This legislative session, Nevada passed several bills that reflect our Lutheran commitment to justice, compassion, and community. Guided by ELCA Social Statements, here are key wins we celebrate:

Health Equity — Laws now expand access to healthcare for incarcerated people, low-income residents, and those with language barriers. (ELCA: Health & Health Care)

• AB 25 (incarcerated women’s health), SB 54 medical respite), AB 161 (hospice standards), AB 343 (hospital price transparency), AB 514 (Medicaid inclusion of therapeutic group homes), SB 54 (medical respite).

Housing Advocacy— New protections for renters, IDs for the unhoused, and investment in supportive housing affirm dignity for all. (ELCA: Economic Life)

• AB 38 (manufactured housing protections), AB 241/AB 396 (mar‐flex zoning, ADUs), AB 366 (Supportive Housing fund), AB 220 (ID cards for homeless), AB 263 (homeless outreach), SB 233 (local ag & farm sourcing).

Justice Reform — Humane policies for incarcerated youth, protections for tribal judges, and voluntary firearm restriction options promote safety and dignity. (*ELCA: Criminal Justice*)

• AB 89 (unclothed searches for detained youth), AB 123 (threats in political campaigns), AB 150/153 (tribal judge protections), SB 60 (vulnerable victims enhancements), SB 347 (firearm confiscation on crisis holds), SB 120 (payment plans in courts).

Student Support— From mental health care to FAFSA help for incarcerated youth, students are better supported to thrive. (ELCA: Our Calling in Education)

• AB 48 (school transfer on bullying), AB 153 (FAFSA assistance for incarcerated students), SB 52 (language learner reporting and exemptions), AB 406 (mental health supports in schools), AB 420 (monitoring school cop use).

Creation Care— Cities must now plan for extreme heat and public access to trails—justice for both people and planet. (ELCA: Caring for Creation)

• AB 96 (county heat‑mitigation planning).

Voter Engagement  — Voting materials will now be available in more languages and tribal voices will help staff polling places. (ELCA: Race, Ethnicity & Culture)

• AB 220 (ID for homeless), AB 367 (language access in elections), SB 421 (recruitment for reservations), SB 188 (limited-English leafer healthcare access), SB 96 (Holocaust Remembrance Day).

Let us continue to advocate boldly and faithfully—because justice is love in public.

Juneteenth is Thursday, and here is a list of some events happening around Nevada.

• The 37th Annual Juneteenth Festival from Noon to 3pm at the Glow Plaza at the J Resort on Thursday the 19th! All are invited to attend! and ALL ages! They will award their first ever Miss Juneteenth, and the event is sponsored by the Northern Nevada Black Cultural Awareness Society
• F.A.I.T.H Freedom Festival Juneteenth 2025 will be at 6 pm on Thursday, June 19th at Craig Ranch Regional Park in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• The 24th Annual Juneteenth Festival from 4pm to 9pm at The Expo at World Market Center, on Saturday, June 21st for a day filled with celebration, music, food, and culture

Ten years ago, nine Black lives were taken at Mother Emanuel AME by a young white man raised in the ELCA.

Welcomed to Bible study. Then murdered them.

Because of racism.

The Emanuel 9 were not symbols. They were beloved children of God.

White supremacy is the real problem. It shows up in the ELCA. In immigration policy. In every system.

We honor them by refusing silence.

Our faith compels us to speak when others are silenced. While some images in the news focus on confrontation, we must not lose sight of the many who gather in peace, lifting their voices for dignity and justice. As ICE raids intensify and peaceful protest is met with militarized force, we turn to lament, solidarity, and action. This is a sacred call—not just political, but profoundly spiritual.

Join us in supporting immigrant neighbors through AMMPARO (https://bit.ly/3HGvFoH), holding vigils, engaging in nonviolent action, Together is Welcome (https://bit.ly/4e1ztNn), and advocating for policy grounded in dignity and mercy (https://bit.ly/4n0DGoJ).

June 8, 2025 – Pentecost

Dear Siblings in Christ,

Yesterday, on the eve of Pentecost— as our churches were preparing to celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit—the President of the United States ordered the deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles. The stated justification? Protests against escalating ICE raids across California. But the Los Angeles Police Department had already confirmed that those protests were under control. This was not about public safety. This is about posturing and political theater and calculated intimidation.

Representative Nanette Barragán reports that federal authorities have warned public officials to prepare for 30 days of ICE operations targeting immigrant communities throughout the state. Governor Gavin Newsom has rightly called the president’s move “purposefully inflammatory.”

Let us be clear: this is an abuse of power. It is meant to sow fear, suppress dissent, and punish sanctuary. It is a threat not only to migrants and refugees—but to all who dare to lift our voices in protest and to resist cruelty with compassion.

And so we must refuse.

As the Church, we do not stand by—we stand with.

We stand with our immigrant neighbors, with the fearful, with the brave, with those who march and those who shelter, with those whose voices cry out for justice.

We denounce this militarized escalation for what it is: tyrannical overreach, unworthy of a democracy, unworthy of our government, unworthy of a people of faith. We call on all followers of Jesus to remain rooted in nonviolence, in the tradition of the prophets, of the apostles, of Dr. King, of Jesus himself.

Churches: Check in immediately with your members and families who may be at risk. Offer accompaniment. Help connect them to legal aid and trusted community partners. Provide sanctuary. Be bold.

Rostered leaders and members: Call your mayors. Speak to your city councils. Contact the governor. Tell them that your faith compels you to defend the rights of migrants, the sacredness of protest, and the promise of due process. Remind them: we are compelled by our faith to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.

This week, we lost one of the great interpreters of prophetic faith, the Rev. Dr. Walter Brueggemann. He once wrote:

“The gospel is fiction when judged by the empire, but the empire is fiction when judged by the gospel… The gospel is a very dangerous idea. We have to see how much of that dangerous idea we can perform in our own lives. There is nothing innocuous or safe about the Gospel. Jesus did not get crucified because he was a nice man.”

This is not a time for niceness. It is a time for truth. For courage. For Gospel.

Today is Pentecost. We remember that the Spirit still comes—in wind, in fire, in protest, in voices raised, in solidarity. The Spirit still speaks in every tongue. The Spirit still sends us into the public square. Let us not quench the Spirit. Let us follow where She leads.

Bishop Brenda Bos of Los Angeles offers this prayer. May it be ours too:

“God most holy, God most merciful, protect your people from harm. Remove hate from our hearts, remove fear from our bellies. Keep Los Angeles and the surrounding areas free from violence. Bring peace to our land, and change the hearts of those who wish us ill. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.”

In bold hope and abiding love,

+ Jeff

Bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod – ELCA