| June 10, 2009 The ELCA Washington Office is
looking for stories generated from congregational
engagement with these excellent resources (see their
June 3 Alert below). Please contact Marissa Harris,
LAMPa Advocacy Developer (mharris@lamp.org)
and Robert Francis, ELCA Director for Domestic Policy (robert.francis@elca.org) as
a follow up to your Health Care Sunday and Health Care
Cafe activities.
For more information on LAMPa's health care reform
efforts in Pennsylvania, see the
Health Care Reform Issue Brief on the LAMPa
website.
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ELCA e-Advocacy
Network
Health Care Reform
News and Alerts |
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Healing Health Care
“At
the center of Lutheran ethics is the
love (agape) shown us by God through
Jesus Christ, who laid down his
life for us that we may have life and
have it more abundantly (John 10:10). We
hear what Scripture asks of us: ‘How
does God’s love abide in anyone who has
the world’s goods and sees a brother or
sister in need and yet refuses help?’ (1
John 3:17). In response to God’s love,
therefore, we work to promote the health
and healing of all people.”
-Caring
for Health: Our Shared Endeavor,
an ELCA social statement on health,
healing, and health care
The time is now – we need
your help on
health care reform! Look
below to see how you can help!
June 2009 is an especially important
month in the
health care policy discussion,
and so it is crucial for people of faith
from across the country to unite
together as a voice for change. Plans
are underway for the
largest faith-inspired mobilization for
health care reform EVER, to
be held in Washington D.C. on June 24th,
2009. We are asking Lutherans to join
this effort by raising awareness of
health care issues in their own
communities and congregations the entire
month of June (and even beyond).
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Here’s
what you can do:
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1. Host a
Health Care Sunday
in your congregation.
This could involve everything
from including a simple prayer
or bulletin insert to planning a
whole health-themed service.
For a full menu of ideas and
resources, download our
Health Care Sunday
toolkit
here. |
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2. Host a
Health Care Café
after worship or during the
week. Transform a
Bible study, men’s or women’s
group, Adult Forum,
youth group, or even an
informal gathering of friends
into a space to discuss health
and health care reform. For
discussion guides and activity
suggestions, download our Health
Care Café toolkit
here. |
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3. Share your health
care stories and opinions with
us! We want to hear
from you, so e-mail your
stories and opinions to
Robert Francis, the
ELCA’s Director for Domestic
Policy. |
Once you decide what level of
involvement makes most sense for you and
your congregation, please let us know
what you do, no matter how simple.
Letting us know helps us track what
Lutherans around the country are doing
and allows us to encourage others by our
combined effort. Even a small
contribution, multiplied around the
country, will send a powerful message to
our representatives in Congress that
health care is a moral issue that is
important to people of faith and
conscience. Everyone can be a part of
this nationwide movement, and the time
to plan your involvement is NOW!
Please join us, along with your fellow
brothers and sisters across the country,
in advocating for a strong and inclusive
health care system. Your voice,
leadership, and moral courage are
necessary to show our members of
Congress that Lutherans are informed and
engaged as we work for
health care reform! |
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