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ELCA Advocacy Office, Washington, D.C.

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

STATE OF THE UNION & ADVOCACY PRIORITIES: On Tuesday, Jan. 30, President Trump addressed our nation and introduced this administration’s major priorities for 2018. The annual State of the Union speech provides an opportunity for Americans to learn about the policies our president hopes to focus attention on in the upcoming legislative year. In response to this important moment, ELCA Advocacy presented our public policy priorities for 2018.

The ELCA Advocacy policy action agenda focuses the work of the Washington, D.C., office on current issues central to sustaining a just world where all are fed. Issue selection is based on many factors, starting with prayerful consideration of God’s vision for a more just world. Issue agendas are based on concerns that the ELCA has identified and spoken about through social statements, churchwide assembly memorials or other authoritative documents. You can read more at the ELCA Advocacy Blog.

JANUARY HUNGER LEADERSHIP GATHERING: On Jan. 23, approximately 150 Lutheran hunger leaders from across the nation gathered on Capitol Hill to advocate for policies and provisions in the 2018 farm bill. Reauthorized roughly every five years, the farm bill determines far-reaching rules that affect food assistance and agricultural development, research, land usage, farm and energy production – both in the U.S. and abroad.

Lutheran leaders held over 130 visits with congressional offices in which they called on Congress to support comprehensive solutions that affirm Lutheran values and shared stories about ways their ministries and local communities are affected by policies in the farm bill. Lawmakers are debating early drafts of the bill now, and this month is a critical time for action! Advocates can reach out to their members of Congress at the ELCA Action Center.

FEB. 21, PRAY. FAST. ACT: The February day to #PrayFastAct is Wednesday, Feb. 21! This month, we are mindful of the injustices levied upon American Indians and Native Alaskans. There are approximately 1.9 million American Indians and Alaska Natives whose ancestors have ceded millions of acres of land that has made the United States what it is today and who also were, and are, subjected to various forms of physical and social injustices. As Lutherans, we have an obligation to work, pray and give to respond to and end those injustices. Resources and a shared statement from ELCA Advocacy and The Episcopal Church will come later this month.

BUDGET UPDATE – GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN: Earlier last month, the federal government shutdown for three days after Congress failed to meet a spending deadline. Shortly after the shutdown began, ELCA Advocacy shared a statement with lawmakers encouraging a way forward on important issues.

Though Congress passed a temporary stopgap measure to keep the government open for several weeks, lawmakers will need to pass a new spending deal by Feb. 8. Faith advocates can reach out to their representatives on top budget priorities at the ELCA Action Center and through action alerts focused on the “For Such a Time as This” campaign.

THE MIGRANT JOURNEY THROUGH AMMPARO: Alaide Vilchis Ibarra, program director for migration policy; Mary Campbell, program director for AMMPARO; Stephen Deal, regional director for Central America; and David Wunsch, director for unit operations and programs in Global Mission, traveled to Guatemala and Mexico alongside members from companion churches and partners implementing AMMPARO programs. The delegation followed a common migrant route taken by Central American children and families in Guatemala and the southern border of Mexico.

The trip focused on learning more about the services and gaps for Central American children and families, and asylum seekers in Mexico, and making connections with existing organizations to ensure the protection of children and families. The delegation met with civil society, government officials and representatives of international organizations. We confirmed that the number of people seeking asylum in Mexico continues to go up.

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

Dennis Frado, director

SYMPOSIUM FOCUSES ON MIGRATION – DISPLACEMENT AND MARGINALIZATION, INCLUSION AND JUSTICE: The Fourth Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-Based Organizations in International Affairs was held at the United Nations on Jan. 22, organized by the ACT Alliance, the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church, the General Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, and the World Council of Churches.

The symposium focused on migration: displacement and marginalization, inclusion and justice. Since its inception in 2015 the symposia have discussed human dignity and rights; prevention of atrocity crimes and violent extremism; and just, inclusive and sustainable peace.

The tone was set as U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed welcomed approximately 250 participants and said that 2018 offers an excellent opportunity to ensure that migration is undertaken in a safe and orderly manner as the United Nations negotiates global compacts for migrants and refugees. Mohammed urged faith-based organizations to be involved in this process however possible. She noted that she comes from the Fulani tribe, a group widely dispersed in the Sahel and West Africa, pointing out that “refugees and migrants are not the other; they are us.”

The Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, World Council of Churches general secretary, asked, “What does it mean to be a human being in the world today?” ACT Alliance General Secretary Rudelmar Bueño de Faria said faith-based organizations need to focus on the person and reminded participants that migration itself is not a problem – “What does need fixing is the continued violation of the human rights of migrants.”

CHILDREN’S RIGHTS IN RELATION TO PROPOSED COMPACTS: UNICEF hosted a half-day consultation on Jan. 23 to explore children’s rights in the Global Compact on Refugees and the Global Compact for Migration.

Dennis Frado shared perspectives provided by the experiences of several Lutheran World Federation’s (LWF) country programs including Kenya, South Sudan, Uganda, Myanmar, Central African Republic, Cameroon and Colombia. To protect and assist unaccompanied and separated children in refugee and internally displaced situations, LWF has partnered with UNICEF, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), other non-governmental organizations and host governments to set up child-protection and education programs. Using a community-based approach, LWF builds the capacities of foster parents, teachers, care-givers and community members to understand and protect child rights as well as strengthen mechanisms for prevention and response to rights violations.

LWF works with UNHCR and host governments in welcoming and receiving asylum seekers, including the provision of first-line services by managing transit and reception centers, including registration and identifying specific vulnerabilities and capacities among the affected populations.

In addition to providing basic education at two refugee camps in Kenya and six camps in South Sudan, incentives there promote the enrollment and regular attendance of girls, given the numerous barriers to girls’ education.  Another focus is on accessibility for and inclusion of physically challenged youth to education. Malnutrition, child health and regular attendance concerns are addressed through school feeding programs.

