Lutheran Day at the Capitol - May 9, 2007

    Meet at 8:00 A.M. in the East Wing Lobby of the Capitol to visit with legislators, bishops and fellow advocates.

From there, go on to the Hilton Harrisburg Hotel (Registration begins at 9:15 A.M.) to take part in the program for the day, beginning with devotions at 9:35 A.M.
     This year, we are privileged to have with us Yonce Shelton, Senior Policy Director, Sojourners/ Call to Renewal, who will speak on “The Intersection of Faith and Politics.”
     The afternoon will include the installation of LAMPa’s new director, presentations, panel discussions, workshops, and visits with legislators. 

    For more information and registration...

     Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania is pleased to announce the appointment of the Rev. Neil P. Harrison as its Executive Director, effective February 16, 2007.
     He served as the chairperson of the Policy Committee of Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-Colorado for the past several years. Neil has extensive advocacy and government experience, including as an elected official.
     After two terms on the Davenport, Iowa City Council as an alderman, from 1990-1993, Neil served in the Iowa legislature. He also served on the Advisory Council to the United States Civil Rights Commission from 1995-1997.

    Upon learning of Neil’s election by LAMPa, Jim Barclay, CEO of Lutheran Family Services of Colorado remarked, “I have followed the work of LAMPa and know that you will be just the right person to lead LAMPa to an even greater impact among the poor, vulnerable and disenfranchised. Wow! God is so full of surprises! We will miss his vision and energy as a church leader in Colorado.”
     Rev. Harrison served as pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Loveland, Colorado since 2004. Prior to that ministry, he served as the Executive Pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

     Neil is a graduate of Western Illinois University. He also served as General Manager of a family moving and storage business; Associate in Ministry at St. James Lutheran Church in Bettendorf, Iowa; and Executive Director of the Davenport Latchkey Program Agency, Inc.
     In 2000, Neil married Denise Stanger, an ELCA Associate in Ministry. His stepdaughter, Katie, is a high school teacher in West Des Moines, IA.  A graduate of Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, OH, he received a Master of Divinity degree in 2001. The seminary faculty honored him with the Bertha Trost Award in recognition for “outstanding potential for church leadership.”
     Recognizing the leadership that Pastor Harrison will give in LAMPa, the Bishop of the Rocky Mountain Synod, the Rev. Allan Bjornberg indicated that Neil is a person “born for this job.” “His church and government experience, combined with leadership abilities, make a perfect fit.”
     Welcome, Neil!
 

2007-2008 Advocacy Agenda
 

    Every two years the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania (LAMPa) Policy Council seeks contributions about public policy issues that should be addressed from individuals, Lutheran organizations in the state and coalition partners in Pennsylvania. From the gathered information, the Policy Council develops the agenda for its work during the next two years. The Policy Council approved this 2007-2008 biennial LAMPa Advocacy Agenda at its December 8, 2006, meeting:

“Along with all citizens, Christians have the responsibility to defend human rights and to work for freedom, justice, peace, environmental well-being, and good order in public life. They are to recognize the vital role of law in protecting life and liberty and in upholding the common good” (1)

It is the intent of LAMPa to provide a common voice for the Lutheran Church in PA as it seeks to uphold the common good. The starting point for this activity will be engaging members of the Lutheran church living in PA in exploration of the issues that tear at the human fabric. LAMPa will speak to public policy makers. As it does so, LAMPa will represent those who find it difficult or impossible to speak for themselves. LAMPa recognizes that much of its work will be building for long term change by addressing issues as they come before the PA legislature. It seeks to build continuity in its witness as it speaks to various issues and over a number of years.
 

This continuity will derive from the Social Statements and Messages of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and its predecessors. These statements give the theological foundation and guidance in policy review.
 

LAMPa recognizes and welcomes the diversity of personal opinions held by Lutherans in Pennsylvania. In addition to the use of the Social Statements, LAMPa shall engage in sound research, theological reflection, and adequate study in the development of specific LAMPa advocacy positions. This discipline will inform the interpretation of these positions to the Lutheran constituency, public policy makers and society at large.
 

Priority Issues to be addressed are:

Poverty/Hunger

“Through human decisions and actions, God is at work in economic life. Economic life is intended to be a means through which God's purposes for humankind and creation are to be served. When this does not occur, as a church we cannot remain silent because of who and whose we are. Based on this vantage of faith, ‘sufficient, sustainable livelihood for all’ is a benchmark for affirming, opposing, and seeking change in economic life.” (2)

Subjects that may be addressed in this arena:

ü Taxation Policies
ü Medicaid provisions
ü Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
ü Immigration policies and local hospitality
ü Access to education
ü Higher Education funding
ü TABOR
ü Nutrition and feeding programs
ü Farm legislation

Others will be added as legislative agendas are developed.

