Recently, California was declared drought-free for the first time in nearly twenty-six years. But while some parts of Nevada appear in better shape on the map, Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada is deeply concerned about worsening drought conditions across our state.

Nevada is experiencing some of the lowest snowpack levels in more than forty years, as warming temperatures increasingly turn what should be winter snowfall into rain. This shift threatens the delicate balance that sustains our rivers, farms, wildlife, and communities.

Nevada’s snowpack is more than a seasonal feature, it functions as one of our most essential natural reservoirs. When snow fails to accumulate and melt gradually through spring, the water supplies that nourish our cities, irrigate crops, protect wildlife habitats, and support tribal and rural communities become strained. Water scarcity is not just an environmental challenge—it is a human one, affecting livelihoods, public health, and long-term community resilience.

As people of faith, we see this not simply as a weather anomaly, but as a moral and spiritual call to action.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America teaches in Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice that the Earth is a gift entrusted to our care, and that all life is interconnected through God’s good creation. The ELCA’s Earth’s Climate Crisis social message goes further, naming this time as a kairos moment—a decisive point in history when we are called to act boldly, faithfully, and urgently for the sake of God’s world and one another.

Grounded in these teachings, we affirm four commitments:

• Solidarity — Standing with rural, tribal, and agricultural communities who bear the earliest and greatest impacts of water loss.
• Sufficiency — Advocating that all people have enough to flourish—not only in emergency drought years, but for generations to come.
• Sustainability — Supporting policies and planning that protect the long-term health of Nevada’s watersheds, ecosystems, and communities.
• Participation — Ensuring Nevadans—including congregations—have a voice in water and climate decisions, with transparency and equity at the center.

With these values in mind, we urge Nevada’s leaders to:

• 1. Invest in long-term water resiliency, including snowpack monitoring, watershed restoration, and drought-adaptation planning.
• 2. Support climate-smart policies that reduce emissions and slow warming trends driving rain-instead-of-snow patterns.
• 3. Guarantee meaningful participation from impacted communities—especially tribes, rural counties, and agricultural regions.
• 4. Fund public education and local preparedness, ensuring Nevadans understand both the risks and the solutions.

This moment calls all of us—government, communities, faith partners, and individuals—to take shared responsibility so that Nevada’s watersheds can sustain life in the decades ahead.

As Lutherans in this state, we believe God calls us to co-create a world where all can thrive. We pray for wisdom in policymaking, courage in public leadership, and resilience among those most affected by drought and water scarcity.

We stand ready to partner with all who seek justice, sustainability, and faithful stewardship for Nevada’s sacred land, rivers, and people.

Are you interested in being a Congregational Liaison? 

Join Pastor Paul for our first time together for a monthly roundtable. We will talk about what it means to be a Liaison. We will discuss what LEAN is following in 2026.

Epiphany is not about something new arriving.
It’s about our opening and changing our perspective.

Like a child discovering the world with wonder and curiosity, Epiphany invites us to slow down and notice what has been there all along. In this season, Christ is made known, not in spectacle or certainty, but in relationship, presence, and love.

When Jesus asks the disciples, “What are you looking for?” he is really asking:
What are you paying attention to?

This week, we lean into Epiphany by practicing holy curiosity:

• Where is Christ being revealed in our neighbors?
• Where is light breaking through in places we thought were ordinary?
• Where is God calling us to “come and see” rather than rush past?

In a world that often feels fractured and loud, Epiphany reminds us that God’s amazing grace still shines, especially when we honor human dignity, protect the vulnerable, and recognize the belovedness of every person.

May we lean into the week with open eyes, open hearts, and the courage to see Christ made known among us.

Come and see.

As most people know, the process of seeking safety in the United States for families forced to flee their homes is extensive and difficult. Refugees admitted to the United States by the government undergo years of processing, in-person interviews, security checks, and medical screenings before setting foot on U.S. soil.

But now, under a new initiative called Operation PARRIS, thousands of refugees in Minnesota are the target of an intensive Department of Homeland Security (DHS) operation to reexamine their status under U.S. law—part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to relitigate, reconsider, and second-guess previous grants of refugee status.

What does this mean? Families who followed all of the rules and were lawfully admitted to the U.S. may now be at risk.

Read Here.

Join us this Tuesday at 5 PM. Calling all hunger champions: join this network of the Grand Canyon Synod! Meet to hear updates on national and local Hunger and Food Insecurity efforts and initiatives, to learn from one another, and to share with the group what’s happening in our congregations. Anyone interested in alleviating hunger is welcome. Prepare to be encouraged and supported! Tuesday, 12/30/2025, 6-7pm MST.

If you have any questions about this group, please contact Solveig Muus (LAMA).

Link Here