November 11, 2020
United Way of Pennsylvania’s new fact sheets by Senate and House districts show how many ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) families are struggling to afford child care across the Commonwealth. ALICE accounts for the 1.8 million households earning a wage more than the federal poverty level but still struggling to maintain a basic household...
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October 28, 2020
The deadline for the Pennsylvania COVID-19 rental and mortgage assistance relief program is quickly approaching. The November 4 deadline will pass with the PA Senate failing to pass a bill (HB 2868) to make the application process more tenable. This inaction impacts thousands of Commonwealth residents who struggle daily to feed their families and determine...
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October 20, 2020
Many of us feel pulled to prayer in the lead up to the election. The new ELCA Worship resource, “Worship Resources for a National Election” contains crafted prayers and suggestions for sacred music to guide worship, prayer, vigils, and devotions preceding or following the election. These resources are offered in PDF and Word formats, to...
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October 16, 2020
Gov. Wolf announced a significant change to the CARES Rent Relief Program. Getting landlords to participate in the program has been one of the barriers to the program’s success. Currently, renters only get up to $750 in rental aid and landlords must accept that as payment in full for that month, even if the rent...
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October 7, 2020
Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) have released a new updated version of “Called to Be Political (but I don’t want to be political!)”. This resource, easily adapted for virtual use, is designed to be used with Faith Formation, Sunday School, young adult or small group gatherings. It may be downloaded from...
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September 22, 2020
In the wave of systemic issues bubbling to the surface of our collective state and national attention, hunger has not been left out. “Because of the pandemic, I cannot buy all the food I need for proper nutrition. I sometimes don’t have enough food, and skip meals.” said Latoya Gilliam.1 The struggle to attain healthy...
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September 16, 2020
The Pennsylvania Senate and House have introduced legislation aimed at assisting Commonwealth residents to more easily access Federal CARES dollars directed toward rental and mortgage assistance. Landlords and potential rental and mortgage assistance recipients have had difficulty navigating the multi-step application process. The House and Senate versions of this legislation have much in common, but...
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September 1, 2020
As his moratorium on evictions and foreclosures expired, Gov. Tom Wolf was joined by Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) Executive Director and CEO Robin L. Wiessmann, Sen. Jay Costa, Rep. Maureen Madden and advocates to urge the legislature to quickly pass legislation to protect Pennsylvanians from eviction from their homes and fix a state program...
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August 31, 2020
As you prepare to vote in the Nov. 3 elections, here are some important updates. Stay tuned for additional updates as we monitor pending legislation in the PA House and Senate regarding voting in Pennsylvania. The deadline to register for the November general election is October 19, 2020. Keep in mind that you must submit...
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August 25, 2020
As we continue to move through the pandemic, we look forward and invite you to mark your calendar for next year’s Lutheran Day at the Capitol as we plan to gather in Harrisburg on Thursday, October 28, 2021. We have moved this annual event from the spring into the fall in prayerful anticipation that we...
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