thumb.jpg)
ELCA schools with advocacy teams are:
Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D.; Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kan.; Carthage College, Kenosha, Wis.; Capital University, Columbus, Ohio; Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn.; Lenoir-Rhyne College, Hickory, N.C.; Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn; Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago; Lutheran Seminary at Philadelphia; Lutheran Seminary at Gettysburg, Pa.; Lutheran Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C.; Newberry [S.C.] College; Pacific Lutheran Seminary, Berkeley, Calif.; Texas Lutheran University, Seguin; Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio; Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa; and Wartburg Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa.
In January, chapel staff at Augustana College,
Sioux Falls, S.D., hung posters around campus advertising an advocacy
meeting about social justice issues. Forty students showed up. “We were
floored,” said junior Kari Lenander. “People were excited about
advocacy even though they didn’t know exactly what we were doing.”
Thirteen Augustana students attended training at the March 2006 Ecumenical Advocacy Days
in Washington, D.C. As a result, the group will host a retreat to train
others on campus about advocacy this fall. Students also sent 75
letters to the U.S. Congress urging legislators to devote more money toward global development.
Augustana
isn’t alone. In the past year, 15 ELCA colleges, universities and
seminaries created advocacy teams. Two other schools had previously
existing teams. Thirteen of them received $300 ELCA grants to start
their efforts. Advocacy teams work to change public policy by writing
letters to the editor, visiting government officials and raising
awareness among their peers.
The rest of this article is only available to subscribers.
© 2013 Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
