Linnea Peterson, Minneapolis, MN

Warm-up Questions

• What does safety look like to you? Is your community safe? If so, whose actions contribute to your community being safe? If not, whose actions contribute to the lack of safety? 
• Do you think your community is safer for some people than for others? If so, who is more safe and who is less safe? If you think everyone is equally safe (or equally unsafe), what do you think has contributed to that uniform experience? 

With Honor and Gentleness

Discussion Questions

• Are there events, either in your personal life (such as bullying) or in our shared experience (such as news of school shootings), that have permanently changed your sense of safety in your everyday life? 
• What is a time when you have acted bravely? What is a time when you appreciated someone else’s brave action? 

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 7:10-16

Romans 1:1-7

Matthew 1:18-25

(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

When I read the Shakespeare play Much Ado about Nothing in college, my professor referenced this gospel text. In Much Ado about Nothing,  Claudio thinks the woman he is engaged to, Hero, is cheating on him. In reality, Hero is not cheating; the whole thing is an illusion set up by the villain. However, when Claudio gets to the altar on the wedding day, he accuses Hero of infidelity in front of everyone and refuses to listen to her protestations of innocence.

One of my male classmates defended Claudio’s behavior, saying it was just what any guy would do if he thought his fiancee was cheating on him. My professor replied that he thought there were other ways Claudio could have responded. “I know an even older story than this,” my professor said, “from another very patriarchal culture. The guy in this story didn’t just suspect that he was being cheated on—his fiancee was pregnant, and he knew the baby wasn’t his. But he didn’t accuse her of cheating on him in front of their whole community; the story says that, ‘unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, [he] planned to dismiss her quietly.’” 

In dealing with the early stages of Mary’s pregnancy Luke ‘s gospel focuses  on her visit to her relative Elizabeth.  That story offers us the incredible song of justice which she sings while she is there.  Mary’s courage and faithfulness inspire me.

But today I think it’s worth thinking about Joseph. Joseph had no idea what he was getting into when he became engaged to Mary.  When Mary wound up pregnant, the only rational assumption he could make was that she had slept with someone else. But rather than seeking revenge by exposing her to public disgrace, he planned to break off the engagement quietly to preserve her reputation as best he could, without actually marrying her. Marrying her probably seemed off the table, not only because she appeared to have slept with someone else, but also because she seemed to have broken his trust. And then an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream to say that Mary had not slept with someone else or broken his trust, and that marrying her was exactly what he should do.  Joseph obeyed the angel and married her. 

At every step in the process, Joseph behaved in a way that was gentle and honorable, not judgmental or vengeful.  God calls us also to act with honor and gentleness rather than in judgment and vengeance.

Discussion Questions

• Has someone ever appeared to have broken your trust? How have you responded? Have you let them tell you their side of the story?
• Do you think revenge is ever justified? Where is the line between justice and revenge? 
• Do you think there are judgments we are in fact called to make, rather than called to avoid? How do you know the difference?

Activity Suggestions

• In the story, an angel appears to Joseph in a dream. Share about unusual dreams that you’ve had. Alternatively, share about ways that you feel God’s guidance has come to you—in dreams; in advice from friends, family members, or strangers; in times of reflection; or some other way. 
• Brainstorm ways that you, either individually or as a group, can make your community safer and/or more welcoming. Commit to taking at least one action from your list in the next week. If time allows and the action is something you can start on now, get started!

Closing Prayer

Holy God, we ask forgiveness for times when we have been judgmental or vengeful, especially when our actions have affected the safety of others. We pray for a world where all are safe, and we ask for your fortification and guidance as we seek bravery to stand up for ourselves and others. Amen. 

When the war in Ukraine started, and thousands of refugees were crossing the border, Lucia Martonová and Jana Tabačková from the Ecumenical Pastoral Service Centre and Evangelical Church of Augsburg Confession in Slovakia, and Marika Géciová from the Reformed Mission and Diakonia met at the Slovak-Ukrainian border. They decided to help the most vulnerable people affected by the war and created the project “You Are In My Heart.” They organized a children’s therapeutic camp for 16 children from Ukraine aged 8 to 14 years who lost one or both of their parents in the war. The camp took place in Zemplínska Šírava, a lake close to the border of Ukraine.

Trust in God

Camp leaders, with psychologists and interpreters, prepared introductory games for the children on the first day. On the second day, the campers went on a short trip to Michalovce, where they visited an observatory and attended a police horse demonstration. In the afternoon, the campers enjoyed their time together at the swimming pool in the hotel. Mrs. Masha Rudincová, a Slovak artist and designer, showed the children how to work with the technique of wet felting. Children, with her help, created various colorful and unique pictures.

In the evening, children listened to a Bible story about the healing of the paralyzed. “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Jesus’s words from the story about the storm at sea were the ones the leaders tried to instill into the hearts of the children. They encouraged the children to trust these particular words of Jesus through all circumstances.

Even though there was a fog in eastern Slovakia, the group trusted in God and, without fear, set out on a trip to the Tatra Mountains. They were amazed and encouraged when the sun and perfect hiking weather welcomed them. The group explored the highest waterfall in Slovakia and visited Tricklandia, the Museum of Illusions.

The love of Jesus

The next day, the campers stayed near Chemes Wellness Hotel. They met with police dog trainers, took rides on the quad bikes with border policemen, and took a trip to the lake. The children crafted cherubs and Christmas ceramic decorations in the afternoon with Mrs. Rudincová.

During the evening program, children listened to a story of the healing of a man at the lake in Bethesda. They learned that even if everyone left them and forgot about them, the Lord Jesus is always with them.

The children went to the city of Košice on Friday. They saw the police officers and firefighters, toured the city center, visited the St. Elizabeth Cathedral and explored the Technical Museum. The evening program continued with the storytelling of Zacchaeus. Leaders emphasized that the children, although they are all unique and have their own sorrows and mistakes, are accepted by Jesus Christ and he loves them just as they are.

“You are in my heart”

On the last day of camp, the children visited Morské oko – the largest lake in the Vihorlat Mountains. They visited a small family farm where they had the opportunity to see and feed spotted fallow deer. The contact with nature was a great experience for the children. A typical swim followed the afternoon in the hotel pool. The evening program was a big farewell party with the entire camp, and included a great cake at the end. The children received little presents as a memory of the camp, like t-shirts with the program logo and a magnet with a group photo.

All the shared experiences and photos highlight that the timid little children with great sadness and pain in their eyes become CHILDREN again! Children to whom the organizers wanted to return joy and childhood to their lives, at least for a while.

“Do not fear, for I am with you”

On Sunday morning, they went to chapel at the nearby Vinian Castle. Together, they thanked God for the whole week and summarized everything they had experienced and learned.

Police chaplain Janka Tabačková sent them on their way home with these words of a blessing:

We have come here to this place to give thanks for the whole week that we were spent together, that we were able to survive it in good health, and you know that it is not easy to survive. During our week together, we learned more about what the Lord God is doing for us. We opened our arms all week and said  “Stay with us, don‘t be afraid because you are safe here. We said the Lord God is taking care of us, just as he multiplied the fish and the loaves; God will take care of you so that you will have everything you need. Trust Him.” He cares for you. The Lord God puts people in our lives who will care for us, protect us, bring us closer to Jesus. You have friends in Ukraine, and also here in Slovakia. It is good that we know each other, that we are your friends and will do everything you need. Earlier, when we released the balloons into the sky, we wrote our names on them and the names of those we cared about. We could release the balloons with our names because the Lord sacrificed himself for us. He hears and understands. We are in his heart. He died for us, and He laid down His life for everyone. And no one else in the world has done that. We also want to send you home with God’s word from Isaiah 41: “Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am you God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. Yes, all who are incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you. Do not fear, I will help you.”

