Action Alert: Plan an Advocacy Activity For God’s Work Our Hands Sunday
Here in the Grand Canyon Synod, “God’s Work. Our Hands.” Sunday can be a little tricky: it’s usually still too hot out to organize service projects or work days. If your congregation hasn’t planned an activity for September 8th, or is trying to decide on a project, don’t worry! With these tools, you can host a letter-writing advocacy activity, which will allow you to make an important positive impact with your congregation while staying cool inside!
Bread for the World
Most of our readers are probably familiar with Bread for the World and the advocacy group’s important anti-hunger work. If not, we really encourage you to explore their website! Bread for the World helps churches and other groups facilitate Offerings of Letters, which empower congregations to write their lawmakers on relevant policy. Usually, Bread wraps up the Offering of Letters season in the spring, but since the Farm Bill continues to be hotly debated, regional leaders in the Southwest have reissued calls for Offerings.
Bread has renewed their materials to reflect current policy needs, so even if your congregation has already facilitated an Offering of Letters this year, you can host another one and follow up with your law makers!
Bread’s updated sample letter is short and to the point, as there are only a few glaring updates needed to the farm bill. This is a great tool to involve congregation members who may not have much time to stick around.
Find the tool kit on Bread for the World’s website!
ELCA Advocacy
ELCA Advocacy has also put together a tool kit for September 8th. This template letter helps churches plan letter writing activities based on whatever issues are relevant in their respective communities. All letters will be collected by the staff in the ELCA Advocacy Office in Washington, DC and delivered to congressional offices. This is a great way to join with Lutherans around the country in showing our commitment to being a publicly engaged church.
The ELCA Advocacy tool kit is customizable to a wide range of issues, so this activity can be targeted to your congregation!
Take some time to review the God’s Work Our Hands planning tool kit, which can be used for any project, not just for letter writing campaigns.
Make sure to check LAMA’s God’s Work Our Hand’s resource page to find everything you need!
Review the ELCA Advocacy Sample Letter & Tool Kit here
Make sure to let us know if your congregation participates, or if you need help planning an event on September 8th! Share your photos and stories to LivingLutheran@elca.org, or share them on social media with #GodsWorkOurHands.
If your congregation cannot participate on Sept. 8, please consider another day for your service activities. We know that you work every day to make a positive impact on your community!
