LAMA Policy Council Retreat and Policy Priorities

The Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona Policy Council gathered Thursday - Friday, October 5-6 to listen and learn and laugh together, but primarily to discern what social concerns the group felt called to represent as LAMA’s Policy Priorities for 2024. Highlights of the action-packed 24 hours are below:

Attending the 2023 Policy Council Retreat were:

• Rev. Deborah Hutterer, Bishop of the Grand Canyon Synod of the ELCA

• Connie Phillips, President and CEO of Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest

• Mark Engel, member Holy Trinity Lutheran, Chandler

• Solveig Muus, director of LAMA, member Grace Lutheran, Phoenix

• Rev. Sarah Stadler, interim pastor of Esperanza Lutheran, Ahwatukee

• Rev. Conrad Braaten, pastor retired, member Christ Lutheran, Sedona

• Melanie Hobden, member Desert Cross Lutheran, Tempe

• Rev. Brian Weinberger, pastor of Bethlehem Lutheran, Mesa

• Rev. Robert Jones, pastor of Santa Cruz Lutheran, Tucson

• Rev. Alan Field, guest, chair of the advocacy group on the LSS-SW Board of Directors

• Molly Watson, member Our Saviour’s Lutheran, Phoenix

• Autumn Byars, LAMA Hunger Advocacy Fellow, member University Lutheran, Tempe

Policy Priorities for 2024 are:

• Food Insecurity as it relates to hunger and the root causes of hunger. Our ELCA social teachings on hunger and poverty include “Economic Life” and “Homelessness.”

• Voting and Civic Engagement as we are called to encourage faithful and nonpartisan voter participation, and understand

  and speak out about the intersection of voting and elections and racial, gender and economic justice. The ELCA is established to be a “publicly engaged church.” The ELCA social teachings on educating, advocating, and engaging in our political process, including “Government and Civic Engagement” “Church in Society,” and the the ELCAvotes initiatives Called to Be a Public Church, Voting Rights and Racial Justice, Movement into Action speak to this calling.

• Water Crisis. Despite visionary water planning and management in Arizona, drought, population growth and other factors are diminishing this precious, life-giving resource in Arizona. Together, we will extend our efforts to raise awareness of the impact of climate change on the water supply in Arizona and around the globe as, according to the ELCA, close to half of all people in developing countries are suffering at any given time from a health problem caused by contaminated water or unsanitary conditions. The ELCA social statement Caring for Creation expresses a call to pursue justice for creation through active participation, solidarity, sufficiency and sustainability, and states the commitments of the ELCA for pursuing wholeness for creation — commitments expressed through individual and community action, worship, learning, moral deliberation and advocacy. The ELCA’s newest social message (April 2023) called Earth’s Climate Crisis will inform our work.

• Housing and Homelessness. We are pleased to be in collaboration with Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest (LSS-SW), who has committed this year to advocating in the areas of affordable housing and homelessness. We will partner with LSS-SW in these efforts, and will use the ELCA’s social message, Homeless: A Renewal of Commitment, and its new resource, Housing: A Practical Guide for Learning, Advocating and Building as references.

Seeking Policy Council Members

If you or someone you know is interested in being on the policy council, please contact LAMA at director@lamaz.org.