After the blessing and singing of songs, the group returned to the hotel. Then, already packed with many gifts and memories, they started their return journey home to their families, but to a country still in war, chaos, and turmoil. They all hope that they have not seen the last of each other and will be able to continue to meet.

Andrej Kuruc is the ELCA Emergency Response Coordinator for Central and Eastern Europe.

WHAT IS A SIGN-ON LETTER  |  IMPACT OF SIGN-ONS  |  DECISION PROCESS  |  UPDATED LIST

Our advocacy takes many forms with long-term and immediate aims, and ELCA Witness in Society staff are active equipping members, building influential relationships with policy makers, networking strategically with other concerned partners, researching policy pieces and their impacts and inviting our ELCA Advocacy Network to action at impactful moments.

One timely way we can act as ELCA is to sign on with others to offer pointed comments to decision makers when developments demand.

WHAT IS A SIGN-ON LETTER

A “sign-on letter” is an advocacy tool that acts like a petition to members of Congress or other policy decision makers, often addressing an immediate issue or impending vote. Sign-on letters are drafted and circulated among organizations with similar policy goals to ask other organizations to join, showing support for a policy position or value by adding their name.

The Witness in Society team may recommend listing the ELCA as an organization on a sign-on letter. Some letters are tailored for individual sign-ons, usually by the head of an organization. In the ELCA, most individual sign-ons are done by the ELCA presiding bishop.

IMPACT OF SIGN-ONS

Sign-on letters are frequently used when swift and targeted action will have an impact on decision-makers. The aim is to provide education on an issue, articulate shared organizational values on a subject and urge the recipient to take a specific action or vote. Ecumenical and interfaith sign-on letters summarize broad consensus in the faith community. In addition to receipt by individual members of Congress or Executive Branch officials for example, they may be used in constituent meetings and shared as public statements as well.

DECISION PROCESS

The ELCA joins sign-on letters following careful analysis by the Witness in Society team, sometimes in consultation with other staff. The Senior Director for Witness in Society makes the final determination for a sign-on. Sign-on letters require a foundation in ELCA social teaching and relevance to ELCA public policy advocacy priorities. Sign-on letters are also evaluated for accuracy of facts and the tone of the statement, seeking language that will educate or persuade, avoiding hyper-partisan or inflammatory language. Witness in Society staff are strategic about the use of sign-on letters, asking if a joint letter is the right approach at this time; how the letter will be disseminated and used to create awareness among members of Congress, the Administration and throughout the ELCA; what the impact of not signing a letter might be; and discerning whether a standalone effort from the ELCA would have greater impact at the given point-in-time or may be preferable to state distinctly the ELCA’s position.

LAST UPDATE: 3/14/25

Our ministry of advocacy is a witness to God’s love for our neighbor, ourselves and for all creation. Here are recent statements made with ELCA support. Use the link in the date to read a public posting* of the sign-on letter in full.

2025

• Mar 6 – “We, the over 1,800 national, state, and local organizations representing communities across the country, urge the House and Senate to reject proposals for any cuts or attempts to weaken SNAP and the child nutrition programs.” Letter to House & Senate leadership.
• Mar 3 – “We, the undersigned 124 civil society organizations, write to respectfully request your support for the restoration of United States funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) through cosponsorship of the forthcoming ‘UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act of 2025.’” Letter to members of Congress.
• Feb 26 – “As faith leaders, we are deeply troubled at the impact this current debt crisis is having on the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable across the world… We must have a fair and functional global debt system. The Jubilee tradition calls for debts to be forgiven, land restored, and slaves freed. This Biblical practice embodied justice, mercy, and reconciliation, offering a renewed covenant with God and harmony within the community.” Letter to G20 finance leaders, signatories include Presiding Bishop Eaton.
• Feb 24 – “We, the undersigned organizations, members of the Alliance to End Hunger, urge you to protect, strengthen and fully fund federal food and nutrition programs in Fiscal Year 2025 and FY 2026 budget appropriations, reconciliation and continuing resolutions. U.S. domestic food assistance programs are critical to keeping people strong and secure in all corners of our nation – in rural, suburban, and urban areas. Federal nutrition programs support farmers and jobs all along the food chain and brace up local economies.” Letter to House and Senate leadership.
• Feb 14 – “We implore you to use your position to immediately restore foreign aid programs, reopen critical refugee resettlement programs, and fully reinstate USAID.” Letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
• Feb 12 – “On behalf of the millions of Americans represented by our faith, humanitarian, health, education, foreign policy, development, human rights, business, labor, peace, women’s advocacy, science, and environmental organizations, we strongly urge you to oppose efforts to shut down U.S. foreign assistance, including the critical work of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).” Coalition letter to House and Senate.
• Feb 12 – “As members and partners of the Interfaith Working Group on Foreign Assistance, a network of Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist organizations working in solidarity with the world’s most vulnerable people, we write to you to express our grave concerns over the sudden order to stop lifesaving foreign assistance work around the globe and the dismantling of USAID.” Letter to House & Senate leadership.

