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

Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: June/July 2023

ENERGIZING FARM BILL LISTENING SESSIONS | AFGHAN ADJUSTMENT ACT REINTRODUCED | NEW WHO NETWORK LAUNCHES | WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT DECISION | DEBT CEILING UPDATE

ENERGIZING FARM BILL LISTENING SESSIONS: With great representation of well over 100 of us from many parts of the United States, “Listening Sessions to Inform ELCA Farm Bill Advocacy” were productive opportunities to learn more about the Farm Bill reauthorization process and hear from bishops, farmers, USDA employees, school lunch program volunteers, food bank managers, rural young adults and many others about their priorities for the issues impacted by the policy.

Right now, our policy directors are in process of distilling the substantial input we received during the Farm Bill listening session process and interfacing it with other expertise in our networks. This will become a more concise list of asks which the ELCA will continue to advance with policy makers. In general, participants highlighted the importance of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and were distressed by food waste and food deserts. They were concerned with farms and their intersection with conservation, rural community health, and subsidies and crop insurance. As food production impacts all, they emphasized global food access, hunger and issues for small family farms, and challenges of marginalized communities and farmers. These concerns are being synopsized for communication from an engaged and informed body of Lutherans, and we appreciate the input from all who took part!

AFGHAN ADJUSTMENT ACT REINTRODUCED: The House and Senate have reintroduced the Afghan Adjustment Act. ELCA congregations and leaders have been deeply involved in accompaniment and advocacy for this policy, including sending messages through the ELCA Action Center when it was originally introduced in August 2022.

Bipartisan reintroduction of the Afghan Adjustment Act could provide a direct path to lawful permanent residency. Operation Allies Welcome brought over 75,000 evacuees to safety in the United States, yet an uncertain legal limbo awaits Afghans who fled their war-torn country. An Afghan Adjustment Act would allow humanitarian parolees here in the United States to adjust their status, providing long-term stability and security for themselves and families.

In another development, World Refugee Day on June 20 was unfortunately marked by more than 100 million people forcibly displaced around the world. Climate change, the war in Ukraine, the multi-faced conflicts through the globe, the collapse of democratic systems and freedoms and more have wrought new crises that are forcing more people to leave their homes. Newly released State Department data shows 6,975 refugees were resettled in May, the highest monthly total since December 2016. “LIRS and ELCA remain committed to uplifting the voices and stories of people affected, many of whom will help lead our efforts on Capitol Hill,” states a 2023 ELCA-LIRS World Refugee Day letter.

NEW WHO NETWORK LAUNCHES: The World Health Organization has launched the International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN), “a global network of pathogen genomic actors, to accelerate progress on the deployment of pathogen genomics and improve public health decision-making.”

The International Pathogen Surveillance Network (IPSN) will “enable faster detection of new pathogens and enhance tracking of the spread and evolution of diseases…the IPSN supports ongoing disease surveillance and will help detect and fully characterize new disease threats before they become epidemics or pandemics.” This tool will potentially assist with effective action, such as the church’s response related to the COVID pandemic.

In other developments, the U.S. government has announced that it will provide nearly $524 million in additional assistance to respond to dire humanitarian needs in the Horn of Africa. The announcement brings the total U.S. humanitarian assistance for response efforts to more than $1.4 billion in fiscal year 2023. The Horn of Africa region launched the collective Humanitarian Response Plan, which calls for a cumulative $7 billion in assistance for 2023. Total funding for 2023 now stands at $2.4 billion only. The region is experiencing multiple crises. Many in our companion synods have been challenged by these developments – for example read more from ELCA World Hunger where with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) we are working in the Kakuma region in Kenya alongside the local government to help build the capacity of families to respond to and withstand worsening droughts in the region.

WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT DECISION: The Supreme Court made a decision in a closely watched case regarding the jurisdictional reach of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). This result will reduce the number of wetlands subject to federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act. The Supreme Court Justices decided in favor of the Sacketts, ruling that the land they are building their home on should not be regulated by the Clean Water Act, which in this case would be considered a wetland. Therefore, under the new Sackett standard, a surface connection must be present in order for a wetland to be considered adjacent to a “waters of the United States” for jurisdictional, regulatory purposes. Reaching the goal of clean water and sanitation for all is critical.

