LAMA Policy Council Retreat and Summit
The Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona Policy Council met Friday - Sunday, December 3-5 to listen and learn and discern what would be LAMA’s Policy Priorities for 2022. Highlights of the extraordinary weekend are below:
Dinner at the home of Bishop Deborah Hutterer on Friday
LAMA Policy Council Retreat on Saturday with special guest Rev. Amy Reumann, in which the policy council reviewed the current year’s goals and objectives and planned for next year, and discerned the policy priorities for next year.
LAMA Kickoff on Sunday at Christ the Lord Lutheran Church in Carefree, Arizona
LAMA Summit on Sunday at Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center, in which participants learned “The 12 Things I Know About Advocacy” from the Rev. Amy Reumann; heard about upcoming changes in the Arizona legislature and important court cases to be watching from Rebecca Beebe; learned about ways and means to connect with your legislature from Connie Phillips; enjoyed a reading of “The World Needs More Purple People” by Melanie Hobden, and wrote postcards to their legislators inviting them to Lutheran Advocacy Day at the Capitol on Tuesday, February 1.
Attending the 2021 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, chairperson of LAMA Policy Council, member Holy Trinity Lutheran, Chandler
Solveig Muus, director of LAMA, member Grace Lutheran, Phoenix
Rev. Sarah Stadler, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Phoenix
Rev. Conrad Braaten, pastor retired, member Christ Lutheran Church, Sedona
Melanie Hobden, member Desert Cross Lutheran Church, Tempe
Annette Chavez, member San Juan Bautista Lutheran Church, Tucson
Rev. Brian Weinberger, pastor of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Mesa
Rev. Amy Reumann, guest, Director of Advocacy for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Rev. Alan Field, guest, chair of the advocacy group on the LSS-SW Board of Directors
Charlotte Shurtz, guest, Faith and Community Engagement Coordinator at LSS-SW
The LAMA Summit on Sunday, December 5 included presentations by:
Rev. Amy Reumann, guest, Director of Advocacy for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Rebecca Beebe, Legislative Liaison at Arizona Capitol Connections
Connie Phillips, President and CEO of Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest
Policy Priorities for 2022 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.”
Civic Engagement as it relates to the ELCA being a “publicly engaged church” and 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.