2024

• Dec. 20 – “We, the undersigned faith-based organizations, write to urge you to use the weeks remaining in your administration to commute all federal death sentences and prevent the likelihood that the incoming administration will resume executions.” Letter to President Biden.
• Dec. 2 – “As a network of faith-based organizations who care deeply for the most vulnerable, whom we believe are made in God’s image, we know the path forward to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. We hear from faith-based organizations and institutions across the globe that PEPFAR saves lives and they are grateful to the United States. A clean, five-year reauthorization of this life-saving program signals to the world that no matter the challenges – the U.S. is still leading and committed to saving lives and ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat.” Letter to Chairman/Ranking Member of Senate and House committees on foreign affairs.
• Nov. 20 – “On behalf of the undersigned members of the Alliance to End Hunger, we respectfully request that you provide sufficient funding for critical programs that save lives, protect livelihoods, and build resiliency and self-sufficiency as you conference the FY25 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration bill.” Letter to leadership of House & Senate Subcommittees on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration.
• Nov. 20 – “On behalf of the undersigned members of the Alliance to End Hunger, we respectfully request that you provide sufficient funding for critical programs that save lives, protect livelihoods, and build resiliency and self-sufficiency as you conference the FY25 State, Foreign Operations bill.” Leadership of House Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs and the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
• Oct. 22 – “We, the undersigned organizations, urge you to cosponsor and vote in favor of the four joint resolutions of disapproval introduced by Senators Sanders, Welch, and Merkley regarding several specific major arms sales to the government of Israel.” Letter U.S. senators.
• Oct. 18 – “We write as U.S. Christian faith leaders deeply concerned by the continuing injustice, suppression of rights, and disregard for international law that has endured for decades in Israel/Palestine.” Churches for Middle East Peace letter to Trump and Harris campaigns.
• Aug. 21 – “The undersigned 103 state, national, and local faith-based organizations, write to call on your administration to urgently address backlogs in work permit processing and continue efforts to enhance, expand, and extend access to work authorization for immigrants and asylum seekers alike.” Coalition letter to DHS Secretary Mayorkas, Domestic Policy Council Director Tanden, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Jaddou.
• July 31 – “We represent a diverse coalition of church bodies and related organizations that include 100 million people. We are writing together as a demonstration of the breadth of support in the Christian community for the Child Tax Credit expansion that will come to the Senate floor this week.” Circle of Protection letter to members of the U.S. Senate.
• July 26 – “We the undersigned human rights, civil rights, and social justice organizations call on you to implement an immediate arms embargo on the Israeli government in order to save lives.” Letter to President Biden and members of Congress.
• July 23 – “As global Christian leaders committed to peace and justice and the recognition of the image of God in all humanity, we abhor the ongoing violence that has now continued for more than nine months between Hamas and the Israeli military… Against this catastrophic backdrop, we have called before and call again now, with heartfelt insistence, for a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire, for the return of hostages, and the release of Palestinian prisoners held without due process. Churches for Middle East Peace letter to President Biden.
• July 22 – “We, the 64 undersigned organizations, urge you to safeguard and invest in critical funding for peacebuilding, human rights, humanitarian aid, migration, international climate finance, poverty-focused development assistance and related accounts in the Fiscal Year 2025 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPs) appropriations bill. Letter to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on SFOPs Chair Coons and Ranking Member Graham.
• July 9 – “We, the 1,422 national, state, and local organizations representing communities across the country, urge the House and Senate to develop a Farm Bill that ensures that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is protected and strengthened and that benefit adequacy, equitable access, and program administration remain core tenets of the program.” Letter to members of Congress.
• June 27 – “We write to you today on behalf of 26 faith-based organizations with heavy hearts, compelled by the harrowing tales of suffering and devastation unfolding in Sudan at this very moment… in the hope of inspiring decisive action to alleviate their suffering.” Letter to President Biden.
• June 18 – “We write to you as the Circle of Protection, leaders of diverse church bodies and Christian organizations… We hope this Congress will still be able to pass three important pending bills, with priority attention to their impact among people struggling with hunger and poverty… Regarding the Farm Bill… Regarding FY2025 appropriations… expansion of the Child Tax Credit…” Circle of Protection letter to President Biden and members of Congress.
• Jun. 10 – “As you determine priorities for the Fiscal Year 2025 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration Act, as members of the Alliance to End Hunger, we respectfully urge you to provide robust funding for global nutrition and food security programming. Specifically, $2 billion for Food for Peace Title II, $265 million for McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition, and $500 million for agricultural research.” Letter to House Appropriations Committee Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration Subcommittee Chairman and Ranking Member.
• May 22 – “On behalf of the organizations listed below, we ask that you fund global HIV/AIDS programs in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 no less than $6.79 billion for Global Health Programs at the Department of State, including $5.14 billion for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), $1.65 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, as well as ensure that the programs are governed by policies that expand access to health care, uphold human rights, and help to put the world on track to end AIDS by 2030.” Coalition letter to House & Senate Committees for Appropriations leadership.
• May 9 – “We write to express our deep concern regarding the plight of the Cuban people. The combined effects of failed U.S. foreign policies and Cuban economic policies have created dire humanitarian conditions on the island. It is crucial for your administration to remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list and expedite the processing of assistance from humanitarian organizations.”. Letter to President Biden.
• May 6 – “On behalf of the 134 undersigned civil liberties, human rights, community, faith, and privacy organizations, we respectfully request that the United States Senate Committee on Finance refrain from advancing consideration of H.R. 6408, and its companion bill S. 4136, introduced by Senators John Cornyn and Angus King. This proposed legislation would unconstitutionally harm all Americans’ free speech and due process rights by creating new executive authorities that could be abused by any presidential administration seeking to terminate the tax-exempt status of nonprofit organizations arbitrarily.” Letter to Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance.
• Apr. 29 – “We, the undersigned 103 immigrant, refugee, human rights and humanitarian organizations, write to express our alarm and deep disappointment following Congress’s decision to reinforce and codify the Biden Administration’s suspension of U.S. funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the principal aid provider for millions of Palestinian refugees in Gaza and in the surrounding region. Suspending funding during a humanitarian catastrophe, widespread starvation and looming famine is a moral and strategic failure that abandons nearly two million displaced Palestinians during a period of extreme need. We call on Congress to urgently introduce and pass legislation and for the President to support reinstating funding to UNRWA.” Coalition letter to President Biden, Speaker Johnson, and Majority Leader Schumer.
• Apr. 16 – “As members of the Alliance to End Hunger, the undersigned organizations urge you to pass supplemental appropriations for humanitarian assistance included in the security supplemental bill passed by the Senate with broad bipartisan support in February. Specifically, the final package should include the Senate-approved $9.15 billion for critically needed humanitarian, food security and resilience programs.” Letter to House and Senate leaders.
• Mar. 26 – “We, as global Christian leaders, stand with our brothers and sisters in Christ in Palestine and around the world and say the killing must stop, and the violence must be brought to an end. We ask world leaders to exercise strong moral courage to bring an immediate end to the violence and to open a pathway toward peace and an end to the conflict. We call for a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire where all combatants lay down their weapons and Israeli hostages and Palestinian political prisoners held without the due process of law are released.” Churches for Middle East Peace letter to President Biden and his team.
• Mar. 26 – “Haitian Bridge Alliance and the undersigned 481 immigration, human rights, faith-based, and civil rights organizations write to request an extension and redesignation of the Republic of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and a moratorium on deportations to the Republic of Haiti.” – Letter to President Biden, Secretary Blinken, and Secretary Mayorkas.
• Mar. 13 – “The undersigned organizations advocate for the human rights of immigrant communities and for a fair, functioning and humane immigration system. We urge Members of Congress to ensure that the FY2024 spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security does not increase funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention beyond FY2023’s already high levels.” Statement to Congressional leadership.
• Mar. 12 – The Yes In God’s Back Yard (YIGBY) Act, legislation to support faith-based organizations and colleges wanting to build and preserve affordable housing on their land and reduce barriers to the development of this housing, was endorsed by a group of faith groups and coalitions including the ELCA when it was introduced by Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH). Endorsement.
• Feb. 29 – “The undersigned 194 organizations-–which include medical, academic, human rights, immigration, civil rights, and faith groups—write today with an urgent call to action: DHS must end the practice of solitary confinement in all immigration detention centers.” Letter to President Biden, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and Deputy Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
• Feb. 14 – “We are non-governmental organizations supporting the protection of civilians in the conflict in the Occupied Gaza Strip and writing to urge you to restore funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).” Letter to President Biden.
• Feb. 7 – “We, the 662 undersigned faith leaders and 155 faith-based organizations and congregations, write to express our profound concern and opposition to measures proposed in the ‘Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024’ that will further restrict access to asylum, arbitrarily close the border, and turn away families and individuals seeking safety and refuge in the United States.” Letter to Members of Congress. 
• Jan. 11 – “We, the undersigned organizations, urge you to cosponsor and vote in favor of S.Res.504, Senator Bernie Sanders’ resolution under Section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act (22 U.S.C. § 2304) requiring a report on Israel’s human rights practices and U.S. military aid to Israel. After months of devastation in Gaza, there is urgent need for a meaningful debate on U.S. support for Israeli operations in Gaza and the West Bank, including the extent to which U.S. military aid may be supporting violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.” Letter to senators.
• Jan. 11 – “We are writing as the Circle of Protection, a coalition of churches and ministries with a combined membership of 100 million people. This letter is about pending issues that are especially important to people in poverty.” Circle of Protection letter to President Biden and Members of Congress naming priorities in FY2024 appropriations including WIC nutrition assistance, international humanitarian assistance, and the Child Tax Credit.

