It’s not just adults and other vulnerable neighbors affected by the Las Vegas summer heat—our furry friends feel it too! At LEAN, we care for the whole community, including our pets.
Protect those paws:
✅ Walk pets early in the morning or later in the evening
✅ Test the pavement with your hand—if it’s too hot for you, it’s too hot for them
✅ Keep pets hydrated and in the shade
Let’s look out for one another—two-legged and four-legged alike.
In the first six months of 2025, about 1,300 notices of default were filed in Clark Count. Read about how Vegas homeowners are falling behind on their mortgage here
670K Nevadans vote by mail. Mail-in ballots make voting more accessible, and many Nevadans depend on mail-in voting to make their voice heard in our elections. Nevadan Elections are safe and secure, and it is easy to return your ballot.
During the 83rd Legislative Session, SB391, a bill that would have limited corporations from buying up single-family homes, was killed after a late-night phone call to a state senator.
Why does this matter?
Meanwhile, at the federal level, Senator Jacky Rosen has introduced the Housing Oversight and Mitigating Exploitation (HOME) Act, aimed at curbing corporate consolidation of housing and restoring fairness to the housing market.
Nevada families deserve a real shot at the American Dream—not a bidding war with Wall Street.
When you drive to your church, what do you notice along the way? What does the neighborhood look like?
In my first call, I saw a need. I was the first pastor to live in the neighborhood of my congregation, and when I moved in, I quickly realized I was living in a food desert. Sure, there was a Costco and Walmart not too far away, and eventually a Vallarta Supermarket opened, but for that first year, the only grocery stores were miles away. You needed a car, or a long bus ride, to buy food.
Yet just steps from my apartment was a strawberry field in the spring, with cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and spinach in the summer and fall. I couldn’t believe that the food being grown right there wasn’t going to local supermarkets. The Salinas Valley is known as the “Salad Bowl of the World,” yet so many of our neighbors faced food insecurity.
Months later, I was touring the Monterey County Food Bank when the Director half-jokingly asked if my congregation might want to be a distribution site. I didn’t hesitate—I said, “We’re in.” Weeks later, food distribution began in our parking lot. Week after week, the line was long, and people from the congregation and community stood side by side ensuring families received the fresh fruits and vegetables grown right down the street.
That experience taught me something important: our churches should be more than a steeple in the neighborhood. They can be centers of community, compassion, and advocacy.
Now, in my current call, our congregation has started to dream again. We’ve already had conversations with the city planning department and discovered that our zoning allows us to use our two and a half acres of land for something transformative. What will it be? A park? Affordable housing? Senior housing? We’ve even had an initial conversation with Silver Manor Apartments about the possibility of 80–100 affordable units. Nothing is set yet, but we trust God is stirring something. Keep us in your prayers as we discern together.
And maybe you’re wondering what could happen in your congregation. Here’s an invitation: take a walk around your neighborhood. Sit in a local park. Don’t go with a plan or agenda—just be curious. What do you see? What’s missing? What do your neighbors long for? If you feel comfortable, ask what do you love about living here?
If advocacy feels too big right now, that’s okay. Maybe your church could start with something small but powerful, like becoming a food distribution site, or something entirely different that meets a real need in your community.
We’d love to hear your stories. Share them with us, and we’ll feature your congregation. You can reach me at paullarson@leanforjustice.org.
With you on the Journey,
Pastor Paul
Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada 