By: Sue Jensen, Grand Canyon Synod Council Member
Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA), a joint ministry of the Grand Canyon Synod, Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest, and the ELCA Public Policy Office, was approved by the Grand Canyon Synod Council in February 2020. LAMA now joins public policy offices in 31 other states as an advocate for the voiceless.
LAMA is an important step forward in the life of our synod.
- LAMA will provide easy, up-to-date access to information about the work of the Arizona legislature.
- It will point out opportunities for us as individuals to have a say in that work.
- When LAMA speaks, it will represent all 85 congregations of the synod, rather than the opinion of one individual or small group.
- It will enable advocacy from a Lutheran perspective.
The ELCA’s reasoning in favor of advocacy is stated in its very first social statement, The Church in Society: A Lutheran Perspective, approved in 1991. It affirms that the baptismal vocation of every Christian is to participate in society by “doing good” in our places of responsibility – marriage, family, work, school, volunteer associations, community organizations, political parties, and so forth. It says that this is the number one way that God works through this church in the public arena. In faithfulness to its calling, this church is intended to “work with and on behalf of the poor, the powerless, and those who suffer, using its power and influence with political and economic decision-making bodies to develop and advocate policies that seek to advance justice, peace, and the care of creation.”
It is important to note that advocacy is not the same as lobbying. Advocacy is simply the process of stakeholders making their voices heard on issues that affect their lives and the lives of others. It includes ensuring that policymakers are made aware of how their decisions affect those whose voices have not been heard, and assisting those policy makers to find fair and just solutions to persistent problems. Advocacy can be done through various means — by speaking at a legislative hearing, by visiting in person with elected representatives, or by writing a letter or email to a government official.
Solveig Muus is LAMA’s director and she is assisted by the seven members of LAMA’s Policy Committee. Gerd Renno of TVLC is one of those members. LAMA is guided by ELCA social statements and social messages in working for change in public policy. Its 2020 priorities are in the areas of hunger and poverty, creation care, the 2020 census, and voter registration.
Would you like to learn more about advocacy? Many resources, including suggestions for how to make a difference, can be found at LAMA’s website.
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