New Action Alert! Congress has a new fiscal deadline of March 14 to pass the 2025 budget when a temporary stopgap expires and to begin the process of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget plan. Urge Congress to pass a budget with strong homeless and affordable housing programs.

Church World Service — As a Covenant Member of CWS the ELCA was part of drafting and signing The Ash Wednesday Ecumenical Declaration: Defending Refuge. Read the final version of the Declaration and sign on.

Sojourners and the Washington Interfaith Staff Community (WISC) co-sponsor this weekly public witness through March, beginning Ash Wednesday, March 5. These multi-faith vigils will call on Congress to exercise greater moral courage in upholding its Article 1 powers and preventing executive overreach.

Solveig Muus writes the first in this new SPPO Spotlight Series, a feature accenting a perspective from an ELCA-affiliated State Public Policy Office, one of the ways we can resource our faith-based advocacy.

Living Lutheran, February 19. “Lifting our voices to alleviate hunger and other forms of suffering is an act of hope,” said Cynthia Crane, former director of the Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin. “We begin with God, who walks with us and is where we end. In response to God’s immense love, we are stewards of the present and a vision of what can be.”

Urge Congress to do everything they can to end the funding freeze on lifesaving programs. ”We affirm that our nation has responsibility to contribute a portion of its wealth to people in poorer nations through effective economic assistance,” (ELCA social statement For Peace in God’s World).

Read our recap of the 2025 Lutheran Day at the Legislature! Includes link to all photos taken. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who, following the example of Jesus, advocated for justice for all God’s people.

The Grand Canyon Synod is all about advocacy in February! Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada (LEAN) also holds a day of advocacy on Monday, February 10. Tell your friends in Nevada!

Urge Congress to resume funding for humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria via the United Nations Relief & Works Agency (UNRWA). The work of UNRWA is the work of feeding the hungry, sheltering the unsheltered and providing lifesaving medical care to tens of thousands in need.

Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada (LEAN) announces that Rev. Paul Larson, pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Family in Carson City, NV, has been named to the position of Advocacy Director. He will serve as legislative advocate on behalf of Lutheran parishioners across the state of Nevada.

In times of heightened uncertainty, our immigrant neighbors need support and accompaniment. The ELCA’s AMMPARO ministry offers critical tools to understand and assert rights during encounters with law enforcement or ICE. This guide includes Red Cards, family preparedness plans, and multilingual resources to help families stay informed and safe.

From combating child hunger to advocating for climate action and justice for Dreamers, the ELCA continues to live out its call to serve neighbors and proclaim God’s peace. This month’s highlights include updates from COP29, work on U.S.-Israel humanitarian aid, and support for DACA protections.

The ELCA Civic Engagement and Voter Education Guide is a resource guide to encourage, empower and equip voter education and other responsible civic participation shaped by faith values. Now available in Spanish.

This single-session Bible study and discussion guide by Fern Lee Hagedorn can be used by adults or older teens, as individuals or in small groups, for consideration of civic commitment as people of faith. Published September 2024, 3 pages.

Ensuring that refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants have access to supportive services is essential for their successful integration and well-being. Several programs would help achieve greater efficiency in the immigration system, support immigrants and refugees, and address equity and fairness in immigration proceedings.

Here are some helpful tips for congregations interested in expanding the vote for people struggling with housing security in our communities.

In her own words. Autumn Byars' Hunger Advocacy Fellowship has come to an end. Read the engaging, insightful recap of her transformational year here.

Our civic engagement as people of faith can help ensure that everyone benefits from the good of government. Resources and ideas for this important non-partisan service by faith communities an election year are reprinted here by permission from the “Faith in Elections Playbook” of Interfaith America.