How to Incorporate the Ministry of Advocacy into your Congregation
By Rev. Paul Benz, Director, Lutheran Public Policy Office of Washington State
As your fall and winter plans come into place for your congregation, I encourage you to incorporate the ministry of advocacy into those plans. Here are some possibilities:
1. Invite me and/or the new Lutheran Public Policy Office (LPPO) shared seminary intern, Jeanette Lisk (Gettysburg), for a Sunday advocacy "teach and preach,"
2. Invite either of us for a youth or women's event where we can facilitate discussion on a current social justice issue, advocacy and support the work of the LPPO>
3. Host a legislative forum coordinated by LPPO where you nave elected officials come to discuss a current topic.
4. Do a letter writing/offering of letters/faithful citizenship effort on a Sunday morning where you involve Sunday school classes, have laptops available to bless the letters during worship.
5. Use a Women of the ELCA resource, an ELCA resource, or an ELCA social statement for a Sunday adult series for one or two months.
6. Host an evening or Saturday forum on the initiatives that will be on the November ballot.
Rev. Paul Benz can be reached at (206) 464-4133 or at pbenz@lcsnw.org. The LPPO web site is www.lppowa.org. You may also access this web page through the Southwestern Washington website through the list under "Ministries".
