For a long time, no one in Tulsa’s white or black communities talked about the massacre that destroyed the Greenwood district in May 1921. Those who were there remembered.  A few kept the memory alive.  But most simply chose to forget. Shrouded in silence for decades, it lay there in the heart of the city, eating away at it like a cancer.

 

History — especially difficult, painful history — needs to be remembered. It needs to be talked about, studied, examined and explored. Not to make people feel guilty or ashamed, but to be honest, forthright and aware of how history has shaped who we are and what we are about. A sanitized history only drives the painful stuff underground, where it eats us up and slowly destroys the fabric of society. Besides, a history with no pain, suffering or struggle is a lie.

 

I have always appreciated how honest the Hebrew Scriptures are about the painful history of the people of God. If you have any doubt about that, just read the prophetic writings. Why did God’s people preserve those difficult, painful indictments of their own greed, idolatry, disobedience to God’s commands and mistreatment of the poor and powerless? Because God’s people knew that, forgetting, they might turn their backs on God again, and they knew the results of doing that were disastrous.

 

Today, Tulsans remember. A year ago, we marked the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre with much fanfare and national attention. This year we will remember again. And we need to. The destruction of Greenwood still shapes this city. The systemic racism that led to the massacre persists. The work of reconciliation is ongoing. The debate over reparations for those who lost land and homes and lives continues, even though it has continued for far too long.

 

We need to remember. The Tulsa massacre may have been the worst racial violence of the early 20th century, yet massacres, lynchings and riots took place in communities across this country. In 1919 a massacre similar to Tulsa’s took place in Elaine, Ark. At the same time, not far from Tulsa, Osage people were being murdered so that whites might take their land. Today, racial violence continues to plague our nation, as we recently witnessed in Buffalo, NY.

Like the people who preserved the prophets’ writings, we also need to remember the churchs’ role in this difficult, painful and bloody history. Here in Tulsa, on the Sunday after the massacre, the black community was blamed for the death and destruction from pulpits across the city, including in our Lutheran congregation.

 

Across our church, we need to continue our work for racial justice. We need to study, with honesty and forthrightness, who we are and where we come from. We need to learn from the past and make the changes necessary to become the inclusive, grace-centered communities we aspire to be, where all people — no exceptions — can experience and live in the steadfast love of God that is ours in Jesus Christ.

 

To learn more about the Tulsa Race Massacre, visit:

 

John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation

www.jhfcenter.org/

 

Tulsa Historical Society and Museum

www.tulsahistory.org/exhibit/1921-tulsa-race-massacre/

 

History Channel: Tulsa Race Massacre

www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/tulsa-race-massacre

 

BIO: Michael Girlinghouse has been bishop of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod since 2011. Prior to becoming bishop, he served as a campus pastor at three universities and as a parish pastor. A devotional writer, he is author of Embracing God’s Future Without Forgetting the Past (Fortress Press, 2019). Bishop Mike graduated from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, has one adult daughter and lives in Tulsa, Okla., with his wife and their two dogs.

 

 

 

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

Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: May/June 2022

HOUSING FIRST SIGN-ON OPPORTUNITY  |  OP-ED ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM  |  INTERNATIONAL POLICY DEVELOPMENTS  |  FEDERAL INDIAN BOARDING SCHOOL REPORT  |  UKRAINE AND AFGHAN MIGRANT UPDATES  |  BUFFALO MASS SHOOTING

---

The May/June issue of ELCA Advocacy Connections was prepared for distribution on May 25, 2022. While these brief updates on activity in which our ELCA Witness in Society federal staff is engaged are never an expansion of national news or a complete picture, today especially we are aware they don’t touch our corporate reflections, including on the horror of the shooting in Uvalde, Tex. and on observance of the second anniversary of the death of George Floyd. In our advocacy we continue to seek meaningful opportunities to support policies that increase gun safety. Federally at this moment, we anticipate an Executive Order today from President Biden to increase accountability and transparency in policing. The ELCA introduced in 2019 a 60-Day Journey Toward Justice in a Culture of Gun Violence which provides some resources for our prayer and action. In our work and ministry, and our individual discipled lives, may we turn to our Lord for comfort, guidance and strength, and steadfastly do all we can personally and publicly.

---

 

HOUSING FIRST SIGN-ON OPPORTUNITY:  Congregations and other ministries are invited to add their names by May 30 to a letter to Congress in support of the Housing First model. The letter (read in full) was organized with the National Low Income Housing Coalition (in which the ELCA is a member), and the ELCA has joined the interfaith and religious service provider letter to Congress in support of the Housing First model and opposition to policy changes that would undermine its use.

Despite a lack of investment in housing resources in recent years, the innovative uses of Housing First as an approach to homelessness have demonstrated a high statistical success rate nationally. The letter to lawmakers comes as rates of homelessness have remained nearly level – even as staggering housing costs, the pandemic, and other factors would otherwise suggest a large surge in displacement.

If your ministry or congregation wants to sign before the May 30 deadline, the signature form for the letter is found at https://forms.office.com/r/Nx8VFqk8Hb

 

OP-ED ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM:  Working together, Deacon Nick Bates of Hunger Ohio and ELCA federal advocacy staff crafted and pitched a piece to a Cleveland news source reflecting on policy before Congress and compassionate criminal justice. Each of us reading ELCA Advocacy Connections can make our voices heard, together representing a strong network of prayerful, concerned citizens living out our baptism in discipled lives.