Health/Health Care
 

“Rising health care costs leave a growing number of people without adequate health care. Health care resources are often rationed based on ability pay rather than need. Finding access to quality health care services is difficult for many. The growing number of elderly people adds another stress on health care resources. Fear and self-interest defeat social justice in the political processes of health care reform.” (3)

Subjects that may be addressed in this arena:

ü Universal health care
ü Insurance programs for children
ü Institutional health care inequities
ü Reliable and adequate support of persons living in health care facilities
ü Timely reimbursement to health care providers
ü Smoke free PA
ü Environment
ü Pandemic response
ü Others will be added as legislative agendas are developed.

Unanticipated Subjects:

Subjects that can not be anticipated at the time of the adoption of the Advocacy Agenda and are subsequently introduced in the Legislature or in procedures proposed or adopted by the Executive Branch may be addressed. If deemed to have priority by the Director and the Chairperson of the Policy Council they will be addressed using the Social Statements and Messages of the ELCA.
________________________________________________________________
(1) The Church in Society: A Lutheran Perspective, 1991
(2) Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All, ELCA, 1999
(3) Caring for Health: Our Shared Endeavor, ELCA, 2003

Seventeen States Passed Minimum Wage Increases in 2006

     By fall 2006, lawmakers in eleven states had enacted new laws boosting their minimum wage rates (Arkansas, California, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West
Virginia). In the November election, six more states passed minimum wage increases, including every state where the issue was on the ballot (Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, and Nevada). Twenty-nine states now have rates higher than the federal minimum wage which Congress set at $5.15 an hour in 1996, but refused to increase every year since then.

     People of faith across the country supported efforts to enact a fair wage that keeps people out of poverty. Lutherans all over the country partnered with the Let Justice Roll Campaign on this issue as part of diverse coalitions of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faith communities and religious organizations.

     In Pennsylvania, LAMPa made this a top advocacy priority for 2006, involving extensive direct advocacy and education activities. (At left, Beatriz Vieira, Executive Director, Lutheran Settlement House, Philadelphia, speaks at a Minimum Wage Rally held in the city last year.)

     On July 10, 2006, LAMPa Interim Director, the Rev. Arnold Tiemeyer, and other key advocates, were with Gov. Ed Rendell when he signed Senate Bill 1090, an act to raise the minimum wage in PA from $5.15 to $7.15 per hour. LAMPa helped Lutherans look beyond the media sound bites and discuss this issue both from a faith perspective, and from the viewpoint of Pennsylvania families working 40 hours a week and still living in poverty.

Congress acts early in ‘07

     When Congress took up the issue in January, faith communities again generated broad support for the proposed increase to $7.25 an hour. It passed both the House and Senate by an overwhelming majority. The Senate included some specific tax breaks aimed at making it easier for small businesses to hire employees, and easier for small business to remain viable and to be good employers. Because the Senate and House versions of this bill differ, an agreement will need to be worked out in a joint conference committee over the next few weeks. Stay tuned for more information on this bill’s journey to become law by singing up for action alerts and updates at www.elca.org/advocacy.
 

     Support for both the wage increase and targeted tax breaks are grounded in our ELCA social statement on economic life: Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All. All of the ELCA’s social statements and messages are available online at www.elca.org/socialstatements.
 

     Thank you for speaking out as a person of faith for families working toward a life above the poverty line for their children and themselves!

In June, thousands of people
of faith and conscience will
gather in our nation's capital
to sow the seeds of a movement
to end hunger and poverty...

Together, we will:

 e Revive our spirits and renew our commitment to the task of ending hunger.
 e Develop new skills for motivating our fellow citizens and mobilizing our

        faith communities.
 e Strategize about how best to influence our nation’s decision-makers.
 e Visit our representatives’ and senators’ offices on Capitol Hill to speak

        out for hungry people.
 e Plan what we will do in the coming months and years to seek justice for

        hungry and poor people in our country and around the world.

This year, for the first time, we will hold a presidential engagement where we will have the opportunity to interact with candidates directly, hearing how they would use the highest office in our nation to help reduce hunger and poverty. Leaders of national faith communities will gather with us for the continuation of our galvanizing 2005 Interfaith Convocation. We will undergo intensive training on issues and advocacy, hear inspirational speakers and worship together. We will forge collaborations with fellow Christians, faith leaders, advocates, and citizens. And we will emerge renewed, energized, equipped and empowered. Come, sow the seeds of change in a nation and a world where too many people are still hungry.
 