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California

Mark Carlson, Lutheran Office of Public Policy                                                     loppca.org

ELCA HUNGER LEADERS GATHERING: A highlight for January was the ELCA World Hunger Leaders Gathering in Washington, D.C., with about a dozen people from the three synods that cover California, including two students from California Lutheran University.  “A Day on the Hill” included delegation meetings with staff for senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, and a number of meetings and drop-in visits with California’s large House delegation.  Farm bill reauthorization was the focus, and a primary emphasis was on the food-aid provisions, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

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Colorado

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

Sophia and Peter on Capitol Hill at the World Hunger Leaders Gathering

LEGISLATIVE SESSION UNDERWAY: The Colorado General Assembly convened on Jan. 10. In the first three weeks of the session, several bills have been introduced that Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-Colorado is supporting. These include:

• HB 18-1001, Family and Medical Leave Insurance Act: This bill establishes a paid family leave program for workers in Colorado.
• SB 18-005, Rural Economic Advancement of Colorado Towns Act: This bill creates a coordinator to assist rural counties in Colorado in recovering from major job-loss events or disasters.
• SB 18-010, Residential Lease Copy and Rent Receipt: This would require landlords to provide a written copy of the lease to tenants, as well as written receipts for rent payments made by cash, check or money order.
• SB 18-013, Expand Child Nutrition School Lunch Protection Act: This bill expands access to a state subsidy for children who qualify for a reduced-price lunch to receive free lunch instead, adding children in middle schools up to eighth grade.

ELCA WORLD HUNGER LEADERS GATHERING: Several Lutheran anti-hunger advocates from Colorado joined the Hunger Leaders Gathering in Washington, D.C., in January. The delegation met with staffers from Sen. Michael Bennet, Rep. Jared Polis, Rep. Ed Perlmutter, and Rep. Ken Buck, as well as with Sen. Cory Gardner.

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New Mexico

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

2018 BISHOP’S LEGISLATIVE LUNCHEON & ISSUES BRIEFING: This year’s event began in the morning with about 160 advocates from around New Mexico gathering to learn about issues included in the 2018 LAM-NM Advocacy Agenda and that are being considered in the current legislative session.      Advocates were from ELCA congregations as well as from Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, and United Church of Christ congregations. Breakout sessions included “Negative Impacts of Taxing Food” and “Health Care in NM: Opportunities & Challenges in 2018 and Beyond.” In the morning, Bishop Jim Gonia spoke about “incarnational advocacy.”

Members of St. Timothy accept award

During the luncheon, St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Albuquerque was recognized with the Haaland Advocacy Award. State Sen. Bill O’Neill and state Rep. Alonzo Baldonado were honored as Legislators of the Year for their work on “Ban the Box” legislation. Bishop Gonia “connected the dots” of Luther’s explanation of the Ten Commandments with service to our neighbors through advocacy. Following the luncheon, about 25 advocates visited the capitol to talk with legislators and become familiar with the building.

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Pennsylvania

Tracey DePasquale, Lutheran Advocacy–Pennsylvania     lutheranadvocacypa.org

ELCA WORLD HUNGER: Eleven hunger leaders from across Pennsylvania, accompanied by LAMPa staff, participated in the ELCA World Hunger Leaders Leadership Gathering Jan. 21-24. More than 150 leaders from across the country gathered in Washington, D.C., where they learned about the root causes of hunger, shared stories of their ministries, and advocated for the farm bill with their members of Congress.

P.A. BUDGET: The Pennsylvania Legislature begins its process of working with the proposed annual state budget that Gov. Tom Wolf presents on Feb. 6. LAMPa has been working with partners to prepare requests for the governor’s budget proposal. We will continue to monitor the process and share alerts with constituents as budget formulation continues.

Volunteers and LAMPa staff advocated for the farm bill with senators’ and representatives’ staffs.

ASHES-TO-GO: For the third year, LAMPa is organizing Ashes-to-Go at the Capitol. Ecumenical partners are invited to assist in offering prayers and imposition of ashes for those who wish to receive. LAMPa’s network is encouraged to invite their lawmakers and staff to participate since many will not be in their home communities for Ash Wednesday.

LUTHERAN DAY 2018 “Let Justice Roll Down Like Waters”:  State Sen. Judiciary Chair Stewart Greenleaf will be the keynote speaker at LAMPa’s annual day of advocacy on May 21. LAMPa will recognize Greenleaf for his many years of service and for being a champion of criminal justice reform.

FORGOTTEN LUTHER II: Staff attended the second Forgotten Luther Symposium, Jan. 19-20 in Washington, D.C., along with their State Public Policy Office colleagues.

 

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Washington

Paul Benz, Faith Action Network     fanwa.org

STATE POLICY UPDATE: FAN’s Interfaith Leadership Council had its annual session meeting with the governor. Fourteen faith leaders, including two ELCA bishops, two Muslim leaders, a Rabbi, and a leader each from the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church, American Baptist Church, and Quaker community, discussed five policy issues: criminal justice, racial justice, the environment, the supplemental budget, and poverty. We are very pleased that two racial equity bills are now heading to the governor’s desk: Breakfast After the Bell (BAB) and the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The BAB will increase access to breakfast for kids of color and help improve their test scores. The VRA will enfranchise communities of color in our state by transitioning to a district voting system from an at-large voting system. The status of bills on our legislative agenda can be found on our Bill Tracker.

Interfaith leaders met with Gov. Jay Inslee and two members of his staff.

INTERFAITH ADVOCACY DAY: Our annual advocacy day in the state capital will be Feb. 20; see a flyer. We will also host an advocacy day on the other side of our state, in Yakima on Feb. 10. These days follow the success of our regular legislative conference in Spokane, where we did a joint presentation with the Catholic Conference for over 160 advocates.

ELCA D.C. HUNGER CONFERENCE: Paul Benz represented FAN at the D.C. Hunger Conference this year and had a great time guiding the eight-member Washington delegation around to visit eight offices of our congressional delegation, including a meeting with Sen. Maria Cantwell and two of her staff on the farm bill, DACA and other related budget issues.