“As a Christian, I know that justice means recognizing the human capacity for growth and redemption. And as a leader in the [ELCA], I believe that human dignity is God’s gift to every person. That’s why I urge U.S. Sens. Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown to support the package of sentencing reform bills currently pending in Congress,” Deacon Bates wrote. Find locations in the ELCA-affiliated state public policy office network here. Read his full opinion piece, “As a Christian, I believe in compassionate criminal justice. Ohio’s senators should, too,” from Cleveland.com. Interested in writing your own on a policy issue that concerns you in which you have experience? Use the resource “Writing a Letter to the Editor” or the video “How Do I Use Media for Impact?” for pointers.

 

INTERNATIONAL POLICY DEVELOPMENTS:  The House of Representatives passed two bills that ELCA advocacy staff has been working on: the Global Malnutrition Prevention Act and the Burma Act of 2021. Thank you for your Lutheran voices of support. Advocacy attention now shifts to the Senate side to push for passage there.

In Yemen, the Saudi-led coalition and Iran-backed Houthi rebels agreed to a two-month truce, agreeing to halt all military operations in Yemen and across its borders. Advocacy will continue in urging the U.S. government to stop supplying weapons, spare parts, maintenance services and logistical support to Saudi Arabia.

 

FEDERAL INDIAN BOARDING SCHOOL REPORT:  The Department of the Interior released an investigative report (5/11/22) laying the groundwork to address the trauma and legacy of federal Indian boarding school policies. The ELCA is committed to understanding the Church’s role and supporting healing for survivors, and an advocacy opportunity will soon be posted in our Action Center.

The experience of the ELCA, and of members and siblings among Indigenous people of North America, is not separate from this federal study. For example, in the ELCA Saint Paul Area Synod, the Advocates for Racial Equity (ARE) group held discussions about the Saint Paul Industrial School which operated at one time as an Indian Boarding School in Clontarf, Minn. Their March 24 dialogue was a chance to look closer into what led this small town to build and operate such a program and examine the ongoing impact of Indian Boarding Schools, including “ways in which suppression keeps us from rumbling with our past.”

 

UKRAINE AND AFGHAN MIGRANT UPDATES:  The President shared his $33 billion request for more security and economic assistance for Ukraine, including the “Uniting for Ukraine” initiative. Notably, the request also includes an Afghan Adjustment Act. Attention now turns to Congress for passage.

As of April, there were over 7.7 million displaced people in Ukraine. The “Uniting for Ukraine” initiative seeks to streamline the process for Ukrainians abroad to come to the United States via a specialized parole program that lasts up to two years (more information on the Department of Homeland Security website). Ukrainians should seek information first before making travel arrangements.

Additionally, the next few weeks are especially critical for advocates to make their voices heard to pass an Afghan Adjustment Act. Use the ELCA Action Center to add your voice through a customizable Action Alert.

Of additional migration impact, a federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction to block the Biden administration from ending the mass expulsions of migrants under the Title 42 pandemic-era rule. “Migrants, advocates in the faith community and public health experts have exhaustively argued that restoring asylum and protecting public health can be done together,” writes Giovana Oaxaca, ELCA program director for migration in an ELCA Advocacy Blog post on Title 42. Our advocacy continues to pursue fair safe, and humane asylum policy in the United States.

 

BUFFALO MASS SHOOTING:  Advocacy continues to be part of our response to grief and anger again unveiled after the killing of 10 people in a racially motivated mass shooting at a Buffalo grocery store on May 14. As legislative responses surface in Congress, ELCA staff will make available outlets for our voices in the process.

“Churches have a foundational role in eradicating racism and white supremacy in society. We must take real and lasting action now—through education, relationship-building with Historic Black Churches, ongoing anti-racism education, advocacy, and self-reflection,” wrote the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, ELCA presiding bishop, in a statement (5/19/22).

The bishop of the ELCA Upstate New York Synod wrote, “Let us be of one mind. We in the Upstate New York Synod and in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America reject racism and a white-supremacy worldview and mindset. We renounce the ways scripture has been used to support genocide, enslavement of people, oppression, and mass incarceration. We acknowledge, lament, and repent in the ways we have been complicit in a white dominate culture which supports competitive individualism, binary ways of problem solving, seeking comfort over reparations, and centering power within, thereby marginalizing the experience, voice, and thoughts of others.” Bishop Lee Miller II’s letter can be read in full here.

 

---

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 .

 

On May 2-5, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, National VOAD, held its annual conference in Baltimore, MD. Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) is a National VOAD member and has been a strong player in the VOAD movement.

National VOAD is a coalition of community-based, faith-based and nonprofit disaster response organizations throughout the United States. Its purpose is to serve as a forum in which organizations can coordinate responses. In addition to the more than 70 national member organizations, there are also VOADs at the state and local levels.

