Two PLTS Certificate Programs Now Accepting Applications for 2025
Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary’s Center for Climate Justice and Faith empowers communities of faith to respond to the climate crisis with courage and hope.

The Center for Climate Justice and Faith (CCJF) at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS) is now accepting applications for two certificate programs that connect faith, community organizing, and environmental action:

• Certificate in Faith-rooted Community Organizing for Climate Justice – Apply by December 15, 2025
• Spanish-language Certificate in Climate Justice and Faith – Apply by November 28, 2025

Since 2021, the Center has equipped 293 students from 36 countries with the skills, spiritual grounding, and community support needed to advocate for climate justice as a matter of faith. Learn more and subscribe to their newsletter at centerforclimatejusticeandfaith.org.

The Faith-rooted Community Organizing Certificate is a nine-month online program for teams of 3–6 people from faith-based organizations. Through workshops, team coaching, and implementation cycles, participants learn to design and lead community-based climate projects that advance economic, racial, and gender justice. Past projects have included community gardens, fossil fuel retirements, and pollinator havens.
Tuition: $1,000 per team (includes 6 Continuing Education credits). Apply here.

The Spanish-language Certificate in Climate Justice and Faith is designed for Spanish-speaking faith leaders and lay leaders across North and South America and the Caribbean. This online, cohort-based course nurtures leaders to develop “Sacred Action Projects” rooted in faith and ecological justice, in partnership with Lutheran institutions in El Salvador, Mexico, Argentina, and Uruguay.
Tuition: $600 per participant (scholarships available; includes 6 Continuing Education credits). Apply here.

Both programs are grounded in the Lutheran conviction that caring for creation is an act of faith and that justice for the earth and its people is integral to the gospel.
Together, these programs form a global community of faithful advocates answering God’s call to tend the earth.

Giving Tuesday (December 2) is right around the corner. Show your support for LEAN! Your contribution helps LEAN advocate for justice and the common good in vital areas like hunger and healthcare. Policy issues matter! Thanks for your support.

Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada

357 Clay Street, Reno, NV 89501

When I started this blog post, I assumed we were headed for at least a couple more days of legislative session. The night before, the Senate had gone well into the early morning hours, but by Wednesday a new bill SB 10, was introduced. The Governor’s proclamation remained open because there was a two-thirds majority… until suddenly there wasn’t. More on that later.

After hours of testimony in a rare joint Assembly and Senate hearing, SB 10 received a near-unanimous vote in the Senate. Then, for most of the afternoon, everything went quiet.

Around 8 p.m., the chaos returned. AB 5 came up for a vote, and after a series of passionate floor speeches, the bill died in the Senate. Moments later, SJR 1 was introduced and passed both houses, moving to codify Nevada’s mail-in ballot system through a constitutional amendment.

AB 5, the high-profile Hollywood Tax Incentive bill, ultimately failed to secure the necessary support in the Senate. Despite intense lobbying and emotional testimony from both supporters and opponents, the bill fell short. Its defeat signals ongoing concerns about large corporate tax incentives and leaves the future of film-related economic development legislation uncertain heading into the 2027 session.

In the end, SB 10 failed in the Assembly by just one vote. SB 4 and SB 5, however, passed. It was an eventful, whiplash-inducing day that encapsulated the intensity of the 36th Special Session.

At 10:19 p.m.—sine die. The session was over.

Even in the midst of the drama and tension, several important bills that LEAN championed made it through the process. These included:

• SB 6 – The Windsor Park Relocation
• SB 3 – Creation of the Silver State General Assistance Program
• SB 4 – Wide-ranging appropriations to critical programs
• SB 5 – Establishment of the Statewide Health Care Access and Recruitment Grant Program
• AB 6 – Creation of safe school zones

Several bills that progressed—despite LEAN’s opposition—included:

• AB 4, the Governor’s crime bill (even with added provisions barring federal immigration enforcement from schools and sensitive locations)
• SB 8, which incorporates federal FLSA and Portal-to-Portal exclusions into Nevada law, limiting what counts as paid work time following the Nevada Supreme Court’s Amazon v. Mallory decision

Though the special session has adjourned sine die, LEAN is already laying the groundwork for what comes next, and discerning which bills we want to champion moving forward.

We’ll be back in 2027.

Or who knows… maybe they’ll call another one sooner.

With you on the journey,
Pastor Paul