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Wisconsin

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

CO-LEADING ON ADVOCACY: The director led the first of two advocacy conferences with Bishop Gerald Mansholt in the East Central Synod. Bishop Mansholt focused on advocacy, immigration and refugees. The director focused on how to create an advocacy ministry in congregations using several exercises from the new LOPPW resource, “Our Church Our World: Partnering in God’s Mission.”

The director also co-led a workshop with an advisory council member, Lisa Hassenstab (left), on another one of our relatively new resources, a devotional on the social statements, as part of introducing advocacy into a congregation.

CONFERENCES IN WASHINGTON D.C.: The director accompanied other Wisconsinites to the offices of two senators and two representatives (right, Sen. Ron Johnson’s office) to advocate for a healthy farm bill as part of the ELCA World Hunger event. The director also attended the Forgotten Luther II symposium.

BILLS: Authors Sen. La Tonya Johnson and Rep. Jill Billings (left) of an anti-trafficking bill LOPPW has supported for a few years attend its second public hearing.  The bill finally has traction.

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It’s hard to believe, but summer is just around the corner, and ELCA World Hunger is happy to announce that “God’s Good Creation,” our new Vacation Bible School program for 2018, is now available!

“God’s Good Creation” is a free resource available in both print and as a download. The curriculum invites children of all ages to explore the many gifts God has given our world – and the ways these gifts can help end hunger. Each day focuses on a different animal that is part of the more than 200 projects supported by ELCA World Hunger around the world, including chicks, goats and bees. Rooted in Lutheran theology, children will learn how God has called them to use their gifts to help their neighbors. In addition to daily plans for up to three hours, the program also includes sample schedules, tips for including children of all abilities and song suggestions.

Themes for Each Day:

• Day One – God created the world, and it is good (Genesis 1:31).
• Day Two – God can use you whatever size you are (Matthew 13:31-32).
• Day Three – God Made everyone different and important (1 Corinthians 12:4-6).
• Day Four – Jesus uses us to bring miracles to life (Matthew 14:20).
• Day Five – Working together, we can change the world (Ephesians 4:11-12).

Each day begins with a large group opening, including a skit to introduce the daily theme and the animal of the day. This is followed by “family time” – small group sessions to dig deeper into the theme and bible verse for each day. Then, participants travel through five rotations: crafts, games, snacks, storytelling and a “simulation station” – a fun activity to learn more about hunger and how our faith calls us to respond. (Special shout-out to Lisa Cornwell of Christ the Servant Lutheran Church in Bellingham, Wash., for this idea!) At the storytelling station, children will hear about some of the ways animals are helping our neighbors fight hunger in their communities through projects supported by gifts to ELCA World Hunger. Each day ends with a large group session to recap the theme and lessons.

The program is designed to be flexible and can be used in full or in part for three- or four-day VBS programs. The stories and activities are also perfect for Sunday School, family faith formation and children’s sermons throughout the year!

Free posters and downloadable certificates for participants will be available soon!

If you have any questions about “God’s Good Creation” or ELCA World Hunger’s educational resources, please contact Ryan Cumming, program director of hunger education, at Ryan.Cumming@ELCA.org.

 

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ELCA Advocacy presents our public policy priorities for 2018. This policy action agenda focuses the work of the Washington, D.C., advocacy office on current issues central to God’s vision of a just world where all are fed.

ELCA Advocacy invites you to live out your baptismal identity through participation in opportunities to learn and act with and on behalf of your neighbor with the ELCA Advocacy network. The agenda outlines our primary areas of focus and is flexible enough to accommodate responses to emerging legislation that address disaster response or immediate circumstances.

How do we determine advocacy priorities?

Issue selection is based on many factors, starting with prayerful consideration of God’s vision for a more just world. Issue agendas are based on concerns that the ELCA has identified and spoken about through social statements, churchwide assembly memorials or other authoritative documents. Priorities reflect issues on which the ELCA can have a unique and decisive impact with the federal government.

Advocacy priorities carry forth the vision of ELCA World Hunger to support transformative, integrated and wholistic ministry where barriers are broken down and inequalities decreased and where relationships and communities are whole and flourishing – a just world.

• Integrated – advocacy priorities connect with and reinforce other ELCA churchwide priorities and initiatives.
• Wholistic – advocacy action is informed by ministry experience of congregations and ministries in the ELCA, with particular attention to the concerns of ethnic-specific ministries, global-ministry partners and goals of racial and gender justice.
• Transformative – advocacy initiatives provide engagement opportunities to inform and transform individuals, ministries and congregations in their walk of faith by embracing charity and justice.

Advocacy priorities are shaped, when possible, by the joint commitment to action with faith partners or coalitions. Priorities also build on the available opportunity created by Congress’ agenda. Lastly, there must be sufficient support from the ELCA Advocacy network so that this vital work is amplified through local faith-leader advocacy in districts and local communities.

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2018 ELCA ADVOCACY PRIORITIES

 

FARM BILL:

From rural America to developing countries, many of our nation’s food and farm policies, as embodied in the farm bill, impact our communities. Programs and policies that curb hunger and malnutrition, support vibrant agricultural economies in rural communities, and promote the sustainable use of natural resources must be prioritized.

MIGRATION:

Thousands of children and families from Central America continue to flee their communities due to violence, lacking protections in their home country, hunger and poverty, and environmental degradation. As a church, we envision a world in which children and families are never forced leave their homes to live a safe and a sufficient life. To do this, we advocate for policies that address the root causes of migration. At the same time, we call for the immediate protection of displaced people, including those who have been members of our communities for years but lack legal status.

CARE FOR CREATION:

Environmental degradation disproportionately impacts the marginalized and the vulnerable, exacerbating issues of poverty and hunger. These issues manifest themselves in social areas such as gender, racial, economic and environmental injustices. ELCA Advocacy will raise awareness of the impact of environmental degradation, support environmental and energy literacy, and help congregations and church leadership understand what can be done to steward God’s creation.

