Category: Protestant

by Deacon Erin Brown – Lutheran Office for World Community [About the Author]   Being a part of the advocacy team at the Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC) has given me the opportunity to meet amazing advocates from the communion of churches that form part of the Lutheran World Federation. God has called these advocates to use their prophetic voice in different ways– sometimes formally in international, federal and state advocacy offices; sometimes as pastors; sometimes as professors; sometimes as student activists. I have the privilege to see the diverse ways in which our global church works for the…

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.   Prayer prompts: For areas of the world impacted by ongoing war, conflict, or political transition: Ukraine, Lebanon, Syria, Serbia……

Catalyst Question Where have you noticed God in your everyday life? God is Still Near In Luke 2:22-40, we find the story of Mary and Joseph bringing Jesus to the Jerusalem temple. This act of dedication of their firstborn son was fairly common amongst Jews of the day. What was abnormal was the response. Two prophets, Simeon and Anna, each praise God for Jesus’ presence. Why celebrate this otherwise apparently normal boy? Because, by meeting Jesus in this very ordinary ritual, they encounter the extraordinary: God’s redemptive presence. God is near, and so they celebrate! Finding the extraordinary amidst the…

by Emily Ahern, ELCA Advocacy [About the Author] As a young person, I am more than familiar with the concept of living in unprecedented times. In fact, I yearn for times which are precedented. As the prior U.S. presidential administration has left, and the new administration takes hold, the future feels uncertain. In my personal life, I am blessed to live in what I lovingly call a bubble – a pocket of peace and wholehearted acceptance. In my public life, such peace and acceptance feel wavering, and can feel like a precipice of something foreboding. In the past few weeks…

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.   Prayer prompts: For areas of the world impacted by ongoing war and political conflict: Ukraine, Syria, South Sudan, Colombia……

This is a guest post from Rev. Elazar Atticus Schoch Zavaletta of Good Trouble Church in Baltimore, Maryland. Pastor Elazar and the Good Trouble Church Community The mainstream expression of many ELCA Lutheran Churches is defined by being a white, middle class witness to Christ.  With hearts open to and appreciative of the saving grace of God through Christ, and often with generosity in serving the Lord locally and globally, nevertheless, few Lutheran churches truly know or understand the struggle of other peoples as they navigate a society defined by white supremacy and systemic oppression. Many of those on the margins of…

by Sagi Rudnick, Kansas Interfaith Action [About the Author] I am a Jewish progressive young adult who immigrated to the United States from the Holy Land as a child. Since my teenage years, I have felt a particular draw to political activism as a path for goodness to prevail. I also knew from that point that I wanted to build my career around that path. Since then, I have been fortunate to be able to lend my talents to a variety of causes. Last summer, about a year after graduating from undergrad, I found myself looking for an opportunity where I…

Catalyst Question What’s something old that you’ve noticed becoming popular again? How does that make you feel? Something Old and Something New There’s an old English rhyme that goes, “something old and something new, something borrowed and something blue, and a sixpence in your shoe.” It describes a tradition for brides to wear something of each category on their wedding day. To this day, many weddings include parts of the tradition, though finding a sixpence is much more difficult in the 21st century. Only a month into the new year, there’s much in the news that appears both old and…

by Joey Chin, Hunger Advocacy Fellow – ELCA Advocacy Communications [About the Author] A remarkably powerful windstorm known as a bomb cyclone devastated parts of the Pacific Northwest and Northern California about a week before Thanksgiving this past year. As I saw videos on the news of trees falling and power lines collapsing in the area I call home, I contacted family and friends to see if they were safe. Many people I knew were without power for almost a week but thankfully did not experience anything worse. Nevertheless, many homes, families and communities had to contend with the irreversible damage…

from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Senior Director Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: January 2025 CONTINUING RESOLUTION IMPACTS | COP29 CONCLUDES | PREVENTING ARMS SALES TO SUDAN | H.R.9495 AND NONPROFIT TAX-EXEMPTION | FY25 BUDGET AND THE HOMELAND SECURITY BILL   CONTINUING RESOLUTION IMPACTS: In December 2024, Congress passed a three-month Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government temporarily funded through March 14, 2025, while additionally providing about $ 110 billion in emergency disaster relief and farm aid. The measure also extended the lapsed authorization of the Farm Bill through Sept….