Ask Congress to support a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers.

The ELCA has long supported protections for people brought to the United States as children, known as “Dreamers.” Dreamers are integral members of our families, churches and communities, yet for decades have lived in limbo without the long-term solution of permanent legal status and a pathway to citizenship. For over 525,000 Dreamers, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program provides work authorization and should protect recipients from deportation, but the program has been largely closed to new applicants since 2017, leaving many individuals without even these temporary and limited protections.

In 2001, Congress first introduced the Dream Act, which would provide permanent legal status and a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. The bipartisan bill was reintroduced last year by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) as the Dream Act of 2025. The American Dream and Promise Act introduced last year in the House would provide protections for Dreamers and recipients of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED).

Support for protections for Dreamers is particularly urgent as DACA recipients have been detained and in some cases deported, separated from their families and the only home some have ever known.

As ELCA social message “Immigration” reminds us, we are encouraged to “Welcome one another, just as Christ has welcomed you, to the glory of God” (Romans 15:7). This is the moment to advocate for our neighbors and for stability and protection for our entire communities.

Ask your member of Congress to co-sponsor and champion legislation protecting Dreamers and to continue to work for dignity, protection and rights for immigrants.

In a joint statement on the Iran war, leaders from four global Christian communions appeal for peace and reaffirm commitment to multilateralism, dialogue and diplomacy.

Read Here.

MARCH 4, 2026

Dear siblings in Christ, 

They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more (Isaiah 2:4).

In our Lenten journey, we are reminded of our dependence on God, and we are sustained by hope in the future peace God has promised. As war involving the United States, Israel and Iran intensifies and spreads, we lament how far off that promise seems. We do not know how many people have been killed, but we know the number will continue to grow. Early reports indicate that more than 100 Iranian schoolgirls and several U.S. service members are among them. 

The church of Jesus Christ is called to proclaim the peace of God’s eternal reign and to work for an earthly peace here and now. The ELCA social message “Living in a Time of Terrorism” states that this earthly peace is a “precious yet fragile good.” Its existence depends on leaders who prioritize diplomacy over military engagement and deterrence over war, and on citizens who hold government accountable whenever military action is considered. 

With many of you, I am distressed that a robust, public discernment through congressional authorization did not occur prior to the United States’ engagement in this war. As Lutherans, we affirm that government and the order that just laws provide are gifts of God for our safety and well-being. This war does not represent the promotion of this just order but rather its failure.  

The costs in lives and safety of this failure will be borne by those least able to avoid it — children, families and those without the means to flee.  Its deadly toll has been, and will continue to be, paid with the lives of our neighbors, including our siblings in Christ in the Middle East.  

This moment underscores the urgent need for robust, well-resourced diplomatic and humanitarian efforts. Our companions in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land have asked our church to pray fervently for peace and safety and to advocate for the dignity and security of all people. ELCA Witness in Society will continue to provide opportunities for this advocacy. 

As members of the body of Christ, join me in prayerful, hopeful solidarity with our siblings and neighbors who suffer today. 
Together, 
We mourn the rush to war and the combatants and noncombatants who have lost their lives. 
We yearn for creation’s fulfillment in “a new heaven and a new earth” where death and pain “will be no more” (Revelation 21:1, 4). 
We strive for justice and peace in all the earth, strengthened by faith in the crucified and risen Lord to persist.
We trust that, through God who sustains us, our weariness and fear will not overcome us.

In Christ,

The Rev. Yehiel Curry

Presiding Bishop

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Sierra Pacific Synod is hiring a Synod Disaster Response Community Organizer. This position will focus on building a synod-wide team over a three-year period to prepare for and respond to both climate-related disasters. This hybrid position can be split into two part-time roles, or one full-time position, depending on the candidates. 

Interested? Learn more HERE!

The filing deadline to run for office in Nevada is quickly approaching, and many questions still remain about the future of our elections.

Voting is the most essential way to participate in democracy. It is the most common and universal form of civic participation, the baseline of civic engagement. As faithful Lutherans and advocates for education, immigration, climate action, and responsible gun laws, we must first safeguard our right to vote. If that right is weakened, our influence on these other policy areas will also be diminished.

Nevada currently has more than 2.1 million active registered voters, yet participation in primary elections remains very low. In the 2024 primary election, only about 16% of registered voters cast a ballot. That means a relatively small portion of the electorate determines which candidates move forward to the general election.

Much has happened in recent months that could alter voting policies nationwide, and Nevada is at the center of these debates. The state is currently involved in litigation regarding access to Nevada’s voter rolls, which contain highly sensitive personal information. Regardless of the issues we care most about, we cannot ignore what is happening in our elections.

The June primaries are critically important elections. Whether you belong to a political party or not, your vote shapes who appears on the ballot in November. Early voting begins Saturday, May 23, and Primary Election Day is June 5.

LEAN encourages every person of faith to make a plan to vote. Talk with your friends, family, and congregation members. Encourage one another to participate in this essential act of democracy. When people of faith participate in civic life, we help shape a more just and compassionate society.