELCA World Hunger and ELCA Global Mission staff are visiting with companions in Malawi, learning more about the great work local volunteers and leaders are doing with support from ELCA World Hunger. Below, David Mills, the program director for budget and operations on the Diakonia team in the ELCA’s Global Mission unit, shares one of the stories he has heard during the visit.

Alppha Banda, Kristina Stephano, Dorothy Ngamira, Irene Banda, and Martha Kamphata all have children attending the Chibothel Lutheran Nursery School, operated by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi. This school, with an enrollment of 42 students, serves as the base for a feeding center for children supported by ELCA World Hunger.

Every school day, Alppha, Kristina, Dorothy, Irene and Martha show up as volunteers to cook for nearly 70 children aged six months to five years who travel to Chibothel from the surrounding ten villages. Pooling resources, they prepare food that has been donated, cup by cup, from the families of the children.

And because of ELCA World Hunger, food is provided not only when families have enough to contribute, but year-round, even during the months of October to January when food is most scarce in the region.

When we asked Dorothy what inspires the group to devote themselves in service to these children, she said, “Each and every child here is everyone’s child through the bond of love.”

When you support ELCA World Hunger, your support does not stand alone. It buttresses the sacrificial efforts of women like Alppha, Kristina, Dorothy, Irene, and Martha (and their fellow community members) who work relentlessly to ensure that every child in their community has opportunity.

The support we offer together through ELCA World Hunger isn’t about instilling determination, nor compensating for a lack of ingenuity or motivation among our neighbors. Rather, it is a reflection of the ELCA’s commitment to walk alongside communities in Malawi and around the world through our companion church partners, knowing that we will go further together, and that we can only be transformed in relationship with one another.

You can learn more about how to support ELCA World Hunger projects supporting health and wellness in Malawi through ELCA World Hunger’s “40 Days of Giving” by visiting the site here: http://elca.org/40days.

As we journey toward Easter, ELCA World Hunger’s “40 Days of Giving” is an important opportunity to remember that we do not journey alone.

 

In March 2018, the 62nd session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW62) brought together leaders from around the world. Established in 1946, the CSW is the principal international intergovernmental body dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. The annual session is the largest UN gathering each year. This year, CSW62 focused on rural women and, specifically, two themes:

Priority Theme: Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls; and

Review Theme: Participation in and access of women to the media, and information and communications technologies and their impact on and use as an instrument for the advancement and empowerment of women (agreed conclusions of the forty-seventh session).

Below, guest writer Angela Marie Dejene, president of Dejene Communications, reflects on these themes, her time at CSW62, and the critical importance of narrative – “truth told well.”

Even in the United States in 2018, women still face very different challenges and live very different lives than men.

But the stories the media has told, until very recently, have rarely reflected those female narratives and the daily inequalities with which they struggle.

I am the granddaughter of South Dakota farmers, and I grew up on the prairie in Crookston, Minnesota – a farm town of fewer than 8,000 people in the far-away northwest corner of the state.

You knew you were getting close to reaching the edge of town when you started to smell the odor of rotten eggs from the sugar beet plant.

Health complaints from local mothers were ignored – it was and still is a mostly male world in the sugar beet plant and in the fields … and only the local land-grant university had a greater impact on the local economy.

The local newspaper, the Crookston Times, reflected the male-dominated agricultural industry mostly when I was young – and still does today. The front page story last Wednesday featured a meeting of the Mid-Valley Grain cooperative and showed a group shot of male-farmer members.

My grandmother held up “half the sky” on that remote South Dakota farm where my mother grew up and where I spent wonderful summers as a young girl. But where is that female narrative if I don’t find it … if I don’t tell it?

Without truth-telling narratives, there is rarely progress.

Progress for women in rural northwestern Minnesota remains bleak today:

• According to the US Census Bureau, fewer than 1 in 4 (23%) of residents there, in Crookston, Minnesota, have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
• Full-time male employees make 1.34 times more than female employees in Crookston.
• According to the Minnesota Department of Health, in isolated rural areas of northern Minnesota (the greater region surrounding Crookston) there is only 1 physician for every 3,191 people.
• Only 4 percent of the state’s physicians are located in the northwest counties of the state, the most rural part of the state.
• About 1 in 5 people still live below the poverty line and the largest demographic living in poverty are females ages 18-24.

But you have to dig deep for that statistic and deeper still for the story behind it. Without narratives, there is no progress.

I was raised by a single mother who worked full-time as a university professor. Still, she had to struggle to make ends meet. I remember going to the local grocery store, HUGOS, on Saturday mornings with my mom and brother, and with my mother’s purse-sized calculator in hand, we would add up the prices of each item we put into the cart. She needed to make sure she had enough in her bank account to get us fed until she got paid the following week.

I always did well in school, and fortunately, those grades and perhaps a compelling narrative in my applications helped me qualify for academic-based scholarships when I started applying for college. With the generous help of those scholarships, I enrolled in Augustana University, an extraordinary liberal arts university affiliated with my Lutheran faith, located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. At Augustana, I double-majored in journalism and government/international affairs and served as an editor for the school newspaper.

I’ve always had a passion for uncovering and telling true stories. When women are in charge of the narrative, policies change, communities are empowered and the lives of women and girls are transformed. I started my career as an unpaid lobbying intern in Washington, DC, advocating for health care policies that would improve the lives of women and children. I spent most of my time on Capitol Hill finding and sharing the true stories of how the U.S. healthcare system at the time was failing women, families and children.

These were stories that reported on real families, some forced into bankruptcy because a mother, a wife, or a sister was diagnosed with breast cancer and their health insurance policy had a “lifetime limit” on how much of the treatment would be covered.

These were stories of real families who relied on the Children’s Health Insurance Program for their children’s critical visits to the doctor to manage a chronic condition like asthma or Type 1 diabetes.

These were stories of real high school girls who were experiencing teen dating violence but had nowhere to turn because the local legal system had failed them.

The re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act was signed into law on March 7, 2013. The new law made targeted expansions to address the needs of especially vulnerable populations and help prevent violence in future generations.

The Affordable Care Act was signed into law on March 23, 2010, giving millions of families new-found hope and access to affordable, high-quality health care.

Narratives – truths told well – were the empowering difference.

Stories of horror and struggle.

Stories of compassion and empowerment.

Stories of survival and success.

If we strive to find and to communicate, if we work to broadcast the truth about women from and to even the most remote of places – we fuel and ignite progress everywhere.

Narrative – truth told well – by women and about women – can advance and empower the lives of all who live on this planet.