The 2007 Gathering is organized by Bread for the World, Bread for the World Institute, and the Alliance to End Hunger in partnership with denominations and religious organizations across the United States, including ELCA World Hunger and the ELCA Washington Office.

ELCA Pre-Conference
June 8, 2007
American University
Washington, DC
Sponsored by ELCA World Hunger and

the ELCA Washington Office

Featuring informative speakers, inspiring worship, and practical workshops, this event will equip Lutherans with knowledge and skills to lead their congregations, campuses, and communities in advocating against hunger and poverty in the U.S. and internationally. Setting the stage for “Sowing Seeds: Growing a Movement,” sessions will inform participants about current domestic and international hunger and poverty issues, including the 2007 Farm Bill and the Millennium Development Goals; train participants to lead grassroots advocacy
campaigns; and help participants plan for activities surrounding the 2008 elections. A social dinner will provide opportunities to
network with other Lutherans who are passionate about hunger and justice issues.
 

Visit www.elca.org/advocacy for more information and registration (early bird rates by 4/30/07).

Seeds of Change

Bread for the World’s 2007 Offering of Letters

Bread for the World’s 2007 Offering of Letters campaign focuses on the Farm Bill which Congress will consider for the first time in five years. Many Farm Bill provisions—federal nutrition programs, farm payments, conservation, and rural development programs and policies that effect farmers in other nations—have an impact on hungry people in the U.S. and abroad.

 ü Plan an Offering of Letters at your church or campus
             Contact www.bread.org/events or Larry Hollar, regional organizer, at 800-619-9239 for information about
             the campaign and how to organize an Offering of Letters.
 ü Visit Bread for the World’s Web site at www.bread.org
             to learn about Seeds of Change issues, get the latest sample letter, check legislation progress in Congress,
             and download or order resources.
 ü Ask a church or campus group to pray regularly
             for the world’s people to have enough food, good health, and the means to lift themselves out of poverty.

      “God's Mission in the World” is intended as a resource for congregations and other groups looking to “broaden their understanding of global poverty and become part of the worldwide movement achieving the MDGs,” according to the guide’s introduction.
      The guide features six sessions examining Christian understandings of social justice, global poverty and the MDGs. The MDGs are eight interrelated development goals that flow from the Millennium Declaration of 2000 adopted by all members of the United Nations, including the United States. The goals for 2015 are to cut extreme poverty and hunger in half; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability; and create a global partnership for development, with emphasis on debt cancellation, foreign aid and fair trade.
      “‘God's Mission in the World’ invites participants to moral deliberation on the realities of global poverty and offers practical ways that we might together, as an ecumenical body of Christ, respond to our baptismal call to love our neighbor by raising our voices on behalf of those living in deadly poverty,” said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA. Hanson and the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop and primate, Episcopal Church-USA, each contributed forewords to the guide.
      “This study guide is an easy-to-use, comprehensive journey through the causes and solutions to global poverty,” said Dennis Frado, director, Lutheran Office for World Community. “Congregation leaders can use this tool to motivate their members to pressure their elected officials to fulfill their promises toward achieving the MDGs.”
      The guide was released as part of the ONE Lutheran Campaign, which encourages Lutherans to engage in political processes in order to encourage the U.S. government to meet the commitments they have made in the fight against poverty. ONE Lutheran leaders have been established in 27 of the ELCA’s 65 synods; student groups on ELCA campuses have held ONE Lutheran events; and individual ELCA congregations have been declared “ONE Lutheran Congregations” by meeting certain goals.
      “The commitment by Lutherans to engage in advocacy to end poverty is growing,” said Kimberly Stietz, ONE Lutheran campaign coordinator, ELCA Washington Office. “In 2007 we plan to engage Lutherans in advocacy to urge the U.S. Congress to increase poverty-focused development assistance, support debt cancellation for the world’s poorest nations and make international trade rules fair.”

LAMPa is a part of the ELCA E-Advocacy Network

Through the ELCA E-Advocacy Network, we have a system in process that will greatly improve our communication with our state network by making information and links to information available on our website and through e-mail. LAMPa can keep advocates updated with important pending legislation, and giving opportunities for advocacy.  We can provide background on issues and details on elected officials.