2023

• Dec. 21 – “With the winter getting colder, as religious denominations, faith-based service providers, and members of the Interreligious Working Group on Domestic Human Needs (DHN), we are compelled to reach out to urge you and your colleagues in Congress to provide the highest funding levels possible for affordable housing and homeless assistance programs in the fiscal year (FY) 24 federal budget to address the present homelessness crisis.” Letter to members of Congress. [Read this interfaith letter from domestichumanneeds.com, direct link not shared here.]
• Dec. 12 – “As 235 religious leaders and 143 national, state, and local faith-based organizations representing many faith traditions, we write to express deep concern over reports that your administration is considering agreeing to harsh and permanent asylum restrictions amid unrelated spending discussions.” Letter to President Biden and Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas.
• Nov. 29 – “…Instead, we call on governments worldwide to do everything possible to secure a bilateral ceasefire, one that will stop all violence from Hamas and Israel, allow for the safe release of civilian hostages held in Gaza, and give immediate and adequate access to desperately needed humanitarian aid to be delivered, including through crossings to Israel. Without an agreed upon end to violence from all parties – there is no path forward.” Churches for Middle East Peace Letter to President Biden.
• Nov. 17 – “On behalf of the undersigned… we strongly encourage the Department of State (DOS) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to extend the interview waiver authorities set to expire on December 31, 2023. These authorities allow consular officers to waive in-person interviews for certain, low-risk nonimmigrant visa applicants and have resulted in significantly decreased wait times for nearly all visa applicants.” Letter to Secretary Blinken and Secretary Mayorkas.
• Nov. 13 – “We, the undersigned humanitarian, national security, human rights, faith-based, civilian protection, and grassroots organizations, write to express our alarm regarding the possible transfer of 155mm artillery shells to support Israel’s ground operations in the Gaza Strip. We urge you to refrain from granting the government of Israel access to the U.S.-origin 155mm munitions currently stockpiled there.” Letter to Secretary of Defense.
• Nov. 9 – “As religious leaders we write to request action that enables Puerto Rico, our home, to promptly, fully and permanently support nutrition assistance benefits for all its people in need. Please include Puerto Rico in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).” Letter to members of Congress, endorses include Bishop Eaton.
• Oct. 16 – “We, the undersigned organizations, write to express our urgent concern regarding dire and escalating violence in Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territory, which continues to result in significant human suffering and loss of civilian life.” Open call for ceasefire.
• Oct. 12 – “…As Church-based denominations and organizations with deep ties to the Holy Land, we mourn with our Israeli and Palestinian siblings as they grieve the loss of loved ones and remain fearful of continued violence… At this critical time, it is incumbent upon Congress to act in ways that will help de-escalate the violence and stop further loss of life.” Letter to members of Congress.
• Sept. 26 – “As 53 faith organizations, representing people of faith across religious traditions and denominations… we urge Members of Congress to fund the government and to work in a bipartisan manner to pass a Continuing Resolution without harmful provisions.” Letter to members of Congress.
• Sept. 25 – “…the more than 600 undersigned national, state, and local organizations representing maternal and child health organizations, family support advocates, and research partners respectfully urge Congress to include sufficient resources in a short-term Continuing Resolution to ensure that WIC can continue providing all eligible women, infants, and children who seek to participate with the full, science-based nutrition benefit. We also call on Congress to fully fund WIC for fiscal year 2024 to sustain current benefits
• Sept. 12 – “On behalf of members of the Alliance to End Hunger, a coalition of humanitarian and development organizations, corporations, faith-based institutions, and others, we support the Administration’s supplemental request for international assistance that includes humanitarian, food security and resilience needs globally. As Congress develops its supplemental appropriations bill, we urge you to include this funding.” Letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committees leaders.
• Sept. 11 – “As leaders of Christian communions and agencies in the United States… Ahead of your upcoming meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, we urgently appeal to you to address the escalating violence, incitement, and hate crimes against Palestinian Christians under the new Israeli government.” Letter to President Biden.
• Sept. 6 – “This letter is about poverty-important decisions that Congress and the President will be considering in FY2024 appropriations, the Farm Bill, and possible tax legislation.” Circle of Protection letter to President Biden and members of Congress.
• Sept. 6 – “We, the undersigned 23 civil society organizations, are writing to respectfully request the immediate obligation of the funds provided by Congress in the FY2023 State, Foreign Operations appropriations bill for food assistance to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, distributed through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Letter to Secretary of State.
• July 18 – “Over a year ago, Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot and killed while reporting on the Israeli military’s invasion of a refugee camp in Jenin in the occupied West Bank… We, the undersigned organizations, call on Congress and the Biden administration to support Representative Andre Carson’s Justice for Shireen Act to require necessary reporting to Congress by the State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in an effort to learn all the unanswered questions leading up to, during and after the fatal shot that killed Ms. Abu Akleh.” Letter to members of Congress.
• July 12 – “We, the undersigned 25 civil society organizations, are writing to respectfully request your assistance in releasing the funds provided in the FY23 State, Foreign Operations appropriations bill for food assistance to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, distributed through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).” Letter to House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member.
• June 1 – “We are writing to ask you to use your voice and influence as a public official to speak out publicly against a surge in legislative, regulatory, and legal threats seeking to undermine the practice of ESG investing.” Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility letter to members of Congress.
• May 18 – “On behalf of the 30 undersigned faith organizations representing people of faith across religious traditions and denominations, we write today to urge you to protect critical anti-poverty programs – food, healthcare, income supports, and housing – that help the most vulnerable to thrive in final negotiations related to the debt ceiling crisis.” Letter to the President and Speaker of the House.
• April 24 – “More than 50 organizations… committed to gender justice submit this comment in support of strengthening the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Proposed Rule on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing… We commend HUD for advancing this important regulation, which is a critical tool for creating more equitable and inclusive communities in which all residents, including women and LGBTQI+ people, have access to the resources and opportunities they need to live with dignity and flourish.” Public comment submitted to HUD.
• April 11 – “On behalf of the 22 undersigned faith organizations representing people of faith across religious traditions and denominations, we write today to urge you to protect critical anti-poverty programs – food, healthcare, and housing – that help the most vulnerable to thrive in the upcoming negotiations related to the budget.” Letter to Speaker McCarthy, Minority Leader Jeffries, Majority Leader Schumer, and Minority Leader McConnell.
• April 3 – “As you determine priorities for the upcoming Farm Bill, we strongly urge you to further support and promote nutrition in International Food Aid Programs. Promoting both food and nutrition security is critical to ensuring populations around the globe can access the foods and nutrients needed to maintain health as well as prevent and treat malnutrition.” Letter to House and Senate Committees on Agriculture.
• March 31 – “The undersigned 39 national organizations urge you to support robust funding to meet the affordable housing needs of older adults.” Letter to Chairs and Ranking Members.
• March 29 – “As a multifaith group of 20 organizations committed to saving lives and advancing the dignity of vulnerable and marginalized people around the world, we urge your support for strong U.S. investments in international humanitarian, poverty-focused development assistance, and peacebuilding programs.” Letter to House and Senate Committees on Appropriations.
• March 28 – “As people of faith who recognize and uplift the inherent dignity of all individuals and the simple right to breathe without risk of harm, we urge the EPA to issue stricter standards and help correct environmental injustices, promote public health, and protect God’s Creation.” Coalition Letter to E.P.A. Administrator with Comments on Proposed Soot Standard.
• March 23 – “We, the 130 undersigned faith organizations, write to you to express our grave concern regarding the reports of your administration considering reinstating family detention, an immoral and inhumane practice that was discontinued by your administration at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities in 2021.” Letter to President Biden.
• March 15 – “Our nation must do more to address hunger and SNAP has a key part to play. The 2023 Farm Bill presents opportunities to make further progress. We ask you to work to strengthen SNAP and protect the program from cuts or other harmful changes.” Joint Statement in support of SNAP.
• March 13 – “As national religious denominations and faith-based organizations in the United States with ties to Cuban religious communities and the Cuban people… We urge you to remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list and seek a path toward normalization in our nation’s relationship with the Cuban people and government.” Letter to President Biden.
• March 13 – “From our church communions and partners, we are hearing unprecedented concern about the deteriorating human rights situation and rise in violence in both the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel. U.S. military funding to Israel in part sustains this violence, making the U.S. government complicit in ongoing abuses. As U.S churches and church-based organizations, we call for change to end this U.S. complicity and ask that the U.S. government hold Israel accountable for its abuses including by cutting military aid.” Letter to President Biden and Members of Congress.
• February 27 – “…We pray that members of Congress and the administration will work together to keep our government creditworthy without cutting poverty-focused programs.” Letter to President Biden and the 118th Congress, organized by Circle of Protection
• February 17 – National Faith Organizations urge the United States to lift sanctions on Syria and expedite humanitarian assistance to facilitate earthquake response. Faith letter to Biden administration and members of Congress.
• February 1 – “…We ask that you temporarily halt security assistance from the United States to Peru as a strong message of support for the basic human rights of Peruvian citizens.” Faith Letter to President Biden.
• February 1 – ““The NGO Committee on Migration and the undersigned endorsers call on world leaders to accelerate their efforts to end child labor by 2025.” A Call to Action by world leaders appeal organized by the NGO Committee on Migration.
• February 1 – “We, the 1,921 undersigned organizations, write to urge the Biden administration to use the fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget request to call for robust funding for affordable housing, homelessness, and community development programs that help low-income households and communities thrive.” Letter to President Biden and Secretary Fudge organized with the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding.
• January 23 – “As 165 faith-based organizations and congregations across traditions, we write with grave concern about the forthcoming Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that will set in motion an asylum ban in the form of a rule that bars people from asylum if they enter without inspection or do not seek protection in countries of transit.” Letter to President Biden, Vice President Harris, Secretary Mayorkas and Secretary Blinken.
• January 9 – “We, the 94 undersigned civil society organizations, are writing ahead of the North American Leaders’ Summit (NALS) to urge your administrations to center human rights, humanitarian protection, and access to asylum for individuals fleeing persecution in your discussions regarding regional migration.” Letter to the President of the United States, the President of Mexico, and the Prime Minister of Canada.”