The National VOAD Conference consists of various plenary sessions, interactive workshops, networking opportunities, meals and vendor exhibitions. Due to the pandemic, 2022 was the first year since 2019 that the conference took place in-person and it brought together over 700 participants. On May 4, LDR hosted a dinner to create a space for LDR partners to connect. This year, 19 people representing 13 LDR network partners were present. At the VOAD National Conference Annual Award Dinner, a number of LDR network members were recognized for their work in disaster response:

 

Innovative Program of the Year – Miami Valley (Ohio) Long-Term Recovery Operations Group Tornado Survivor Pathway to Home Ownership

 

The Innovative Program of the Year is awarded to a local, regional, state or territory VOAD or a VOAD member organization for exceptional innovation or ingenuity through the development and implementation of a program or project that has:

1. Provided a long‐term solution to a specific community’s problem utilizing one of the Four C’s of National VOAD (collaboration, cooperation, communication, coordination); or
2. Created a unique project or program that filled a gap or unmet need in a community in preparing for, responding to, and/or recovering from disasters that positively impacted the lives of victims and could be replicated as a model for other communities.

 

This program helps families who lost their homes during the Miami Valley tornadoes in May 2019. The Pathways Program builds homes on donated property and renters are given the opportunity to learn how to prepare a mortgage and buy the new homes at market rates, benefiting both the new homeowners and the community. The proceeds are then used to fund the building of the next home. LDR is supporting this program through a grant to County Corp, one of the partners in the project.

 

State/Territory VOAD of the Year – Pennsylvania VOAD

This award is presented to one of the State/Territorial VOADs that, in the past year, has:

1. Demonstrated the promotion of optimal effectiveness of voluntary organizations in preparing for, responding to, and/or recovering from disasters;
2. Increased the growth and strength of the VOAD Movement in their State or Territory; and
3. Made extraordinary progress in advancing one or more of the Core Four C’s of the VOAD movement.

 

Pennsylvania Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (PA VOAD) received the National VOAD State/Territory VOAD of the Year Award. Julia Menzo, PA VOAD Vice President, LDR-PA Coordinator, and LDR Eastern Region Facilitator accepted the award along with a team of PA VOAD partners. Starting in 2017 the PA VOAD members worked effectively to support Americans who were forced to evacuate Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. PA VOAD has also assisted with the resettlement of Afghan evacuees and are now preparing to assist refugees from Ukraine who have been displaced due to the war. PA VOAD members are also responding to Hurricane Isaias and Hurricane Ida, along with several other low-attention, undeclared disasters.

One such response is in Eastwick, PA. A predominantly Black community. It has faced major flooding over the years, most recently from Tropical Storm Isaias, with little government support to address the underlying issues that make the area so vulnerable to flood damage. LDR-PA is currently working in the community to address unmet needs and advocate for help from the city of Philadelphia. A story about the Eastwick response can be found on p. 10 of the Fall 2021 issue of LifeLines.

Julia’s leadership and willingness to work alongside others has strengthened the PA VOAD, including LDR’s ability to reach underserved communities. Julia and the PA VOAD have walked alongside these community leaders as they recover after a disaster and become better prepared for future events.

 

Spirit Award – Jean Peercy, LDR

The Spirit Award is presented annually to an individual, typically a paid staff member, who, in the past year, exhibited outstanding commitment to service, the Four C’s and the VOAD Movement and has:

 

1. Exemplified the core purpose of the VOAD Movement by promoting and practicing National VOAD’s core principles of Cooperation, Communication, Coordination, and Collaboration; and/or,
2. Facilitated increased support of the VOAD movement by developing and maintaining partnerships between voluntary organizations; and/or,
3. Embodied the passion, dedication, and professionalism of the VOAD Movement.

 

Jean Peercy is one of the longest tenured and most experienced LDR representatives in the United States and has served disaster-impacted communities in nearly every state and multiple U.S. territories. She has also served in leadership roles in various National VOAD committees, most recently multiple terms as the Chair of the Long-Term Recovery Group Committee. Jean facilitates trainings on topics ranging from muck and gut of disaster damaged dwellings to volunteer management, construction coordination and long-term recovery group development. With her spouse, Dale, “the Peercys” as they are affectionately known, have earned a reputation of being strong and willing support for communities and VOAD partners across the country.

About this award, Jean said “To receive the VOAD Spirit Award is very humbling, especially considering the individuals and agencies that I work with that are involved in the VOAD movement illustrating that spirit every day in their service to others.”

 

National VOAD Member of the Year – Church World Service

The National VOAD Member of the Year is awarded to one of the National Member Agencies that, in the past year:

1. Exemplified the core purpose of the VOAD movement, which is to promote Cooperation, Communication, Coordination and Collaboration among voluntary organizations active in disasters within the United States and its territories, and practiced those values;
2. Facilitated relationships between voluntary organizations and other public and private entities engaged in all phases of disaster planning, response, recovery and mitigation; and
3. Demonstrated extraordinary support for the mission, goals, and activities of National VOAD.

 

Church World Service is a longtime partner of LDR. Currently, LDR is supporting CWS’ response in western Kentucky. As written in a CWS press release, “When Afghanistan fell to the Taliban last August, CWS was one of the core agencies that helped thousands of Afghans start new lives in the United States. CWS’ VOAD partners mobilized to support and welcome these new arrivals. A few months later, CWS was one of the National VOAD members responding to the deadly tornadoes in Kentucky. The CWS response continues to assist unaccompanied migrant children who were living with families in the Mayfield area through support from local, trusted community service groups. CWS facilitated immediate support for their food, rent, utilities and home repairs and continues to provide long-term financial assistance to impacted immigrant households through the recovery stage.”

