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ELCA bishops speak to quality of life in
Minnesota during visits with lawmakers |
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Thursday, March 11, 2010
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA—Bishops representing the six
Minnesota synods of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America, spent the day at the State
Capitol, where following a breakfast with ELCA
legislators, they visited with House and Senate
leadership to advocate for the common good of
all in Minnesota. The visits were planned so
that the bishops could share their concerns
about the toll of the budget deficit on the
state’s poorest citizens.
The bishops—Jon Anderson, Southwestern Minnesota
Synod, Tom Aitken, Northeastern Minnesota Synod,
Craig Johnson, Minneapolis Area Synod, Peter
Rogness, Saint Paul Area Synod, Harold Usgaard,
Southeastern Minnesota Synod, and Lawrence
Wohlrabe, Northwestern Minnesota Synod—represent
1,145 congregations and more than 800,000
members in the State of Minnesota
In a pastoral letter shared with clergy and
congregations across the state, the bishops
wrote: “People’s
lives are at stake. People who care deeply for
the well being of our state reach different
solutions. And some thoughtful leaders and
analysts say that neither pole has adequate
answers, and we need now to consider new ways to
live and shape our lives together for the common
good. It may even be that new ways might involve
religious institutions like ours, long involved
in caring for people directly.
“As Lutheran Christians, we have a place in the
public arena…we aspire to be thoughtful
citizens, holding our public leaders accountable
for shaping public policy in a way that serves
the neighbor, seeks a just society, and cares
especially for the poor, the vulnerable, and the
marginalized.
“The difficult choices we make reflect the
values that guide our decisions. Arising from
our own faith are values that center on the
well-being of our neighbors—all of
them—particularly the neighbors most in need. In
a culture that promotes “me first,” our faith
makes clear that caring for the poor contributes
to the common good.
“We believe the faith community—and particularly
we as Lutherans—have a role to play in these
decisions. Our leaders listen to their
constituents. They pay attention to the
political climate. We—some 800,000 Lutherans in
this state—are part of that climate, though we
are not all of one mind. We are Republican and
Democrat, liberal and conservative, urban and
rural, long-time residents and new arrivals. But
we share a faith commitment that compels us to
care for the well-being of all, not simply to
get a big slice of the pie for ourselves. We can
shape the debate and hold accountable to these
principles the proposed solutions.”
In addition, the bishops invited congregations
to “A Call to Prayer, Conversation, and Action.”
On Sunday, April 18, they ask Lutherans across
the state to hold up elected leaders in personal
and public prayer and, throughout the following
week, to engage in discussion together about the
decisions under consideration by government
leaders. Finally, they call upon Lutherans to
communicate with legislators because “many who
are not powerful and who have little influence
have much at stake in these decisions, and our
faith calls us to be their advocates.”
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