EL-YATEEM APPOINTED ED FOR ELCA SERVICE AND JUSTICE
The Rev. Khader El-Yateem has been appointed executive director of the Service and Justice home area of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). El-Yateem will begin his service March 18.
LAMPa is part of the Witness in Society Team in the Service and Justice Home Area. Read more.
HAP RELEASES REPORT ON POST-PANDEMIC EVICTIONS
The Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania has released an interactive web report on the rise of eviction filings in PA post-pandemic. As people of faith, we grieve the ways in which many of our neighbors are turned out of their homes and are called to work for policies that will promote a “sufficient, sustainable livelihood for all.” Read more. 
PLAN TO MARK EARTH DAY WITH CARE, PRAYER AND ACTION
Earth Day is a time to renew our commitment as good stewards of God’s creation. Earth Day is Monday, April 22. Mark your calendars! Stay tuned for resources from LAMPa and our partners for Sunday worship or to host your own Earth Day Vigil with your conference or synod.
LDR RELEASES WINTER/SPRING TRAINING SCHEDULE
From comprehensive disaster preparedness courses to specialized training in recovery, the opportunities in Lutheran Disaster Response's Winter/Spring catalogue strive to foster a culture of preparedness to mitigate the impact of disasters. Learn more.
PA DEP CLIMATE PRIORITIES SURVEYS STILL OPEN
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is seeking comments and input from Pennsylvanians around the Commonwealth in order to plan and implement policies that address climate pollution in our local communities. All are encouraged to weigh in and help shape a livable future. Learn more.
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STATEMENT ON CIVIC LIFE & FAITH OPEN FOR COMMENT
A draft version of the ELCA social statement on civic life and faith is now available for study and discussion. You can give feedback by filling out a survey, found here, or by participating in a hearing in your synod. Hearings are public gatherings where participants share specific affirmations or concerns. The feedback period will be open until Sept. 30. Learn more.
LUTHERAN DAY IN THE CAPITOL REGISTRATION COMING SOON!
Mark your calendar for May 9 and plan to join us for Lutheran Day in the Capitol. Gather for a day of inspiration, learning and advocacy that makes a difference. Stay for a gala celebration of advocates from around PA and mark LAMPa's 45th anniversary. Look for registration opening soon.
Action
Hate Has No Home in PA - Update Hate Crimes Laws Now
In this month of celebrating love in its many forms, stand up for all of God's beloved by urging your PA Senators to update PA's hate crimes laws.
The FBI’s most recent report on hate crimes revealed not only a decade high in the number of crimes committed, but that offenses were more violent than in previous years. The time to act is now!
Urge PA House to Take Action to End the Death Penalty in PA
Mark Black History Month with action by urging your state representatives to support ending the death penalty in PA. The ELCA as long stood against the use of capital punishment for many reasons, including its disproportionate use against people of color.
Urge US Officials to Call for Peace in the Holy Land
The devastating loss of life in Israel and Palestine since October 2023 has shaken our church and its members. Write to leaders to urge them to intensify efforts to halt the bloodshed, appealing to all parties to pursue long-term diplomatic efforts. Learn more.
Oppose Harmful Changes to Immigration Law in Budget
Immigration continues to be a thorny issue in budget negotiations. Lawmakers returned this January determined to work on the $106 billion emergency supplemental funding request. Urge them to remember the impact on our immigrant and refugee neighbors. Learn more.
Events
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Feb. 8-10 -- Pasa Sustainable Agriculture Conference --
Register and join the 2024 Pasa Sustainable Agriculture Conference.

Pasa seeks to cultivate farms and food systems that nourish, heal & empower.

The conference is set to include more than 70 sessions on farming and food systems featuring more than 100 speakers, social and networking events with fellow farmers and food system changemakers, and an expansive trade show.

Events will take place February 8-10 at the Lancaster County Convention Center in Lancaster.

Feb. 14 -- Ash Wednesday at the Capitol -- LAMPa staff and ecumenical partners will offer Ashes-to-Go at the state Capitol on Feb. 14 to mark the beginning of Lent.
We will be on the front steps of the Capitol from 8-9 a.m. and 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. to offer prayer and ashes. Although this is not currently a session day, you may wish to invite your lawmakers and staff who observe but who cannot be in their home congregation on that day.

Why Ashes?
Ash Wednesday is a Christian holy day marking the beginning of the Lenten season. The practice of marking our foreheads with ashes is reminiscent of the ancient practice of showing one’s grief and mourning by wearing sack cloth and sprinkling one’s head with ashes. Read more.
Feb. 27 -- Lutherans Restoring Creation Film -- Lutherans Restoring Creation and ELCA World Hunger are screening the film Regenerating Life as part of their work to inspire faith communities to grow their climate justice.

Participants will convene at 8 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 27 for film highlights and discussion with the filmmaker and fellow participants. Registrants will receive a link to watch the film on their own before convening online and considering what local action can mean for them and their communities.

Lutherans Restoring Creation and ELCA World Hunger hope to dig into the complicated and critical work of how the land is part of the solution to healing ourselves and the planet.
March 18 -- Annual Nolde Human Rights Lecture at ULS -- Join this lecture on freedom and justice with Anthony Ray Hinton, in person or virtually, hosted by United Lutheran Seminary. Hinton survived for 30 years on Alabama’s death row. His story is a decades-long journey to exoneration and freedom. 

With the assistance of the Equal Justice Initiative, led by attorney Bryan Stevenson, Hinton was freed in 2015. Since his release, Hinton has traveled the world sharing his story and discussing the changes that need to be made to prevent similar injustices from happening to other people. In 2018, he published The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row, which is a New York Times bestseller. Learn more and register.
Resources
What does it mean to be a “peacemaker” in a world marred by violence? A new five-session study guide returns to the ELCA’s 1995 social statement on peace, using its teachings to explore how Lutherans are called to respond to war and conflict today. Can war ever be just? What does peace really mean? Where can we find hope? These and more questions are explored through readings, video and guides for conversation.
The ELCA's new initiative, Sumud: For Justice in Palestine and Israel, presents “Following the Way of Jesus: A Lenten Holy Land Journey.”
This Lenten video series for individuals and congregations consists of six short videos that introduce people to the land, the theology of sumud and its significance through Scripture as the “way of Jesus.” Each video will be available in both English and Arabic.
Sumud (Arabic for "steadfast perseverance") is the ELCA’s new name for our church’s engagement in accompaniment, awareness-building and advocacy for justice in Palestine and Israel.