The ELCA has had a social statement on Health Care since 2003.  And the 2009 Assembly reaffirmed it – emphasizing the urgency of this moment.  If you’ve been waiting for the right time to add you voice, now is certainly the time to act!

Tuesday Oct. 20^th is a National Day of Action.  People of faith are calling it “A National Day of Remembrance and Hope”.  Remembering the nearly 45,000 who die each year because they cannot afford (and therefore do not get) the treatment that they need, and acting on their hope that this will not be the case in years to come.  Other are calling it “Time to Deliver”.  Whatever the name, the hope is that thousands upon thousands of people will in some way (large or small) show their support for reforming our broken health care system.  Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in PA (LAMPa) is partnering with other groups to make sure Lutherans have multiple opportunities to act: 

• If you are interested in joining LAMPa staff and other Lutherans from PA in journeying to DC to meet with the staff members of our two US Senators, e-mail Marissa Harris at for details on where to meet the group and when.

• If you’d like to plan your own local event, visit the Faithful Reform in Health Care website for step by step planning resources (and contact Marissa if you still have questions). 

• If you want to participate in a local event, check the Pa Health Access Network website for their calendar on the right (only 2 events will show up on the main page but more will show up if you hit the green calendar button). 

• If you want to make a phone call to your member of Congress, visit the LAMPa site that day (or facebook page!) for a toll free call in number!

• Finally, if you need to do some research to inform your advocacy, visit the LAMPa website and download the recording of the statewide conference call with Bob Francis, Director of Domestic Policy for the ELCA Washington Office.  In addition to the latest updates from DC, Bob eloquently describes why we as Lutherans must weigh in on this issue!