LAMA Update: Urgent Farm Bill Advocacy and New Opportunities to Engage
This week’s newsletter from Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA) includes urgent advocacy opportunities, upcoming justice-focused events, and new resources to help Lutherans engage faithfully in public life.
At the top of this week’s update is an urgent Farm Bill Action Alert. After years of delay, the U.S. Senate is considering the Farm Bill, and Lutherans are being encouraged to contact Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego to advocate for a bipartisan bill that protects SNAP benefits and supports families experiencing hunger. LAMA is especially encouraging people to share stories of what they are seeing in food pantries and local communities.
The newsletter also highlights several opportunities to learn, organize, and take action in the weeks ahead:
June 3: A Lutheran Disaster Response Partner Spotlight featuring Andrew Fuller from ELCA Witness in Society, with updates on the Farm Bill, SNAP, and federal policy impacts on community resilience.
June 4: The Arizona Faith Network Social Justice Commission gathering, open to all interested in advocacy and justice work.
June 9: The Arizona Faith Network’s Cherishing Creation Collaborative, focused on faithful care for creation and sustainability.
June 12: An Anti-Hunger & Food Systems Advocacy Call for legislative updates and organizing around hunger concerns in Arizona.
June 15: The monthly LAMA Liaison Roundtable, helping congregations deepen advocacy engagement through conversation and shared learning.
July 13: Multi-faith Poll Chaplain and Peacekeeper Training, equipping lay and rostered leaders to support vulnerable voters through a calming, nonpartisan presence during elections.
This week’s featured blog content also includes several important advocacy concerns affecting Arizona and beyond. Readers can learn more about Bishop Deborah Hutterer’s call for dedicated state funding for extreme heat relief and preparedness, advocacy surrounding Oak Flat and sacred land protections, an ELCA immigration funding action alert, and new guidance for congregations and rostered ministers on faithful, nonpartisan engagement in the 2026 electoral process.
The newsletter also includes information about ELCA World Hunger Domestic Hunger Grants, with letters of inquiry for 2027 funding due July 1, as well as opportunities to connect with the LAMA team for congregational presentations, social justice organizing, volunteer opportunities, and advocacy training.
As Lutherans, we understand advocacy as one expression of loving our neighbor and seeking justice for the common good. Whether through hunger ministries, care for creation, public witness, or accompaniment of vulnerable communities, this week’s LAMA newsletter offers practical ways to live out faith in public life.
Read the full LAMA newsletter for complete details, links, and action opportunities, and consider sharing it with your congregation or advocacy team.
