February 8, 2021
On Friday, Feb. 5, Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law SB109, now known as Act 1, directing more than $900 million in federal pandemic aid to struggling businesses, private schools, landlords and tenants unable to meet rent or utility bills because of economic downturn related to the failure to stop the spread of the disease. Thank you...
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February 8, 2021
Gov. Wolf continued to place education at the forefront of his agenda with a his 2021 budget proposal in an effort to close the gaps in one of the least equitable school funding systems in the country, increase affordability of college education and job training. The budget, outlined in an address on Feb. 3, would...
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February 4, 2021
On March 31, 2021 the utility shutoff moratorium protecting vulnerable Pennsylvanians from service termination will expire. With moratoria in place since the beginning of the pandemic, customers had been protected from losing their utility services. With many if not more Pennsylvanians still suffering from the economic downturn, the prospect of an unrenewed moratorium is daunting. When the initial moratorium began in March 2020,...
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January 22, 2021
Posted on January 22, 2021 by ELCA Advocacy “With the start of the 117th Congress and a new administration, and as the devastating COVID-19 pandemic influences our lives and shapes our concerns, we face pressing need for national policy action. Yet even with changes, as Christians in the world our engagement is consistently shaped by...
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January 20, 2021
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on across Pennsylvania and the nation, an increasing number of senior citizens in the commonwealth are struggling to secure the food they need. Sheila Christopher, of Hunger-Free Pennsylvania, is working to ensure that all seniors have access to food programs so that their needs are met. The organization is looking to expand...
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January 11, 2021
Looking for new material for you or young adults you know that will assist in learning about and getting involved in faith-based advocacy? Look no further! In conjunction with ELCA World Hunger and ELCA Advocacy, the 2019-2020 Hunger Advocacy Fellows prepared the “Advocacy 101 for Young Adults: When Faith Meets Public Policy” resource. Split into...
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January 7, 2021
The latest COVID-19 Relief Bill was signed into law on December 27, 2020. The $900 billion COVID-relief package includes housing provisions such as $25 billion in emergency rental assistance and an extension of the CDC’s federal eviction moratorium through January 31st. The relief bill will provide essential and desperately needed protections for renters, tens of...
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January 7, 2021
LAMPa Program Director Lynn Fry will conclude her service with LAMPa in January 2021. She has served in the position for three years. Early in the New Year she will transition to a new position at United Lutheran Seminary (ULS), serving as the Coordinator of Stewardship and Donor Relations. Reflecting on her LAMPa tenure Lynn...
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December 18, 2020
Join LAMPa United Lutheran Seminary (ULS) Intern Margaret (Meg) Folkemer for a weekly Compline Service. Since early pandemic days, Meg has been leading a compline or night prayer service every Wednesday evening live on Facebook with her family. According to Meg, “we started it as a simple way to provide connection with one another and...
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December 16, 2020
“… this very first commandment that God gives to humanity is clearly to care for creation” says Pastor Paul Metzloff, representing LAMPa at the December 8th Department of Environmental Protection hearing on the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). For Metzloff, an army veteran with sixteen years of service, it is a “moral imperative” to care for God’s creation. Living into this call is not...
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