Por  Noticias de la Asamblea General del 2016

NUEVA ORLEANS (9 de agosto de 2016) – Carlos Peña, vicepresidente de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en América (ELCA, por sus siglas en inglés) recibió el galardón Servus Dei durante la Asamblea General del 2016 de la ELCA. La medalla Servus Dei (Siervo de Dios) se concede para honrar a los funcionarios de la ELCA a la finalización de sus mandatos. Peña, quien ha prestado sus servicios en calidad de vicepresidente desde 2003, ha decidido no buscar un tercer mandato.

Una cita aprobada por el Consejo Eclesial de la ELCA en reconocimiento al servicio de Peña declara: “Durante su permanencia en el cargo, Carlos demostró un compromiso sincero con la fe y una compasión genuina por las personas de las congregaciones y comunidades de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en América”.

Al presentar el galardón, Elizabeth Eaton, obispa presidente de la ELCA, dijo: “Damos gracias a Dios por la contribución que Carlos ha hecho a la vida de esta iglesia. Aunque Carlos ha elegido poner fin a sus servicios como vicepresidente, recordamos Eclesiastés 3: ‘Todo tiene su momento oportuno; hay un tiempo para todo lo que se hace bajo el cielo’.

“Carlos seguirá con su dedicación al testimonio y servicio en la vida cotidiana en la variedad de otras actividades que emprenda. Al traspasar sus responsabilidades como vicepresidente a su sucesor, que Dios le conceda la esperanza inquebrantable en el Evangelio que proclamamos y el deleite de recordar el privilegio de servir como cuarto vicepresidente de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en América”.

En su alocución a la asamblea, Peña dijo: “Si me hubieran dicho en Milwaukee en 2003 que sería elegido vicepresidente de esta gran iglesia, yo hubiera respondido: ‘Ni hablar. Soy un empresario, el propietario de un negocio. ¿Qué sé yo de la obra de Dios? ¿Qué pueden saber estas manos de la obra de Dios?’ No hubo un solo día en Milwaukee que no le preguntara a Dios: ‘¿Por qué yo? ¿Por qué yo?’ Pero eso cambió rápidamente a ‘¿Por qué no yo?’ Y cuando Dios llamó, Dios proveyó, y me siento agradecido por ello. Han sido unos 13 años estupendos. Y gracias una vez más por todo su amor, apoyo y oraciones durante estos años. Gracias sean dadas a Dios”.

La asamblea –la más alta autoridad legislativa de la ELCA– se reunirá en el Centro de Convenciones Ernest N. Morial en Nueva Orleans. Reunidos en torno al tema “Freed and Renewed in Christ: 500 Years of God’s Grace in Action” (Liberados y renovados en Cristo: 500 años de la gracia de Dios en acción) entre los asuntos de la asamblea se encuentran los preparativos para celebrar el 500 aniversario de la Reforma en 2017.

Sobre la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en América:La ELCA es una de las mayores denominaciones cristianas en los Estados Unidos, con más de 3.7 millones de miembros en más de 9,300 congregaciones en los 50 estados y la región del Caribe. Conocida como la iglesia de “La obra de Dios. Nuestras manos”, la ELCA enfatiza la gracia salvadora de Dios por medio de la fe en Jesucristo, la unidad entre los cristianos y el servicio en el mundo. Las raíces de la ELCA se encuentran en los escritos del alemán Martín Lutero, reformador de la iglesia.

Por Noticias de la Asamblea General del 2016

NUEVA ORLEANS (10 de agosto de 2016) – La Asamblea General del 2016 de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en América (ELCA, por sus siglas en inglés) dio pasos importantes el miércoles para avanzar en la misión de esta iglesia como iglesia para bien del mundo.

Por un voto de 931 a 9, la asamblea aceptó por abrumadora mayoría la “Declaración sobre el camino”, un documento ecuménico único que señala el sendero a seguir hacia una mayor unidad entre católicos y luteranos. Tras la votación, una emocionada asamblea se puso en pie para aplaudir esta histórica decisión.

