ELCA advocacy is most effective when Lutherans across the country are involved and active. The ELCA has professional policy staff who help facilitate Lutheran advocacy efforts, but members of Congress want to hear from their constituents—your stories, experiences and influence impact their decisions. On the Witness in Society’s advocacy resources page, you’ll find information that […]
Serving a congregation during an election year has often presented challenges. But the last few election cycles have revealed deepening divides that have left pastors and deacons, especially those serving “purple” congregations, filled with anxiety about how to talk across our political differences. The Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod heard the longings for resources around depolarization from […]
On Feb. 13, Tracie Bartholomew, bishop of the New Jersey Synod, joined ELCA advocacy staff to meet with federal legislators on Capitol Hill to express deep concern in accompaniment and advocacy with the church’s partners in the Holy Land and the United States. Following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel in which Hamas killed […]
Editor’s note: Faith-based advocacy happens wherever Lutherans are found, including through our ELCA-affiliated state public policy office network. When Washington, D.C.-based ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow Will Milner joined a delegation from his home state of Virginia for an advocacy day through the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP), he left his first-time encounter encouraged […]
Executive committee members of the ELCA’s AMMPARO strategy met in Washington, D.C., last month to discuss opportunities for highlighting migrant voices on Capitol Hill. Meetings not only advanced AMMPARO’s ministry with its companions—accompanying migrants with protection, advocacy, representation and opportunities—but also portrayed “our broad and inclusive witness.” As one Raed AbuJries—ELCA director for AMMPARO U.S. […]
We know that facing hunger is more than pre-dinner pangs. The share of children in households with an income of less than half the poverty line doubled between 2021 and 2022 in the United States. That is an increase of more than 100% for children living in what is considered deep poverty, according to an […]
Would you be surprised to hear lively discussion about an ELCA social teaching document among your congregation’s young adult group? Peace Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, S.D., has found resources like “For Peace in God’s World,” an ELCA social statement, and “Earth’s Climate Crisis,” a social message, rich as the group processes and contextualizes current […]
Congregations volunteer, donate, cook, serve and care for the hungry in our communities. Despite these efforts, 2 out of 3 kids who are born into poor families will likely remain in or near the poverty level their entire lives (nccp.org). Linking the food pantry at Church on Oakland Park in Columbus, Ohio, with conversation, relationships […]
My email inbox isn’t usually an exciting read. But you don’t miss an email from the White House social secretary. Over the past 18 months, ELCA staff, along with faith-based advocates and other partners, have invested many hours pursuing policies in Congress that would address health care, poverty, climate change, immigration and a host of […]
Most eyes were on Election Day as the end of the campaign season, and Lutherans were busy getting ready. In Washington, faith leaders held virtual town halls with candidates to talk about their positions on police reform, the economy and the environment. In Ohio, Lutherans did voter registration through food pantries to ensure that the […]
