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State Advocacy Spotlight: Wisconsin

Cindy Crane, Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin

May 1, 2014

WI_LOPPW

 

 

 

 

Human trafficking has been on Wisconsin’s legislative radar over the past year.  Recently Governor Scott Walker signed a bill that includes redefining the meaning of consent for victims of human trafficking.  More legislative efforts on trafficking will continue in the next session.

Currently I am working with Amy Hartman, an ELCA diaconal minister and the national executive director of Cherish All Children, to create a plan for working together to develop a team of ELCA members in the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin.  These team members would be the go-to people for sharing information about human trafficking with the synod and for responding to legislative concerns.  The two LOPPW Advisory Council members from that synod will be involved.  This work is part of an effort to create advocacy teams around the state that may vary according to local interests and needs, but will have statewide legislative ties.

Another advisory council member, from the northern part of Wisconsin in an area that is part of the Northern Great Lakes Synod, and I are discussing leading two half-day workshops on LOPPW’s work and hunger issues in two different cities in northern Wisconsin in the fall.

I also look forward to leading workshops on LOPPW at two synod assemblies and representing ELCA World Hunger at another synod assembly soon.

To learn more about the work of the Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin, visit their website or check them out onfacebook!​

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State Advocacy Spotlight: Washington

Elise Scott and Paul Benz, Faith Action Network

April 30, 2014

 

Lutheran advocacy in the state of Washington had a positive and significant impact on the 2014 legislative session.

During the course of the session, Faith Action Network advocated for the passage of the Dream Act, increases to the budget for state food assistance as well as for the breakfast after the bell bill, four separate bills regarding issues of wage theft, multiple bills related to dismantling the culture of violence through higher education in prisons and the sealing of juvenile records, and for a bill allowing state employees and students to take two unpaid holidays a year for reasons of religion or conscience.  Although not all of these bills passed, several, including the Dream Act, sealing of juvenile records, the bill allowing for unpaid holidays for religious reasons, and minor increases in the budget for food and hunger related issues, passed and Governor Inslee signed them into law.

Furthermore, Faith Action Network dropped its first bill ever.  The bill continued efforts to prevent human trafficking in the state of Washington by making it a felony for an employer to possess an employee’s immigration documents by threat or coercion of involuntary servitude.  The bill passed with strong bipartisan support and Governor Inslee signed it into law on March 19, 2014.

Faith Action Network continues its advocacy efforts in regards to Initiative 594 which creates universal background checks.  Through endorsements by faith communities throughout the state, FAN hopes to help this initiative pass into law in November.

To learn more about Faith Action Network’s advocacy efforts visit their website or follow them on facebook(faithactionnetwork) and twitter (@FaithActionWA).

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Honoring the 17th Anniversary of the Red River Flood

Megan Brandsrud

Red River 1997 flood 05

In mid-April 1997, following a harsh winter with above-normal snowfall, the Red River of the North flooded the Red River Valley, resulting in the worst flood in the area since 1826. The riverbed that is normally 100 yards became 25 miles wide. The Red River flooded 2,200 square miles in North Dakota, an area twice the size of Rhode Island.

Cities from Fargo, N.D., to Winnipeg were impacted, but none as severely as the greater Grand Forks, N.D., area. Nearly all of Grand Forks’ 52,000 residents had to be evacuated while more than 75 percent of the city was engulfed by the flood.

In the end, the impacted regions experienced more than $3.5 billion in flood damages.

Governmental agencies, non-profit organizations and faith-based agencies from around the country responded to the Red River flood. Lutheran Disaster Response, working through our affiliate, Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota, joined other responding agencies to form the Resource Agencies Flood Team (RAFT) to best provide efficient, relevant service to those impacted by the flood.

Lutheran Disaster Response assisted in providing financial assistance for personal items and home rebuilding, coordinating volunteers for home rebuilding, matching donations with needs, and providing encouragement and spiritual support. Lutheran Disaster Response also loaned out equipment to homeowners for rebuilding and provided sheetrock to Lutheran churches.

Since the 1997 Red River flood, the greater Grand Forks area has implemented changes to prevent a disaster of this size from occurring again. Permanent dirt and clay dikes were constructed in areas of the city, and East Grand Forks, Minn., widened the area next to the river by moving businesses behind a new wall. The downtown businesses of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks are protected by a permanent brick/cement wall system constructed along the riverbank.

