There will be two workshop sessions the morning of Citizens with the Saints. See below for some of  the many options that will be available for you to choose from to inform your learning and advocacy.  More workshops and presenters to be announced soon.  We’ll email you with a complete list and a request to name your preferences once you register.

Southeastern Minnesota Bishop Regina Hassanally will share lessons she’s learned about preparing for and thinking through public action as a people of faith. How do we know when to act, how to align with others, when to speak and what to say? The answers aren’t the same for all of us. Together we’ll explore the ways we are called to be involved and how we come to understand the role we have.

This workshop with Rob Altenburg will explore how AI and datacenter projects promise economic development but never talk about how we should evaluate the costs.  We will explore the various ethical issues and develop questions to ask in response to datacenter proposals.

The Committee of Seventy, the Commonwealth’s oldest nonpartisan good-government organization, will equip attendees with information and resources to help inform their fellow Pennsylvanians about why our elections are secure. C70 will provide clear, detailed information about the processes county election offices use before and after each election to ensure that every eligible voter can cast a ballot safely and with confidence. You can also learn how to support the process yourself, including recruiting poll workers and combating misinformation in your own communities.

Join Feeding Pennsylvania and the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank to learn more about the current state of hunger in the Commonwealth and how they are approaching legislative advocacy.  Feeding PA CEO, Julie Bancroft, and CPFB Government Relations Coordinator, Katie Kerr will also discuss food bank demand, the impact of changes to SNAP, and provide guidance on how you can advocate for neighbors in your community who are experiencing food insecurity.

Workshop with Erin Gabriel of Pennsylvania Health Access Network (PHAN): As Pennsylvanians face higher costs for everything from gas to groceries to housing, many are struggling to afford rising healthcare costs. With recent federal changes to the healthcare landscape, we’ll discuss the current threats and potential progress on making healthcare more affordable and accessible for families across the Commonwealth.  We’ll also show you how you can help advocate for protecting and expanding access to high-quality, affordable healthcare in Pennsylvania.

Learn the impacts of federal immigration policy on our immigrant neighbors. Hear from those working in communities in Pennsylvania and across the country to stand for welcome — what that looks like to practice mutual aid in a time of crisis and what it means to do so as a community of faith.  Join us in advocating for just policies at the local, state and federal levels.

In today’s polarized climate, faith leaders face immense challenges in guiding politically diverse congregations while living out the values of their faith. Led by Common Ground USA, this training presents clergy and faith-based leaders with some initial tools to engage political differences in their own congregations in ways that strengthen both them and the broader community.

Participants will learn how to:

  • Engage leaders in their own congregations and the community using the Common Ground Approach
  • Navigate difficult conversations in respectful and productive ways
  • Identify shared values that unite people across political perspectives
  • Mobilize diverse groups to work together on common community concerns

Through practical strategies, real-world case studies, and interactive discussion, faith leaders will be better prepared to lead with courage, empathy, and effectiveness. Participants will be prepared to engage political divisions in ways that reveal shared vision and build community resilience.

Come and learn about ELCA AMMPARO and its network of congregations and ministries with immigrants in the U.S. and abroad .  Raed AbuJries will cover what the shifting realities of global migration. Every day we hear stories about immigrants, refugees, border changes, and deportations, and they impact our lives and communities in deeply personal ways. We will explore how we accompany vulnerable, forcibly displaced persons—a population now totaling over 117 million people globally—in countries of origin, transit, and destination. This includes our work with companions in Latin America, as well as our expanding global network in places like Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
We will share concrete, practical ways for you and your congregation to be more engaged and take meaningful action in our communities, and how to combat strategic dehumanization with new AMMPARO resources.

with Christine Moffett, Program Director for Environment and Energy Policy, ELCA Witness in Society
In a moment of significant federal policy shifts and growing global urgency around the climate crisis, this session invites participants to consider what it means to be the church in the world — and for the world. Drawing on the ELCA’s long-standing commitment to creation care and environmental justice, Christine will offer an overview of the climate crisis, including where policy stands, what is at stake, and how Lutheran communities of faith are called to respond.
Participants will also turn their gaze outwards and hear how our companion churches around the world are experiencing the consequences of U.S. policy decisions. Their words carry both challenge and invitation — to recommit ourselves to advocacy rooted in relationship, solidarity, and the call to care for all of creation.

AI is not “the next big thing;” it is here. AI is already transforming society and affecting individuals and will do so in more sweeping ways than the industrial or communications revolution. However, what the term “AI” means and the issues for people of faith are significant. This workshop with Roger Willer will chart some terminology, some theological reflections, some ethical issues (besides environment), and some pastoral questions in a conversational give and take. It is designed for those who are using AI or want to go deeper and probe what it means to bring the church’s historical, faith-based insights and values into play for the use of AI with justice and wisdom.

AI is not “the next big thing;” it is here. Crucially, we must recognize AI is not just a new technology or part of the communications revolution. Moreover, it is already transforming society and affecting individuals and will do so in more sweeping ways than the industrial or communications revolution. But what exactly is AI? How and why will it be so transformative? What are the questions I should be asking? This “workshop” with Roger Willer is designed more for novices who want to learn what AI is and have a conversation about what are the questions.

In the last few years, gun homicides have plummeted across the Commonwealth as public investments in community violence prevention programs have interrupted shootings before they occur. Still, more than 1,500 lives are lost to this crisis with firearm suicide for more than 60% of all gun deaths. Join CeaseFirePA to learn how to learn how communities of faith can ensure gun violence continues to drop by advocating for gun safety legislation and continued investments in proven violence prevention programs.

This workshop, led by longtime civil rights investigator Ann Van Dyke, will give an overview of the state’s civil rights laws and how they apply to clergy, how fear of human difference is manifesting itself in PA now, “traditional” white supremacist organized hate groups such as the KKK and others, extremist groups’ new emphasis on youth recruitment, Christian nationalism, and what research tells us about prevention and response.

From toxic PFAS to microplastics to runoff pollution, our rivers and streams are facing many challenges. Stephanie Wein, Clean Water & Conservation Advocate at PennEnvironment, will give an overview of the threats to Pennsylvania’s waterways, the solutions that exist and the way you can engage at a state and local level.

A virtual update with Sasha Ghosh-Siminoff of ELCA Witness in Society about the church’s work and the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and north Africa 

This workshop is a learning experience designed to help participants better understand and support LGBT+ individuals in their communities. This session explores key concepts like identity, inclusive language, and the impact of bias, while providing practical tools for advocacy and everyday allyship. Participants will build confidence in creating inclusive, more affirming spaces for people of all genders and sexual orientations.