2022

• November 28, 2022 – “The Respect for Marriage Act is a simple way to provide legal stability for all married couples and their families. Within our communities, we approach matters of marriage, family, and identity differently. This bill recognizes this diversity of belief while ensuring that same-sex and interracial couples are treated with equal respect by federal and state governments.” Letter to Senators Baldwin and Collins.
• November 22, 2022 – “We are writing to urge you to expand the Child Tax Credit, especially for the
  poorest families during the Lame Duck Session.” Letter to president and members of Congress through Circle of Protection.
• November 16, 2022 – “On behalf of the 45 undersigned faith-based organizations, we join together in support for the Respect for Marriage Act (S. 4556).” Letter to senators.
• November 15, 2022 – ““As faith leaders with a deep concern for the Holy Land, we call on our government to lead a thorough and transparent investigation into the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.” Letter to Secretary of State signed by ELCA presiding bishop.
• September 27, 2022 – “As U.S.-based groups concerned with public health at home and abroad, we write to ask you to deliver urgently needed health funding for COVID-19 and the Monkeypox Virus (MPXV) response to protect domestic and global health.” Letter to Congressional Appropriators.
• September 23, 2022 – “We, the undersigned organizations, are writing to urge you to take immediate action to activate disaster recovery efforts in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona.” Letter to Administrator Criswell and Secretary Fudge.
• September 21, 2022 – “On the one-year anniversary of the restart and expansion of the Central American Minors (CAM) Refugee and Parole Program, the undersigned immigrant and refugee rights organizations write to request that your administration immediately strengthen the program so that it can deliver on its promise as a pathway to safety and family reunification.” Letter to President Biden, Secretary Mayorkas and Secretary Blinken.
• September 16, 2022 – “As 111 religious leaders and 59 national, state, and local faith-based organizations across traditions, we urge you to support and pass the Afghan Adjustment Act (S.4787 / H.R.8685) as part of the upcoming FY 2023 Continuing Resolution.” Letter to Members of Congress.
• September 15, 2022 – “The undersigned organizations urge your administration to designate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala.” Letter to President Biden, Secretary Mayorkas and Secretary Blinken.”
• August 22, 2022 – Ending border officials’ religious-freedom violations and their practice of trashing migrants’ personal belongings. Letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary.
• August 1, 2022 – Righting the wrongs of family separation. Letter to House and Senate leaders.
• July 28, 2022 – Federal Financial Aid Access in FY 2022 Reconciliation for DACA, TPS, and DED Holders. Letter to Senate and House leaders from 96 groups.
• July 20, 2022 – “We are writing now with a very specific purpose—to urge that the budget reconciliation package include funding to close the Medicaid coverage gap and extend life-saving medical care to the two million Americans who are currently unprotected because their state did not expand Medicaid as provided under the Affordable Care Act.” Circle of Protection letter to senators.
• July 7, 2022 – “As the undersigned religious denominations, faith-based service providers, and houses of worship from across the country, we ask you to proactively support the Housing First model as a proven strategy to address homelessness and housing insecurity in our communities.” Letter to members of Congress.
• July 7, 2022 – “As Christian faith organizations with a deep concern for the Holy Land, we urge you allow floor consideration and support passage of Representative Andre Carson’s amendment to the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to require the State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence, to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
• July 1, 2022 – “On Monday, the nation witnessed a tragedy as at least 53 individuals were found dead in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio, with reportedly 16 more individuals sent to local hospitals… We believe the surviving victims are at imminent risk of deportation or expulsion under Title 42 and want to ensure that your office is aware of this risk and takes action to prevent it from occurring.” Letter to DHS Secretary Mayorkas organized through American Immigration Council.
• June 29, 2022 – “As representatives of faith-based denominations and organizations, many of whom have a long history of relationships with Cuban faith partners…. We hope these initial positive steps will help increase support for the Cuban people and allow Cuban Americans to assist their families on the island.” Letter to President Biden.
• June 23, 2022 – “As people of faith, we are called to seek peace and imagine a world free from war and the threats of nuclear weapons. Today, we are calling on President Biden to move one step closer to that vision through a mutual return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by the United States and Iran.” Faith leader statement.
• June 17, 2022 – “As the undersigned members of the Washington Interfaith Staff Community, our religious organizations would like to express support for a letter… that [supports] creating a federal reparations commission through an executive order by Sunday, June 19, the Juneteenth holiday.” Letter to PresidentBiden.
• June 14, 2022 – “The undersigned 21 organizations from the Washington Interreligious Staff Community (WISC) Health Care Working Group write to urge you to advance a budget reconciliation package that prioritizes health care for vulnerable communities.” Letter to Senators.
• May 18, 2022 – “Today we, bishops of the [ELCA], write you as lead congressional appropriators, to call your attention to the dire cash flow situation faced by the Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH) in East Jerusalem. A.” Letter to congressional foreign affairs chairmen.
• May 9, 2022 – “The undersigned… write to express our deep concern with the text introduced in the TRIPS Council on May 3, 2022 that has been put forward as an alternative to the proposed waiver of World Trade Organization (WTO) intellectual property (IP) barriers for COVID-19 medical tools. We urge the U.S. and other WTO Member States to reject this text and negotiate a true TRIPS waiver instead.” Letter to U.S. Trade Rep. Katherine Tai.
• May 6, 2022 – “We call on Congress to appropriate $5 billion in emergency resources to address food insecurity and humanitarian crises exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine…” Letter to congressional appropriations chairmen and Leadership.