On this 17th anniversary of the Red River flood, we turn to God to pay memory to the trial and give thanks for the renewal and hope found in the promise of His love.

Then God said to Noah, “Go out of the ark…Bring out with you every living thing…so that they may abound on the earth.” Then Noah built an altar to the Lord. Genesis 8: 15, 17, 20

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Living Earth Reflections: Protecting the Waters of the United States

Mary Minette, ELCA Director of Environmental Advocacy

April 2014

 

“I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights,and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land springs of water.”

Isaiah 41:17b-18

Water is a gift from God that is both essential to life and to our spiritual life as Christians. Water quenches our thirst, serves as a symbol of the beginning of our journey as Christians and nourishes and renews all life on earth. Stewardship of water resources is a critical part of our call to care for God’s creation.

 

The Clean Water Act

The Clean Water Act, which passed Congress in 1973, requires the federal government to protect the waters of the United States from pollution. Passed at a time in our national history when some rivers were so contaminated with industrial waste they could catch on fire, this landmark legislation is the reason that our lakes, rivers and streams can serve our communities as drinking water sources, support commercial and recreational fishing, and provide opportunities for swimming and other recreation. But many of our bodies of water are still under threat from pollution, and in recent years the scope of the Clean Water Act was called into question by two Supreme Court cases. These cases created uncertainty about whether small wetlands and streams are “waters of the United States” and deserving of the full protection of clean water regulations.

For more than four decades, the Clean Water Act protected the smaller streams and wetlands that feed into larger watersheds in our interconnected system of waters. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, about 60 percent of stream miles in the U.S. only flow seasonally or after rain, but have a considerable impact on the downstream waters. In fact, according to the agency, one in three Americans — more than 117 million people — get their drinking water from sources fed by these small and seasonal streams. But determining Clean Water Act protection for small streams and wetlands became confusing and complex following Supreme Court decisions in 2001 and 2006 that required the EPA to consider impacts on small and seasonal streams and wetlands on a case-by-case basis.

This month, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a draft rule that would provide clarity, protecting streams and wetlands that connect to larger watersheds and protecting the quality of the water that we depend on for drinking, washing, swimming and fishing. Under the proposed rule many of the streams and wetlands that were historically covered under the Clean Water Act will again be covered. The proposed rule works within the more narrow definition of “waters of the United States” given by the two Supreme Court rulings and clarifies that under the Clean Water Act:

  • Most seasonal and rain-dependent streams are protected.
  • Wetlands near rivers and streams are protected.
  • Other types of waters that have more uncertain connections with downstream will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine if their connection to overall water quality is significant. However, to provide more certainty, the proposal requests comment on options protecting similarly situated waters in certain geographic areas or adding to the categories of waters protected without case specific analysis.

In addition, the proposed rule preserves a number of exemptions to permit requirements for farming practices that have been developed over the 40-year history of the Clean Water Act to protect water quality.

 

Learn more

The EPA will be inviting the public to comment on the proposed rule over the coming months — if you’d like to learn more, go to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency page on the proposed rule.

This year’s Earth Day Sunday resource celebrates God’s gift of water and includes materials for use in worship as well as educational materials — use “Water, Holy Water” to plan an Earth Day service or other event in your congregation.

 

From Evangelical Lutheran Worship (page 71):

Holy God, holy and merciful, holy and mighty, you are the river of life, you are the everlasting wellspring, you are the fire of rebirth. Glory to you for oceans and lakes, for rivers and streams. Honor to you for cloud and rain, for dew and snow. Your waters are below us, around us, above us: our life is born in you. You are the fountain of resurrection … Satisfy all our thirst with your living water, Jesus Christ, our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

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Namibia: Cash Grants Help Provide Food Security During Drought

Megan Brandsrud

Namibia cash grantsNamibia is facing one of the worst droughts it has seen in more than 25 years. According to a report from the United Nations, 778,504 people do not have food security, and 169,000 children are at risk of malnutrition.

