on April 20, Over 240 Lutherans and ecumenical partners joined for LAMPa’s annual Day in the Capitol as Church Together, a day of learning, community-building, inspiration, and advocacy at the state capitol. They advocated for our neighbors and God’s creation, promoting peace, and proclaiming the Gospel.

In a time of turbulence in our nation and around the world — with consequences that threaten our neighbors, our democracy and our common home — we explored what it means to show up as church together for the sake of the world God loves.

We learned from each other about what is working in our communities, including lessons from the church around the country. We learned from legal and policy experts about what to expect in 2026 and how we can be prepared to act. We learned from peace builders about progress in Pennsylvania and how we can both model a vision for a better future and support and encourage leaders who are building bridges now to help us get there together.

“As we gathered this year as Citizens with the Saints, I was reminded of the joy of being church together as we advocate for our neighbors across Pennsylvania,” says Policy Council Member Deacon Amy Kelly. “While the focus of the day is on advocacy and our call to justice, there is an electricity that connects our seven synods through word and service, offering inspiration and restoration. We learn not just about important advocacy issues from experts, but we also have a chance to hear each other’s stories – what fantastic ministries are taking place across our state and what challenges our regions are facing.”

The keynote by the Rev. Amy Reumann gave an overview of ELCA Witness in Society and shared the updates about the work they do. The keynote focused on Ephesians 2: ¹⁹ So then, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, ²⁰ built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone; Drawing on Ephesians 2:19’s vision of identity rooted in baptismal belonging, Rev. Reumann invited participants to consider how Christian discipleship shapes our civic life through grounding public witness in love of neighbor.

Becca  Brewster expressed that The highlight of her day was the keynote address: “The speaker did a great job setting the tone for the day. The workshops offered valuable information and insight to prep me to continue advocacy throughout the year, and also highlighted some upcoming pieces of legislation at the state level to focus on when talking to my elected representatives. It’s so important for rostered and lay leaders to gather together to advocate for our neighbors and communities.”

Before heading to the Capitol, attendees participated in learning sessions on topics from … LAMPa advocates work with coalition partners and lawmakers year-round in all of these areas – though we focus our visits on this day.

“The wide variety of workshops enabled us to make right choices about which ones to attend so that our groups could participate in different ones for us to share the information we received,” Said Deacon Kathleen Afflerbach, “I enjoyed the stop the hate and PA workshop, especially since it followed an incident in my own community.”

“Our visit with the Senator and the sessions I attended that helped me understand how the ELCA is making an impact nationally.” shared Donna Usavage.

Participants also prepared for legislative visits via webinar prior to Lutheran Day and organized with other members of their legislative visit teams over lunch before worship led by Bishop Regina Hassanally of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod.

“The worship was absolutely inspirational from the Bishop from Minneapolis,” says Deacon Kathleen Afflerbach. “ Sharing her story and drawing us into the situation with ice in Minneapolis. The workshops I attended gave me courage to stand up for the vulnerable.”

Visiting on a legislative session day for the Senate, many groups were able to meet with their lawmakers. Advocates described concerns about hospital price transparency and data center regulations. They shared about the rising need being served by their ministries and their concerns about adequately funding proven anti-hunger programs in the upcoming budget.

Thomas Bradley spoke about his legislative visit, sharing, “Senator Nick Miller’s Chief of Staff Taylor Brown  cordially answered our questions and discussed the challenges of the current PA Senate. Taylor was eager to genuinely listen to our seven-member contingent from Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit in Emmaus. She was pleased to hear that we are willing to partner with Senator Miller on future initiatives.”

One person who was able to advocate at the capitol and speak with their senator’s chief of staff said, “Initially, they were combative, especially after hearing one of our concerns was about data centers.  But after our group exhibited good knowledge of the issue and kindness, they really turned and actually agreed to look into some things for us.  In fact, they were gracious with our time; we were with them for 45 minutes! They initially said that the senator does not support a moratorium on data centers and believes it is a local decision.  They seemed to actually hear us when we said that the local decisions have impact beyond the locality and that there is a need for the state to set some guidances and guardrails. Kindness works!”

Each year, I walk away not only better equipped to advocate for the hunger ministries I serve, but also amazed at what God is doing here in Pennsylvania,” says Deacon Amy Kelly. “That Lutherans across our state are doing amazing work, from alleviating hunger to caring for creation to health care reform to lifting up marginalized voices in their community. That we are acting in love in a world so starved for it.”

“Lutheran Day also reminds me that we are not called to do this work alone – that we can and should partner with local organizations and agencies, other faith communities, and even the government! For instance, it was shared that for every meal our food pantries and banks provide, SNAP benefits can provide 9 – and yet still 13.2% of Pennsylvanians (and 18.1% of PA kids) are still food insecure. It’s a good reminder that the more we step outside our walls, the bigger the impact for our community and the wider world.  This is a day that reminds us what the church is and can be every day.”

 

Invite others to connect with LAMPa at https://www.lutheranadvocacypa.org/get-involved/.