En el centro del documento se sitúan 32 “Declaraciones de Acuerdo” que especifican dónde no tienen luteranos y católicos diferencias divisorias sobre temas de iglesia, ministerio y eucaristía. De manera más tentativa, el documento también explora las diferencias que sí se mantienen.

“Queridas hermanas y hermanos, hagamos pausa para honrar este momento histórico”, exhortó Elizabeth A. Eaton, obispa presidente de la ELCA, al dirigirse a la asamblea tras la votación. “Aunque aún no hemos llegado, hemos declarado que nos encontramos, de hecho, en el camino hacia la unidad. Después de 500 años de división y 50 años de diálogo, esta acción debe entenderse en el contexto de los demás acuerdos significativos que hemos alcanzado, más notablemente la ‘Declaración Conjunta sobre la Doctrina de la Justificación’ en 1999”.

“Esta ‘Declaración sobre el camino’ nos ayuda a materializar más plenamente nuestra unidad en Cristo con nuestros asociados católicos, pero también sirve para impulsar nuestro compromiso con la unidad con todos los cristianos”, manifestó Eaton.

Para honrar el momento, Eaton entregó al obispo Denis J. Madden, obispo auxiliar de la Arquidiócesis de Baltimore y copresidente del grupo de trabajo de la “Declaración sobre el camino”, un regalo de comunión que se elaboró especialmente para la asamblea. Mark Hanson, obispo presidente emérito de la ELCA, sirvió como copresidente del grupo de trabajo por parte de la ELCA. El grupo de trabajo se había reunido y había presentado a la iglesia los acuerdos alcanzados en los diálogos entre luteranos y católicos.

“Me siento tan privilegiado y tan agradecido por haber pasado estos días con ustedes. Por hablar con ustedes, compartir tiempo con ustedes y orar con ustedes”, dijo Madden. “Les doy las gracias por permitirnos a mí y a mis colegas unirnos a ustedes en las celebraciones de la eucaristía, lo cual ha sido una enorme alegría y será siempre un recordatorio de que pronto vamos a celebrar estas cosas juntos como un solo cuerpo”.

La asamblea expresó gratitud por este texto ecuménico pionero y alabó la declaración (junto con otros textos ecuménicos) como recurso “para la vida en común de la iglesia al acercarnos al 2017 y para los años posteriores”. Con respecto a la Declaración de Acuerdos, la decisión de la asamblea de recibir las 32 afirmaciones comunes “reconocía que ya no existen cuestiones que dividan a la iglesia entre luteranos y católicos con respecto a estas declaraciones.

En otro importante asunto, la asamblea votó 921 a 11 a favor de AMMPARO, la estrategia de la iglesia para Acompañar a Migrantes Menores de Edad con Protección, Abogacía, Representación y Oportunidades.

La ELCA desarrolló esta estrategia en base a los compromisos para defender y garantizar los derechos humanos básicos y la seguridad de los niños migrantes y sus familias; abordar las causas de raíz de la migración en los países del Triángulo Norte de Centroamérica y en México, así como el trato que se da a los migrantes en tránsito; trabajar por políticas justas y humanitarias que afectan a los migrantes dentro y fuera de los EE.UU.; participar como iglesia con todos sus compañeros, afiliados y asociados para dar respuesta a la situación de la migración y sus causas, y abogar por los niños migrantes y sus familias.

La asamblea también votó por 895 a 23 aceptar la propuesta presupuestaria para el periodo 2017-2019, aprobada y recomendada por el Consejo Eclesial de la ELCA. La propuesta presupuestaria incluye:

• una autorización para el gasto corriente de fondos para 2017 de $65,296,005 dólares y una autorización para el gasto del Programa de la ELCA para Aliviar el Hambre Mundial en 2017 de $24.8 millones de dólares;
• una propuesta para el ingreso corriente de fondos para 2018 de $64,057,220 dólares y una propuesta de ingresos del Programa de la ELCA para Aliviar el Hambre Mundial en 2018 de $25 millones de dólares, y
• una propuesta para el ingreso corriente de fondos para 2019 de $64,151,175 dólares y una propuesta de ingresos del Programa de la ELCA para Aliviar el Hambre Mundial en 2019 de $25 millones de dólares.