As emphasized in advance of participation by ELCA advocacy and World Hunger representatives in an UN international conference on water: “‘Water is a dealmaker for the Sustainable Development Goals, and for the health and prosperity of people and planet.’ Indeed, without access to clean water and sanitation, many of the other Sustainable Development Goals will be out of reach.” Our ELCA advocacy staff will continue to monitor environmental regulation developments such as these to the Clean Water Act.

DEBT CEILING UPDATE: President Biden in early June signed a compromise bill, H.R. 3746, to lift the U.S. debt ceiling until 2025. The final bill imposes some spending cuts over the next two years on federal programs – while giving Congress the option to make up most of those cuts through drawing back unspent pandemic funding.

The final bill would also expand some existing work requirements on safety-net programs like SNAP food assistance – which the Congressional Budget Office estimated would actually cost more money each year to enforce rather than save. In the coming months, it will be critical to advocate with appropriators in Congress and encourage them to not enact any automatic spending cuts to core annual discretionary programs such as low-income housing assistance. Also of note, the bipartisan “Fiscal Responsibility Act,” H.R. 3746, greenlit the completion of the Mountain Valley pipeline and made various changes to the National Environmental Policy Act. This is likely the first step of a congressional push to continue to reform permitting across the country on energy production projects.

Receive monthly Advocacy Connections directly by becoming part of the ELCA Advocacy network – http://elca.org/advocacy/signup , and learn more from elca.org/advocacy .

Issue 88 of Administration Matters

Protect your church’s operating reserve

A well-designed contingency plan for a congregation maintains an operating reserve to cover the church’s expenses for at least four months should it experience difficulties and its income be drastically reduced. >More

Know when to retain or discard synod or congregational records

Congregations and synods must know which records and information they should keep and which can be removed. Some records need to be maintained permanently; others can be discarded periodically. >More for Synods. >More for Congregations.

Church building redesigned with MIF loan

Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester, Minn., had a “strong desire to redesign its space to be welcoming, leaning into downtown,” recalls the congregation’s directing pastor, the Rev. Rob Zahn. The Mission Investment Fund, a financial ministry of the ELCA, provided a loan for a redesigned sanctuary — with a stunning new cross and baptismal font — that is flexible enough to serve multiple purposes. New office space supports the work of several ministry partners operating in Rochester.

Why feedback matters

Critique, one might say, is critical to growth, particularly for those in ministry. “Critique is a key component of our staff culture,” writes one pastor on the Lifeway Research website. When you ask for feedback, you show that you are not only teachable and open to improvement but also humble, something Colossians 3:12 encourages us to be.

Portico Benefit Services recognizes the importance of active listening. Its new feedback platform, Portico Voices, was created to gather feedback from plan members and sponsoring employers so that it might improve its products and services. If you receive an email inviting you to join UserTesting.com, and become part of the Portico Voices community, please consider signing up!

Five ways to keep your building secure

Every organization would like to believe its facility is safe from crime, but plenty of details can get overlooked when you develop a security plan for your building. There are many elements to crime prevention, but we have developed a list of steps to keep your building secure. >More

10 points to cover in volunteer orientation

The beauty of a church community is the abundance of committed people with a passion for helping the church achieve its vision and mission. Volunteers drive the church by donating the hours required to ensure that everything gets done. Many people use the volunteer experience to get to know other church community members. Creating a well-run program ensures a great experience for those volunteers, and a structured orientation process prepares them for their new responsibilities. >More

By David Atkinson

For those closely following immigration issues and debates, every day can seem to be a bad news day. The diatribes by anti-immigration officials and commentators become numbing with their angry repetition. But the ingrained perspectives of the voting public can be even more troubling.

We now enter the season when many organizations, on the far ends and in the middle of the political spectrum, are conducting polling to test 2024 themes and discover what might most motivate large blocs of voters. Some of these surveys square with preconceived notions or confirm what we largely suspect. Yet, there is always the prospect of a finding or two that stand out from conventional thinking or feed into our hopes for a turn for the better.

Such is not the case with this recent example, unfortunately. A new YouGov poll, part of a study by the Center for Working-Class Politics, takes a look at how Democrats are connecting with working-class people and where the president connects or misfires. Without doubt, this is an evaluation from the progressive side of the political landscape.

Here is the key painful finding: “The single most effective message in the poll was a vow to ‘protect the border’; decriminalization of the border was very unpopular.” Ouch. Reading that seems like the slap in the face from the old Skin Bracer ads, except there is nothing refreshing about it. The accepted terminology is heavily skewed. There is a border wall for considerable stretches of territory. That comes with checkpoints, surveillance, and enforcement by vehicle and horseback. To say that the border is wide open is a statement of partisan malice. To hope for a border that is fully secure is to yearn for something that never was and never will be. Just look how people have found ways to get through and over the former president’s big and beautiful wall.

