ELCA Advocacy Update – December 2015 – Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rahway NJ

Today, we present our ELCA Advocacy Update for the month of December. Please read below for important information on ELCA Advocacy efforts in Washington, across the country and throughout the world. To read the full version of the update and for more information on advocacy efforts from our Lutheran State Advocacy offices, visit our blog!

ELCA Advocacy, Washington D.C.

COP21 PARIS: In the beginning of this month, 150 heads of state are gathering in Paris to negotiate an international agreement that addresses the global issue of climate change. President Obama gave remarks at the first session of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (#COP21), stating that, “the growing threat of climate change could define the contours of this century more dramatically than any other.” ELCA Advocacy Interim Director, Mary Minette, arrived in Paris on Saturday to participate in the summit on behalf of ACT Alliance. Mary is joined by a number of partners from ACT Alliance, World Council of Churches, Lutheran World Federation, as well as ecumenical partner church leaders. Visit the ELCA Advocacy blog to read the first update and keep up to date on the negotiations!

SYRIAN REFUGEES: In light of the tragic attacks in Paris, ELCA Advocacy joined our U.S. partner, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), to take action to support and protect Syrian refugees who are forced to flee violence in their communities. On November 18, the Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, Presiding Bishop of the ELCA, also called for support of refugee resettlement saying, “We are not naive about possible new threats of terrorism, but denying refuge to thousands of desperate people is not who we are as Christians, nor will it guarantee our security.” Multiple ELCA bishops from across the country voiced their thoughts on resettlement as well. “The United States is a welcoming country with a religiously diverse society, and our refugee resettlement program should continue to reflect this.” Learn more and find out how you can take action at www.LIRS.org.

INTERNATIONAL HEALTH: As we prepare for the season of Christmas, ELCA Advocacy is supporting the Reach Every Mother and Child Act, an initiative in Congress that would improve strategies and access to healthcare for mothers and young children across the world. Lutheran social ministry organizations both here at home and abroad continue to provide health services—including child and maternal health, to those in need of it. You can share this message and offer your support at the ELCA Action Center!

MONEY IN POLITICS: In the coming weeks, Congress will vote on a $1.15 trillion omnibus spending package that will likely include a campaign-finance policy rider. The proposed rider threatens to do away with spending limits set for political party expenditures in elections. This proposal in Congress comes in the wake of several narrow Supreme Court rulings, including Citizens United v. FEC, which greatly increased the role that money plays in our political process. Check out the ELCA Action Center and the Advocacy Fact Sheet on Money in Politics to find out how you can get involved and prevent more money from distorting our politics.

Lutheran Office for World Community, New York, N.Y.

PRESENTATION ON CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE SDGs: On Nov. 5, Daniel Lenski (LOWC) together with Lynnaia Main (The Episcopal Church) gave a presentation on the participation of civil society in the development of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at a student seminar, organized by United Methodist Women. The students were from American University in Washington, D.C., and had a particular interest in the role of faith-based organizations within the U.N. system. Daniel also discussed the role of the LWF and the ELCA in the implementation of the goals.

DAVID WUNCH VISITS LOWC: On Nov. 20, David Wunsch, director of Unit Operations and Programs, Global Mission, visited LOWC. He attended the International Peace Institute discussion on leadership and global partnerships in the face of today’s refugee crisis, which featured a conversation with U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres, and State Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Annika Söder. Wunsch also attended a plenary session of the General Assembly on “global awareness of the tragedies of irregular migrants in the Mediterranean basin with specific emphasis on Syrian asylum seekers.”

FAREWELL TO DANIEL LENSKI: After completing a one-year internship with LOWC, we bid farewell to Daniel Lenski. He came from the Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau/EKHN, Germany. Daniel followed several issues at the United Nations, including those related to gender justice, reform of the Security Council, freedom of religion and belief, the post-2015 process, and other thematic discussions, such as the process of debt restructuring and the situation of migrants, among others. LOWC is grateful to Daniel for his service and to EKHN for supporting him.