Certain areas of the country have experienced some rainfall and have started to plant fields, but it is too early to guarantee a secure harvest. Food stocks are depleted and market prices are extremely high for both food and seed.

This situation demands immediate action because people can’t wait for a bountiful harvest; they need food right now. Working with Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Lutheran Disaster Response has added $80,000 to our July 2013 disbursement of $150,000 for those impacted by the drought conditions.

The funds will be used to provide cash grants to 4,860 people living in four of the hardest hit communities in Namibia. The cash grants will help people cover their basic food needs during this transition period before harvest. Money paid out will be stored on a chip card that will be issued to the designated family member. Both male and female heads of households will be included in this distribution process. Unlike in-kind distribution of goods, these cash grants allow families to prioritize their spending based on their own needs, as not all households have the same needs even though they are affected by the same disaster.

Our global companion churches, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of Namibia and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia will help with the implementation of the food security projects.

The drought has caused malnutrition, which has led to disease and death. Children are the most vulnerable to these effects. Thanks to your gifts, we are able to help provide where resources are needed most. We will continue to walk with our brothers and sisters in Namibia and pray for food security.

 

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:35, 37

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Movie Review – Paycheck to Paycheck: The Life and Times of Katrina Gilbert (HBO)

Henry Martinez

“She flies with her own wings.” With these words, Katrina Gilbert translates her tattoo and sets the tone for the remaining 73 minutes of the documentary. Her story is one of many untold stories in America. As the movie states in the opening, 42 million women in America— one in three— are living in poverty or teetering on its brink. More than 15 million are mothers of children. Katrina is the mother of three children, separated from her husband of ten years with, in her words, “nothing to show for those ten years but three beautiful children.”

Katrina works full time as a Certified Nursing Assistant, earning $9.49/hr. As she ticks through a mental list of payments she needs to make, we get an idea of how quickly her paycheck is carved up and what little she has left after bills. There is a certain practicality and planning her situation demands as she manages her family’s finances. This takes shape as she considers financial matters and recreational options for her children, like not letting them play outside when it is wet and cold because she can’t afford to miss work (thus not get paid) if they get sick. Facing demands from work and family, the documentary shows Katrina as one who carries out her duties with tireless devotion. The movie clearly illustrates this comes with a price, and we see the toll it takes on Katrina’s health.

At times it seems the documentary wants to show her as a woman just trying to hold on. As a result, hope seems elusive. In one scene she learns that she’ll be receiving money back from a tax return and excitedly comments, “I can pay off my car!” She quickly names things she could put the money toward, and by the end of the list both excitement and money seem all but spent. There is another scene where her joy at being admitted to a local college is tempered by a rejection of her financial aid application. We keep waiting for something to go her way. We see someone to root for instead of someone to pity. And we want to root for her because she is doing it the way it “should” be done.

This isn’t a picture of someone who is struggling with her own bootstraps. It is a story of someone who firmly has them in hand and is still barely able to cope. As Katrina’s story unfolds, the directors emphasize (implicitly) the need for a more nuanced conversation about poverty, specifically one that doesn’t end with mere employment. Instead we are asked to consider the importance of access to education, quality and affordable childcare, medical care and a living wage. While the movie does not present a clear call to action, it presents a story that is decidedly – unfortunately – American.

Katrina’s story critiques the assumption that economic stability is within reach for most Americans if they simply work hard. The directors want us to see that her story is not merely an aberration in an otherwise reliable system, but that the system we have relied on for economic mobility is a failure. Rather than the exception, Katrina’s story is rapidly becoming the rule in an increasingly harsh economy.

Of course the extent to which the viewer identifies with Katrina Gilbert is subjective. If her story is just one of the one in three women in America, the chances are likely there are Katrina Gilberts in our congregations and communities. Our challenge is whether or not we see her story as one that is the backbone of our future and intrinsically connected to our own well-being. It is recognizing that economic vulnerability is a reality in our midst. As a result, people of faith will find this movie particularly useful if they are willing to explore what resources are within their midst not only to help people like Katrina weather the storms of their lives, but to put their energies toward seeking systemic change. It calls to mind the work the ELCA is doing to strive for gender justice and fair minimum wage standards.  The movie puts to rest the question of whether the systems of support in our communities are adequate, and leaves room for us to imagine how we might care for our neighbors who are weary from flying alone.