When we look at the many ways large and small the so-called immigration system penalizes border crossers, the notion that there is something called decriminalization afoot is gross misrepresentation. Declining to forcibly separate families is hardly the equivalent of rolling out the welcome wagon for one and all. No ceasefire has been called on deportations.

How do advocates hope to bring about more humane immigration laws and policies when strident immigration opposition is a sure-fire applause line and vote-getter? The efforts by advocacy groups such as ELCA, LIRS, and LAMPa to remind everyone what the Bible, especially the gospels, has to say about how to receive and treat the other lays a firm foundation. But opponents are expert at cherry picking or distorting verses to justify their policies. Remember how southern preachers two centuries ago were somehow able to divine biblical sanction for slavery?

It is always a herculean effort to get the attention of those who do not care about seeing beyond rhetoric or doing the difficult work of sorting fact from fiction. And leadership that builds careers on habitually shortchanging the basic needs of citizens on subjects ranging from food security to health care to education is not going to be suddenly sympathetic to the woes of refugees, whether legal or illegal.

That is why it is so important for people of faith to support immigration advocacy, not just with hearts and minds, but with hands and wallets. To keep abreast of issues, to document discrimination, to support a growing array of resettlement services, to connect individuals and families with vital assistance of legal, language, and living needs, to give tolerance a place in the policy marketplace, these things require a great deal of resource. Striving to do that which is right and righteous is the charge we hear every time we read the Bible and reflect on its meaning.

This week, four leaders from across the United States joined ELCA World Hunger and the Lutheran Office for World Community in New York City as delegates of the Lutheran World Federation at the 2023 United Nations High-Level Political Forum. The forum was an opportunity for UN member states, agencies and organizations to share updates on progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. As our delegation learned, progress against the goals has been slow and, in some cases, has reversed. The delegation, representing the 149 member churches of the Lutheran World Federation, including the ELCA, was able to hear from leaders around the world, meet other advocates, connect with staff from the ELCA’s advocacy office in Washington, DC, listen to stories of changes and challenges, and consider together how each of us can be part of the work toward the Sustainable Development Goals in our communities.

Below is a reflection from one of the delegates, Kitty Oppliger, from southeast Michigan.

I am writing from New York City, my first time to the city, and much less to the UN. Each moment I remain in awe of the humanity, consequence and potential that surrounds me, both inside and outside of the conference rooms. I am honored to have been given this opportunity alongside my patient and gracious hosts/colleagues from the ELCA and the Lutheran World Federation- and quite honestly every moment I question why I was asked to attend such an important event. Nevertheless, God has placed me here, and I know I can best serve God’s will by being present, aware and authentic.

Each day has been full of challenges and beauty, conversation and contemplation, tears and laughter. The moments of reflection that have been built into our schedule are valuable times to integrate the vast volumes of information coming at us. Devotion and prayer allow me to stay focused on the One who brought me here and is sustaining me throughout. I am learning so much, but centering God above all keeps me from plunging into the depths of overwhelm and fatigue.

Delegates wait for the Food and Agriculture Organization to launch the annual State of Food Security Report

Looking ahead, we have work to do. We have connections to make, voices to uplift, harms to heal, attitudes to align. This can seem an insurmountable task. During one of our devotions, our group reflected upon the feeling of smallness and inadequacy facing the challenges raised during the daily sessions. Even so, I am heartened by the enthusiasm and passion shared by so many here at this year’s High-Level Political Forum. Civil society participants of many ages, genders, nationalities and backgrounds demonstrate the diversity of groups committed to ensuring a future in which the Sustainable Development Goals may one day be realized. We must boldly challenge the status quo and demand that governments put aside corporate and political interests in the interest of serving the achieving a just and equitable world. We cannot stand by in silence as those in power continue to disenfranchise those without.

Our small cohort here in NYC is returning home to far-flung environments, in Hawai’i, Michigan, Ohio and Georgia. A repeated sentiment throughout the week has been the importance of community-based, “contextually intelligent” (credit to Calla Gilson for this term) action: giving those affected by national policy and international changes a chance to voice their concerns and be truly heard. I know that my ears have been opened and my heart left raw. They will remain primed for hearing the stories and voices of the most vulnerable in my own community. My prayer is that we will all seek to see Christ in all our neighbors, that we will strive to walk along this difficult road together, led by our Creator.

