Tag: advocacy

from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Senior Director Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: September 2022  INFLATION REDUCTION ACT  |  FISCAL YEAR ENDING  |  U.S. DISASTER RESPONSE IMPROVEMENTS  |  REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT  |  WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON HUNGER   INFLATION REDUCTION ACT:  The president signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, which is the culmination of months of advocacy on important priorities with Lutherans and partners from every corner of our networks. In addition to significant climate provisions, the Act will make health care more accessible for more people by continuing the Affordable…

from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – The Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Senior Director, ELCA Witness in Society Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: July/August 2022 AUGUSTA VICTORIA HOSPITAL FUNDING  |  BORDER ENCOUNTERS  |  SUPREME COURT ABORTION RULING  |  USE OF LANDMINES  |  BIPARTISAN GUN LEGISLATION   AUGUSTA VICTORIA HOSPITAL FUNDING: President Joe Biden visited Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH) on July 15 as part of a two-day presidential visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories. While there, the president announced a $ 100 million multiyear commitment toward the East Jerusalem Hospital Network (EJHN), of which AVH is a…

Our Christian faith compels us to attend to the world through the lens of our relationship to God and to one another. Sometimes, we may echo the sentiment: The world’s so big and I’m so small. Yet there is much we can do act for greater justice, and we are far from alone. Drop by an Advocacy Cafe to hear from ELCA advocacy community leaders about timely topics. The 30-minute presentations will be offered twice on the same day. The day session will wrap-up with 15-minutes for a Q&A session with panelists. The evening session will wrap-up differently, with 25…

This blog is an invitation into learning more about the farm bill, farm bill advocacy and ways to get involved. It expands on information in the ELCA World Hunger’s Global Farm Challenge Youth Action Guide’s advocacy page.   The farm bill is legislation passed every five years that has a tremendous impact on hunger in the United States and globally. The current farm bill expires in 2023, so the process is ramping up – where the programs covered in the bill are debated, refreshed and ultimately passed by Congress toward being signed into law. Now is the time for our…

by Rachel Wyffels, 2021-22 Hunger Advocacy Fellow [about the author] It can be hard to feel God’s restorative presence in these times. In the midst of violence towards each other and the Earth, I often wonder how the Holy Spirit is realizing God’s promise of resurrection in our lives and in our world. For me, one answer is with the people and relationships in my life. “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19). An opportunity…

from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Senior Director, ELCA Witness in Society Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: April 2022 CRITICAL HOUSING INCREASES IN BUDGET  |  CLIMATE AWARENESS IN BUDGET AND BEYOND  |  RESPONSE TO MYANMAR (BURMA)  |  END IN SIGHT FOR TITLE 42  |  FAIR HOUSING MONTH   CRITICAL HOUSING INCREASES IN BUDGET:  Since original overdue deadline of the budget passed last October, hundreds of Lutherans contacted their members to end the inaction and include increases in critical needs such as housing aid and homeless assistance. In the final version, advocates…

from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Senior Director Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: March 2022 VAWA REAUTHORIZATION READY FOR SIGNATURE  |  FAITH NETWORKS AND STATE OF THE UNION  |  LEARN MORE ABOUT FAITH AND REPARATORY JUSTICE  |  GLOBAL COVID-19 VACCINES ACCESS  |  TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS DESIGNATIONS   VAWA REAUTHORIZATION READY FOR SIGNATURE:  Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is ready for the president’s signature, and we thank the many Lutherans who expressed support using the ELCA Action Alert! Both Vance Blackfox (Cherokee), Director, Indigenous Ministries & Tribal Relations, and…

Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) is an annual gathering of Christian advocates and activists. People attending EAD worship, review advocacy best practices, dive deeper into issues of their selection around the central theme, take Lobby Day action, and network with people of faith passionate about the difference policy can make in peoples’ lives. Lutherans in attendance have denomination-specific opportunities to get to know one another and vision what we can do together! #EAD2022 is a virtual gathering, held Wednesday through Friday, April 25-27, 2022. The schedule is posted to advocacydays.org.   THEME IN 2022 This year’s theme, “Fierce Urgency: Advancing Civil…

from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Senior Director Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: February 2022 2022 ELCA FEDERAL POLICY PRIORITIES  |  HOUSING IN FEDERAL BUDGET  |  AFGHAN REFUGEE ADVOCACY   |  FOREIGN ASSISTANCE  |  HOLY LAND CHURCH LEADERS’ CONCERN   2022 ELCA FEDERAL POLICY PRIORITIES:  Our annual identification of policy priorities on the federal horizon for ELCA advocacy action is available. Find listing on the ELCA Advocacy Blog, with a downloadable version from the ELCA advocacy resource page. Shaped by the ELCA’s social teaching documents and the experiences of its congregations, ministries…

DOMESTIC  |  ENVIRONMENT  |  INTERNATIONAL  |  MIGRATION  |  MIDDLE EAST  |  CIVIC ENGAGEMENT  |  GETTING INVOLVED   Every public policy decision has an effect on us and on our neighbors, even neighbors living across the country or around the world. This compels us as church to “unite realism and vision, wisdom and courage, in its social responsibility. It needs constantly to discern when to support and when to confront society’s cultural patterns, values, and powers” (ELCA social statement Church in Society: A Lutheran Perspective, p. 3). By building relationships with policymakers, taking joint action with values-sharing issue partners, writing comments…