JUST TRANSITION TO RENEWABLE ENERGY:

The transition away from fossil fuels will mean changes in the economic livelihood of individuals, families and communities directly and indirectly dependent upon this industry. This transition must include comprehensive planning that incorporates methodologies on how we get from where we are today to where we need to be.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING/HOMELESSNESS:

Homelessness and the lack of affordable housing continue to be systemic issues that affect many people in our communities. Investments in affordable housing and rental assistance provide stability that can help families overcome serious barriers, such as affording better health care and education, reducing food insecurity, and recovering after natural disasters.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM:

The United States has the largest prison population in the world. Many incarcerated men and women who commit non-violent drug offenses are sentenced to harsh and unjustly long prison terms. These policies result in considerably high prison populations and disparities in sentencing for drug offenses, disproportionately affecting communities of color. Legislation that reforms sentencing and provides resources for returning citizens will directly reduce recidivism rates and prison populations.

MEDICAID, MEDICARE AND SOCIAL SECURITY:

Congress and the administration may embark on efforts to dismantle three critical safety-net programs that have existed for over 50 years. Medicaid is the largest health insurance program in the U.S. that serves the poorest families and individuals. Medicare was created in 1965 to provide health care coverage for individuals aged 65 and older. Social Security provides monthly cash benefits to retired or disabled workers and their family members, and to the family members of deceased spouses or parents.

CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS:

In 2016 the law that makes possible many child nutrition programs like the School Breakfast, National School Lunch, Summer Food Service, and the Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC) expired.  While these programs continue to receive annual funding, the opportunity to expand and innovate these hunger programs awaits congressional action.

FOREIGN ASSISTANCE:

U.S. foreign assistance plays a critical role in the fight against extreme poverty. Due to federal budget constraints and internal program realignments within our government, international development and humanitarian programs are increasingly in danger of being defunded or eliminated. For many families around the world, such steps would leave them without the support they desperately need. We must continue to raise our voices to ensure that all God’s children are cared for.

GENDER JUSTICE:

Every year, 1 in 3 women experiences gender-based violence globally. The U.S. government can play a leading role in addressing this issue, given its footprint in many parts of the world.

INTERNATIONAL PEACEBUILDING:

Many countries continue to experience civil conflicts, and prevention of mass atrocities remains a big challenge around the world. The U.S. government can play an important role in peace processes, conflict prevention and the promotion of human rights. The ELCA’s new social message on human rights gives us new ways of speaking about these issues and will help us promote equal rights of all people through advocacy and other ministries.

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Your ELCA Advocacy Washington, D.C. staff

Your ELCA Advocacy staff in Washington, D.C. works on these priorities throughout the year. They are issue experts and recognized leaders in the faith advocacy community. They attend briefings, research issues, strategize with coalitions, consult with ELCA members, engage ELCA leaders, visit congressional offices, and create platforms for the voices of our communities to be heard.

The Rev. Amy Reumann, director, advocacy

Jackie Maddox, office manager

Patricia Kisare, program director, international policy

Ruth Ivory-Moore, program director, environment and energy policy

Alaide Vilchis Ibarra, program director, migration policy

John Johnson, program director, domestic policy

Tia Freelove Kirk, program director, advocacy engagement

Andrew Fuller, advocacy coordinator

Elena Robles, ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow

To contact these staff members directly, please email washingtonoffice@elca.org.

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17 As (Jesus) was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.

19 You know the commandments:

‘You shall not murder;

You shall not commit adultery;

You shall not steal;

You shall not bear false witness;

You shall not defraud;

Honor your father and mother.’”

20 He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.”  21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 22 When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. (Mark 10:17-22 NRSV)

 

This rich man in Mark’s story could be my neighbor from the suburbs. He’s a good person insofar as he obeys the commandments on an individual level. He has not murdered, raped, stolen, lied in court, or ripped off anyone personally, and he is an obedient son, both to his parents and to his cultural heritage based on his diligence in abiding by the commandments. He could also be me. I may know the Lutheran tradition well enough to intellectually concede that I am not ‘good’ but I live scrupulously and frugally. I support the right causes that empower more people and include more people in what it means to be the church. I am pro-women, pro-LGBTQ, pro-people of color, pro new ways of being church, pro-differently abled people, pro-multi-tradition dialogue. I am pretty good!

And I could be all this things with never having to address a central part of who I am that I have always been and will continue to be as long as I live. I am white.

When Jesus encounters this man, he identifies one central thing that keeps him from the Kingdom. As a reader who is white I am beginning to inhabit this text by finding there my whiteness.

This ‘one thing,’ whiteness, confers on me many possessions. (See Peggy McIntosh’s Invisible Knapsack article for an outstanding, quick resource.) I receive many gifts from looking white and being received as a white person. For example, I worked at a Halloween City in a suburb for an October and on a busy day my coworker asked if people were putting the money right into my hand. I said, always. I watched them do that, he said, and I put my hand out and still they slide the money on the table. When people engaged me as a person in a white body they conferred trust upon me, and my coworker, in a black body, was degraded by the refusal to place money directly in his hand.  A small example from a myriad.

My experience of discovering myself to be white carries a disappointment akin to the man in Mark’s Gospel. When I began to discover more elements of ‘white privilege’ in my own reflection and narrative, I felt angry, lied to, ashamed, guilty, a broad range of things. Discovering myself to be white has been a process of loss, dismay, and, as I grow, horror. I remember distinctly a moment when I felt this loss, a ‘rich, white man come to Jesus’ moment like Mark 10. I was driving listening to Ta-Nehisi Coates read Between the World and Me on my CD player when he expressed and demolished with his words a sense of being onto which I’d continued to cling.

I am convinced that the Dreamers, at least the Dreamers of today, would rather live white than live free. In the Dream they are Buck Rogers, Prince Aragorn, an entire race of Skywalkers. To awaken them is to reveal that they are an empire of humans and, like all empires of humans, are built on the destruction of the body. It is to stain their nobility, to make them vulnerable, breakable humans. (143, Between the World and Me, New York: Spiegel and Grau 2015.)