Kitty Oppliger, MPH

Following are updates shared from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices (sppos) in the ELCA Advocacy Network this month. Full list and map of sppos available.

Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC), United Nations, New York, N.Y. – ELCA.org/lowc

Christine Mangale, Director

The Lutheran Office for World Community(LOWC) hosted a delegation of Lutherans as they engaged in the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent (UNPFPAD) in its second session at the United Nations. This year the PFPAD was held at the UN Head Quarters in New York City from Monday, May 29th through Friday, June 2nd. A delegation of ELCA staff attended these meetings. LOWC co-sponsored a side-event with the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) entitled: “Confronting Anti-Blackness in Global Migration.
LOWC Director Christine Mangale attended and supported pre-Assembly meetings of the Lutheran World Federation in the Africa Region. She also met with the General Secretaries of the National Council of Churches of Kenya, Religions for Peace, and the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa.
LOWC Staff supported the official Bishop visit to Norway offering a presentation of our joint and delineated advocacy portfolios as the ELCA/LWF and in partnership with NCA and the Church of Norway (namely the Women’s Human Rights Advocacy Training). These meetings have already led to several planning conversations for further collaboration at the UN.

California

Lutheran Office of Public Policy – California (LOPP-CA) – lutheranpublicpolicyca.org

Regina Banks, Director

The 4th annual Lutheran Lobby Day was a resounding success! 60 people gathered in Sacramento to advocate around the priority bills to over 30 legislative offices. Lobby Day also included a keynote address from Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda of Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and Advocacy 101. Thank you to everyone who attended or participated in some way, and we’re looking forward to Lobby Day 2024. Thank you especially to Bishop Brenda Bos and the Southwest California Synod for underwriting costs of Lobby Day!

Three of the four priority bills from Lobby Day, SB 4 (Wiener), AB 249 (Holden), and AB 660 (Irwin), made it out of their houses of origin and will move forward in the legislature this summer.

Colorado

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Colorado (LAM-CO) – lam-co.org

Peter Severson, Director

RMS Assembly participants visit the future home of Abara, a borderlands education organization, next to the border wall in El Paso.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN SYNOD ASSEMBLY: This year’s RMS Assembly took place in El Paso, Texas, May 15-18. At this year’s Assembly, Bishop Jim Gonia pledged that voting members would be invited to participate in a coordinated advocacy action to build on their experience at the border. We are currently crafting the details of that action with our synod’s advocacy staff in Colorado, New Mexico and the Washington D.C. office. All people in the synod are invited to take part, not just voting members at synod assembly, so stay tuned!

JUNETEENTH & SLAVERY ABOLITION: The End Slavery Colorado coalition was tabling & engaging community members during Juneteenth weekend celebrations in Denver (Five Points) and Colorado Springs. We also supported a panel discussion, hosted by Together Colorado and End Slavery Colorado on Monday, June 19th, to learn more about “orange collar” (incarcerated) labor. The event took place at Shorter AME Church in Denver and featured academic, political, and other community leaders.

Minnesota

Lutheran Advocacy – Minnesota (LA-MN) – lutheranadvocacymn.org

Tammy Walhof, Director

End of Legislative Session: I’m not sure there has ever been a year quite like this one. Usually, we’re playing defense on several issues to prevent cuts, while proactively working on some broad items that can take years to get passed adequately. This year everything was happening at once, including new items related to our issues that came out of nowhere.

Clean Energy: Following rapid passage in 2023 of a new Clean Energy Standard on which LA-MN worked for many years, our focus shifted. Concerted advocacy efforts with partners played meaningful roles in creating a State Competitiveness Fund ($190 million) for federal program matches, and final spending bill inclusion of state emission goal updates and a new Minnesota Climate Innovation Finance Authority for clean energy economy energy transition ($45 million).

Affordable Housing: LA-MN worked closely with Settled and Joint Religious Legislative Coalition (JRLC) to pass Sacred Tiny Home Community legislation, changing zoning laws to allow faith-community hosting for people who have experienced chronic homelessness and “Good Neighbor” volunteers. Other Homes for All (H4A) agenda items over several years passed, including rental/eviction reforms. With other H4A partners, we helped generate broad statewide grassroots support for significant housing investments – budget passage included more than $1 billion (much 1x spending from the surplus) for new housing construction, rehabilitation, and preservation; rental assistance; down-payment assistance for new low-income or BIPOC homebuyers; and $100 million for homeless shelter creation.