 

These awards demonstrate the scope and depth of disaster response work associated with LDR. Yet, this is only a fraction of where LDR is active within the United States. In 2021, LDR was present in 17 states and territories with a range of projects from preparedness and resilience to immediate relief and long-term recovery. We are grateful for the work of our partners and will continue to accompany them through all phases of disaster response.

 

 

 

 

 

Alyssa Kaplan, Baltimore, MD

Warm-up Questions

• What does the word “unity’’mean to you?
• Can you think of a time when you and a larger group of people felt ‘”unified” ?
• What was that like? Were the people with whom you felt “unified”  like you? How or how not?

Unity Not Uniformity

Sophie Beren describes herself as a “unifier.” She says, “I want to make the world feel smaller by bringing people together, and I want every person to understand the power of human

connection through conversation.” As the only Jewish student at her school in Wichita, Kansas, Sophie grew up often feeling misunderstood and on the outside of dominant culture . When she moved to Philadelphia for college and was surrounded by people who were culturally, politically, and religiously very similar to her, she found herself yearning for the diversity of life and experience that she grew up with in Kansas, even though it was at times uncomfortable. 

In 2019, Sophie founded a non-profit called ‘The Conversationalist,” a platform created for and by Gen Z-ers committed to unifying the world one conversation at a time. The Conversationalist aims to empower Gen Z-ers to break out of their echo chambers, have difficult conversations, and unify across differences—working to heal the polarized world this generation has inherited. 

She feels that opening space for safe and brave conversation, especially among folks whose identities, understandings and beliefs differ, can repair division and lessen the hatred in our world. 

Discussion Questions

• What is an “echo chamber”?
• Do most of your family and close friends believe the same or similar things about important topics?
• What are some of the challenges which might come up in Sophie’s work?
• Sophie talks about unity, not uniformity. What are at the differences  between those words? Can you feel unified to people who believe different or even opposite things from you?
• What  ground rules or expectations would you put in place if you were in Sophie’s role, facilitating hard conversations across differences?

Seventh Sunday of Easter

Acts 16:16-34

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21

John 17:20-26

(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 C at Lectionary Readings.)

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

Gospel Reflection

Our Gospel text for this week comes from the end of a long conversation Jesus has with his disciples on the last night he spends with them before his trial and crucifixion. Jesus gathers them around a table, washes their feet, gives them a new commandment to love one another as he has loved them, and discusses at length his pending departure from them. Judas has left the dinner table, to turn Jesus over to the Roman imperial elites. Jesus tells Peter that even in spite his most earnest efforts, he will still fall short and deny even knowing Jesus three times. After all of this (four full chapters in the Gospel of John!), Jesus prays. He prays out loud for his disciples–the same ones who are in the room with him. He even prays for Peter who denies him. And, I think, he prays for Judas who betrays him. The very last thing Jesus does before he is arrested and put on trial, is to pray for his disciples in their presence. 

Today’s text is the last portion of this prayer. Jesus has already prayed that God would accompany his disciples and keep them safe. He has prayed that God’s spirit of truth would fill them and make them holy. Next Jesus turns his attention to prayers for unity and oneness. Jesus also broadens the direction of his prayers. He prays not just for the disciples in his presence, but for all those who will come to believe in Jesus through the ministry of his disciples. (spoiler alert–that’s us too!). 

Jesus repeatedly prays that “they may all be one,”  that through the communion of God and Jesus, we all may be one. This oneness is rooted in God’s immense love which goes beyond all time and space. 

Even in that upper room, the reality of this oneness rooted in love is hard to conceptualize. The folks who fill that room are far from perfect, they will mess up some in  pretty significant ways in the days to come, as they struggled to understand and cope with Jesus’ death and resurrection. Yet, knowing all this, Jesus prays for them and, in that moment, Jesus prays for us too. Jesus’ prayer for unity emphasizes that our unique identities and experiences can be brought together, through God’s love, for the sake of our communities and world. The oneness Jesus describes does not erase our differences or force us to uniformity. Rather, Jesus prays that we might be united to more fully demonstrate God’s immense love for all people.  

Discussion Questions

• How do you think the disciples felt as they heard Jesus pray for them?
• What were some the divisions which threatened to undermine the unity of the disciples in their mission?
• How are some of the divisions which threatened the unity of Jesus inner circle similar to those we see in our society today?
• What is the difference between unity and uniformity in a Christian community?

Activity Suggestions

• Sophie Beren started what would become “The Conversationalist” by plopping a couch out on the main lawn of her college and inviting people to chat. What projects can you think of that might invite conversation and help people feel unified with one another? Could you plop a couch out in front of your church’s lawn and invite your neighbors to chat with one another? What would a project like that require?
• Pair up with someone in your class talk for five minutes and together come up with a list of three things you have in common, and three differences.
• Jesus prays for his disciples in front of them and aloud. Sit in a circle and practice this kind of prayer.  Have each person pray aloud for the person to their right until each person has prayed for someone else and has heard themselves prayed for.

Closing Prayer 

Unifying God, help us to find common ground with others. Help us to understand that we can be unified in your love without forcing those different from us to conform to our way of being, thinking, or acting. Help us to stay curious and open to the movement of your Spirit that pulls us into relationships of love and justice, even with those we least expect. Amen.

This blog is an invitation into learning more about the farm bill, farm bill advocacy and ways to get involved. It expands on information in the ELCA World Hunger’s Global Farm Challenge Youth Action Guide’s advocacy page.