La asamblea –la más alta autoridad legislativa de la ELCA– se reunirá en el Centro de Convenciones Ernest N. Morial en Nueva Orleans. Reunidos en torno al tema “Freed and Renewed in Christ: 500 Years of God’s Grace in Action” (Liberados y renovados en Cristo: 500 años de la gracia de Dios en acción) entre los asuntos de la asamblea se encuentran los preparativos para celebrar el 500 aniversario de la Reforma en 2017.

Sobre la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en América:
La ELCA es una de las mayores denominaciones cristianas en los Estados Unidos, con más de 3.7 millones de miembros en más de 9,300 congregaciones en los 50 estados y la región del Caribe. Conocida como la iglesia de “La obra de Dios. Nuestras manos”, la ELCA enfatiza la gracia salvadora de Dios por medio de la fe en Jesucristo, la unidad entre los cristianos y el servicio en el mundo. Las raíces de la ELCA se encuentran en los escritos del alemán Martín Lutero, reformador de la iglesia.

Large, multinational corporations controlling prices and driving down wages, masses of people too poor to afford basic goods, an economy that favors the wealthy, politicians and church leaders at the mercy of banks….1517 was quite a year!  So much has changed, so much remains the same.

Many people remember Martin Luther’s sharp critique of the abusive practices of the church, but few of us are as familiar with Luther’s equally sharp critique of the abusive economy of his day, an economy that made a few people wealthy and a lot of people poor.

At the 2015 “Forgotten Luther” conference in Washington, DC, theologians and historians shared this little-known side of Luther’s teachings.  The presenters described Luther’s critique of monopolies, price gouging, and greed. They showed the clear economic teachings in Luther’s Catechisms and the political side of his theology. They also shared Luther’s insistence that the church be part of the solution to injustice, a heritage that can still be seen today in the many ways Lutherans respond to poverty and hunger 500 years later.

ELCA World Hunger is proud to offer for free videos of each presentation from this important conference, as well as video interviews with each of the presenters. You can find all of the videos on the ELCA’s Vimeo channel at https://vimeo.com/album/4043021. The presentations were also collected into a short book, complete with discussion questions and other contributions from the conference organizers. You can purchase the book for only $15 from Lutheran University Press at http://www.lutheranupress.org/Books/Forgotten_Luther.

Here on the ELCA World Hunger blog this month, we will feature some highlights from this collection of resources.

In this interview, Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda from Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary talks about her personal journey as an advocate for justice and the importance of seeing the well-being of the neighbor, including economic well-being, as a matter of faith. Find this video and more at https://vimeo.com/album/4043021.

Large, multinational corporations controlling prices and driving down wages, masses of people too poor to afford basic goods, an economy that favors the wealthy, politicians and church leaders at the mercy of banks….1517 was quite a year!  So much has changed, so much remains the same.

Many people remember Martin Luther’s sharp critique of the abusive practices of the church, but few of us are as familiar with Luther’s equally sharp critique of the abusive economy of his day, an economy that made a few people wealthy and a lot of people poor.

At the 2015 “Forgotten Luther” conference in Washington, DC, theologians and historians shared this little-known side of Luther’s teachings.  The presenters described Luther’s critique of monopolies, price gouging, and greed. They showed the clear economic teachings in Luther’s Catechisms and the political side of his theology. They also shared Luther’s insistence that the church be part of the solution to injustice, a heritage that can still be seen today in the many ways Lutherans respond to poverty and hunger 500 years later.

ELCA World Hunger is proud to offer for free videos of each presentation from this important conference, as well as video interviews with each of the presenters. You can find all of the videos on the ELCA’s Vimeo channel at https://vimeo.com/album/4043021. The presentations were also collected into a short book, complete with discussion questions and other contributions from the conference organizers. You can purchase the book for only $15 from Lutheran University Press at http://www.lutheranupress.org/Books/Forgotten_Luther.

Here on the ELCA World Hunger blog this month, we will feature some highlights from this collection of resources.