*Find our 2023 agenda and long Legislative Summary here (Can you sense the magnitude of this year’s accomplishments?).

Pennsylvania

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry – Pennsylvania (LAMPa) lutheranadvocacypa.org

Tracey DePasquale, Director

It’s the busiest season of the year for Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania(LAMPa), with seven synod assemblies and a state budget deadline looming.

LAMPa Director Tracey DePasquale has been accompanying partners on legislative visits on budget priorities, including hunger and housing, in addition to work on climate policy, environmental justice and measures to address hate crimes and end LGBTQ+ discrimination. LAMPa advocates are contacting lawmakers to share the dramatic increase in need that our ministries are witnessing, urging substantial increases in the state’s support for anti-hunger programs as well as passage of bipartisan legislation to lift the funding cap on the state’s housing trust fund.

DePasquale also attended the inaugural meeting of the first statewide Food Policy Council, whose creation LAMPa and partners in the Pennsylvania Hunger Action Coalition had long advocated. Learn more.

Staff or policy council members continued to represent LAMPa at synod assemblies.

In addition, DePasquale attended a colloquium with World Resources Institute at Georgetown University regarding science-based targets for faith-based organizations on behalf of the ELCA’s sustainability initiative.

LAMPa has positions available for a full-time communications and advocacy engagement manager as well as a 2023-24 Hunger Advocacy Fellow.

Washington

Faith Action Network (FAN) – fanwa.org

Elise DeGooyer, Director

We enjoyed two Spring Summits this month, with people from across the state joining online plus a room of advocates in person in Southwest Washington, to hear Faith Action Network (FAN) updates and connect across issues and regions in small groups. We are grateful to the 90 FAN advocates who joined our summits in May and June to engage with the issues that motivate us to take action. Their input and priorities will help inform our planning for the year ahead.

This Pride month, FAN marched and celebrated with other faith communities to share a message of love and belonging. In response to the current narrative spreading division and hate in some of our communities, we encourage everyone in our network and beyond to use this important Protecting Pride guide, recently released by the Western States Center, when planning or participating in Pride activities.

FAN was also on site, supporting several Juneteenth that happened in June. FAN was honored to co-sponsor, alongside community partners, an incredible musical celebration of Juneteenth in Seattle, called Songs of Black Folk 2023: Music of Resistance & Hope. You can watch last year’s inspiring performance here as well as learn about this year’s event.
In Pride Month we give thanks for so many affirming faith communities who offer welcome to the LGBTQIA+ community,
even when their property has been attacked, like Edmonds Lutheran Church readerboard this month.

Wisconsin

Lutheran Office for Public Policy – Wisconsin (LOPPW) loppw.org

The Rev. Cindy Crane, Director

LOPPW Sharing a table with ELCA World Hunger

Synod assembly season just ended. The Lutheran Office of Public Policy in Wisconsin(LOPPW) had a presence at the Northern Great Lakes Synod(NGLS), East Central Synod of Wisconsin(ECSW), Greater Milwaukee Synod(GMS), and La Crosse Area Synod(LAS) assemblies, but also at South-Central Synod of Wisconsin(SCSW) and Northwest Synod of Wisconsin(NWSW) synod events in throughout the spring.

GMS – Passed a resolution to support Raise the Age (returning 17-year-old youth to the juvenile justice system) and for LOPPW to assist the synod in its advocacy: Resolution-2-Final-Resolution-in-Support-of-the-Raise-the-Age-Wisconsin-Campaign.  Wisconsin is one of three states that automatically defaults 17-year-old youth into the adult justice system.

Raise the Age and Expanding Driver Licenses bills were taken out of the budget, but there is bipartisan interest in re-introducing these items as a separate bills.  

On our interfaith advocacy day and beyond, we asked lawmakers to retain budget items related to PFAS, and if taken out to write separate bills.  We are pleased the State Budget, at this time, has $125 million put aside to combat pollution from so-called forever chemicals.  However, testing for PFAS and funding needed positions were eliminated. Now, there is a separate bill - Senate Bill 312 that includes grants to municipalities for testing and requirements for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). There is a continued bipartisan movement to take PFAS seriously and address the problem.  However, parts of SB312 tie the hands of the DNR so we have not taken a position on the bill in its entirety yet. 