 

The farm bill is legislation passed every five years that has a tremendous impact on hunger in the United States and globally. The current farm bill expires in 2023, so the process is ramping up – where the programs covered in the bill are debated, refreshed and ultimately passed by Congress toward being signed into law. Now is the time for our input and advocacy to shape the next farm bill with priorities that draw us closer to a world where all are fed!

These are empowering words from John Johnson, ELCA Program Director for Domestic Policy: “You don’t have to be an expert [to do advocacy], you just need to care .” Recognizing, though, that a better understanding of the policy you are advocating on will boost your confidence, let’s dig in. What exactly is the farm bill, and why is it important?

 

What is the farm bill?

The farm bill is an omnibus bill, meaning it has several different parts all joined together in a single bill. Some of the different aspects of the farm bill include:

• Nutrition
• International Food Aid
• Rural Development
• Environmental and Land Conservation
• Research and Development

An ELCA farm bill resource was prepared in 2018 which breaks down the different components of the bill, and what the ELCA was advocating for within the bill, including honoring land claims by Indigenous Peoples. An update for 2023 will be posted to ELCA.org/resources/advocacy, but many of the basics are the same. If you are interested in a more in-depth history of the bill, “The History of the United States Farm Bill” from the Library of Congress is a great place to start and includes many archived photos.

 

Why does the farm bill matter?

The farm bill affects everyone. This policy connects to your community locally and globally, such as healthy food access for low-income families, food waste reduction, conservation practices, rural development and much more. The ELCA supports a farm bill that will promote a strong and resilient food-supply chain and provide needed nutrition through domestic and international programs. Our advocacy as Lutherans in this process will draw attention to faith-based priorities to end hunger and create a more sustainable world through this policy in our lives and the lives of our neighbors.

 

Take Action

✓ Sign up for the ELCA Advocacy Network.

The farm bill is still in the preparatory phase. Sign up here for the network to get alerts so that you can take action at critical points during the bill’s development and find out about advocacy actions in other areas of interest.

✓ Write your own Farm Bill prayer.

Reread the prayer at the beginning of this blog. Think about the different parts to it, and how many people are involved in bringing food to our plates. Create a list of at least 10 different jobs involved in bringing food to the table. Using the prayer as a template, write your own prayer about your community, naming people and professions involved in the process. Ask your worship leader to use it during the Prayers of the People in your next worship service. Share your prayer on social media using #ELCAfarmprayers and tag us @ELCAadvocacy.

✓ Visit a farm.

Connect with a local farmer or rancher to talk to them about their work. You can ask them questions about how the farm bill affects them. You can use this story and what you learn when you write to your legislator about farm bill priorities. Don’t forget to thank them for their work!

✓ Get to know your representatives.

Building relationships with your representatives is important. Use House.gov to find your congressional representative. Write an email introducing yourself and your interest in the farm bill, and ask them what their priorities in the farm bill are.

✓ Lead a service project.

Invite your youth group or congregation to study hunger facts (like “Fact Sheet: Hunger Is a Racial Equity Issue” and other tools at ELCA.org/resources/advocacy).

Make connections to impacts of policy with a service event like a soup super, garden planting, refugee assistance or other activity.

Check to see if your congregation, synod or an ELCA-affiliated state public policy office offers activities you can join supporting justice, hunger relief or creation care – and participate (or start one!).

✓ Connect with us.

Have questions for us or just want to connect with someone to learn more about advocacy? You can email washingtonoffice@elca.org or follow us on social media @ELCAadvocacy.

 

by Sandra Roper, 2021-22 Hunger Advocacy Fellow [about the author]

Sometimes it feels like my whole life revolves around the question “what’s next?” There’s this notion that “next” is a jump, one thing to another, and that the next thing must be substantially different from the thing before in order to be “new.” I’m starting to think that’s not the case.

“I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19).

What strikes me the most about the passage from Isaiah is the “way in the wilderness” that is being created. Unlike the image of something springing forth, spontaneous and recognizable as new, a new path being taken doesn’t really look like a new path for the first few steps. Sometimes when you’re walking you realize it’s a new path, but it can be hard and confusing to find your way. Sometimes, it’s not until you look back, that you realize you’ve been forging a new path and not just wandering lost.

When I look back on the path that brought me to this year as a Hunger Advocacy Fellow, it’s easy to see the way decisions built off of each other to bring me here. At the time though, those decisions didn’t always feel purposeful or important. Quite honestly, a lot of the time I just felt lost. The past few years in particular have been challenging. Global pandemic, graduating from college and close personal loss among other things have made answering the question “what’s next?” difficult to navigate. And yet, looking back I can see how all those little decisions have built into something bigger.

Five years ago, I do not think I could have articulated how advocacy and justice are an integral part of living out God’s call to love our neighbors and our world. When I entered college, I joined a campus ministry focused on doing justice. I had opportunities and relationships that centered on deeply listening to the stories of others and walking with rather than talking over. Today, faith as a driving force for service and justice is at the center of what I do as a Hunger Advocacy Fellow.

The work that God does in the world is not always spontaneous. Advocacy is a long-term commitment to caring for our neighbors and our world. I hear the phrase “advocacy is a marathon, not a sprint” a lot from colleagues, and it is a loving reminder of endurance and hope. It is a long process of progress and setbacks and progress again. Sometimes, we need the reminder to stop and look around at what is happening.