Availability: Currently the movie can only be streamed on HBO GO; you can also find more information about the movie, see a trailer and discussion guide from HBO.

Henry Martinez is Program Associate for Hunger Education with ELCA World Hunger.

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World Water Day 2014

Megan Brandsrud

​​Lutheran Disaster Response has a long history of providing clean, unpolluted water for drinking, cooking and cleaning in areas that have experienced disaster. We have many water programs around the world, from places impacted by drought to refugee camps where potable water is scarce.  Below are two programs where your gifts helped provide clean water.

Uganda

Working with The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), we have implemented a safe water project among Congolese refugees in Rwamwanja Settlement of the Kamwenge District in Uganda. Ten deep boreholes were drilled and installed in and around the settlement, and water source committees were formed to provide education about sanitation and to help maintain the boreholes.

borehole - Uganda

Providing additional water sources reduced the distance and time taken to access clean water, and they increased the level of safe water consumption in households. This meant that there was a decrease in the number of waterborne diseases and an improvement in overall health and diet. The reduced distance also meant that traveling to get water became safer for women and girls, who are often vulnerable to sexual and gender-based violence.

Some water points were provisioned near the camp’s host community, which also promoted a peaceful co-existence between the refugees and the host community members.

Kenya

In partnership with TheLWF introducing solar water filter Lutheran World Federation, we have been a part of a pilot solar safe water system in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. The project aims to support environmental conservation through alternative energy and to reduce the number of waterborne diseases.

The device is specially designed to use heat, UV light and a built in filter to clean contaminated water. The system generates approximately 40-60 liters of safe water per household every day. This water has had a profound impact on the community. Children suffer from less illnesses and eye infections by having easy access to clean, warm water. Firewood use has decreased by 20 percent since water no longer has to be boiled to make it potable. People have also said that the easy access to safe water gives them more free time, which is now spent on income-generating activities, such as agriculture.

Water is a precious resource. The United Nations reports that 783 million people do not have access to clean water, and almost 2.5 billion people do not have access to adequate sanitation. Because of this, 6-8 million people die every year from water-related diseases. Potable water programs have a huge impact on communities. Thanks to your generosity, Lutheran Disaster Response is able to help implement clean water programs in areas that have been impacted by disaster. We continue to pray for those who thirst, and we will continue to walk with those who are dealing with the vast consequences of disasters.

The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them. – Isaiah 41:17

 

Pictured:

Above: Pump head of a drilled borehole. Below: Member of LWF introducing the solar water filter.

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Carrying the Cross in Public

Ryan P. Cumming

​protest2

Used with permission from Boston at en.wikipedia

 

In the summer of 2012, Junior Garcia carried a 12-foot wooden cross from his home in Texas to Washington, DC, in an attempt to share the gospel in the public square.

In February of this year, a secular group filed a lawsuit to remove a 40-foot tall cross from public land in a suburb of Washington, DC.  A quick Google search will reveal lots of similar stories.

What does it mean to bear the cross in public?  This is a question that has been on my mind a lot as I prepare to join other Christians in Washington, DC, for Ecumenical Advocacy Days this weekend.  I sincerely doubt that many of us will show up with literal crosses on our backs.  And erecting a marble/wooden/plastic cross on the National Mall doesn’t appear on my copy of the agenda.  Yet, many of us will travel to Washington believing that people marked by the cross have something worthwhile to say in the public square.  We will carry the cross in public, to the halls of our government.

Too often, Christians have carried the cross in public with a steady supply of nails, ready to pin down and condemn their neighbors.  The public face of Christianity in America, it seems to me, is too often a posse of crucifiers, rather than a communion gathered around the crucified.  To bear the cross in public does not mean fighting over monuments or carrying literal crosses, and it certainly does not mean entering political life with a readiness to put others on the cross.    As Lutherans, we believe that we are marked by the cross in baptism and shaped by it for our whole lives.  We are a cruciform (“cross-shaped”) people, who bear our mark in private – at home or church – and in public – as workers and citizens.  And this must mean something more profound than either of the alternatives above.

To bear the cross, to enter politics and public life as one shaped by the cross, is to be marked by three qualities: humility, honesty and love.

