Today, we present our ELCA Advocacy Update for the month of December. Please read below for important information on ELCA Advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C., 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.
DECEMBER
21, PRAY. FAST. ACT: As we near the end of the year, we
recognize the final month of our shared #PrayFastAct campaign with
The Episcopal Church. Over the course of the last two years, we have been
grateful for our shared ecumenical partnership, focusing on the ways systemic
change can make a meaningful difference for those of us struggling with
poverty.
Focusing on a
different theme each month (from hunger, health, community, shelter, and much
more), the #PrayFastAct campaign stemmed from the recognition
that effective approaches to poverty address the needs of the whole human
person. Taking a small amount of time out of our busy schedules each month to
pray, fast and act may seem like a small step; but in routine action it can
serve as a transformative tool to ensure our neighbors do not fall through the
cracks when times are hard. Through the end of this month, we hope you have a
chance to review the current alerts found at ELCA Action Center and ELCA.org/prayfastact that address
many of those needs today.
We act out of
the conviction that the status quo has not been effective enough for many of us
in need, and that conviction continues. Look forward to an upcoming video later
this month to see a full review of our campaign, and what steps are ahead for
2019.
HIV
AND AIDS PROGRAMS EXTENDED: Congress has
finally passed legislation to reauthorize the U.S. President's Emergency Plan
for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a U.S. government global health initiative that works
to combat HIV and AIDS. We expect the president will sign the bill.
- The legislation extends the PEPFAR mandate
for five years
- PEPFAR is the largest global health
program devoted to a single disease.
- Today PEPFAR supports 14 million people
around the world by providing care and lifesaving HIV treatment.
ELCA Advocacy shared
an action alert in support of funding for PEPFAR and other federal
programs that work to address global health concerns. Interested advocates can
customize a letter of their support to lawmakers from the ELCA Action Center at
http://elca.org/advocacy/ActionCenter.
STATEMENT
ON ASYLUM POLICIES: ELCA Advocacy shared an interfaith pledge to stand with people seeking asylum, following the announcement that the White House would be
taking steps to prevent asylum seekers entering the U.S. between ports of entry
from protection. The ELCA firmly stands against policies that restrict anyone’s
legal right to seek asylum.
Presiding
Bishop Elizabeth Eaton commented, "As a church, we cannot remain silent as
our asylum laws are unilaterally changed and our nation’s door is shut to
people fleeing dire humanitarian situations. From our companion churches in
Central America, our church knows many people leave to escape grinding poverty,
violence or persecution and to seek a better life for their children.”
Advocates can take action and join the pledge here.
ELCA
AT THE UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE CONFERENCE: The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC), climate change conference (COP 24) is being held in Katowice, Poland
from Dec. 3 -14. The international parties are tasked with
negotiating the terms of the rulebook for implementation of the Paris
Agreement. Although
the ELCA has previously participated in the COP conference, this year we attend
with our own accreditation for the first time, with participants from ELCA
Advocacy, ELCA Global Mission, and ELCA Young Adults. ELCA Advocacy has been actively preparing for this conference by
working with other faith-based groups and non-governmental organizations.
Lutheran Office for World Community
LEADERS OF THREE CHURCHES
RAISE GRAVE CONCERN ON DECISION TO HALT FURTHER U.S. HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO
HOSPITALS IN EAST JERUSALEM: Leaders
of three U.S. church groups including ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton,
issued a statement in early November raising “grave concern” about the Trump administration’s
decision to halt further U.S. humanitarian assistance to hospitals in East
Jerusalem, including Augusta Victoria Hospital, which is operated by the
Lutheran World Federation. Leaders from The ELCA, The Episcopal Church and the
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said the six hospitals in the East
Jerusalem Hospital Network are “providing invaluable medical care for the most
vulnerable populations, including Palestinians living in East Jerusalem, Gaza and
the West Bank.” They also said “this decision to discontinue that funding
leaves the patients, the wider Palestinian community, and us disappointed and
perplexed. It is difficult for us to understand why this humanitarian
assistance is being brought to a halt, given that lives are being threatened
unnecessarily.” The statement will be
shared shortly with all members of Congress as part of a greater effort to
obtain release of FY 2018 funds for the hospitals and build support for FY2019
funding.
U.N. RECEIVES REPORTS ON
RACISM, RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, XENOPHOBIA AND INTOLERANCE: The Third Committee of the General Assembly heard several reports
from UN Special Procedure mandate-holders and other experts in recent
weeks. Work is progressing on a
“Framework for a Declaration on the promotion and full respect of human rights
of people of African descent” related to the implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024). The special
rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia
and related intolerance focused one of her two reports on “ascendant nationalist populist ideologies
and strategies that pose a sobering threat to racial equality by fuelling discrimination,
intolerance and the creation of institutions and structures that will have enduring
legacies of racial exclusion.” The other dealt with the contemporary use of
digital technology in the spread of neo-Nazi and related intolerance. A full
summary report of
presentations, questions and comments from Member States on these and related
matters is available.
Lutheran state advocacy efforts across the country
Find out all about the vast and incredibly important work and top priorities of Lutheran state advocacy networks across the country by visiting the ELCA Advocacy Blog.
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