I don’t know what’s next for me after this year, but I do know that whatever comes next in my journey after this year will continue building this new path that God is calling me towards.

 

---

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sandra Roper studied English and Germanic Studies in college and has worked with other faith-based organizations, including Lutheran World Federation, while she was an undergraduate. She shares communications responsibilities with the ELCA Witness in Society staff, including social media and writing duties, and supports advocacy advancement in various ways. She enjoys hiking in her free time, particularly in the fall.

Greetings, 

My name is Pastor Clay Bates, and I serve as the chair of the North/West Lower Michigan Synod Task Force for Disability Ministry.   

My vision of a synodical task force to promote ministry with people with disabilities began with the conviction that people with disabilities belong in worship and the life of a congregation as full participants, and every person with a disability has a right to access the sacraments, Christian learning, and spiritual guidance. 

My first step was to approach our bishop, Craig Satterlee, with my idea.  He embraced it with enthusiasm and suggested that I contact our synod vice-president for instructions as to how to petition our synod council for the formation of a task force.  After our synod council gave its approval, Bishop Satterlee and I recruited five people to join us on the task force (Bishop Satterlee and Assistant to the Bishop Rosanne Anderson are also on the task force, which is immensely helpful).   

Our first task was to seek training from a non-profit organization based in Wyoming, Michigan called All Belong (allbelong.org).  Its Director of Church Services, Victoria White, provided us with the knowledge we needed to get started.  Our relationship with All Belong continues, as it will be available to consult with us as to how to be helpful to congregations with specific issues to be addressed, such as autism or dementia.   

Next, we composed an entry process for accompanying a congregation with whatever issue with which they might be requesting assistance.  We also composed an interview process for meeting with the person with the disability, their caregiver if any, the rostered minister, and anyone in the congregation who would be involved in implementing the plan.   

We composed a PowerPoint presentation for introducing the task force and how we could accompany a congregation on their way from welcoming people with disabilities to belonging to the fellowship of the congregation.  We also composed a brief video to serve as publicity.  We hosted a synod-wide book study on Zoom, also. 

We are currently in the process of developing a Disability Day (October 22nd) to which we are inviting members of our synod, neighboring synods, and ecumenical partners.  Among the activities will be keynote addresses and workshops.  It will be held in Portage, Michigan and you are invited!  Registration materials will be forthcoming.   

Our first consultation with a congregation is an ongoing process.  First, we gave a general introduction to disabilities and the life of the congregation, a description of universal design (being prepared to welcome anyone with a disability) and responsive design (responding to a particular set of needs).  We also helped them begin to discern a vision for their ministry and setting goals.  Next, we will address responsive design in detail. 

I would be delighted to chat with you regarding any questions you might have, and there are a few documents which we created that I could share with you.  The best way to contact me is at clayhbates@gmail.com (don’t forget the “h”).   

 

Hi! I’m Rev. Lisa Heffernan, and I serve as the coordinator for Disability Ministries; a position I began just about a year ago! My involvement with the advisory team began in early 2017. Between then and now I have co-facilitated one of our expansion teams, helped to co-author documents and resources on language and disability, contributed to our newsletter, and ventured to Washington D.C. for the Lutheran Services in America conference in the spring of 2017. As a rostered leader in Christ’s Church who lives with a disability, I have long felt a strong call to serve with and for others with disabilities. That call brought me to this advisory team, and now as coordinator, where I strive to lead and serve in such a way that the ELCA can seek to become more open and accessible to disabled followers of Christ– in the pew, at the pulpit, and in all expressions of church life and leadership.

In future monthly blog posts we will feature stories from different disability ministries, leaders with disabilities, allies, and ELCA families who are part of the disability community. We are here to share those stories, to learn from one another, and to work toward a full, just and equitable church and society where people with disabilities are prepared for leadership, congregations are equipped for accessible ministries, and God’s people are connected to one another in our life together as followers of Christ.

In this first post for our blog, you’ll get to meet the wonderful group of colleagues who serve on the ELCA Disability Ministries advisory team. Every day I am thankful for their knowledge, dedication to, and love of this ministry and of God and God’s people. They volunteer so much of themselves and their time; my heart is full when I reflect on all we’ve done together, and it excites me for all that is to come. You can contact Disability Ministries at: Disability.Ministry@elca.org. or lisa.heffernan@elca.org.

 

My name is Chris Ludwig, and I’ve served on the Disability Ministries Advisory Team since 2015. My contributions to the Advisory Team include starting, editing, and writing for the Disability Ministries newsletter, which raises awareness of the Ministries’ success in exemplifying the All Are Welcome creed of the church by continuously highlighting numerous leadership, education, and advocacy opportunities by and for individuals with disabilities within the church. I also facilitate the Ministries’ Grant Review Team, which to date has cumulatively awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in support of programming and services meant to prepare leaders with disabilities to serve within the church, equip synods and congregations with information and resources relevant and specific to a population of individuals who have disabilities, and connect and gather individuals with disabilities throughout various expressions of the church to promote and support inclusion, participation, and diversity. This work is so important to me, and I’m thankful and proud that the ELCA substantiates its ethos by offering Disability Ministries as a part of the mission of the church. My entire career has focused on including and improving opportunities for individuals with disabilities personally, professionally, and culturally, and I look forward to continuing that legacy with my ongoing contributions to Disability Ministries, as we enrich and expand upon the work we do as a team.