In this interview, Dr. Tim Huffman, now retired from Trinity Lutheran Seminary, describes the importance of advocacy, action, and building relationships toward a more just world, including within our own church. Find this video and more at https://vimeo.com/album/4043021.

This statement was given by Rachel Birkedal, ELCA Churchwide Assembly voting member representing the North Carolina Synod. Rachel shared this message during discussion period at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly (#ELCAcwa) prior to the passage of the ELCA’s #AMMPARO strategy.

“I served as a Young Adults in Global Mission – ELCA in Mexico and later as a Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC) member with a free legal service provider to asylum seekers in the upper Midwest. In Mexico, my fellow YAGM have served at migrant shelters throughout the transit routines in Mexico. We have felt fear as we have watched migrants and our friends travel through Mexico, as they approach the border and ask for asylum.

Upon returning to the U.S., I have worked primarily with woman and children fleeing violence in the northern triangle of Central America and the networks that support them. My co-workers and I have sat at the table and held the stories of those seeking asylum. We have held the life stories of woman escaping domestic violence, youth who are persecuted for being young and unwilling to join one of the ruling gangs in their country, and so much more. Time after time we heard horrific stories and time and time again we have seen resilience and a fight that some how got them to our country to ask for safety.

There are countless obstacles that this vulnerable population face in their home countries, in transit and once in the US. Those who are in the process of migration or seeking asylum in our immigration court system need the community and the Church to continue to tell them that they are human; that they are valued, that their lives have meaning and that we will not leave them alone in an immigration system that is almost impossible to navigate with out support.

The work is not new. It is already being done. Those who work with migrants and asylum seekers have been touched by the lives we have encountered and I hope that if you haven’t found a way to feel connected, that this strategy will implement programs and advocacy that will allow you to be affected by the lives of your neighbors as I have been, and that the spirit will move us together to continue to provide refuge and “amparo” for those who desperately need it. For these reasons and more, I support the AMMPARO strategy. Que dios les bendiga. Gracias.”

Learn more about how the ELCA is Accompanying Migrant Minors with Protection, Advocacy, Representation, and Opportunities: www.ELCA.org/AMMPARO

Large, multinational corporations controlling prices and driving down wages, masses of people too poor to afford basic goods, an economy that favors the wealthy, politicians and church leaders at the mercy of banks….1517 was quite a year!  So much has changed, so much remains the same.

Many people remember Martin Luther’s sharp critique of the abusive practices of the church, but few of us are as familiar with Luther’s equally sharp critique of the abusive economy of his day, an economy that made a few people wealthy and a lot of people poor.

At the 2015 “Forgotten Luther” conference in Washington, DC, theologians and historians shared this little-known side of Luther’s teachings.  The presenters described Luther’s critique of monopolies, price gouging, and greed. They showed the clear economic teachings in Luther’s Catechisms and the political side of his theology. They also shared Luther’s insistence that the church be part of the solution to injustice, a heritage that can still be seen today in the many ways Lutherans respond to poverty and hunger 500 years later.

ELCA World Hunger is proud to offer for free videos of each presentation from this important conference, as well as video interviews with each of the presenters. You can find all of the videos on the ELCA’s Vimeo channel at https://vimeo.com/album/4043021. The presentations were also collected into a short book, complete with discussion questions and other contributions from the conference organizers. You can purchase the book for only $15 from Lutheran University Press at http://www.lutheranupress.org/Books/Forgotten_Luther.

Here on the ELCA World Hunger blog this month, we will feature some highlights from this collection of resources.

In this interview, Dr. Samuel Torvend of Pacific Lutheran University talks about justification and justice, the experiences that shaped his own perspective, and how to reconcile Luther’s conservative positions with the Reformer’s progressive call for economic justice. Find this video and more at https://vimeo.com/album/4043021.

AUGUST RECESS IN D.C.: It’s summer recess at the Capitol, which means members of Congress have returned to their states and districts until after Labor Day. ELCA Advocacy shared a resource informing advocates about ways to take action as lawmakers set up town halls, constituent coffees and other events. As political candidates prepare for the 2017 election, ELCA Advocacy will share additional #ELCAvotes mobilizing resources.

