As wildfires continue to burn across Northern Nevada, thousands of our neighbors have faced evacuation orders and warnings. These fires are another reminder that wildfire season is not something happening somewhere else. It is happening in our communities.

Please remember to document your homes and belongings before disaster strikes. A simple cellphone video walking through your home can help create a record of what you own. But if you are told to evacuate, leave immediately. No photograph, document, or possession is worth risking your life.

For congregations and households, this is also an important moment to talk about disaster preparedness.

LEAN encourages Nevada congregations and families to:

• Know your evacuation zone and have more than one route out.
• Sign up for local emergency alerts.
• Keep important documents, medications, identification, and insurance information accessible.
• Take photos or video of your home and belongings before an emergency.
• Prepare a go-bag with water, food, chargers, clothing, medications, masks, and basic necessities.
• Make a plan for children, older adults, people with disabilities, and pets.
• Know how your congregation could communicate with members during an evacuation or prolonged power outage.
• Identify neighbors and members who may need additional help evacuating.
• Consider how your congregation could respond after a disaster through shelter, meals, supplies, pastoral care, or partnerships with community organizations.
• Review your homeowners or renters insurance and understand what wildfire coverage you have.

Preparedness is not about living in fear. It is about caring for our neighbors and recognizing that disasters often impact our most vulnerable neighbors the hardest.

As people of faith, we are called not only to respond when disaster strikes, but to build communities that are prepared, connected, and ready to care for one another.

We continue to pray for our neighbors across Northern Nevada, for those who have evacuated, those who have lost homes and property, and for the firefighters, first responders, emergency managers, volunteers, and neighbors working to keep our communities safe.

Be prepared. Check on your neighbors. And when officials tell you to evacuate, please go.

Here is a resource form ELCA Advocacy regarding speaking with the Media. As a public figure, we are often storytellers of the issues our congregants and community face.

ELCA Advocacy Resource

Joe Davis and Dave Scherer (*AGAPE) are hosting an eight-week online experience that equips participants with practical tools to help catalyze racial justice in their congregations. Sessions will be held every Tuesday at 10 AM beginning September 8. To make the program accessible to everyone, a reduced registration rate of just $5 is available for those with limited financial resources. Learn more HERE!

New data from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows that more than 4.5 million people have lost SNAP food assistance since July 2025. In just nine months, national participation fell by roughly 11%.

And children are being hit particularly hard.

In the states where child-level data is available, 1.1 million children have already lost SNAP, and CBPP estimates the national number is likely more than 1.5 million children.

These numbers matter because behind every statistic is a family trying to put food on the table, a child who needs enough to eat to learn and grow, a senior stretching a fixed income, or a neighbor trying to make it through the month.

And the full impact of the 2025 federal reconciliation law has not yet been felt.

Expanded work requirements, fewer exemptions, increased administrative burdens, and a historic shift of SNAP costs from the federal government to states are still being implemented.

For Nevada, that matters deeply.

Beginning in 2027, Nevada could be required to contribute toward the cost of SNAP benefits while also absorbing significantly higher administrative costs. Those new responsibilities will arrive as lawmakers are making difficult decisions about housing, health care, education, mental health, and other essential needs.

As Congress continues its work on the Farm Bill and Nevada prepares for the 2027 Legislative Session, Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada will continue advocating for a strong SNAP program that protects access to food rather than creating new barriers.

Because feeding our neighbors isn’t simply a budget question.

It is a question of who we choose to be as a community.

Student debt is more than a personal financial challenge, it is a community issue. It is a justice issue. When thousands of Nevadans struggle with loan payments, it affects their ability to buy homes, start families, build savings, support local businesses, and contribute to Nevada’s economy. Policies that expand affordable higher education, strengthen repayment options, and address the broader cost-of-living crisis can help more Nevadans achieve long-term economic stability.

More than 93,000 Nevadans are currently in default on their federal student loans, owing an estimated $2 billion. Overall, nearly 368,000 Nevadans carry student loan debt totaling $13.2 billion.

These aren’t just numbers. They’re teachers, nurses, social workers, small business owners, and young families trying to build a future while facing rising housing costs, inflation, and fewer repayment options.

When people are burdened by overwhelming debt, it becomes harder to buy a home, start a family, save for retirement, or invest in their communities. Student debt doesn’t just affect individuals—it affects Nevada’s economy and the well-being of our communities.

As people of faith, we believe education should open doors, not leave people trapped in a cycle of debt. We need policies that make higher education more affordable, strengthen repayment options, and ensure that working families have a fair opportunity to thrive.

A stronger Nevada is one where education creates opportunity, not lifelong financial hardship.