It’s been four months since Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Idai is the most severe natural disaster to affect southern Africa in over three decades.
Your swift response rushed aid to families in desperate need. You are helping them access safe water, stay healthy and replace essential items that were lost.
Read MoreJuly Update: Advocacy Connections: Posted on July 12, 2019 by ELCA Advocacy, from the ELCA Advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, director.
BORDER SUPPLEMENTAL SIGNED | DREAM ACT | UN CLIMATE CHANGE SESSION | FY20 FOREIGN ASSISTANCE BUDGET | SUMMER MEALS
Read MoreIn this post, ELCA World Hunger summer intern Aml Mohamed reflects on her experiences of accompaniment in her home country of Egypt.
“Why are you interested in this position at the ELCA?” A classic, expected question during an interview. I paused and asked myself three questions. What is the difference between interning at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and a regular nonprofit? Would I care as a practicing Muslim to work at a Lutheran faith-based institution? Would my identity as an Egyptian allow me to work and understand hunger in the US?
Read MoreIt happens every single day. Somewhere in our country, gun violence shatters a community, a neighborhood, a family. Almost 40,000 people died in 2018 from guns. That equates with a city the size of Annapolis, the capital of Maryland, struck down in a year – year after year.
Although written in 1995, the ELCA social message on “Community Violence” reads as if describing today. “For some women and children, home is less safe than the street. Hate crimes continue. Neighborhood, schoolyard, workplace, or family disputes spark into violence and become lethal. They become headline news, reinforcing the atmosphere of violence and inspiring profitable entertainment media.”
Read MoreELCA Advocacy keeps us updated with the many activities our church is doing in: United Nations | California | Colorado | Minnesota | Nevada | Ohio | Pennsylvania | Southeastern Synod | Washington | Wisconsin.
Read MoreSince the closing of the Balkan Route to Middle Eastern refugees in 2016, Serbia has been gaining more and more refugees. UNICEF predicts that 18,000 people will transit through Serbia by the end of 2019.
Please pray for all those affected by the refugee crisis. Remember those who have lost everything and all those who are working to respond. You can use these prayers and resources in your worship services.
Your gifts are needed now to help with immediate relief. Gifts designated for the Middle East and Europe Refugee Crisis will be used in full (100 percent) to assist those directly impacted and have fled for safety.
Read MoreAt recent synod assemblies, we celebrated the collective work we have done as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Two videos were shared with each assembly, and now we offer these same resources for you to share in your congregation. We hope these videos will inspire our ministry moving forward.
Read MoreClick here to take action to secure funding for humane and just immigration system. Use your voice as funding decisions are made.
The ELCA AMMPARO strategy is a holistic, whole church commitment by the ELCA to accompany people who are forced to flee their communities seeking protection from suffering or violence. As church together we work toward just and humane policies affecting migrants in and outside the United States.
Read MoreVisiting those in prison is one of the fundamental calls in fulfilling the gospel, but within that call lies an invitation to relationship. Pastor Fred Nelson from Redeemer Lutheran Church in Park Ridge, Ill., is founder and executive director of The Inside Out Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping connect people both inside prisons and those beyond the walls in more meaningful, effective ways. Listen to the podcast.
Read MoreThese petitions are offered as guides to prayer for the global, social and outreach ministries of the ELCA, as well as for the needs and circumstances of our neighbors, communities and world. Thank you for your continued prayers for the life and mission of this church. Download a Word doc, or PDF for letter size printout or legal size printout, or view the ELCA resource page.
Read MoreOn May 3, 2019, Cyclone Fans, a category four storm, made landfall in Puri, Odisha, India, the first to hit Odisnha in 43 years. At least 16 million people were affected and 43 people have been reported dead, with about 508,000 homes damaged.
Read MoreRecent news stories of appalling conditions at immigrant detention centers and of deep human sorrow on our country’s southern border have many of us desperate to be part of change.
Lutherans have a deep-rooted history in refugee and immigrant issues. One of every six Lutherans in the world was a refugee or displaced person after WWII. The God-given dignity in all people and value of family unity have been cornerstones of ELCA faith-based advocacy, and we understand that many immigrants, as well as their families, are both afraid and confused by recent developments. Here are some ways Lutherans have acted and can continue to respond.
Read MoreTwo important anniversary dates occurred last week. On June 19th there was the observance of Juneteenth, the date on which African descent slaves in Texas received the good news that they had been set free from their bondage. Two days earlier marked the fourth anniversary of the slaying of nine African descent Christians at a Bible Study in their church in Charleston, South Carolina, by a young man hoping to start a race war. On both of those dates last week, there was a nationwide showing of the documentary “Emanuel.”
Read MoreThe world is in a critical state, and we are far behind in our efforts to limit global warming. There are four numbers that matter:
1.5 or less – The degrees Celsius to which we must limit global warming;
2050 – the year by which the world must reach carbon neutrality;
2030 – the year by which we must limit global emissions by 35-40%; and
2020 – when new and revised Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), quantifying commitment for greenhouse gas reductions, must be issued by countries.
Crisis and urgency bordering on chaos are common themes of most news outlets’ headlines. Violence, climate change, hunger, migration… Are we faced with hopeless situations as the headlines seem to indicate? Absolutely not.
Addressing crises of the world may be urgent but must be expediently tactical. God has gifted us with many tools to help us navigate toward viable solutions. The Talanoa Dialogue process is one such tool.
Read MoreListen to Andrew Steele’s full interview with Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director of ELCA Global Mission. Learn more about the church’s mission theology of “accompaniment,” which defines how ELCA missionaries carry out their work with more than 80 companion churches around the world.
Read MoreImagine yourself suddenly, unexpectedly arrested and put in jail. You find yourself locked in a cell, perhaps with multiple strangers or perhaps all alone, staring at cracks in the concrete block, wondering what has just happened and what’s going to happen next.
The church wants to stand beside you and to pray with you and for you in that dark night, whatever it may be. Hear My Voice: A Prison Prayer Book (Augsburg Fortress, to be released July 2019) has been written for anyone who is incarcerated or imprisoned in any form.
Read MoreIrma Banales has walked an interesting path to become a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. She currently serves as director for evangelical mission for the Northern Texas – Northern Louisiana Synod. But her journey began in Mexico.
Read MoreIn 2013, Juan began the journey to the United States, spurred by extreme poverty and lack of opportunities in El Salvador. He attempted to get on “La Bestia” (The Beast) – a network oftrains used by migrants to travel towards the U.S. border. During his attempt to climb aboard, his legs were trapped by the wheels of the train, causing him to lose both his legs. He almost died.
A block from Juan’s home is Our Redeemer, a congregation of the Salvadoran Lutheran Church (ILS). The pastor, Francisco Aguilar, heard about Juan’s story. Read the full story »
Read MoreFrom the ELCA Advocacy office in Washington, D.C. comes the latest updates on: Disaster Aid | Dream and Promise Act | Equality Act | HUD Noncitizen Rule | Immigration Funding | Webinar: Moving Forward | Global Fragility Act Faith-Voices at Climate Summit | Hunger Advocacy Fellowship
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