I have been brought up all my life to believe I am a or the protagonist in some story, and the revelation is that, no. Insofar as I am white, I am not a protagonist. To use another movie/pop-culture analogy like Coates, I cannot be Neo. Insofar as I believe myself to be white I am in a warm bath in the Matrix by which life is sucked out of black bodies to power a world that is safe and happy for white people.

The temptation at this point would be to walk away disappointed: to discover what is true and real and then to select stay in the dream, to take the blue pill, keeping with analogies from the Matrix.  If I, as many white people do, take this option of enjoying whiteness and holding onto its Dream and its possessions, then I, like the man in the story, walk away disappointed from true community and discipleship. Like the rich, young man who encountered a Rabbi who could teach him to inherit life eternal, I could hold tightly to my goodness, my protagonism, and my many possessions which come from being white. Then, like him, I would rather live in the Dream than free.

But what did the man do next? With the Gospel’s characteristic reticence, Mark does not tell us. The story moves onto Jesus and his disciples, who are alarmed by this encounter. Perhaps the man sulked about this and forgot all about Jesus. On the other hand, perhaps he went home and inventoried all his things and had a hard conversation about what he truly needed and what he could let go of.

Obviously whiteness cannot be sold or let go of, but its effects can be noticed and addressed, if it is defined not as a color of skin but as a hoard of possessions. Whiteness can be inventoried and a white person can go through the painful process of awakening from the Dream. My encounter with Coates’ text left me disappointed, but it also urged me to continue an on-going inventory of what it means for me to be white, recording my possessions. My Grandpa would always say that the GI Bill was very good to him. I later learned that this incredible government handout was administered locally so that many black World War II veterans were kept from this benefit by Jim Crow-inspired government workers. My block was safe because my community would mobilize against the ‘wrong kind of people’ moving in. I can remember hearing someone proudly announce they ‘got rid of’ the group home on our block. I go back through these stories not to shame the people involved, like my grandpa, but to note the places where I inherited wealth and power that was denied and, as Coates reminds us, plundered from other people. Slowly, I am beginning to find new ways that I can relate to my possessions and to the version of reality and history I have inherited.

Even so, this process feels shameful. Encountering the riches of my whiteness has had a stifling effect on my voice and at other times has induced me to speak defensively. I have caught myself speaking ‘prophetically’ to other white people as a means of justifying my own righteousness over theirs and as a way to avoid the shame of believing I am white. Jesus, however, does not shame or vilify the rich, young man. He looks at him and he loves him immediately with no further qualification. Holding him in loving regard, Jesus identifies the ‘one thing’ that keeps this man from the freedom he seeks and he asks for him to let it go. As a white interpreter of Scripture, I find forgiveness in this moment. Jesus loves this man whether or not he can follow through. The only thing keeping him from freedom is his willingness to live inside the prison of his own making because it feels easier and more beneficial.  He can be forgiven, literally ‘let go’ from trying to be rich, an identity built on other people’s backs.

In the same way, can I be forgiven from believing I am white? Can I undergo the process, extended by Jesus, of letting go of my shame along with my many possessions so that I might relax into a love that I do not deserve? As a white follower of Jesus and a white theologian, the teaching and the experience of the forgiveness of sins is something I need more than ever. Can this ancient symbol, so central to the Lutheran tradition, be renewed once more with the particularity of its implications for people of European descent who believe they are white? And if we truly ask for and accept such letting go, what possessions of ‘whiteness’ will be let go each year as seek the Kingdom? This may sound like or even be an impossible task for us white folks, but Jesus anticipates this fear too. “For God, all things are possible.”

Bio

Chris Hanley is the pastor of Glenwood Lutheran Church in Toledo, Ohio. He first received Anti-Racism training from Crossroads at a Lutheran Volunteer Corps Orientation in Washington DC prior to an LVC year in Wilmington Delaware (09-10). He received an MDiv from the University of Chicago’s Divinity School while cross-registering for classes at LSTC, and he interned at Trinity Lutheran Church in Bradenton, Florida. Following this internship, he completed a chaplain residency at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. In each of these communities, he has attempted to find a self-consciously white and Christian voice through stumbling, writing, listening, and being mentored.

 

Brian Hiortdahl, Overland Park, KS

 Warm-up Question

What is the one thing you have received that changed your life the most?

New and Amazing

Allan Peterson will soon receive the Argus Two, a bionic eye.  Currently blind from retinitis pigmentosa, Allan will become the eighth person to have this breakthrough technology which he explains will allow him to experience “a new way of seeing.”  His vision will not be the way it was before he began losing it 25 years ago, but this revolutionary surgery offers possibilities which would have been unimaginable until recently. A camera on a pair of glasses sends video to a computer chip.  Signals are then transmitted to a retinal implant.  When the retina is stimulated, the signal is carried by the optic nerve to the brain and the patient “sees.” Peterson says he looks forward to seeing his grandchildren, rather than just hearing them.

Discussion Questions

• What have you lost in life that you wish you had back?
• What blessings and abilities do you have that you take for granted?
• Can you think of a time when you learned something new that was like a bionic eye—something that made you see the world in a completely new way?

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

	Isaiah 40:21-31 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 Mark 1:29-39

(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

This passage builds on the story immediately before it (see last week’s Faith Lens) in which Jesus expels a demon from a man in the synagogue on the Sabbath.  The crowd marvels in amazement:  “A new teaching—with authority!”  In the biblical world’s hierarchy, Jesus demonstrates that his cosmic power and status (“authority”) are higher than that of demons, which are known to be higher than that of human beings.

Next he moves to Simon’s house, and cures his mother-in-law’s fever.  He thus restores her to her place of honor in the household as the chief hospitality authority, just as he restored the honor and social standing of the man in the synagogue.  Read together, these stories reveal that Jesus heals in public and in private; a man and a woman; supernatural and natural illness.  The kingdom of God that he proclaims is for everyone, as the next scenes illustrate.  After the whole town crowded around him at sundown, Jesus tells his disciples that God is sending them to other towns too, beyond the edges of the little world they currently see.