*These urls were selected for public availability of the signed document, not for the content of the website.

Dear friends in Christ,

One of the great joys in my vocation as coordinator for ELCA Disability Ministry is being able to grant some of our funding, donations and other financial resources to congregations and ministries that are committed to inclusion and accessibility. As an advisory member, I thought it was awesome to hear the creative ways that grant applicants have used this funding in the past, and I can’t wait to find out what your needs, dreams and plans are now! I am excited to see how God is at work as you seek to make accessibility, inclusion, participation and leadership of people with disabilities a priority — a matter of justice.

At this time, here are the important pieces to have in mind. We will begin accepting grant applications on Dec. 12 and will officially close the application process on Feb. 15, 2023. We hope that this time frame will give congregations a chance to start dreaming over the holidays and begin to have plans take shape as we move into the new year.

Secondly, we will accept for consideration the first 30 grant applications we receive through the application process in GrantMaker. Once that number is met, correspondence will be sent out through our newsletter and blog. Please note that this may happen before the Feb. 15 deadline. Of those 30 received, our review team will approve up to five grants of up to $10,000 for projects.

Applicants for this grant can be congregations, synods or other ELCA organizations. We leave this intentionally open because we know that great things are happening all across the wider church! As grantees begin thinking through projects, we would also like them to take note of the following:

To be eligible for a grant, your project and proposal must reflect at least two of the three commitments of ELCA Disability Ministry:

• Preparing leaders for serving people with disabilities, raising up people with disabilities for leadership positions, and encouraging the participation of those with disabilities in the wider church.
• Equipping our synods, congregations and members with relevant and practical information that enables them to welcome and support individuals with disabilities so that they might participate fully in the life of the congregation and that, together, all might experience being the body of Christ.
• Gathering and connecting those with disabilities and various groups within the church so that they might help us become an inclusive, supportive and whole community of faith.

A successful grant proposal must supply the following pieces of information, which will be put together in the application on the ELCA GrantMaker system:

• Project leader information.
• A detailed summary plan that includes your project’s name, location, timeline, targeted audience, etc.
• Goals and objectives.
• Budget and budget narrative detailing how the grant funding will be spent.
• Synod support (letter and/or financial).
• Proof of other funding sources outside the grant.

The ELCA Grants Management Team has made a tool to help grantees with the registration process on GrantMaker. You can find it here. The team has also included a document to help you navigate the tool: Managing the Grantee Tool.

Please do not hesitate to contact Disability Ministry as questions arise in your grant proposal writing and application processes. You can email Disability.Ministry@elca.org or myself directly at lisa.heffernan@elca.org.

God’s peace and blessings be with you in this Advent season. On behalf of myself and the ELCA Disability Ministry advisory team, I want to thank you for your renewed or continued commitment to accessibility and the inclusion of people with disabilities across the life of the whole Church.

In Christ,

Rev. Lisa Heffernan

Eleanor Roosevelt, Chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights, holding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Photo: FDR Library

On December 10, 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), written to address the atrocities committed during World War II. Since then, the United Nations and other bodies have adopted additional documents on human rights. The International Bill of Human Rights includes the UDHR, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Every year, International Human Rights Day is observed on December 10. To celebrate, we  are reflecting on a few of the articles in the UDHR in the context of disaster response and recovery.

Article 1: All humans are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

Article 2: Everyone is entitled to the rights and freedoms in this document, regardless of gender, sex, race, etc.

When a disaster hits a community, everyone is impacted in some way, but all too often,  some populations, including people of color and people living in poverty, are disproportionately affected by disasters and don’t have the resources to recover in the same way as more privileged communities. But after disasters, every human deserves to be able to recover and live with dignity and security, no matter their situation or background.

Article 13: Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state; Everyone has the right to leave any country, including their own, and to return to their country.

Article 14: Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.

Lutheran Disaster Response accompanies migrants and refugees around the world. Many are fleeing conflict, local violence, or economic hardships. Additionally, climate change is expected to be the biggest reason for migration this century. When people’s lives are disrupted by drought, constant flooding, hurricane after hurricane, some choose to move to a place less impacted by the intensifying disasters. People have the right to leave their home countries and seek safer lives, whatever the reason.

Alongside local partners, LDR supports refugees in Eastern Europe fleeing countries in the Middle East, Northern Africa and recently, Ukraine. LDR works with AMMPARO to accompany migrants from South and Central America that arrive in the United States.

Article 25: Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of [themself] and [their] family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond [their] control.

Disasters, whether natural or human-caused, affect the standard of living and quality of life for people impacted. Survivors can lose their home, belongings, jobs and may sustain injury due to disasters. LDR and our partners work to ensure that disaster survivors have the rights of Article 25 upheld. Our partners distribute food, clothing, hygiene supplies and items to ensure an adequate standard of living for disaster survivors. They also provide temporary shelter and repair and rebuild homes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people around their world lost their jobs, LDR and our partners provided for families affected by the economic impacts of the pandemic, so people were able to meet their families’ needs.

Effective disaster response upholds all the rights described in the UDHR and subsequent documents. Even when people’s lives are upended by natural or human-caused disasters, their human rights should not be at stake. That’s why the work of LDR and our local partners in the U.S. and around the world is so important – after a disaster, when our neighbors are living in uncertainty, we walk with impacted communities, responding to their needs and supporting recovery efforts while simultaneously celebrating their strength and resilience.

