The 2021-22 Hunger Advocacy Fellow placed with LAMA will serve as a member of the staff of this ELCA-affiliated State Public Policy Office as a full-time contract employee. This is a paid position, including health insurance. The position begins in September 2021.

Law professor Dorothy Brown breaks down three ways African Americans in urban areas are disadvantaged by the tax code — and some ideas to fix it.

In honor of World Refugee Day on June 20, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service will hold a Virtual Advocacy Day on Tuesday, June 22. Join LIRS to tell your legislators that you want to see meaningful legislation passed that strengthens our country’s commitment to welcome and protection for those fleeing violence and persecution.

Urge President Biden to deliver a message to Israel: it must halt the illegal removal of East Jerusalem families from their homes and respect the Status Quo agreement and holy sites in Jerusalem.

“We have to wake up,” said Ami Ayalon, a former director of the Israeli domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet. “We have to change the way we understand all this, starting with the concept that the status quo is stable.”

Arizona will offer a $2,000 Back To Work bonus for eligible workers — with a goal of getting as many Arizonans as possible to rejoin the workforce by Labor Day, September 6, 2021.

The House of Representatives is expected to soon vote on H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act. This bill would establish a new commission to study the lasting impacts of slavery in the U.S. and develop a set of recommendations for advancing reparations for affected people of African descent.

This resource presents a faith-based effort to identify what sustains poverty and to organize people to work together to overcome its root causes. The result is collaborative relationships that change systems contributing to poverty. Within this process, new leadership will emerge, relationships will be enriched, and congregations will experience renewed love for people by undergoing transformation.

Arizonans will soon vote on whether undocumented students living in Arizona can be eligible for in-state tuition after the Arizona House approved Senate Concurrent Resolution 1044 on Monday.

The problem for way too many people in the church is that charity looks like missions to them but justice looks like politics. And God forbid if the church gives even the appearance of engaging in politics — unless it’s your preferred politics.

According to a Feeding America pre-pandemic study, 5.3 million older adults are food insecure and often the biggest hurdle towards food security is the lack of information on available help. An interview with Interview with Angie Rodger of Arizona Food Bank Network on SNAP.

This is work that ELCA AMMPARO together with the Grand Canyon Synod supported in 2020. For those congregations interested in asylum-seeker sponsorship, this are common stories of people who will be coming to you, although these particular families might already have destinations in mind.

The Keeping Women and Girls Safe from the Start Act of 2021 expands the ability of the U.S. government to prevent gender-based violence and provide early interventions at the onset of humanitarian emergencies. Take this opportunity to ask your Senator to co-sponsor.

Join faith leaders and faith-based advocates throughout Arizona to urge our Senators to pass Senate Bill 1, For the People Act. As people of faith we unite together to support our vulnerable neighbors.

“We are all so ready to do more; we want to do more,” said Kristyn Peck, chief executive of Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area, an organization that provides resettlement programs for refugees and asylum seekers, as well as foster care for unaccompanied children and teens. … “It’s all a cycle,” Peck added. Establishing a higher number of migrants allowed to enter the United States “allows us to put the gears and the infrastructure in place to respond to an even higher number.”

The House of Representatives on April 21 voted to pass the NO BAN Act (H.R. 1333) by a slim bipartisan margin. The bill explicitly prohibits discrimination on the basis of religion in U.S. immigration law. Discriminatory bans contradict the ELCA’s commitments to be a place of welcome and safety for others.

This church supports efforts to confront racism and white supremacy. In 2019, the ELCA Churchwide Assembly adopted a resolution condemning white supremacy [CA19.04.18]. ELCA members can join the efforts to end racism by participating in the ELCA Anti-Racism Pledge.

As legislators discuss funding levels in the FY2022 federal budget later this Spring, it is a critical time to highlight the housing and homeless needs in our communities. In a time when those of us struggling with housing insecurity need help the most, let’s insist that Congress meets our annual housing needs in the federal budget.