ADVOCACY AT THE CHURCHWIDE ASSEMBLY: ELCA Advocacy will be present in a number of ways at this year’s Churchwide Assembly. Engagement with young adult attendees will focus on the ELCAvotes initiative to encourage civic participation and action to ensure all citizens have the right to vote, as well as to discuss the intersections of voting rights with racial, gender and economic justice. ELCA Advocacy will provide leadership at the Grace Gathering during workshops on Care for Creation, Human Trafficking and AMMPARO and in two Grace in Action afternoon events.

HOUSING PRIORITIES PASS CONGRESS: ELCA Advocacy applauded Congress for passing the Housing Opportunities Through Modernization Act on July 14. It was a top housing legislative priority for ELCA Advocacy and will help expand the reach and access of U.S. housing programs to extremely low-income families in the most need of assistance. ELCA Advocacy will be working to prepare more engagement on affordable housing and homeless assistance advocacy for 2017 and in the near future.

AMMPARO ADVOCACY – NEW BILL ADDRESSING HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN CENTRAL AMERICA: The Secure the Northern Triangle Act was introduced in the House and the Senate. The bill provides a regional approach to addressing the humanitarian crisis of children and families being forced to flee their communities in Central America. It includes needed reforms to the U.S. immigration system that receives unaccompanied children and families while also providing guidance on how the U.S. should invest in Central America. ELCA Advocacy supports the regional approach to the bill but is concerned about providing resources to law enforcement agencies that violate human rights. See the full statement here.

ADMINISTRATION SUPPORT IN CENTRAL AMERICA: Last month, the Department of State announced an expansion to its in-country refugee processing program for Central Americans. The program, which previously allowed lawfully present parents living in the U.S. to only request refugee status for their minor children living in the Northern Triangle, will allow these parents to apply for their adult children. In addition, parents and family caregivers of children will be able to be considered for the program. To increase protection, the U.S. government will have the ability to provide protection in Costa Rica for children and their families going through the process who have an immediate need to leave their community. This announcement is a welcome step toward ensuring the safety of children and families in Central America.

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Ohio welcomed the 2016 Republican National Convention last month. Ohio also experienced political activism from across the spectrum throughout July to raise awareness about a variety of important issues. Advocates from around the state descended on Cleveland to lift up their voices on the issues most important to them. In early July, faith leaders, joined by the Rev. William Barber, leader of the Moral Mondays movement, spoke and delivered a call to a higher moral ground.

Also on July 9, Bishop Abraham Allende of the Northeastern Ohio Synod and others joined a march for immigration justice, recognizing our biblical call to welcome and show hospitality to the stranger. Once the convention got underway, many advocates participated in further demonstrations to show their support for Black Lives Matter, immigration and economic justice. Sometimes in a democracy we need public tension to advance the cause of justice. The demonstrators and police of Cleveland all did a great job embracing the tension respectfully and helping advance justice. For further information: HungerNetOhio.org.

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Pennsylvania – Tracey DePasquale, Director

www.lutheranadvocacypa.org

Texas–Samuel D. Brannon, Texas Impact

texasimpact.org

On Sunday morning, July 10, the phone rang at the Lutherhill Ministries camp and retreat center. Texas Impact, the Lutheran state Public Policy Office in Texas, was calling with an urgent question: “Would you be able to accommodate a group of 60 Muslim college students for a weekend retreat … next weekend?”

The Lone Star Council of the Muslim Students Association had reserved space for their annual leadership retreat at a different camp and conference center earlier in the summer, only to be told less than a week before the start of the retreat that they couldn’t go to that camp after all – because they weren’t Christians. The students reached out to Texas Impact for help, and Texas Impact staff members called Lutherhill.

Lutherhill sprang into action. They had a few things already scheduled for the upcoming weekend, including a wedding and a staff training session, but they quickly committed to welcoming the Muslim students with open arms and moved things and people around to make it work. “Our staff enjoyed the Lone Star student group,” said Matt Kindsvatter, executive director of Lutherhill Ministries. “They were one of the nicest groups we’ve ever hosted.”