Notice that it is before sundown that Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law—a second healing on the Sabbath.  This will soon get Jesus in trouble.  It is one of many religious rules he breaks:  working on Sabbath, touching a woman he does not know, touching the unclean, engaging Gentiles and tax collectors and demoniacs and other “sinners” assumed to be beyond the edges of God’s favor.

Jesus’ behavior suggests that the God no one can see cares more about people’s wellbeing than about their social position or obedience to religious rules.  This is completely revolutionary.  This is a brand new breakthrough.  This is cutting edge, space age religion and lifestyle.  This is a whole new way of seeing.

Discussion Questions

• In what ways does the church of Jesus showcase the amazing kingdom he announces and demonstrates in his words and deeds?  How does the church obscure or hide it?
• What about Jesus excites you?  What about him scares you?
• Who are the people we don’t see?
• Who are the people who need their dignity and social standing restored?  What we can do in Jesus’ name to help and heal them?

Activity Suggestions

• Begin your study with participants blindfolded.  (Please be nice—don’t rearrange the furniture!)  How does that change the experience?  What is it like being in the world without sight?
• Learn about the health ministry in your congregation or another church, or interview a medical professional.  What inspires them in their work?  What frustrates them?  How do they understand the stories of Jesus’ healings?
• Organize a blood drive or a collection of eyeglasses for those in need.  Intentionally reach out to include the wider community.

Closing Prayer

Open our eyes, Lord God, to see your amazing kingdom at work near us, and open our hands and hearts to join Jesus in spreading your healing love to all the world.  Amen

David Dodson, Ft. Walton Beach, FL

Warm-up Question

What traditions does your family practice on a regular basis?

Tradition!

Hear ye, hear ye! The date has been set for the royal wedding between Prince Harry of the United Kingdom and his fiancé, Meghan Markle!  Many of you may already be aware of the upcoming royal marriage of Prince Harry, the younger brother of Prince William and grandson of the Queen of England, Elizabeth II.  And if you are an aficionado of news about the British royalty, you might be aware that there are a few unique things about this upcoming wedding.

First of all, Harry’s bride-to-be isn’t a British citizen.  Meghan Markle is an American actress and humanitarian.  But this isn’t the only non-traditional aspect of the upcoming nuptials. The happy couple will be married on May 19^th – a Saturday.  This is, believe it or not, a significant break from tradition.  For decades, royal weddings have taken place on a weekday.  The day is typically declared a bank holiday, and many British citizens are given the day off to celebrate the wedding.  With the wedding taking place on a Saturday, this may not be the case this time.

Another break with tradition came this past Christmas.  Normally, the royal family celebrates at the Queen’s private residence at Sandringham House in Norfolk.  Traditionally, only members of royal families and their spouses are invited; fiancés are not.  This time, however, Prince Harry asked for and received the Queen’s permission to bring Miss Markle to the family holiday.

It’s likely, though, that several traditions about royal weddings will stay intact this year.  One of those traditions includes the wedding rings to be created for the couple.  Since 1923, members of the British royal family have all had their wedding rings made from the gold of the Clogau St. David gold mine in Wales.  It’s a particularly rare gold, especially now that the mine is closed, but the royal family has enough gold to make the rings for the upcoming wedding.  In just a few months, Prince Harry might slip onto his new bride’s finger a ring made of the same gold that graced the finger of his mother, his grandmother, and his great-grandmother.

Discussion Questions

• What is special about traditions that your family observes?
• In the story above, what are your thoughts about the breaks from tradition?
• Would you like a traditional wedding if and when you get married, or would you prefer something non-traditional?

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

	Deuteronomy 18:15-20 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 Mark 1:21-28

(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

This week’s reading from Mark tells the dramatic story of a possessed man shouting out in the synagogue as Jesus taught, followed by the exorcism of this “unclean spirit” by Jesus.  That story, though, only highlights the real recurring theme of the passage: the authority of Jesus as something “new”.

Twice in this passage, the people of Capernaum marvel to one another that Jesus is offering “a new teaching” which is taught “with authority”.  That isn’t particularly surprising, of course.  We know that Jesus is teaching with the authority of God, after all.  But it might be surprising if we look a little bit deeper.  In verse 22, the people note that Jesus “taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes”.

Now that is strange indeed!  The term “scribes” refers to a specific and very powerful group in Jewish society.  The scribes were a group who intensely studied the Hebrew scriptures and other writings.  They were experts in the law, and their services were used to prepare all sorts of legal documents – from marriage contracts to mortgages.  The scribes were also some of the most influential interpreters of Jewish law, and some well-known scribes even had their own disciples!  Scribes often formed a core of the Jewish council.  It’s possible, then, that the scribes exercised more power than even the Pharisees.  Why, then, do the people say that when Jesus teaches with authority, he does so in a way unlike the scribes?

To a first-century Jew, like the author of today’s Gospel, it would make no sense to claim that the scribes lacked authority.  It would, however, be perfectly correct to say that Jesus displayed a very different form of authority.

The power of the scribes was based on their ability to interpret and apply Mosaic Law.  Scribes were experts in the law that had been handed down for generations of Judaism.  The scribes considered themselves guardians of the laws that God laid down after rescuing his people from Egypt and promising them a land and a nation.  In this way, the scribes operated under the authority of God.    What made Jesus stand out was simple: He spoke and acted with an authority that belonged to him.  He spoke as God himself, not merely as an interpreter of the Law.

Certainly, this would have been shocking!  It also affected different people in different ways.  Some were prepared to recognize God in these new words and this new voice.  They responded to the teachings of Jesus and were receptive to his words.  Others, however, were appalled at the break from the traditional authority of the scribes.  To them, it didn’t matter what Jesus had to say.  They would not have accepted his authority.  They let their traditions become more important than God’s good news.

Discussion Questions

• What traditions are important in your youth group and in your church?
• How can we tell the difference between a tradition that makes us more receptive to God’s word and a tradition that distracts us from God’s word?
• Is it possible for a good, meaningful tradition to turn into a distracting tradition?

Activity Suggestions

Write a “travel guide” for a visitor to your church, helping them understand the traditions and practices of your church.  Assume this visitor had never attended a Christian church service before.  Could you prepare a brochure to help them understand what to expect?

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for your guidance and your loving care in all that we do.  Thank you especially for your Word, given to us through your Son Jesus.  Help us always to recognize those words and deeds that help us grow in our faith, and teach us to find new ways to grow in our love for you and for one another.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

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In the wake of the current impasse that has caused a shutdown of the federal government, ELCA Advocacy calls on Congress and Administration to do their jobs by passing and enacting legislation that resolves critical issues. Failing to fund our U.S. government, re-authorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and find a permanent solution for Dreamers who are losing protection affects the lives of Americans in every community across this land.

Political posturing by elected leaders on both sides of the aisle at the expense of the lives of real people is inexcusable. We call on our nation’s lawmakers to find a way forward to care for the health of children, grant young Dreamers a pathway to citizenship and keep the federal government open and funded to perform its vital functions.

As Lutherans, we believe that “God works through the family, education, the economy, the state, and other structures necessary for life in the present age. God institutes governing authorities, for example, to serve the good of society. This church respects the God-given integrity and tasks of governing authorities and other worldly structures, while holding them accountable to God” (ELCA Social Statement, The Church in Society: A Lutheran Perspective).

We urge our elected representatives to come together to pass legislation that serves all our communities. We must leave no one behind.

 

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ELCA advocacy works for change in public policy based on the experience of Lutheran ministries, programs and projects around the world and in communities across the United States. We work through political channels on behalf of the following biblical values: peacemaking, hospitality to our neighbors, care for creation, and concern for our brothers and sisters living in poverty and struggling with hunger and disease. Learn more at ELCA.org/Advocacy.

 

Jocelyn Breeland, Sunnyvale, CA

 Warm-up Question

Would it bother you if there was no more chocolate?

A World Without Chocolate?

Business Insider alarmed chocolate lovers around the globe recently with a New Year’s Eve story claiming chocolate would become extinct on earth by the year 2050. The claim was based on a 2016 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and a 2014 report of the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It suggested that climate change would result in increased temperatures in cacao growing regions, making them unsuitable for the plants necessary for chocolate production.

Much of the Business Insider story focused on research, a collaboration of Mars, Inc. (producer of Snickers, M&Ms and other chocolate candies) and the University of California, Berkeley, to genetically modify cacao to thrive in the new climate conditions.

Many news outlets repeated the story, causing panic among chocolate lovers worldwide. However, subsequent articles in a number of other outlets have taken the edge off the alarm caused by the original report. They point out that, although climate change may make it harder to grow cacao in Ghana and Ivory Coast, where more than half the world’s chocolate originates, there are other regions in the world capable of growing the plants. Some point out that a scientific finding of extinction means there have been no sightings of the plant for at least 50 years. That won’t happen for a while, perhaps not in our lifetimes.

So perhaps, while there is cause for serious concern – and need for action to avoid disaster – you will likely still be able to find Snickers bars for some time to come.

Discussion Questions

• How concerned are you about the affects of climate change on crops like chocolate?
• Think about all the people who work to bring chocolate to your local store. How would the absence of chocolate affect their lives?
• Does the fact that the original article was published by an outlet that focuses on business, and that it devotes most of the story to the actions of Mars, Inc., affect how you think about it?
• What can you do to improve chocolate’s chances of survival? What does God call us to do as stewards of this planet?
• Does being called as a disciple of Jesus make any difference in how you reads this article and how you might respond?

Third Sunday of Epiphany

Jonah 3:1-5, 10

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Mark 1:14-20

(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

Jesus’ choice of disciples was a very important one. These were the men he relied on to support him and his ministry. And after his ascension, they were the essential apostles, spreading the good news of the gospel, sharing his teachings and establishing Christian communities far beyond Galilee.

Given all this, it is a little surprising how spontaneously Jesus apparently calls Simon, Andrew, James and John. In our modern understanding, recruitment involves a carefully crafted advertisement and often multiple rounds of interviews and testing to ensure the best candidate is identified. Applicants today are also advised to do their research to make sure they understand their prospective employers’ expectations, that they’re being offered a reasonable career promotion and salary, and that they will be compatible with the organization’s culture.

What qualification did these fishermen, struggling daily to make a living, have to offer? And how did Jesus convince them to leave what was familiar to them and do something that had never been done before?

Mark’s focus on Jesus’ simple call and the disciples’ immediate, unquestioning response invites us to consider two important realities of our own relationships with Christ. First, when he calls us to ministry, he already knows that we are uniquely qualified to fulfill his plan. Second, when we hear God’s call, we can step forward confidently in faith, knowing that – even if we don’t fully understand his vision – he has invited us to experience the glory of serving him.

Discussion Questions

• Based on your understanding of the New Testament, what were the disciples’ qualifications for their roles?
• Was there anything they could have done earlier in their lives to prepare them for their ministry?
• What are some of the questions and doubts in your mind when you try to discern God’s purpose in your life?
• How can your community – your friends and family, your school and church – help or hinder your ability to hear and answer God’s call?

Activity Suggestions

Working individually or in small groups, create an ad for the job of disciple, then share it with the group. (For inspiration, think of any job ads you may have seen – for the Army, for McDonald’s, any employer.)

For a television ad, write a script and act it out. For a radio ad, write and then read the ad like a radio announcer. For a newspaper or magazine ad, write the copy, ad images if necessary, and present the layout. Typical radio and television ads are 30 seconds. For newspaper or magazine, imagine you are creating a full-page ad.

Each ad should answer these questions:

• What is the organization’s mission?
• What are the job duties?
• What are the benefits?
• What type of person should apply?