Humility

The cross is a problem that confounded early Christians and continues to confound us.   Christian history is filled with attempts to explain the cross, but the cross is nothing short of a scandal.  To bear the troubling cross is to carry with us the humble awareness that we don’t have all the answers.  The cross restrains those who would enter the public square with a triumphalist Christianity as much as it chastens those who believe that any human government or policy or law can ultimately solve all the world’s problems.

The first person who reveals Jesus’ true identity in the Gospel of Mark is the most unlikely of characters: “Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!'” (Mark 15:39).  In the Gospel of Luke, it is from a common criminal, executed with Jesus, that we hear a clear pronouncement of Jesus’ innocence and a sustaining faith in the coming Kingdom of God (Luke 23:39-43).

To be marked by the cross is also to recognize that wisdom and clear sight are gifts God grants in unlikely places, to unexpected people.  Cross-shaped advocates recognize this and remain open to this wisdom wherever it arises.  This means being open to dialogue and discernment with a variety of people.  Being shaped by the openness that comes from humility, we know that public life is lived in common, among people with diverse gifts.

Honesty

To bear the cross is to be marked by honesty.  We know as well as Isaiah did that “truth stumbles in the public square” (Is. 59:14).  Yet, as cross-shaped advocates, we are called to speak the truth from a long tradition of truth-tellers, ancestors like Moses, who “spoke truth to tyrannical power” (Paul Hanson, Political Engagement as Biblical Mandate, p. 32) and Amos, who refused to be silent in the face of injustice.

Most of us know the famous story of David and Bathsheba.  David saw Bathsheba bathing, desired her and so arranged for the death of her husband.  After David had claimed her for his own, the prophet Nathan told him the story of a rich man who cheated a poor man out of the one small lamb that the poor man had raised (see 2 Samuel 12:1-15). “Who is this man? He deserves to die!” David exclaimed, to which Nathan, in an ironic turn, shouts, “You are the man!”  Nathan holds a mirror up to David to reveal to the king his own injustice.  Sent by God, Nathan dares to speak the truth when power becomes corrupt.

The cross, too, is a mirror.  We see in its torturous use the oppressive power of the Roman empire.  It reveals to us the depth of human sin which would lead us to kill our own savior.  There is nothing joyous or triumphant here; there is simply a body broken by the political and religious power that sin corrupts.  To bear the cross is to hold up a mirror to a sinful world.  This means channeling Nathan and speaking the truth in the face of injustice.  It means telling the stories many don’t wish to hear.  Truth demands that we speak up, with and, sometimes, for those who really are “left behind”: the poor, the marginalized and the excluded.

Love

Yet, to carry the cross is also to be a loving presence within the public square.  The cross reveals the depth of human sin, but it also reveals the more profound depths of God’s love.  And the empty cross reveals that, in the end, it is God’s love – and not human sin – which wins out.  The cross reveals a broken humanity, persons whose lives are one long via dolorosa, who cannot overcome injustice on their own.  To carry the cross in public is to accompany in love those who are treated unjustly.

To be a Christian advocate for justice demands – and offers – much more than dogged pursuit of a policy or a position.  Perhaps by taking up our cross as Lutherans, we can showcase a faithful citizenship that is loving, just and worth listening to.

Ryan P. Cumming, Ph.D., is the Program Director of Hunger Education for ELCA World Hunger. Ryan.Cumming@ELCA.org 

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Paul’s Humbly Firm Request

Henry Martinez

​The word advocacy does not appear in the letter to Philemon. Interestingly, the word commonly translated as advocate (paraclete) appears a few times in John’s gospel, once in 1 John and nowhere else in the New Testament. But Paul’s letter to Philemon is a helpful example of how theology and practicality come together in a personal advocacy-like appeal. It seems lazy to consider only a few verses of Philemon since the book is so short, but the following passage provides a glimpse at Paul’s tone and strategy.

For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love—and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. (Philemon 1:8-14)

Onesimus was a slave in Philemon’s house who, for some reason, may have wronged Philemon and somehow found Paul. We can only guess if Onesimus knew of Paul’s influence or had hoped for a result other than the one Paul was willing to provide. But from this letter it is evident that Paul has chosen to come alongside Onesimus and speak out on his behalf to someone who has sway over Onesimus’ future. One of the key moves in this letter is Paul’s emphasis on the change in Onesimus’ status. The change from “useless” to “useful” may be more rhetorical than descriptive, but the change from slave to beloved brother (v.16) demands more attention.