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

Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival

Livestream concerts, recitals, and worship services from LSM 2023.

A complete schedule and links to archive recordings are available at lsmacademy.org/2023.

Music that Makes Community

Music that Makes Community practices communal song-sharing that inspires deep spiritual connection, brave shared leadership, and sparks the possibility of transformation in our world.

We take a deep breath of gratitude for the renewed energy and growing connections Music that Makes Community saw in the first half of 2023. We have facilitated vibrant, in-person workshops in Olympia, Columbus, and Nashville, as well as multi-access offerings in Portland, OR and Minneapolis. We hosted our first Intergenerational Worship Webinar in March, and in early June teams of MMC leaders were present at two biennial conferences focused on faith formation and worship for all ages.

Our late summer and fall offerings are now updated on the website, including a special offering at Holden Village, our annual Advent Worship Planning Webinar, a Three-Day Retreat in Albuquerque, and in-person events in Seattle, the Boston area, and Chicago.

Visit the MMC calendar to learn more and register!

Association of Lutheran Church Musicians

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

ALCM SUMMER 2023 WEBINARS

Register to watch live and receive recordings of past webinars.

Members — $25; Non-Members — $39.

One-day workshops for musicians to learn new skills, share best practices, and build relationships.

Workshops scheduled all across the country. Sign up for upcoming events.

Augsburg Fortress Events and Resources

Augsburg Fortress is an imprint of 1517 Media, the publishing ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Sundays and Seasons:Guide to Worship Planning

Sundays and Seasons supports comprehensive week-by-week planning with content and ideas for liturgy and music, preaching and visuals, shaped by the Revised Common Lectionary, the church year, and the assembly gathered around word and sacrament. The 2024 volume is now available in print.

Augsburg Summer Music Clinics

Lectionary Mosaics

Sale on ELW Gift and Pocket Editions

Luther’s Small Catechism App

Young adults understand that gridlock and partisanship are some of the biggest barriers to progress in our world. One particular area of concern that needs action, and quickly, is the looming climate crisis. Inaction poses grave danger to present and future generations.

Since its founding, the ELCA has used social teaching documents as tools for speaking in and to society, and with each other about society. These teachings result from expansive consensus building processes and intentional conversations with people from many points of view and lived experiences. As we live into our sacred responsibility to care for and keep God’s creation for future generations, ELCA social teaching can strengthen our impact from the inter-personal to communal and global levels.

The young adult focused ELCA Fall Climate Summit is an opportunity for young adults from a range of identities and experiences to gather and deepen their advocacy, storytelling and organizing. Sponsored by the ELCA Service & Justice team, 25 young adults from across the country will gather in Chicago, Illinois from October 20-22, 2023, to engage with ELCA social teaching, centering in the Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice social statement, the new “Earth’s Climate Crisis” social message, and the ongoing work of the Corporate Social Responsibility program, and will build momentum and power to energize further action and impact.

Apply and help identify individuals for this opportunity before the July 26 application deadline!

Who should apply?

At no cost to participants, this summit is focused on U.S.-based young adults between the ages of 18-35 years old. Whether someone has years of climate advocacy practice, or this would be their first time engaging in advocacy, young adults of all levels of experience are encouraged to apply. There will be intentionality throughout the selection process to ensure that participants reflect intersecting social identities. Meeting spaces and lodging will be accessible for wheelchair and cane users.

Individuals who do not come from an ELCA background are invited to apply but should understand that the summit will be focused on ELCA systems, processes and teachings. Non-ELCA-affiliated applicants are encouraged to articulate in their applications why they are drawn to this opportunity.

How to apply

We have one application for all interested individuals.

The application includes questions about who the applicant is, why the Fall Climate Summit would be an enriching opportunity, and how it might inform the future engagement and interests of the participant. No references are requested. Applications are due on Wednesday, July 26 at 11:59pm.

Application link: https://forms.office.com/r/jy3RZUwyZb

By the end of this event participants will:

Gain and practice skills such as power-mapping and demonstration, campaign creation, base building and others.
Deepen understanding of and literacy around ELCA social teaching documents including what they are, how they are created, and how they can be used as a tool for change-making.
Make connections with ELCA faith-based advocacy activity including the ELCA’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program, which uses social teaching to engage with company practices.
Begin creating an action plan for how and where highlighted social teachings can be employed by summit participants in their own communities and brainstorm on priorities for campaigns and climate-related work.
Built stronger relationships and networks with fellow participants and the ELCA.
Make connections available with ELCA-affiliated state public policy offices.