We hope that you will explore the links that are already available on our website at www.lamp.org.  Even if you are already a member of Actionet, it would be helpful for you to go through the signup process found on the “Partner with LAMPa” page (click on link in the left menu of home page).  You can update your profile, especially an e-mail address.  Look for more to come!

LAMPa’s first Cluster Event held at Gettysburg Seminary

On a cold, cold night in February, 31 advocates gathered at Gettysburg Seminary for an initial meeting of Lutheran advocates in the South Central area of PA. The session gave an opportunity for people with common cause to meet one another and receive education on advocacy opportunities.
The February 6 gathering was sponsored by the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Lutheran Social Services of South Central PA and LAMPa. Jeanette Leisk, a fourth year student at the Seminary was the coordinator for the event.

Dr. Terry Madonna, a political and governmental analyst, was the keynote speaker. He gave commentary on Gov. Ed Rendell’s 2007-2008 budget proposal that had been presented earlier in the day. Dr. Madonna spoke about the programs that will be funded, road and bridges funding, economic development, property tax relief, the Governor’s proposal for health care reform, and increased taxes represented in the budget proposal.

LAMPa presented the major points in Prescription for PA, the Governor’s health care reform proposal. The group discussed the opportunities for advocacy within their legislative districts on this issue.Cluster participants were encouraged to participate in Lutheran Day at the Capitol on May 9 and to come together again in September and November. Advocates living within 40 miles of Gettysburg are invited to participate.

Stay tuned for more information about the Gettysburg advocacy cluster and similar opportunities in your area!

Partners in Advocacy

LAMPa is the vehicle that Lutherans in PA have formed to raise our voices on behalf of the voiceless. It watches for opportunities to bring justice to the persons who have been forgotten. But LAMPa isn’t the only voice.
Individual Lutherans regularly interact with governmental officials. The staffs of legislators tell us that many ideas for legislation have taken shape as citizens ask questions and make comments during campaigns and through the visits of residents to the area offices.
And the organizations of the Lutheran church are active in advocacy also. On February 1, the Lutheran Seminaries in PA began supporting LAMPa as a partner in education and as a ministry for justice. But this was not the start of the work of advocacy in the Seminaries.
 

The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg was active in the campaign against the location of a gambling parlor in the area. The advocacy was based on the social upheaval to families of gamblers. The seminary body has a Social Action Team that assists the community in addressing justice issues. This year the team conducted a week long focus on Africa. During Wednesday worship, commitment cards were signed for the One Campaign which is dedicated to support the Millennium Development Goals, including economic development in Africa by the U.S. Government. A letter writing campaign regarding AIDS engaged many of the students.

The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia includes a Justice Community which gives significant leadership on the issues of Darfur and Homelessness in the Northwest area of the city.  The local community organization has an office on the campus.  Through this organization and the Advocacy Community, the leadership of the seminary and the student body invested significant energy into the increase in the minimum wage and legislation that can curb the gun violence in Philadelphia.
 

LAMPa also partners with the Social Ministry Organizations (SMOs).  Through Lutheran Services in America-PA (LSA-PA), more than twenty SMOs in PA financially support the work of LAMPa.  Representatives of the organizations serve on the LAMPa Policy Council, and LSA-PA is a co-sponsor of Lutheran Day at the Capitol.  Some examples of advocacy efforts completed by SMOs are:

Luthercare, Lititz
Staff members are active in early education and child care coalitions that are active in state advocacy to improve health and safety regulations for children.
 

Diakon, Allentown
Talking points are given to staff, board members and others to address proposed changes in Medicaid Assistance programs that will make it difficult for service providers to remain economically viable.  An example is budgetary devices that processed only 11 payments in a 12-month legislation that standardized the procedures for filing a foreign adoption decree.  Another provision for the well-being of children included advocacy for a bill that calls on county agencies to give consideration for adoption to foster parents and that seeks to preserve entire sibling groups in permanent placement.
 

Lutheran SeniorLife, Cranberry Twp
President David Fenoglietto joined other leaders in the Long Term Care industry in an Op-Ed article that called for the formation of a Commonwealth Commission on Long Term Care.  The senior population is the largest growing sector of the state’s population.  Currently one-third of the Department of Welfare budget ($4.18 billion out of $14.2 billion) is expended on persons living in nursing homes. A crisis is developing.  The Op-Ed article sought an arena so all concerns can be considered.

These are but a few examples of the partnerships that bring the voice of the Lutheran Church on behalf of the vulnerable to the attention of the government. Thanks be to God for our Lutheran seminaries and Social Ministry Organizations in PA and our advocacy ministry partnership in the Gospel!