As each group makes its presentation, discuss which aspects of their ads are most compelling? Is this a job you would apply for?

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for the many blessings and gifts you have given each of us. Give us ears to hear your call, and hearts for service to do your will. We are here, Lord, we are listening, and we are ready to say, “Yes!” Amen.

 

Issue 56 of Administration Matters

Submit your parochial report!

2017 parochial reports are due on Feb. 15. These reports are vital to the ELCA’s commitment to improving its efforts to spread the good news and are used in allocating the ELCA’s resources to synods and congregations. Did you know that the information you submit (or do not submit) in your parochial report goes into your congregation’s trend report, which is publicly available online? Seekers looking for your congregation can see not only the information you submit but also whether the congregation has submitted parochial reports. Please submit the report so that visitors can learn more about you. >More

Portico introduces more objective way to assess physical health

Portico has kicked off its 11th annual wellness challenge, inviting members and spouses with ELCA-Primary health benefits to earn wellness dollars for working to strengthen their physical and financial health. New this year, as part of its stepped-up commitment to give members more personalized health support, Portico is offering a biometric screening instead of an online health assessment. For their effort, participants will also receive $200 wellness dollars, half of the $400 available in 2018. >More

Preventing a hostile work environment

A hostile work environment may be defined as a workplace where an employee is subjected to harassment or unfair treatment, creating an environment where the employee feels threatened or intimidated. Prevention is the best means toward a safe and welcoming workplace. >More

Armed intruder

While it may never happen to you, it is important to prepare for an armed intruder situation just as you prepare for other types of emergencies. These situations evolve very rapidly and require individuals to make decisions very quickly. This resource kit will give you some tools to prepare for this type of emergency. >More

IRS 2018 standard mileage rates for business, medical and moving announced

The Internal Revenue Service has issued the 2018 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes. Beginning on Jan. 1, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be:

• 54.5 cents for every mile of business travel driven, up 1 cent from the rate for 2017.
  • The ELCA uses the business travel rate to reimburse travel expenses.
• 18 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes, up 1 cent from the rate for 2017.
• 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations.

“Sweet dreams.”Uttered almost like an extension of bedtime prayers, whispered and spoken with a gentleness intended to comfort, these two words invoking the gift, “sweet dreams.”

In 1963 on a national stage, a 35-year-old Martin Luther King, Jr. was about to take his seat when Mahalia Jackson urged him go further. “Tell them about the dream. Tell them.” Two months prior to his historic sermon at the march on Washington, Dr. King had spoken passionately begun to speak of his dream for our country. It was in Detroit that King began to echo the refrain, “I have a dream.”

It is the perspective of some, looking back, that Dr. King was not sure about sharing, there in Washington, the outline of what the dream called for. Without the urging of Mahalia Jackson, “tell them about the dream” what has been heralded as one of, if not King’s most memorable sermons, would have ended quite differently.

Dr. King reminded those gathered for the Great March on Detroit in 1963, that we were standing about a hundred years from the Emancipation Proclamation, dismantling of legalized enslavement of Africans in the United States. King lamented that one hundred years later the Negro in America was still not free, “But now more than ever before, America is forced to grapple with this problem, for the shape of the world today does not afford us the luxury of an anemic democracy. The price that this nation must pay for the continued oppression and exploitation of the Negro or any other minority group is the price of its own destruction. For the hour is late. The clock of destiny is ticking out, and we must act now before it is too late.”

There are many who now remember very little of Dr. King’s historic sermon beyond, “I have a dream.” In that sermon, both in Detroit and in Washington, he spoke of an urgency that was demanding  that we as a nation move with intent and purpose, and an energy “an anemic democracy” could not and cannot render.

In the three years that followed, Dr. King, his messages and the movement became clearly more unaccepting of any notion of gradualism. His writings from a Birmingham jail were gathered to become the basis of his book under the title “Why We Can’t Wait.”

As he spoke more openly about the intersectionality of poverty and the pattern of poor people being pitted against one another by the manipulative hands of empire, the more he lost favor with European Americans who had once at least claimed to be allies. King’s speaking against the global injustices of war and poverty were met by powerful voices insisting that he stay in his lane.

In 1967 in an interview with NBC news correspondent Sander Vanocur, Dr. King spoke of the dream he preached about in 1963 now becoming in many ways a nightmare. By 1968 when he ventured into the hostility of Memphis Tennessee to stand in solidarity with striking sanitation workers, he spoke not so much about the dream but resolutely about “the difficult days ahead.” Surely it remains even more evident that “we cannot afford the luxury of an anemic democracy.” We are well within the challenge of the difficult days King envisioned, that demand of us more than superficial notions of cross cultural relations and justice only on the terms of brutal empire.

Our beloved prophetic drum major never abandoned the sweet dream.

 

Action Item
April 4, 2018 marks 50 years since Reverend Dr Martin Luther King was assassinated. The National Council of Churches, an umbrella organization of mainline Protestant, historic black and Orthodox denominations, is leading “Act Now! United to End Racism.” People of faith will come together on April 4th to commit to realizing Dr. King’s dream to resolve to end racism. Events include an April 3 ecumenical service at a Greek Orthodox cathedral, an interfaith prayer service and rally on the National Mall on April 4, and a lobby day on Capitol Hill on April 5. Visit the National Council of Churches Facebook page to learn more : https://www.facebook.com/nationalcouncilofchurches/.

 

Bio
In August 2014, Pastor Starr began work as ELCA Director for Ethnic Specific, Multicultural Ministries and Racial Justice Team of the ELCA–after serving as Director for African Descent Ministries  since 2009. As a pastor /teacher he takes great delight and special joy in helping to lift up and engage the gifts and talents of people of African descent and others, celebrating their capacity for building a stronger church and a better world to the glory of God through Jesus Christ. He was awarded an honorary doctor of divinity degree from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus Ohio. Pastor Starr and his wife Judith have two adult children and two grandchildren. He is the first of seven children born to Albert and Eunice Starr of Durham, N.C.