Payday Lenders Thwarted For Now
Another attempt at passing a payday lending bill, HB 2429, was recently thwarted in June. Official word came through on June 19 that the House Commerce Committee vote was cancelled because the payday lenders didn’t have the votes to get it out of Committee. Thank you to everyone who worked
Emergency Food Providers: End Food Waste With MEANS Database
The MEANS Database, founded by ELCA member and American University student Maria Rose Belding, a speaker at the 2018 National Youth Gathering, is a non-profit communications platform for emergency food providers and their donors. Emergency food providers can mean soup kitchens, homeless shelters and food pantries. MEANS, which stands for
Safe Harbor Bill Moves Out of House Judiciary Committee
Senate Bill 554, which would provide "Safe Harbor" for victims of child sex trafficking, was voted out of the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, June 5. The legislation, which LAMPa and others have been advocating for years, is poised for a full House vote. Click here to learn more and
ELCA presiding bishop issues statement on Dreamers
2/9/2018 10:00:00 AM Immigration is an ever-present topic at our dinner tables and in our congregations as Congress continues to discuss long-overdue protection for thousands of our community members who lack permanent legal status. Scripture calls us to welcome the sojourner. God commanded of the Israelites: "The stranger who resides
PA Hunger Leaders Advocate in D.C.
Eleven World Hunger Leaders from across Pennsylvania, joined Tracey and Lynn, to participate in the ELCA World Hunger Leadership Gathering, January 21-24. More than 150 leaders from across the country gathered at Reformation Lutheran Church, Washington, D.C., focusing on the theme “Until All Are Fed”. All in attendance were equipped
DEP Hosting Eco-Justice Listening Posts
Here's an opportunity to speak up for those most affected by environmental degradation. The state Department of Environmental Protection is hosting a series of environmental justice listening sessions around the Commonwealth. LAMPa is encouraging advocates to attend and share their stories or accompany and support neighbors suffering from our neglect
PA Lutherans Participate in State of Appalachia Conference
ELCA Lutherans from across the Appalachian region participated in an ecumenical State of Appalachia Conference on March 31 – April 1, 2017, in Pipestem State Park, West Virginia. The conference "was an important gathering for public advocacy and service ministries in Appalachia," said the Rev. Dr. Gilson Waldkoenig, professor of
PA Bishops Support LGBT Anti-Discrimination Bill
Harrisburg, PA — The seven Pennsylvania bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America released a letter June 18 in support of legislation that would amend the Pennsylvania Public Relations Act to prohibit discrimination in areas of employment, housing and public accommodation on the basis of actual or perceived sexual
Pennsylvania’s Own Hunger Games (or why the Human Services Development Fund matters)
If you haven’t read the hottest series since Harry Potter, here’s the gist of it. The Hunger Games is set in a futuristic United States where every year the capitol city requires its 12 enslaved and impoverished districts to select two teenagers to compete in a televised survival contest as
February 7 Prayer Vigil to Focus on Governor Corbett’s Budget
The Interfaith Justice Coalition is calling on all Pennsylvanians to engage in prayer on Tuesday, Feb 7 as Gov. Tom Corbett presents his 2012-2013 budget proposal to a joint session of the General Assembly. The coalition includes the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, Pennsylvania Council of Churches, Pennsylvania Jewish Federation, Lutheran Advocacy
