Evangelical Lutheran Bishops Emphasize Poverty, Hunger
Poverty and hunger were the focus of discussions during the biennial meeting of bishops from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America last week.
Poverty and hunger were the focus of discussions during the biennial meeting of bishops from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America last week.
The Conference of Bishops, which meets each spring and fall, heard from a law professor, a renowned national advocate for the poor, and from ELCA public policy staff, at its Mar. 2-7 gathering in Lake Geneva, Wis. All three speakers encouraged the bishops to continue their advocacy efforts on changing public policy.
"The church has a moral responsibility to speak to public policy issues because it can," Dr. Susan Pace Hamill, professor of law at the University of Alabama, told bishops there. "If the church turns its back on public policy, the church is not doing what it is called to do."
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The ELCA has long been engaged in ministry to the poor, and in recent years took the battle to Capitol Hill. Last fall, the 65 bishops delivered a letter to the members of Congress, questioning the proposed budgetary cuts to programs that assist the poor.
Although the legislation passed, Hamill applauded the bishops’ efforts, saying “the church must speak.”
“It must not sit quietly by if [lawmakers] are going to balance the budget on the backs of the poor,” Hamil said.
Following Hamil’s presentation, the bishops heard from the Rev. David H. Beckmann, president of Bread for the World – a national Christian advocacy group that works for justice for the world’s poor.
Beckmann, himself a Lutheran, thanked the Evangelical Lutheran Church and said the denomination is one of the “healthiest churches in America.”
"One of the reasons why is that you are indeed engaged on poverty and hunger issues,” said Beckmann. About one sixth of Bread’s 55,000 members are ELCA congregants.
Noting the good works by celebrities such as Bono, U-2, and Bill and Melinda Gates in the area of poverty reduction, Beckmann said bishops must keep doing their part in the anti-poverty dialogue.
"If we're part of trying to reduce poverty, we're going to have a lot more credibility when we say that God loves all people," he said.
The bishops also heard from ELCA public policy staff members who work on the Hill on behalf of the denomination.
Karen Vagley, director of the ELCA Washington office, referred back to the bishops’ letter to Congress and thanked them for their effort.
"At that moment this church, for the first time anyone could recall, stepped into the public square and knew it could make a difference," Vagley said. "We didn't win it all, but we made a strong impact."