 

Hello, my name is Peter Heide, an ordained minister of the ELCA. I have been both sighted and totally blind four times in my life, and I have experienced many levels of impaired vision throughout. Recognizing that Jesus gathers the marginalized to be the new center (Matt. 4:23-5:1), the ELCA strives to acknowledge the blessed giftedness of all people living with disabilities, enabling them to speak from the margins to the center of our Gospel witness. We are more than prayer concerns—we have a message of hope for the Church. This liberating Gospel work is at the heart of Christianity. As a life-long Lutheran, when I heard “The ELCA: There is a place for you here”, I wondered where that was. I found my answer as the newest member of the Disability Ministries Advisory Team (2017). I am committed to working for full inclusion for all with particular concern for the provision of economical, fully accessible resources for people with low vision, blindness, or a physical, perceptual, or reading disability, whether temporary or permanent. I give thanks for current technology that makes this more possible now, and I pray for the day when “a place for you” is more than an aspiration.

 

My name is Pastor Brian Krause and I been ordained since 2009. I have served congregations in Nebraska and Ohio. I currently serve as a Chaplain at Sanford Health in Bismarck, North Dakota. I have Cerebral Palsy. I have been active with disability ministries for nearly a decade. I have presented on disability ministry topics around the country. I served as a Bible Study leader for several camp programs for campers with disabilities at Joy Ranch in South Dakota. I have advocated for more resources for Mental Health ministries. Recently I have been working with the Total Inclusion project to make our camps more welcoming of people with disabilities.

 

Hello Friends! My name is Anita Smallin (she/her), and I have served on the Disability Ministry Advisory team since 2015. My core belief is that the Body of Christ is not complete unless everyone is welcome and has access to the church.

I have led workshops on Disability Ministry at various conferences, have started curating lists of resources, and I have co-authored a few resources for the team.

When I am not working for the team, I am the Director of Youth & Family Ministry at Trinity Lutheran Church, in North Bethesda, MD. On any given day, I can be found singing really loud, cross-stitching, or walking 3 collies.

 

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.

U.N. | Colorado | Maryland | Texas | Washington | Wisconsin

---

 

U.N.

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

Dennis Frado, Director

The Twenty-First session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) took place from 25 April-6 May 2022. The theme this year was “Indigenous peoples, business, autonomy and the human rights principles of due diligence including free, prior and informed consent”.

Lutherans participated virtually and in person in the two-week event with a delegation of 5 representatives from the ELCA and the United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia.

In addition to attending the official sessions, Lutherans co-sponsored side events with several Ecumenical and Interfaith partners on the occasion of the Forum on Wednesday, May 4. The first event – “Faith-based Indigenous conversations” featured Vance Blackfox, Director, Indigenous Ministries & Tribal Relations, ELCA. The second event was a multi-faith worship service under the theme “All Our Relatives Live as One”.

Useful resources:

• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
• A Declaration of the ELCA to American Indian and Alaska Native People
• Indigenous Peoples reflect on Economy of Life – A webinar on 22 April 2021 hosted by the Lutheran World Federation, the World Council of Churches, the World Communion of Reformed Churches, the World Methodist Council and the Council for World Mission.
  

---

 

Colorado

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

Peter Severson, Director

COLORADO LEGISLATURE ADJOURNS: The Colorado General Assembly adjourned on Wednesday, May 11. The Assembly took up a number of significant priorities on Lutheran Advocacy’s agenda, including school meals, criminal record sealing, housing support, workforce development, health benefits, and basic cash assistance. Our thorough write-up of the session and our priorities will be available in the coming weeks on our website, lam-co.org.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN SYNOD ASSEMBLY: The Rocky Mountain Synod met for its annual assembly in Loveland, Colorado, from May 9-11. Voting members had several opportunities to engage with advocacy efforts around the synod, including adding their voices to the ongoing listening process for a New Social Statement around Civics & Faith.

BALLOT MEASURE SEASON UPCOMING: Colorado has a generous direct-democracy provision in its constitution, meaning we get more ballot measures than most states. Follow our e-alerts and social media to learn more about our upcoming work on statewide ballot measures in 2022. It promises to be a busy season!

---

 

Maryland

Delaware-Maryland Synod – demdsynod.org

The Rev. Lee Hudson, Assistant to the Bishop for Public Policy

The 2022 session of the Maryland General Assembly (MGA) was in session from January 12 to April 11, and it was productive for stated ELCA policy interests. By arrangement of the Delaware-Maryland Synod Bishop, the Rev. Bill Gohl, issues of interest are addressed under the auspices of his office, especially where a constituency interest may be present. These topics include creation care, racial justice, criminal justice, sustainable livelihood, and access to healthcare. There were 12 pieces of legislation that passed where documented support was sent to the MGA, as the legislation fell within the ELCA policy base. This included:

• Commitment to net-zero by 2045 with implementing policies;
• Protection of old growth forests;
• Expansion of the health insurance exchange with subsidies to small business and not-for-profit;
• Market stabilization of prior insurance exchange expansion;
• Medicaid expansion to include undocumented pregnant women and children;
• Medicaid expansion to include doula services;
• Medicaid expansion to include dental care;
• Introduction of CDC blood lead reference values to prevent poisoning;
• Paid family and medical leave;
• Expansion of EITC with notification of eligibility via tax returns;
• Eviction stay for determination of eligibility for rental assistance;
• Ghost gun ban

---

 

Texas

Texas Impact – texasimpact.org

Scott Atnip, Outreach Director

In response to the Texas Legislature’s voter suppression efforts in 2021, Texas Impact is scheduling a series of Faith in Democracy Events across the state this summer to equip congregations with the tools necessary to help participate in strengthening election infrastructure at the local level.

