EaND Synod Advocacy & Action Team

As followers of Jesus, we believe the Spirit as at work in our church today, nudging, prodding, challenging, and nurturing us to practice our faith every day in caring for our neighbors and all of God’s creation. Our baptismal privilege is one of service, and in serving all people, we serve Jesus. In refusing, we refuse Jesus within them (Matthew 25:40,45).” 

The Spirit’s call is both invitation and command. 

Advocacy and Action is our response. 

Formerly the Hunger & Justice Committee, The Advocacy & Action Committee works to encourage and lead our synod in areas of concern in our world, specifically: hunger & homelessness, LGBTQIA2S+ inclusion, immigration, care of creation, and racial equity. This group has led book studies, town hall events, Synod Assembly block parties, and created resources for congregational use. This newsletter is a new way to share resources, tell stories, and celebrate the many ways our congregations and ministries are loving and caring for God’s people. 

Want to learn more? 

Join us the 3rd Monday of each month at 12pm or 
connect with Deacon Erin for more information! 

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86372714623?pwd=Z2DqukAQ73bj1sBYY8CqANsje7JQ11.1 

Why Advocacy?

We are a church that is energized by lively engagement in our faith and public life. We serve in response to God’s love to meet human needs and protect creation. When we, as ELCA members, lift our voices together to influence policies that advance the common good, we further God’s work in our world.

We are also a church that thinks of governments as helpful ways God is active in our world. This is clear from the very first generation of Lutheran reformers and their actions. When you write your public official, you are uniting with an apostolic community of Lutherans concerned with how public policies work for our neighbors as a matter of faith.

In its very first social statement, “The Church in Society: A Lutheran Perspective,” from 1991, our church committed 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.”

• Learn More about ELCA Advocacy
• Sign up for ELCA Advocacy Alerts 

The Church & Politics: Practicing Hard Conversations 

Our world is wrestling with complicated realities, challenging policy divides, and global conflicts. How do we as church and congregation members talk together? How might the church be a good place to bring our worries and wonderings about politics and world realities? 

Join on zoom for conversation as we explore why and how we as church can hold space for hard conversations, explore how church and politics intersect, and resources for talking together as congregations. Registration will be opening soon and will be found 
at this link.

Saturday January 24th 

9:00am-1:00pm 

Spotlight Ministry: Global Refuge Welcome Garden

Global Refuge’s Welcome Garden in Fargo serves the refugee and immigrant community in a park in a neighborhood where many New Americans reside.  Many of us do not know what it means to be displaced from our homeland, new country, new language, new ways of doing things, and nothing familiar exists.  The Welcome Garden provides these individuals, families, elderly a chance to cultivate a piece of home.  This small piece of land is mighty in what it produces and not just in food.  The garden also represents a mini-United Nations where countries come together to work the soil, tend the garden and reap the rewards.  Eric at Global Refuge works during the winter to find seeds from the countries many of these New Americans came from and to ensure these seeds will germinate and grow in the ND climate.  Global Refuge also has an education component to teach the youth what to do with some of the produce their family may not be familiar with.  They have partnered with NDSU on recipes.  They start the seeds early just as many gardeners in ND do.  They look to plant winter vegetables and practice crop rotation.  

Global Refuge’s Welcome Garden was impressive in the quantities they are able to take off this small garden in the city.  The biggest advantage is the building of community amongst those who share in the work and rewards.  They are learning from each other.  Their children are playing together.  The garden is also a way for those who share their produce with others bring back dignity to their lives.  Many of these people arrived with the clothes on their back, small bags, and nothing else.  They are working hard to build a better life here for their families and themselves.  They left all they knew to do this.  The Welcome Garden gives them a taste of home as they acclimate to a new way of life.  

Spotlight Person: Michelle Watne, ELCA Hunger Liaison

Hello everyone!  I am Michelle Watne.  I am your ELCA World Hunger Liaison for our synod.  I have been in this role for 2 years and am still learning what I am supposed to do.  One of my tasks as the lead is to work on the ELCA Domestic Hunger grants.  We have been fortunate to have received grants for various non-profits in our synod over the years.  I know as I came on, Great Plains Food Bank was in their final year, St Mark’s Lutheran is in their 2nd year of the cycle, and we have Global Refuge’s Welcome Gardens being invited to complete the full grant application for the 2026 ELCA Domestic Hunger Grant.  One of the other tasks is to determine the Bread of Life award presented at the annual synod assembly.  I also sit on the Action and Advocacy Team.  

I live in Fargo now to be close to most of my grandkids and 2 of our 3 children.  My husband is Mark, who has served President of ND Farmers Union and will be stepping down in December from this position.  He is ready for retirement and more grandchildren time.  I am currently working at Great Plains Food Bank processing the monetary donations that come in.  I retired from state and county government a number of years ago where I worked with SNAP, TANF and Medicaid programs.  Mark is also a farmer so you could say we have been working to feed the world and neighbors all our lives.  We have been on many adventures together and I look forward to our next chapter of life as we settle into this phase and see what God has in store for us.  I am also a Synod Lay Minister with the ability to be approved for Holy Communion by the Bishop.  I love doing pulpit supply but keep it to once a month while I am working full time.  

Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-Being of All

The 2025 Churchwide Assembly approved the new social statement, “Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-Being of All.” Phyllis Johnson, a member of Calvary Lutheran in Grand Forks, was a co-chair of the task force that spent five years developing this statement. She is willing to hit the road to give an overview of the statement and the process that created it to your adult forum, conference meeting, or other gathering. She can be reached at phyllisejohnson3@gmail.com.

‘“Civic participation as prophetic presence’ is a theological concept that frames active engagement in public life as a way for faith communities to fulfill a divine call for justice. It presents civic engagement not merely as secular duty, but as a form of ministry that challenges injustice and advocates for the well-being of all by speaking truth to power.”

--from the social statement.

Book Highlights

Did you know that education is a form of advocacy? Yes, reading is passive, but learning about issues and populations in need is helpful for future action. The more we know, the more helpful we can be!

Our Advocacy and Action team loves to read, and would like to share with you some of the books we have found helpful. There will be physical copies of the books we recommend available at the synod office, and then stay tuned for announcements about opportunities to discuss these books together. 

First up are two books that multiple people on our team have read recently and highly recommend: Man in the Dog Park by Cathy A Small, and Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. 

Man in the Dog Park by Cathy A Small



“Spurred by a personal relationship with a homeless man who became her co-author, Cathy A. Small takes a compelling look at what it means and what it takes to be homeless. Interviews and encounters with dozens of homeless people lead us into a world that most have never seen. We travel as an intimate observer into the places that many homeless frequent, including a community shelter, a day labor agency, a panhandling corner, a pawn shop, and a HUD housing office.” 

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption is a memoir by American attorney Bryan Stevenson that documents his career defending disadvantaged clients. You may recognize this title from the 2019 film by the same name starring Michael B. Jordan as Bryan Stevenson.

Share your story!

The government shutdown has put huge pressure on families to cover their basic needs. While SNAP dollars are not yet distributed, congregations are stepping up to help fill the gap. Now is still a powerful moment to call our legislators and share stories about the importance of SNAP, other benefits like heat assistance, and affordable healthcare. The synod is posting on Facebook to lift up and bear witness to the efforts of congregations as they work, often in deep partnership, to make sure people have access to food. See posts with #throughthickandthin and #untilallarefed to see what congregations are up to! if you have a story to tell, please send it to jen@wndsynod.org.

ELCA World Hunger has also opened up Daily Bread Grants to help you support your neighbors. You can apply here or email hunger@elca.org to learn more!

A Note from Great Plains Food Bank

Many of our neighbors are worried about how they are going to put food on the table. If you or someone you know are worried about food, there is help - you are not alone. There are local pantries and caring neighbors ready to lend a hand.

FIND FOOD for yourself or a neighbor at https://greatplainsfoodbank.org/get-help/

Click on the “Food Pantries, Soup Kitchens and Shelters” button. 

Users can search by county and city using the interactive statewide map or clicking on county links below the map. 

WAYS YOU CAN HELP 

• Check-in with family and neighbors, ask “How are you?”.
• If you can, offer a ride to the pantry or go to the pantry for them.
• Invite them to dinner.
• Bring them some extra groceries.
• Print them a list of pantries. 

WAYS YOUR CONGREGATION OR COMMUNITY CAN HELP

• Donate to your local food pantry. Did you know that $1 donated to Great Plains Food Bank helps provide $4 worth of groceries to neighbors in need!
• Host a food drive for your local pantry. 
• If you have extra, unopened, shelf stable, nonperishable, not expired food, drop it off at your local pantry.

This is an extremely stressful time for many of us. Talking about our worries and fears can really help.Sometimes it’s easier to open up to someone you don’t know. If that's true for you, CALL or TEXT 211 anonymously.

ELCA Good Gifts

Have you ever considered giving someone a goat for Christmas? ELCA Good Gifts thinks that’s an excellent idea, and has created the ministry to do so! Through ELCA Good Gifts, you can donate money to purchase an entire barn full of animals for families in need. While your Great Aunt Delores will not receive an actual goat for Christmas, you can certainly purchase one in her honor as a gift!

ELCA Good Gifts offers more than just animals to purchase; you can also provide support for, clean water, women and children in need, agriculture, help in times of crisis, health and nutrition, leaders and change-makers, and help grow the church. All donations and sponsored gifts go to directly supporting the greatest need as identified by partner congregations in the areas of need. 



To find out more about ELCA Good Gifts and to choose your gifts, please visit their website- https://goodgifts.elca.org/page/72439/shop/1