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Green Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) polo shirts could be spotted under blazers as about 70 LDR members from 26 states strode into offices on Capitol Hill to speak with their members of Congress on Oct. 22.
“You show up for events like these so that disaster response and the work of the church stay in front of leadership of our country,” said Phillip Huber, LDR coordinator for Delaware/ Maryland. “Part of what we discovered in our Hill meetings is that they do listen to what we have to say and listen to why we think these issues are important. One particular visit may have opened up new possibilities for funding for a mitigation recovery project on the Eastern Shore of Maryland that we didn’t even know was possible.”
Huber was one of the LDR leaders who was in Washington, D.C., for an annual LDR Community of Practice gathering, planned as a space for education and training—and specifically this year, advocacy. Amid a government shutdown, ELCA advocacy staff connected LDR leaders with federal officials to share stories from their communities and discuss FEMA-related legislation introduced in Congress.
“Disaster doesn’t see any of [the divisions] we like to manufacture,” said Sean Coffman, ELCA director for LDR Training and Networks. “We scheduled this conference here in D.C. last fall, just knowing that we would— either way the election went—need to be advocating for positive disaster reform.”
ELCA advocacy staff met with LDR leaders to offer practical tips on what to expect during a Capitol Hill visit—from preparing experiences to share with congressional staffers to navigating the marble hallways of congressional office buildings.
“I have received more questions about advocacy recently than ever before,” said Mary Sanders, an ELCA deacon in the West Virginia Synod and executive director of Community Lutheran Partners, Inc. “This is a part of my call, building relationships and networks that benefit my communities and even my representatives. While it doesn’t feel like advocacy is a special gift of mine, it does feel doable, especially with the help of our ELCA advocacy folks.”