Following the Governor’s decision to bus migrants from the Texas/Mexico border the Washington, D.C., Texas Impact hosted ELCA Bishop Sue Briner on the Texas Impact Weekly Witness podcast discussing her meeting with migrant families in DC. Texas Impact is in process of relaunching the popular Court and Ports Program and is currently recruiting participants to go to the border to visit the ports of entry and serve as court observers.

The Texas Impact Board of Directors is beginning a project to compile social statements from member judicatories and will be responding to the series of high profile statements being made from state government officials and federal courts.

---

 

Washington

Faith Action Network (FAN) – fanwa.org

Elise DeGooyer, Director

In April we formulated our plans for Spring Summits in each of four regions across our state to meet in person and on Zoom as we reconnect for justice. We are looking forward to a hybrid summit experience, to make time for conversation to reintroduce advocates to each other, learn about the work they are doing in their communities, and have strategic conversations about policy issues. Our first summit was in the Puget Sound area on May 15.

Also in April, we learned of a proposed ballot initiative to undo the capital gains tax we passed last year after decades of work. Washington has the most regressive tax system in the nation, and we work in coalition to change that. We knew the measure would be challenged, as it has already been in court and is headed to the Washington Supreme Court. Now the opposition will begin signature gathering and have until July to gather over 320,000 signatures to qualify for the November ballot. This would have devastating impacts on funding for childcare and early learning services in our state. We are participating in the Decline to Sign campaign, and will oppose the initiative if it qualifies for the ballot.

---

 

Wisconsin

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

The Rev. Cindy Crane, Director

Wednesday Noon Live: Interview with Rev. Lanny Westphal, who talks about his sister living on a farm with her Ukrainian husband outside of Kyiv. Hear about his sister’s story and how the ELCA is helping Ukraine. Click here for the interview, and also updates on the Afghan Adjustment Act and Title 42.

Care for God’s Creation: LOPPW organized a first discussion about the Wisconsin Clean Energy Plan with leaders who were active in helping to shape the plan leading the discussion at our Wisconsin Climate Table. We are beginning to discern where advocacy will be needed on the legislative and state budget levels.

Youth Advocacy: Members of our team will develop a flyer and short video about faith-based advocacy. We plan to make the materials known at the synod youth events being held in July. Each of the team members will attend one of the events.

Synod Assemblies: LOPPW will have had an in-person presence at four assemblies, leading a workshop at one, speaking briefly during the plenary at one, and having tables at all four. One of the other synods will show a short video recently created by LOPPW at their mini assemblies.

Training Volunteers: LOPPW just trained one of our volunteers to give presentations on human trafficking. She presented on Saturday, May 14 while LOPPW staff was at the East Central Synod Assembly.

In recognition of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I share the journey of my achievements and struggles as a person of Asian descent in our church, and in our nation.

I immigrated to this country when I was seven years old, and the kids teased me by telling me to go home.

I learned to speak, dress, publicly act like the dominant culture, and people still told me to go home.

I graduated from college and became a productive citizen in our society, and people still told me to go home.

I graduated from seminary and served in a predominantly white denomination and church, and people still asked me, “When do you plan on going home?”

I considered serving in an Asian church but the immigrant Asian pastors and community elders felt I wasn’t Asian enough because my voice and language wasn’t theirs; I felt they were telling me to find a new home.

I served this country as a military chaplain for 21 years and held the hands of brave warriors as they entered life triumphant, and people still tell me to go home.

I supported and defended the Constitution while rocket-propelled grenades exploded around me, and people in this country still tell me to go home.

I moved up in the ranks of the military chaplaincy, higher than but for one other Asian in its history. Yet when I see that among the 37 senior ranking chaplains, there are only three chaplains of color, I hear them saying to me, it’s time for you to go home.

When I disagree with siblings in our church who tell me that the historical western theology, ecclesiology, vestment, and style of worshiping is normative, I feel like they are telling me to go home.

But America and this church is my home…the home I love, the home I’ve suffered in, and am willing to die for, the only home I really know.

When can I be home without people telling me to go home?

My story is one of many in the landscape of AAPI experiences in the ELCA, and in our nation.  Covid times have simply confirmed how so many do not view us as fully American. In fact, the surge in anti-Asian harassments and assaults solidified how this destructive view is still deeply embedded in the American psyche. Yet, with deep roots in the history and culture of our nation, our voice and contributions are very much a part of the American experience.

Together we can build toward a world where people of every background can be safe and can thrive. May God’s people show what church together means, in our actions for justice, and for peace.

bio  The Rev. Herbert Shao is a Director of Evangelical Mission for the Northwest Washington Synod.  He is also a member of the Association of Asians and Pacific Islanders-ELCA, one of the six ethnic associations of the ELCA.