A little Lutheran welcome can go a long way. Thank you, Lutherhill Ministries!

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

www.loppw.org

CARE FOR GOD’S CREATION: The Wisconsin Climate Table met again in July to strategize further how to build grassroots efforts to tip Wisconsin toward a commitment to diminish carbon dioxide emissions.

A bill to have the Wisconsin Department of Justice create posters with the Polaris hotline displayed and to make the posters known in key areas was passed into law. Polaris takes calls to help victims of human trafficking 24 hours per day. On July 28, a press conference at the Capitol launched a campaign to publicize the posters. LOPPW supported the bill, helped add an amendment to it, and was named as one of the partners at the press conference. A lot of work is needed to make this campaign work.

LOPPW/Cherish All Children’s Northwest Synod team (on left) held its second half-day conference on human trafficking, this time at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Superior. At the Superior conference, Bishop Rick Hoyme led devotions and later blessed the letters participants wrote to their participants. Our next event will be in Madison on Sept. 14.

ELCA WORLD HUNGER: LOPPW’s director and volunteer, Eleanor Siebert, attended the ELCA World Hunger gathering.  LOPPW made contact with members of hunger teams from three synods in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan at the event.

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Contact us at washingtonoffice@elca.org

Large, multinational corporations controlling prices and driving down wages, masses of people too poor to afford basic goods, an economy that favors the wealthy, politicians and church leaders at the mercy of banks….1517 was quite a year!  So much has changed, so much remains the same.

Many people remember Martin Luther’s sharp critique of the abusive practices of the church, but few of us are as familiar with Luther’s equally sharp critique of the abusive economy of his day, an economy that made a few people wealthy and a lot of people poor.

At the 2015 “Forgotten Luther” conference in Washington, DC, theologians and historians shared this little-known side of Luther’s teachings.  The presenters described Luther’s critique of monopolies, price gouging, and greed. They showed the clear economic teachings in Luther’s Catechisms and the political side of his theology. They also shared Luther’s insistence that the church be part of the solution to injustice, a heritage that can still be seen today in the many ways Lutherans respond to poverty and hunger 500 years later.

ELCA World Hunger is proud to offer for free videos of each presentation from this important conference, as well as video interviews with each of the presenters. You can find all of the videos on the ELCA’s Vimeo channel at https://vimeo.com/album/4043021. The presentations were also collected into a short book, complete with discussion questions and other contributions from the conference organizers. You can purchase the book from Lutheran University Press at http://www.lutheranupress.org/Books/Forgotten_Luther.

Here on the ELCA World Hunger blog, we will feature some highlights from this collection of resources.

This week, Dr. Carter Lindberg talks about the relationship between charity and justice and how congregations can start to engage questions about the economy. Dr. Lindberg challenges congregations to enrich their charity with justice. See the full interview at https://vimeo.com/album/4043021.

CHICAGO (July 18, 2016) – In a July 15 letter addressed to Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), joined more than 90 national Christian leaders with the Circle of Protection asking to meet with the candidates to discuss “plans for offering help and opportunity to hungry and poor people in the United States and around the world.”

“We are leaders of Christian communions, organizations and schools who care deeply about hunger and poverty, and we are praying for a president who shares that concern,” the letter reads.

The leaders emphasized that steps toward ending hunger and poverty “will require action by all sectors of society and by all the nations of the world.”

The Circle of Protection is a coalition of diverse Christian leaders that advocates for hungry and poor people in the United States and around the world.

The letter is available at http://bit.ly/2agyixy.

– – –

About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with more than 3.7 million members in more than 9,300 congregations across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of “God’s work. Our hands,” the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA’s roots are in the writings of the German church reformer, Martin Luther.

Group listening to Jamal a local community member and friend of Alton Sterling.