Timeline Overview

July 5 – Application process opens.
July 26 – Application process closes.
August 9 – Decisions communicated to applicants.
August 16 – Participant deadline for acceptance response.
August 24 – Participant roster finalized.
October 20-22 – ELCA Fall Climate Summit

Use announcements available from @ELCAadvocacy socials to share this opportunity with others. Further questions/inquiries can be directed to Kayla Zopfi (kayla.zopfi@elca.org) and Kaari Reierson (kaari.reierson@elca.org).

Join us in welcoming Haemin Lee, the new director of ELCA World Hunger, who will lead the amazing team working with ELCA World Hunger’s domestic and international grants! Welcome, Haemin!

A Greeting from Haemin Lee

Hi, my name is Haemin Lee, and I’m super excited to serve alongside you as Director of World Hunger! I was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. When I was little (probably around three), I came across a pictorial biography of the famous missionary Dr. Albert Schweitzer. His story somehow challenged me so much, and since then, I have always wanted to participate in God’s mission by sharing the love of Jesus Christ in both word and deed.

I completed my B.A. at Yonsei University, which was founded by Horace Underwood, an American Presbyterian missionary. During my college years, I had an opportunity to serve in England and Belgium through a global mission organization. Amid reaching out to Muslim neighbors with Christian friends from all over the world, I felt a strong call to serve God on a global scale. I came to the U.S. in 2002 with a dream to be better prepared to serve – without really knowing anyone in the U.S. and with my entire family back home in South Korea. It was a lonely journey at first, but by the grace of God I met some incredible friends along the way. I earned advanced degrees from Harvard (M.Div.) and Emory (Th.M; Ph.D) with a special focus on Christian Mission, Intercultural Studies and International Development. I was ordained in 2007 as a Presbyterian minister (PCUSA) and have served in various ministry areas, including congregational ministry, hospital chaplaincy and homeless ministry. During this time, God gave me a deep desire to serve the most vulnerable people around the world. This desire ultimately led me to engage in international evangelism and development mission through World Relief, Food for the Hungry International Korea, Presbyterian Mission Agency and Frontier Fellowship. Through these ministries, I traveled to more than 100 different countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America and had the privilege of overseeing numerous mission partnership programs and teaching at Kumi University in Uganda.

I met my amazing wife Nicole in South Africa at a mission conference when she was serving in Tanzania. We got married in her home state of Florida back in 2014 and welcomed a baby daughter, Katie Hayoung (meaning Glory to God in Korea!) in 2019. I like traveling (backpacking adventures!), languages, hiking, playing music and most of all, making new friends while learning about different cultures.

I am very excited to make a collective impact for God’s Mission in our community and the world by collaborating with inspiring colleagues, churches, and community organizations through ELCA! 😊

Blessings, Haemin

No matter where one’s views fall on the spectrum of thoughts about immigration issues, members of our Lutheran faith family should be extraordinarily disturbed by the massive displacement of individuals and families across the globe. Not only are countless lives tragically upended, and the health and welfare of adults, children, and babies put at extreme risk, but they face manifest danger and intense discrimination in seeking the chance for resettlement. Granted, the world is full of troubles that seem immune to ready solutions. Yet, we cannot dismiss these human tragedies from our hearts and minds as too distant or too complicated for our concern and compassion.

A frequent question is: What can I/we do? A good answer is to go back to the basics – the power of prayer. Commendably, Church World Services, an increasing presence in our region, has developed a Worship Guide for reflecting and praying for the tens of millions displaced persons. The ELCA has taken on a role in circulating it.

The guide begins with applicable Bible verses, offers sermon starters, a variety of prayers, a litany prayer, prayer points for personal use, responsive prayer, hymn suggestions, and reflections, which involves a refugee simulation exercise. The old saw about putting oneself in the shoes of another has not lost its relevance. The meaning has increased in this age of bombast and belligerence. This guide is incredibly directed and utile. It is worth taking a look at and considering making a part of devotions.

In our Tree of Life congregation, concerns in other parts of the world are always incorporated into the prayers of the church during worship services. As with many parts of the worship service, we can fall into the trap of hearing the familiar but not really listening. When the significance is brought to our notice afresh, it hopefully causes us to think, and perhaps to respond.