Get involved

1. Visit the ELCA Advocacy Action Center to contact your congress members about vital issues impacting our communities, including government disaster response program reform and supporting refugees.
2. By volunteering in local disaster response through your synod or regional social ministry organization, you can ensure that survivors’ right to adequate living is met.
3. LDR is a trusted partner in disaster response. Your gifts to LDR help accompany our neighbors when their lives are upended by disaster. 100% of your gifts to a designated disaster go to disaster survivors.

The year spent with ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellows enhances our work and ministry at the D.C. and state public policy offices in the ELCA-affiliated network where they are located and enriches their future encounters with a year spent loaded with opportunity, networking, discernment and engagement.  

In the 2022-23 cycle, three leaders are placed through funding of ELCA World Hunger in California, Ohio and Washington, D.C. where they’ve expressed eagerness to connect, learn and grow as they help work for a world where all are fed. 

Savannah Jorgensen (she/her):

Savannah Jorgensen is currently serving with the Lutheran Office of Public Policy – California. Before joining the ELCA, Jorgensen received her master’s degree in Atmospheric Sciences from Texas A&M University. She also holds her bachelor’s degree in Meteorology from Valparaiso University.  

With these education foundations, this Fellow has a passionate interest in environmental justice and climate change policy, so she is very excited to work in advocacy in Sacramento. In her free time, Jorgensen enjoys singing, spending time outdoors, and relaxing with her cat. 

Jillian Russell (she/her):

Jillian Russell is currently serving with Hunger Network Ohio. Russell graduated from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio where she studied Youth Ministry and Christian Education and Psychology. While in her undergraduate program, she focused her education surrounding the intersection of religion and agriculture and on how religious groups can engage members in new and exciting ways and advocate for one another. This encouraged Russell to find a passion in outdoor ministry where she served two summers at both Agape Kure Beach Ministries and Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp.  

Currently, Russell serves on the synod council of the ELCA Northwestern Ohio Synod. As an ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow, she hopes to continue her work in building connections between people of different faiths, traditions, and backgrounds while also advocating for state and local issues surrounding these topics.  

Kayla Zopfi (she/they): 

Since August, Kayla Zopfi has been serving with D.C.-based advocacy staff on the ELCA Witness in Society team. Zopfi graduated from Concordia College, Moorhead, where they studied Religion, Political Science and Interfaith Studies. Through her coursework and involvement, Zopfi became interested in understanding how people’s core values affect the way they see and interact with their communities and the world around them, and found her passions for institutional reform and storytelling.   

Zopfi recently concluded a Lutheran Volunteer Corps year of service with the ELCA Minneapolis Area Synod, where she was the Communications and Administrative Associate. Outside of work, Zopfi loves podcasts and audiobooks, talking about the Enneagram and astrology, and building new connections! 

Colleen Montgomery, Salem,VA

Warm-up Questions

• Did you ever have toy like was like you? If so, how was it like you? 
• What toy would you be excited to buy a younger sibling, cousin, or neighbor for Christmas? 

Like Me, Like Christ

Shoppers across the country are buying toys for Christmas presents for the children in their lives. While many toy manufacturers have increased the racial diversity of their dolls and action figures, there is a segment of children who still don’t see themselves in the toys they find under the tree on Christmas day. Children with disabilities and medical conditions. 

Roanoke College (one of the ELCA’s colleges) has a chapter of Toy Like Me whose purpose is to adapt toys to look like children who have disabilities and medical conditions. Toy Like Me recently hosted a modfication day where they modified nearly 200 toys for children in the Roanoke Valley in Virginia. 

Volunteers from the club and wider campus community added cochlear implants, insulin pumps, and other assistive devices. Dolls, stuffed animals, and action figures are customized to the requests of many families. The club also modified toys with port-a-caths to be given to local hospitals for children when they are diagnosed with cancer. 

Founded by biology professor, Frances McCutcheon, Toy Like Me has been modifying toys since 2016. McCutcheon also teaches classes at the college on differ-abilities where students are able to spend 48 hours experiencing what it is like to live with a disability. Students then make recommendations to the college on how to improve accessibility across campus. 

Toy Like Me has helped make Christmas a little brighter, and the students are helping to make their college community a more accessible and welcoming community. 

Discussion Questions

• How do you think a child feels when they receive a toy that is like them for perhaps the very first time? 
• Have you ever had a classmate who had a disability? What modifications were in place to enable them to be a part of the classroom community? 
• How does someone with a wheelchair get around your school?

Third Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 35:1-10

James 5:7-10

Matthew 11:2-11

(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

In Matthew 11, John the Baptist, a prominent prophet of the time, wants to be sure that Jesus is the real deal. If Jesus was a modern day celebrity, John would want to know that Jesus had the little blue check next to his photo on social media. Jesus points to the restoration of people who experience sight loss, mobility concerns, skin diseases, and hearing loss as a sign of his divinity and as validation of his status as Son of God. Only the Son of God could heal like that. 

However, we do a disservice to the people that Jesus restored if we view them only as proof for God’s plan or if we lump them all together as people that Jesus healed. Each person that Jesus touched had a whole life, a whole story, a family, hopes, and dreams. Their illness or disability presented challenges for their daily living. 

One of the main reasons for those challenges was the social separation that the wider society forced on them. Instead of finding ways to care for the sick in community or to empower those experiencing a disability to contribute to the community, they shut them out. Cast them off. Forced them to live isolated lives. 

For those who were sick, the healing that Jesus provided saved their lives. Yet for those who experienced blindness, loss of hearing, or mobility challenges, the restoration returned them to community. In a different place, in a different time, these people could have led full and happy lives with their disability. But Israel at the turn of the millennium was not that time or place. Jesus allows them to re-enter the life of their family, to work, and maybe to be partnered.

We are like Jesus  when we join in the work of making our communities accessible to all people. As with all projects meant to serve and support, this work is best done in conversation and collaboration with those we hope will benefit from it. When possible, letting people with disabilities take the lead in the design of adaptations or renovations is best. Then the wider community can help fund, build, and celebrate the inclusion of more of God’s beloved children. 

Discussion Questions

• If someone in your group or church has a disability and they would be comfortable sharing, invite them to tell the group about what is like to come to church. 
• How does it feel when you are left out of a game or activity that you wanted to be a part of? 
• How can you be more mindful in your everyday life of those who move through life differently than you?

Activity Suggestions

• Find a wheelchair or office chair with wheels and take it the parking lot of your church building. Pretend that you are a worship leader and need to get into the building, use the restroom, and then make it to the lectern. Were you able to complete the tasks? What modifications would need to be made in the building for a person who uses a wheelchair to be a worship leader? What modifications would need to be made for a person in a wheelchair to be the pastor or deacon? 
• Go onto the ELCA website and use the Find A Congregation tool to search for accessible churches near you. How far would you have to travel to attend a church for each of the categories under accessibility/disability?
• Learn sign language for your favorite Christmas hymn and incorporate it into your Christmas Eve worship, even if it is just from the pews. Some tutorials can be found here.

Closing Prayer

Creating God, you made each body different. Each of us is able to experience creation and share love with the world, even if we don’t all do it in the same way. Use our gifts to help make our community more accessible and welcoming to all people, however our bodies and minds work. Amen. 

ELCA World Hunger is excited to announce the addition of a new staff member, Everdith Landrau. Read more about her below! 