The recent shootings, arrests, custody and deaths of African American people by majority white law enforcement has become all too familiar. On any given day, a viral video becomes the breaking news story. Just days after the shooting of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana a young African American man named Philando Castile took his last breaths live streamed on Facebook. The video footage captured by Castile’s fiancée, shows him fatally shot during a routine traffic stop.   A recent report compiled by a group of experts stated that too often people of African descent “experience discrimination in accessing justice, and face alarmingly high rates of police violence.” The shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile are not just about them alone. It is about the continuous lived experience of racial inequities inherent throughout the entire criminal justice system. It is about the communities of color that continue to cry out to be heard, set ablaze when they feel invalidated and march in protest as a sign of racial solidarity. City by city, the names may change (Tamir Rice, Sean Bell, Michael Brown, Oscar Grant, Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Freddie Grey and so many others) but the stories and the outpouring of despair from African American communities remain the same.

When it comes to racial and socioeconomic segregation, Baton Rouge is not unlike any other major U.S. city. Just pick a city… any city. Racial segregation driven by social, economic and political underpinnings have carved up American cities along racial lines. As a southern city, Baton Rouge, has a historical past of overt racial injustices put in place during the Jim Crow era of segregated laws. During the civil rights era, Baton Rogue’s black citizens staged the nation’s first bus boycott in 1953. In 1963 black residents attempted to integrate the city’s public park swimming pool. Their actions were met with so much resistance that the white establishment filled the pool with cement to deny access to blacks. Today the city still remains racially and socioeconomically divided. The racial composition of Baton Rouge is 55% black and 40% white. Florida Avenue, is the city’s main thoroughfare–it serves as a physical boundary between of racial and socioeconomic segregation. North of Florida Avenue is represented by the predominantly African American community. North of Florida avenue is the community of Alton Sterling. The homes aren’t as big. Employment scarce for many of the residents.   South of Florida Ave is primarily wealthy, white and suburban–the median income is $30,000 higher than that of the neighboring north of Florida avenue community.

In 2016, People of African descent globally, are still considered the most marginalized among racial groups. Limited access to quality education, health services, housing, social security and experiences of mass incarceration are a common reality. Statistically, African American males are six times more likely to experience incarceration than white males. Racial disparities exist within every aspect of the criminal justice system through racial profiling, biased enforcement, length and terms of sentencing and the option of treatment. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is called to be church together for the sake of the world. We have confessed and committed to confront racism in the social statement Freed in Christ: Race, Ethnicity & Culture adopted by the 1993 ELCA Churchwide assembly and The Church and Criminal Justice: Hearing the Cries social statement adopted at the 2013 ELCA Churchwide assembly. The ELCA has confessed that racism (structures of power and privilege that favor whites as a whole and disproportionately causes harm to people and communities of color) pervasively infects and affects all aspects of U.S. society. The ELCA has confessed that “persistent inequalities based on race, ethnicity, gender and class, frequently challenge the [criminal] justice system’s implementation of –and perhaps even its commitment to basic principles of justice.”

In response to the shooting of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, this church of three expressions, (churches, synods & Churchwide organization) heard the call to be a ministry of presence in community during this time of trial in our nation. A delegation from the Churchwide organization traveled to Baton Rouge to meet with synodical and congregational leaders on the ground. Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast synod Bishop Michael Rhinehart, Rev. Blair Lundborg, Assistant to the Bishop, Rev. Chris Markert Director for Evangelical Mission, Pastor Robin McCullough-Bade, Executive Director of the Interfaith Federation of Greater Baton Rogue, Rev. Mike Button of St Paul Lutheran in Baton Rouge, Rev. Kim Little-Brooks, Lutheran Church of Our Saviour in Baton Rouge. Rev. Nancy Andrews, conference dean and interim pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in New Orleans. From the Churhwide office, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, Rev. Dr. Stephen Bouman, Domestic Mission Unit Executive, Rev. Albert Starr, Director for Multicultural Ministries/African Descent Ministries, Rev. Brenda Smith, Program Director for Faith Practices and the Book of Faith & Judith Roberts, Program Director for Racial Justice.