By informing our minds and softening our hearts, prayers for refugees remove the issue of displacement from the hard world of partisan political discourse and bring it back to scriptural context. We can view the crisis through the lens of our religious beliefs, rather than our political associations. That plants the seeds for meaningful response, be it advocacy, volunteering, or contributing financially or materially.

The more deeply we become informed on immigration issues, the greater our appreciation for the dedicated organizations who are doing everything within the realm of possibility to welcome those who manage to find their way to America’s doorstep. The realization sinks in that there are many ways in which we can contribute constructively and live out the precepts of faith and stewardship. This is the often not so apparent blessing – the chance to bear witness – for which we should be grateful daily. We often think of prayer in terms of prayer requests, but here prayer can be a motivator for caring and giving. Will we prayerfully accept the challenge of going forth?

Music that Makes Community

Music that Makes Community practices communal song-sharing that inspires deep spiritual connection, brave shared leadership, and sparks the possibility of transformation in our world.

We conclude the first half of the year with a One-Day Workshop at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh on Saturday, June 24! Share an enlivening day of singing and learning, and bring new songs and skills back to your community. While we don’t have workshops scheduled over the summer, you’ll find MMC leaders at conferences and gatherings around the country, including the ALCM Biennial Conference, Lutheran Summer Music, and Holden Village, among others. Visit our website to register for fall offerings or to find additional resources and songs.

Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival

LSM 2023 is less than three weeks away! As we countdown the days to welcoming this year’s class to campus, LSM promises to be an exciting four weeks of events, concerts, and worship services. All events are free and open to the public: join us on campus or via livestream.

And recently announced, Artistic Residency & Public Concert with Apollo’s Fire. Musicians from the award-winning Apollo’s Fire ensemble will join the LSM community from June 30-July 2 to work with students and present a public concert on Saturday, July 1 at 7:30pm. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity! Apollo’s Fire is a GRAMMY-winning period-instrument orchestra dedicated to the baroque ideal that music should evoke the various Affekts or passions in its listeners. Apollo’s Fire brings to life the music of the past for audiences of today. This residency is underwritten by the Bach Institute at Valparaiso University.

Association of Lutheran Church Musicians

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

Register for Virtual Conference access! All are welcome!

Resources from the Center for Church Music

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

This month it highlights the centenary of Richard W. Hillert (1923-2010), a liturgical composer who served as music editor for Lutheran Book of Worship and whose legacy continues in Evangelical Lutheran Worship, the music for Holy Communion: Setting 3 and parts of Setting 5, and the hymn “Alleluia! Voices Raise” (ELW 828). The feature includes “Profiles in American Lutheran Church Music” video interviews with prominent ELCA church musicians, including Lorraine Brugh (interviewed by Anne Krentz Organ), Robert Buckley Farlee (interviewed by Zeb Highben), and the sainted Scott Weidler (interviewed by the Rev. Jerry Spice).

Journey to Baptismal Living

Journey to Baptismal Living is an ecumenical community of Christians seeking to support formation in discipleship by exploring the meaning of baptismal identity, faith, and mission. The leadership offers training programs and events to develop skills and resources for baptismal preparation and for deepening faith in baptismal living.

How do you meet a seeker where they are? What do they know and what do they need to know? How do you find out their history, discern their questions, and begin to accompany them on their journey with Jesus? JBL can help you make the successful next steps when approached by a seeker.

Our next JBL community chat, Monday, June 26 at 7 PM (central time), will focus on how to lead a productive initial conversation with a seeker. Julia Acuna, a member of the catechumenate team at Trinity Cathedral in Sacramento, will role-play such a conversation with a recent seeker. You don’t want to miss this! The basis for the conversation will be a section from JBL’s new Ecumenical Guide for Accompanying Any Seeker, available soon on our website.

Please register by Friday, June 23, 8 PM (central time). Thank you.

Augsburg Fortress Events and Resources

Augsburg Fortress is an imprint of 1517 Media, the publishing ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Lutheran Mosaics: Three Readings Juxtaposed for Reflection and Proclamation

Lectionary Mosaics began as reflections made available for those not able to gather in their worshiping assemblies during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet its wisdom extends into our current time and beyond. Holding together all three readings of the Revised Common Lectionary for each Sunday and festival, these brief mosaic paragraphs invite you to faith in the triune God, love of neighbor, and care for our earthly home.

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