Hi everyone, my name is Everdith Landrau, also known as Evie, and I am delighted to join the ELCA World Hunger as Director of Networking and Engagement.  I am a native of San Juan, Puerto Rio by way of Manhattan (Spanish Harlem), New York.  I am an ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament with the Presbyterian Church, (USA).  My grandmother fostered the love of service early on in my childhood.  Growing up in an urban setting both in Puerto Rico and Spanish Harlem exposed me to the many struggles of hunger, food insecurity and poverty in Black and Latinex communities.

My service to the Church has taken different forms, including ecumenism, inter-faith relations, faith formation, youth and young adult ministry, art/healing movement, and food justice and advocacy.  As an ecumenical leader with my local congregation and the World Council of Churches, I collaborated in various justice service programmatic projects and critical theological reflection.  My doctoral research was focused on the health disparities of African American women in Charlotte, NC.  I researched the realities of how health disparities, hunger, food insecurity, and entrenched institutional racism prevents the flourishing of many Black and Brown communities in the South and the United States.

Much of my passion for prophetic justice has been nurtured by mentors, my spiritual formation alongside Black and Brown siblings and immigrant communities.  I have been honored to be a pastor in North Carolina while participating in community engagement and networking between diverse communities.  In many of our churches, we addressed hunger through soup kitchens, food pantries and intentional advocacy projects with local officials and nonprofit organizations.  I believe in the power of building resilient communities and creating brave spaces of dialogue, action and prayer.

In my free time, I enjoy exercising, creating handmade jewelry, dancing, and playing with my three-year-old daughter, Aluna.

This past Sunday, across many Christian traditions, the season of Advent began. This season begins with apocalypse, revelation. Contrary to the popular and colloquial use of the term apocalypse, it does not mean “end of the world.”  Quite literally, apocalypse means revelation, pulling [the curtain] away. When a play begins there is an apocalypse – the curtain is drawn, and the show is revealed. When I was a child, every morning was apocalyptic; my mother would pull the covers off me, my day began exposed to the chilling reality of a new day.  

The entrance to the sanctuary of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Fort Myers Beach, Fla. The plaque reads “House of Prayer for All People.”

Recently, I was honored to represent Lutheran Disaster Response alongside Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton and Bishop Pedro Suarez of the Florida–Bahamas Synod in bearing witness to the initial response and relief work in southwest Florida after Hurricane Ian. Many described the scene as apocalyptic – in both senses of the word. The power of creation manifest in a hurricane like Ian is awesome and horrifying. 

Disasters are apocalyptic. The fragility of human society and engineering is revealed in piles of rubble; the disparate impact disaster has on poor and working people, which are disproportionately communities of color. Mansions are left standing among the rubble of the homes of those who could not afford hurricane-resistant architectural upgrades. Those with strained finances fall further and further behind those with ample extra grain silos.  

Advent is also a season of hope. How can we hope in the midst of disaster, apocalypse? Jesus does not promise that his followers won’t be without suffering. In fact, throughout the Biblical witness, God is present in the midst of desolation and destruction. Even last Sunday, Jesus promised to be present during apocalypse, revelations of who we are as people, communities, and a society. The divine is not a source of the destruction, but the source of life which endures in its midst. Among the destruction in southwest Florida, one apocalypse of many, the Fountain of Life is alive and working through aid workers, emergency service providers, and neighbors offering mutual support; God’s voice echoes with those demanding justice; people from around the world are sharing their time and talents. Martin Luther is famed for teaching that humans are “simultaneously sinner and saint.” The apocalypse of disaster reveals both the shocking evil and persistent good. In this season of Advent, I invite you to join me in discerning the ways God is present in the midst of disaster, discerning what God is calling us to do, and participating in God’s saving, healing, feeding presence. 

Pastor Matthew Zemanick (he/they) is the Program Director for Lutheran Disaster Response Initiatives.

The Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in decades. Through the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), ELCA World Hunger is 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. LWF initiatives include training in climate-smart farming practices, building and repairing water wells, managing the water supply, promoting hygiene and more.

The stories below reflect the impact of our work together to end hunger through ELCA World Hunger.

Kojo

Kojo

Kojo is a mother who lives in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in northwestern Kenya. The stresses of drought facing the Horn of Africa, compounded by the global food crisis, have had a big impact on Kojo and her three kids.

“We did not have fresh food, and at the time no one in the whole village practiced farming,” Kojo said. “It was difficult to get food. The children survived on one meal a day, and there wasn’t enough for everyone.”

Things improved for Kojo when she attended trainings, supported in part by ELCA World Hunger, to learn about “net-house” farming. This method of farming, employing net-enclosed structures, is cost-effective and allows Kojo to cultivate crops year-round, regardless of harsh climate conditions such as drought.

With the skills and tools to practice this method of agriculture, Kojo now has a sustainable source of food. “My life has really changed,” Kojo says.

I am able to provide food for my family, and I sell some of the produce to my neighbors. In turn I am able to buy things like soap and sugar. I feel better, my children are in good health, and I get some money from selling my farm products.

Equipping mothers such as Kojo to support their families goes even further than the fresh food on the table. Ensuring economic stability keeps kids in school, improves their health, relieves social pressure on those who have migrated to the area and prevents children from having to enter the labor market.

As the drought in Kenya and the rest of the Horn of Africa intensifies, the work ELCA World Hunger supports becomes all the more critical. Kojo is eager to expand her net-house farming for greater success as the effects of climate change deepen. “I hope we can plant more varieties of drought-resistant crops and establish another net house for even greater returns,” Kojo shares. “This way we will be able to generate more income for our families and uplift our community.”

The persistent drought is causing an uptick in migration in the Horn of Africa, and our partners such as LWF in Kakuma Refugee Camp are receiving more requests for services — especially education and agricultural training.

“I am really grateful for the support,” Kojo said. “This will go a long way in ensuring sustainability in food production in our communities.”

James and Esther

Esther

James and Esther work hard to shield their 12 children from the stinging effects of the current drought in the Horn of Africa, its worst in four decades. Every day, as the children play joyfully outside the family home, James and Esther wonder if they will be able to pull together one meal for the family.

“What do you do in an environment where everything has dried up?” James said.

“Part of our way of dealing with this biting hunger has been to survive on a single meal a day or supplement our diet with wild fruits. Sadly, the fruit trees that once lined the riverbanks have also dried up.”

Esther has noticed how mothers struggle to nourish their children: “Being a mother of 12, I know the pain of watching children cry for food and water. Thankfully, we now have a nearby well maintained by LWF.” The well has significantly eased the burden of obtaining water, so families have more to drink and cook with. “Women in this village are relieved that they no longer have to endure the five-hour walks to fetch water at a seasonal river,” Esther explained.

ELCA World Hunger at work in the Horn of Africa

Up until recently, we were celebrating improvements in the work to end hunger, but decades of progress have been undone by the lingering effects of COVID-19, the rise in violent conflict and the intensifying effects of climate change. The commitment to local, sustainable and adaptive farming is essential in reclaiming that progress.

ELCA World Hunger funds programs around the world that accompany people facing hunger and poverty. In more than 60 countries, including the United States, we walk alongside companions who are hard at work providing food, health care, agricultural training, safe water, education, livelihood support and more.

The Horn of Africa drought is only one example of the emerging and urgent needs facing ELCA World Hunger partners. We are well-positioned and ready to respond to these needs and many more as our partners and companions request financial support.