Paul is able to call Philemon brother because of the new identity they share in Christ. His appeal is for Philemon to see his relationship with Onesimus in the same way, that is, through Christ. This of course hadn’t settled the issue of slavery or how Christians should respond to it as an institution. But his appeal works in a different way. Paul appeals to Philemon’s faith in Christ knowing that it is something that has shaped him as well as the community to which he belongs. Since this faith has influenced Philemon’s attitude, Paul is hopeful that it will influence his relationships as well. In this case, Philemon has a claim on Onesimus that Paul wants to contextualize in terms of faith in Christ. Since Christ’s self-giving love demonstrates what laying down power looks like, Paul is presenting Philemon with the opportunity to do the same with Onesimus. He is not appealing to some general ethic of looking out for the interest of someone in need (which is not a uniquely Christian idea), but Paul is asking Philemon to set aside worldly power for the sake of Christian love. At some unidentified point, the two become incompatible.

When interpreting Philemon it is difficult to ignore the passages that seem slightly passive aggressive, if not opaque. First is the fact that the letter is addressed not just to Philemon, but to the church in his home. What was Paul hoping the others would do with this? He also notes that he is bold enough to command Philemon but chooses not to. What function does this serve if not to appeal to Paul’s stature in the community? There is another subtle move. Paul has been building his case through verse 13, then backs off just for a moment to recognize Philemon’s agency in the matter by stating that he wants this to be something voluntary rather than forced. Paul is not afraid to tell Philemon what he should do but he concedes that the choice is Philemon’s. Finally, Paul tells Philemon to get the guest room ready because he is planning to visit. The request may of course be innocent, but it may also be Paul’s way of saying he is coming to see for himself how things shook out.

What does this mean for how we understand advocacy? There may be some useful tactics for us to employ. However, it probably isn’t as simple as trying to identify parallels between this letter and our contemporary context; a significant discrepancy being that we aren’t usually on equal footing with Paul regarding the leveraging ability of our advocacy efforts. It requires a special relationship to even be received like Paul. I would offer that it has something substantial to say to us about how we understand power. Whether we have the influence of Paul or not, aligning our voice (individual and collective) with another’s need, especially the most vulnerable, is part of how we express our faith in Christ. In this way it is both with humility and boldness that we write to legislators, seek to change policy, and try to build relationships with our neighbors.

To find out more about advocacy efforts and resources in the ELCA visit http://www.elca.org/Our-Work/Publicly-Engaged-Church/Advocacy.

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Daily Work — Making a Difference in the Lives of Immigrants

Julie Hoff

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Imagine.

You are smart and charming. You’re motivated to succeed. You’ve moved across the world, left behind your friends and family, and embraced a very different culture to start a new life, hopefully a better life, in America.

But your first year here was really tough. You lived in a homeless shelter because you couldn’t find a job or an affordable place to live. Because you are a new immigrant, you are ineligible for most forms of public assistance. Even though you’re a college graduate, it doesn’t matter in America because you weren’t educated here. Plus, it’s almost impossible to get a call back for a job interview, because no one knows how to pronounce your name, and rather than call you, employers simply move on to the next candidate.

Imagine you are Baryogar (pronounced buy-yo-gar), who came to the United States as a refugee from Liberia. In Liberia, Baryogar had jobs in human resources and bookkeeping. But when he arrived in America, Baryogar couldn’t find any job.

Baryogar and Sarah

“When I came here, I didn’t have any idea of American culture. In Africa, it is a sign of disrespect to look in someone’s face. I had to learn in America, it is the opposite. Without Daily Work’s help, I would not have learned those things and I would not have gotten a job,” Baryogar said.

Founded as a Lutheran ministry in 2000 by a collaboration of ELCA pastors in St. Paul, Minnesota, Daily Work’s mission is to assist job seekers by helping them prepare for, find and maintain work that enables them to support themselves and their families. We operate from two ELCA churches in the Twin Cities: Christ on Capitol Hill in St. Paul and Christ the King in New Brighton.

