LAMA and the Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy Network invite Grand Canyon Synod hunger leaders, Sierra Pacific Synod hunger leaders, LAMA liaisons, ELCA churchwide hunger leaders, pastors, deacons, congregational advocates, and ministry partners to a special Hunger Leaders Meeting on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. Arizona time. This month’s theme is “Mercy and Compassion Merging for Hunger Justice,” and the evening will bring together churchwide voices, synod leaders, food-bank partners, congregational advocates, and state public-policy leaders for a focused conversation on hunger, faith, and action.

This special gathering reflects the truth that hunger does not stop at state lines — and neither does our Lutheran public witness. Across Arizona, California, Nevada, and beyond, congregations are responding to food insecurity through mercy ministries, food pantries, community partnerships, advocacy, voter engagement, and public-policy work. On Sept. 29, we will gather to connect those efforts, learn from one another, and act together for hunger justice.

We will hear from Bishop Deborah Hutterer of the Grand Canyon Synod and Bishop Jeff Johnson of the Sierra Pacific Synod, who will help frame the conversation for this shared regional gathering. We will also welcome Milt Liu, CEO of St. Mary’s Food Bank, who will speak about what is happening with SNAP and food insecurity from the perspective of the first food bank in the country.

The meeting will also feature Pr. Steve Holm, who will share practical advocacy wisdom from his journey “From a Hunger Jar to fighting for World Hunger,” and Pr. Nelson Rabell of Iglesia Luterana Santa Maria Peregrina in Stockton, California, who will share a Get Out the Vote video from the Sierra Pacific Synod.

Besides these guest speakers, we will spend time asking what we can do to advocate for hunger justice in our own states, sharing updated resources, and taking immediate action together by signing a letter to the governor of each participant’s state. This is designed to be more than an information session — it is a chance to connect faith, hunger ministry, civic participation, and public witness in a concrete way.

All are welcome, whether you are already leading a congregational hunger ministry, serving in a food pantry, participating as a LAMA liaison, working with ELCA World Hunger, learning about SNAP and food policy, or simply wondering how people of faith can respond faithfully to hunger in this moment.

Special GCS Hunger Leaders Meeting
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
6:00 p.m. Arizona Time
Zoom Meeting ID: 874 3817 1116

Come ready to listen, learn, pray, and act for hunger justice — until all are fed.

The Grand Canyon Synod Hunger Leaders Network invites Lutherans and hunger advocates in Arizona, Nevada, and California to add their names to a regional sign-on letter urging our governors to take stronger action against hunger.

The action is simple: follow the link, choose your state, and sign the letter to your governor. Participants from Arizona, Nevada, and California will each see a letter focused on hunger concerns in their own state — from SNAP access and food bank capacity to school meals, senior nutrition, rural food access, and the rising cost of basic needs.

Sign the letter here: https://forms.gle/JHsw9eVy8cFKPzMv7

As people of faith, we believe every neighbor deserves enough nutritious food to live with dignity. Lutheran congregations and partners across our region serve through food pantries, community meals, school and summer food programs, senior nutrition, refugee and immigrant ministries, and advocacy for stronger public policy. But charity alone cannot meet the scale of hunger our neighbors are facing. Public leadership matters.

This sign-on letter is also the call to action for the Hunger Leaders Network’s special online education event on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. Arizona Time. The meeting will feature:

• Bishop Deborah Hutterer of the Grand Canyon Synod
• Bishop Jeff Johnson of the Sierra Pacific Synod, and
• Milt Liu, CEO of St. Mary’s Food Bank, along with hunger leaders from across the region.

During the gathering, participants will learn more about hunger, food assistance, and faithful advocacy in our three-state region — and then take action together by signing the governor letter while still online.

All are welcome to attend, whether you are part of a congregation, hunger ministry, food pantry, advocacy team, or simply care about neighbors who are struggling to afford food.

Hunger Leaders Network Meeting
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
6:00 p.m. Arizona Time
Zoom Meeting: 874 3817 1116

Take action now: https://forms.gle/JHsw9eVy8cFKPzMv7

Together, Lutherans across Arizona, Nevada, and California can lift a faithful regional voice for hunger justice — and remind our governors that people of faith are watching, praying, serving, and asking for action.

During the Hawk Fire, Washoe County officials believed emergency alerts were reaching local radio and television stations. They were not. The county reportedly did not learn about the failure until KUNR investigated weeks later. The incident is a serious reminder: during a fast-moving wildfire, we cannot depend on one alert, one app, or one communication system.

After the Hawk Fire, it got me thinking about St. Paul’s and Carson City’s vulnerabilities. Disaster preparedness is part of creation care, and part of our call to love and protect our neighbors.

WHAT SHOULD CONGREGATIONS PLAN FOR?

1. Know how warnings will be received

• Register church leaders for county emergency alerts.
• Keep a weather radio available.
• Monitor local radio, television, and official emergency channels.
• Designate at least two people to verify alerts during an emergency.