We gathered together as a church of three expressions to respond to a national crisis that has rocked the city of Baton Rouge and rippled across this country. The first response from the Chuchwide office was to support synod leadership on the ground through prayer and conversation in Baton Rogue. The shooting of Alton Sterling, is not the first time synod Bishop Michael Rhinehart has responded to headline news story involving a person of color and violent encounters with law enforcement. On July 13, 2015, Sandra Bland, a 28-year-old African American woman was arrested, detained and found dead three days later in a jail cell in Waller, Texas after a routine traffic stop. The Bland family and so many voices across the country continue to grieve, seek answers and accountability in her death. Bishop Rhinehart remains present in community prayer vigils in remembrance of Sandra Bland.

We believed that as a church sent for the sake of the world–the ministry of presence is about showing up in the community. Presence is also about accompaniment; we came to listen to voices and stories from the community. The third step is to discern where and how God is calling the church to respond. Domestic Mission Unit Executive Director, Rev. Dr. Stephen Bouman knows about the need for the church to respond. Bouman served as Bishop of Metro N.Y synod during the attacks on the World Trade Center. “I learned the importance of the ministry of presence after the towers fell in New York. Two things happen by instinct. We wanted to pray and ritualize.  We didn’t want to be alone. To have caring human beings show up and the share the heat of the day is a deep spiritual gift. Incarnation means the real God takes on real flesh in the real world. The message of presence is that God is there. The message of persistent presence is that God will not leave until healing begins.” said Bouman.

Our first stop in Baton Rouge, was at the Triple S convenience store at the site of the shooting of Alton Sterling. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a young man named Jamal. He appeared to be in his mid-30’s— close in age to Alton Sterling. Jamal has been holding vigil at the site since the shooting on July 5, 2016. We experience his heartfelt welcome. It is evident that this isn’t his first conversation with strangers. He recounts the events of that day in great detail. Two large murals in the image of Alton Sterling have been spray painted on the Triple S convenience store exterior. A table adorned with flower, photos and mementos replace the music Cd’s that Alton Sterling once sold. Soon, we are greeted by other African American men ranging in age from teenagers to older adults.   Full time, gainful employment seems scarce for many adult black males’ north of Florida avenue. The men stop and talk with us about the day of the shooting, relationships with local law enforcement and the feelings of despair within the community. Rev. Brenda Smith reflects that, “Going to Baton Rouge reinforced that sometimes—all people need to know is that you are listening. Whether that is in sharing pain or what they think should happen next…. or reflecting on the past experiences of racism. People need an outlet. The situation may not change immediately but you can sense the feeling of relief.”

Our day on the ground in Baton Rouge continued with a meeting with Bishop Robert W. Muench of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge, followed by an ecumenical gathering with local clergy. Our experiences ranged from prayers that were offered to conversations about racial reconciliation. Bishop Rhinehart thanked the team for traveling to Baton Rouge. He said, “It was a blessing to be accompanied by and feel the support of Bishop Eaton and members of the Churchwide Organization. We felt the presence of the whole church with us.”

A few short days following our trip to Baton Rouge, our experience would be overshadowed by the killing of 3 Baton Rouge police officers on a Sunday morning by a lone African American male shooter. Again the city was confronted with violence, law enforcement and race once again. News of the Baton Rouge, shooting came on the heels of a sniper attack in Dallas, TX that killed 5 officers and left several wounded just days earlier. Again, bringing the nation to confront race relations, violence and law enforcement. On Saturday, July 23, 2016—the ELCA in all three expressions, in the ministry of presence joined the people of Dallas, TX for a prayer vigil service in honor of the slain officers.

These last few days and weeks, have been trying times in this nation. Lately the pain and images of death and violence have become all to consuming for too many of us. Yet in this time of grief, frustration and confusion, I am reminded even more of the power of presence and the witness of the church. The words were spoken clearly from a street preacher at the Triple S convenience store in Baton Rouge. He said, “The church must be present in the streets. It cannot simply protect buildings and watch over offering plates.” The power of a ministry of presence isn’t just about going to transform it is also about being transformed through relationships guided by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jamal at the Triple S Convenience Store. T-shirt reads “Brothers Throw Down Your Guns!
Jesus Died For Us All. His Blood Was Enough.”