Baryogar is one of more than 750 people affected by joblessness and poverty who have come through Daily Work’s doors to get the personalized help they need to transform their lives and become contributing members of the workforce. Today, more than 60 percent of the people Daily Wo​rk serves are immigrants, most of who are from the African countries of Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Liberia.

Baryogar continues to work as a nursing assistant in the same job Daily Work helped him find in 2007. His transition to America, while challenging, also came with some advantages. For example, English is the official language in Liberia, which meant that Baryogar had significantly better English skills than many other new immigrants. Baryogar was also a refugee, which enabled him to receive some refugee support and public assistance for up to eight months following his arrival in America. (However, most immigrants to Minnesota are not eligible for these types of supports. To learn more, read hereabout how medical assistance has been cut in Minnesota.)

Typically, the immigrants Daily Work serves come to the U.S. by “winning” a diversity visa. The Diversity Immigrant Visa program is a congressionally mandated lottery program that annually makes available 55,000 permanent resident visas to natives of countries deemed to have low rates of immigration to the United States.

According to Abera, another Daily Work job seeker and visa lottery winner, it was shocking to find out how hard it is to get a job in America and provide for his family here…and in Africa. Many immigrant families expect the family member now in America to send money home to Africa to help support them.

“I came here because I heard America is the land of opportunity. Everybody wishes to come to America. Life is very hard in Africa, the income from jobs in Africa is not enough to make a life and the politics are very unstable. In order to afford to come here, my family sold their family home to pay for all the expenses for me and my wife to move here.  It was a big sacrifice for them because now my mother must live in a public house,” Abera said.

Abera

Abera first came to Daily Work in mid-2012, about 18 months after moving to America. In that time, he had worked four different, temporary jobs that kept ending in lay-off. In the fall of 2012, Abera again came to Daily Work after being laid-off from another temp job. In addition to helping him put together a better resume and cover letter, his Daily Work counselor suggested that he take a 10-week job training course through another local nonprofit organization.

“Abera needed something new on his resume that demonstrated his work ethic and drive to succeed,” said Julie Hoff, Daily Work Executive Director. “We felt that taking this course would give him a bigger network, fresh information on his resume, and of course, some new skills to showcase to employers,” Hoff said.

The strategy worked! Today, Abera has a year of steady work history. He currently works two full-time jobs, one as a security officer and the other as a customer service provider at an airport. While he knows he still has a long way to go to achieve his goal to be a small business owner, Abera feels good about the progress he has made in the past year.

“This is all possible for me because of help from Daily work.  Now this day is brighter for me because I can help myself and my family. Having a good work means to me that I have more options to develop my career and take care of my family, both here and in Africa,” he said, smiling.

These are just two examples of the immense challenges new, legal immigrants face when moving to the U.S. While most of the focus on immigration today is about border issues and undocumented immigrants, there are many barriers and issues that new, legal residents of the United States face, including lack of financial support following arrival, difficult immigration laws that keep families apart, and unfair employment practices that both discriminate against and take advantage of immigrants who will do anything to survive.

On top of that, new immigrants face tremendous challenges just to learn English and drive a car, obtain new education and job skills that American employers value, and simply understand and adapt to American culture. As native-born Americans, we have had 20 years or more to gain the key assets needed to obtain living wage work: English language skills, cultural competence, formal education, and driving skills. Imagine if you had to learn all these things in a matter of weeks or months and support your family at the same time.

Daily Work was founded by ELCA pastors who believe that we are called to serve others and to share our personal gifts in meaningful ways. The ELCA, its congregations, and people like you play an important role in helping new immigrants by starting and supporting programs in your communities like Daily Work; but you can also make a difference by speaking out as voices for reform. Please consider what you can do to make life better for someone new to America. To learn more about immigration reform and the challenges facing immigrants, check out the resources below.

Challenges Facing New Immigrants and Refugees

Reform Immigration for America

Fair Immigration Reform Movement

Campaign for Community Change​

Julie Hoff is the Executive Director of Daily Work in St. Paul, Minnesota. Daily Work is a nonprofit organization supported, in part, by a Hunger Education grant from ELCA World Hunger.

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