2. Create a communication tree

Decide who will contact:

• Older adults and homebound members
• People with disabilities or medical needs
• Families with children
• Members without reliable internet access
• People who may need information in another language
• Staff, volunteers, tenants, and community groups using the building

Keep printed contact lists available in case internet or cloud-based systems are unavailable.

3. Make an evacuation plan

Congregations should identify:

• More than one exit from the building
• Two evacuation routes from the neighborhood
• An outdoor meeting location
• Who will check classrooms, restrooms, offices, and fellowship spaces
• Who will bring attendance lists, medications, first-aid supplies, and emergency contacts
• How children and vulnerable adults will be reunited with caregivers

Practice the plan before it is needed.

4. Plan for people who need additional help

Ask now:

• Who may not be able to drive?
• Who uses oxygen, refrigerated medication, or mobility equipment?
• Who needs transportation during an evacuation?
• Who may not receive cellphone alerts?
• Who could become isolated during a power outage?

Preparedness must include everyone—not only people with smartphones, vehicles, money, and flexible schedules.

5. Prepare the building

Congregations should maintain:

• First-aid kits and an AED
• Fire extinguishers and clearly marked exits
• Flashlights and backup batteries
• Bottled water and basic emergency supplies
• N95 masks for wildfire smoke
• Printed evacuation maps
• Emergency contact information near every telephone
• A plan for shutting off utilities when necessary

Churches considering serving as shelters, cooling centers, smoke-relief spaces, or supply-distribution sites should coordinate with emergency officials before a disaster.

6. Protect important information

Keep secure backups of:

• Insurance documents
• Property records
• Emergency contacts
• Building-use agreements
• Membership and staff information
• Financial records
• Vendor and utility contacts

Congregations should also know who has authority to make decisions if the pastor, council president, or property leader is unavailable.

7. Build community partnerships now

Introduce your congregation to local emergency managers, fire officials, nonprofits, food banks, disability advocates, and neighboring faith communities.

A congregation should know both what it can offer and where it must refer people for professional assistance.

WHAT SHOULD PUBLIC POLICY PROVIDE?

Preparedness cannot rest entirely on individual households or congregations. LEAN supports:

• Reliable emergency-alert infrastructure
• Real-time confirmation that alerts were delivered
• Regular system testing and public reporting
• Multilingual and accessible communications
• Strong oversight of private alert-system vendors
• Adequate funding for rural and under-resourced communities
• Plans that include older adults, disabled neighbors, unhoused people, and households without reliable technology

When systems fail, the people with the fewest resources often face the greatest danger.

Faith communities can prepare, communicate, and care for their neighbors—but government remains responsible for maintaining dependable public-safety infrastructure.

Preparedness is not fear. It is faithful care.

Make the plan. Practice the plan. Check on your neighbor.

Read KUNR’s reporting: https://www.kunr.org/local-stories/2026-09-18/hawk-fire-alert-failure

If you’ve been following election news lately, you may have seen several headlines about the courts, the Postal Service and mail ballots.

Here’s what Nevada voters need to know.

On September 14, the U.S. Supreme Court kept in place a lower-court order blocking new federal restrictions on mail voting from taking effect for the November 3, 2026 election.

The Trump administration had sought changes that would increase the federal government’s role in determining who could receive mail ballots, including through a national list of eligible voters and requirements involving the U.S. Postal Service.

Those requirements will NOT take effect for this November’s election.

The underlying legal dispute is not necessarily finished. The courts may continue considering questions about federal authority over mail voting after the election.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IN NEVADA?

Nevada voters should continue following the state’s existing election procedures and information provided by the Nevada Secretary of State and county election officials.

And remember: there are multiple court cases involving mail voting.

This case is different from the Supreme Court’s June ruling concerning ballots that are mailed by Election Day but arrive afterward. Nevada’s statutory post-Election Day receipt period remains in place. citeturn0search5ng by mail this November, make a plan early. Read your ballot instructions carefully, know the deadlines, and give yourself plenty of time to return your ballot.

Election rules can sound complicated — especially when court decisions are happening close to an election.

LEAN INTO 2026 is here to help separate the headlines from what Nevada voters actually need to know.

Your ballot. Your voice. Your community.

Small businesses do not grow on determination alone.

Across Nevada, entrepreneurs work long hours, take risks, hire neighbors, and help make our communities feel like home. But hard work alone cannot overcome unaffordable commercial space, crumbling infrastructure, limited broadband, or a lack of access to capital.

Every business depends on public investment.

The people we elect make decisions about small-business grants, workforce development, public procurement, neighborhood infrastructure, transportation, and economic-development funding. Those choices shape whether local businesses can open, grow, and stay open.

Supporting small businesses means shopping locally, sharing their stories, advocating for equitable economic policies, and voting for leaders who invest in our communities.

Economic justice means building a Nevada where every entrepreneur has the opportunity to succeed—not just survive.

Strong communities need thriving small businesses.