Tag: March

Issue 92 of Administration Matters You’re not late, everyone else is just early! Final call for registration for the 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering, MYLE, and the tAble in New Orleans! Registration will close on April 15. Thanks to a generous donor, we are able to provide a waived registration fee (which includes program, housing and food) for our pre-events, the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event and the tAble! To learn more, visit: elca.org/Gathering. Church Mutual update The churchwide organization is aware of the difficulties currently facing the entire property insurance marketplace and the direct impact of insurers’ underwriting decisions. As you…

By guest blogger Jennifer DeLeon, ELCA Director for Racial Justice [more] As we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, the resounding importance of that pivotal event echoes powerfully into the present day. The factors that propelled the March, including ending racial segregation, fighting for economic justice and securing voting rights, remain as urgent and relevant as ever. Racism—a mix of power, privilege, and prejudice—is sin, a violation of God’s intention for humanity. The resulting racial, ethnic, or cultural barriers deny the truth that all people are God’s creatures and, therefore, persons…

On August 28, 1963, an estimated 250,000 people gathered for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, rallying to draw attention to the nation’s racial inequities and insist on change. From the steps in front of the Lincoln Memorial, several leaders moved the crowd with resonance, challenge and inspiration, including delivery of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. Just steps – literally – from the podium was Mark Raabe, long-term member of First Trinity Lutheran in Washington, D.C., who helps us all relive and reflect on that pivotal day.   SIGHTS AND…

Cross posting from ELCA Advocacy blog. Resounding Call from March on Washington Then and Now By guest blogger Jennifer DeLeon, ELCA Director for Racial Justice [more] As we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, the resounding importance of that pivotal event echoes powerfully into the present day. The factors that propelled the March, including ending racial segregation, fighting for economic justice and securing voting rights, remain as urgent and relevant as ever. Racism—a mix of power, privilege, and prejudice—is sin, a violation of God’s intention for humanity. The resulting racial, ethnic,…

Destruction in Amory, Mississippi.Photo: Southeastern Synod Disaster Response Situation: From March 24-25, a powerful line of thunderstorms swept through the southern United States, spawning at least 20 tornadoes. Across multiple states, tornadoes and strong winds damaged buildings and knocked out electricity. The largest tornado was an EF-4 that traveled through Rolling Fork, Miss. Response: Lutheran Disaster Response is supporting the Southeastern Synod to address the immediate needs of disaster survivors in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia through local congregations and partner organizations. The synod is also providing emotional and spiritual care to both survivors and responders. Be part of the response: Pray Please…

Brenda Henry, Carnegie, PA Warm-up Question What issue in your community would like to see addressed and why?  Are there others who have a different perspective than you? What are some of their reasons for their position?  Invitation to Care In the city of Dumaguete, Negros Oriental Island, in the Philippines, groups of people have come together to fight against a proposal that they believe will severely impact their community. This proposal, P23-B, is a land reclamation project that seeks to develop the coastlines of the city. Proponents of the project argue that the development project dubbed “The Smart City”…

Following are updates shared from submissions of the Lutheran Office for World Community and state public policy offices (sppos) in the ELCA Advocacy Network this month. Full list and map of sppos available.   U.N. | CALIFORNIA  | COLORADO | NEW MEXICO | PENNSYLVANIA |WASHINGTON | WISCONSIN |   Lutheran Office for World Community (LOWC), United Nations, New York, N.Y. – ELCA.org/lowc Christine Mangale, Director Child Labor Statement: LOWC co-led the creation of the statement “A Call to Stop Stealing Children’s Lives” as part of the United Nation’s NGO Committee on Migration. Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has signed. The letter…

Issue 86 of Administration Matters It’s tax season: Updated tax guides are now available through Portico. Portico Benefit Services provides ministers and congregations participating in the ELCA benefit program with no-cost access to annual tax guides. For ministers, Clergy Tax Return Preparation Guide by Richard R. Hammar gives special attention to tax-related topics most relevant to ministers. For congregations, Federal Reporting Requirements for Churches by Richard R. Hammar helps congregations understand their federal tax-reporting requirements. Rostered Ministers Gathering – early registration ends March 31. Let this gathering be an opportunity for you to remember, reclaim, rekindle and revive yourself. Gather…

Jason Fisher, Champaign, IL Warm-up Question Share a story of someone who pointed out the potential they saw in you. Who is someone you could help to see their own giftedness? Seeing Possibility Yvonne Shortt is an artist who uses grasses, clay, moss, and other natural materials to create beautiful sculptures of people’s heads.  Slowly over time Yvonne began losing her eyesight because of a rare genetic disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa. Her story is part of a documentary called Adapt-Ability by filmmaker James Robinson which highlights how her limitations are really a gift to her art. Not being able to…

Steven Alloway, Granada Hills, CA Warm-up Question Have you ever been in a seemingly hopeless situation, then been given a second chance? Survivors When a building collapses, there’s an estimated 48-hour window during which trapped victims might be rescued. More generous estimates expand that to five or six days, maximum. Beyond that, the odds of survival decrease significantly. But after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey on February 6th, rescue teams were still pulling survivors from the rubble nearly 10 days later! One 13 year old boy, Mustafa, was trapped for 228 hours. “I have no clue how he survived,”…