From Cuba to the Ballot Box: Opportunities to Serve and Advocate

The latest newsletter from Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA) is now available, featuring opportunities for advocacy, upcoming training events, and new resources to help congregations engage faithfully in public life.

This week’s featured Action Alert invites Lutherans to join the ELCA in urging Congress to lift trade and travel restrictions with Cuba. The alert highlights concerns about humanitarian hardship and reflects the ELCA’s long-standing relationship with Lutheran partners in Cuba.

Several important training and engagement opportunities are also coming up in the weeks ahead. Arizona Faith Network is recruiting volunteers for its nonpartisan Election Protection program, with trainings scheduled throughout June and July for Poll Chaplains and Peacekeepers. These volunteers help provide a calm, supportive presence for voters and promote safe, accessible participation in the democratic process.

The newsletter also includes an online conversation hosted by ELCA staff exploring the rapid expansion of for-profit immigration detention in the United States. Participants will examine the history of detention systems, consider biblical and theological perspectives, and explore ways congregations can respond faithfully.

Closer to home, the Grand Canyon Synod Hunger Leaders Network will gather on June 30 for conversation, collaboration, and mutual support among congregational and ministry leaders working to address hunger across our region.

The newsletter’s featured articles continue to explore the intersection of faith and public witness. Readers will find resources for congregations preparing for the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary, reflections on national symbols in worship, opportunities to support election integrity efforts, advocacy around voting rights, hunger ministry updates, school supply drives, and upcoming heat-relief service projects.

Because the newsletter contains only brief excerpts of many articles, readers are encouraged to explore the full stories, event details, registration information, and action opportunities through the complete newsletter and at LAMA’s website.

As an advocacy ministry of the Grand Canyon Synod, LAMA equips Lutherans to live out their faith in service to neighbors, seeking justice, promoting dignity, and working for the common good throughout Arizona and beyond.