Bishop Eaton Shares Message: This is the Day
June 5, 2020 “Out of my distress I called on the Lord” (Psalm 118:5). We are a nation in distress. We are a church in distress. The coronavirus has killed 103,000 of us. The virus of racism has taken hundreds of thousands more throughout our history. Now these two deadly
Portion of PA CARES Act Funding Allocated to Housing & Homeless Assistance
Governor Wolf signed legislation allocating a portion of the federal CARES Act funding, which included a $175M allocation for a COVID-19 Relief Mortgage and Rental Assistance Program and an additional $10M for Homeless Assistance Grants. The funds appropriated will support communities in preventing evictions for tenants, stabilizing landlord small businesses,
ELCA Presiding Bishop Calls on Church To Observe National Day of Mourning
The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has called on the church to join with faith communities across the United States in lament and remembrance, and on our elected leaders to observe Monday, June 1, as a day of mourning to honor
ELCA Reaffirms Commitment to Combat Racism and White Supremacy
May 29, 2020 What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8). The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) reaffirms its commitment to combating racism and white supremacy following the recent murders of
Pennsylvania’s Response to the 2020 Census
As of May 24, 2020, Pennsylvania households have responded to the 2020 Census above the national average. The national response to the census, thus far, is 60.1%, with Pennsylvania's response rate being 63.1.% according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Pennsylvania ranks 16th in the response rate out of 50
SNAP Online Purchasing Approved For Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has received approval from the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to allow the Commonweath to join the pilot program that lets recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, purchase groceries online through participating retailers. This will
ELCA Presiding Bishop Issues Pastoral Message on COVID-19 Racism and White Supremacy
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. -- I Corinthians 12:12 May 13, 2020 Dear church, Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia! During the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic,
COVID-19 Resources
We give thanks to God for the many ways disciples and ministries are working to see that no one goes hungry. Whether you are currently operating a feeding ministry, donating to community feeding efforts, or are in need of food assistance, please look to the state and federal programs that
LAMPa Connects Ministries With Emergency Foods
In addition to working with policymakers to speed vital relief services, LAMPa’s network of hunger advocates and Lutheran Disaster Response connected feeding ministries across the state with thousands of meals delivered by the PA National Guard. Although ongoing advocacy is required for long-term relief and recovery, the meals were received
FEMA Announces $200 Million for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program
FEMA announced that the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) National Board will allocate $200 million to communities across the country to assist organizations providing critical resources to people with economic emergencies, including our nation's hungry and homeless populations. These funds were appropriated in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic