Resolutions 2017 Synod Assembly Resolutions Resolution 17-01: Resolution on Sanctuary Synod Resolution 17-02: Resolution on Jubilee USA Network
17-01 Resolution: SANCTUARY SYNOD Holy Scripture repeatedly calls us to welcome the stranger (cf. Leviticus 19:33 34; Matthew 25:31 46), and that this welcome is one of the core values of our faith; the Southwest California Synod is home to many immigrants and refugees; Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) has welcomed more than 379,000 refugees to the United States through the initiative of Lutheran congregations and Lutheran churches remain our vital partners as we continue to welcome newcomers, sanctuary means providing moral, spiritual, psychological, financial, legal and sometimes physical accompaniment and support for undocumented immigrants facing possible detention or deportation, our sisters and brothers in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, with whom we are called to be in common mission, became a Sanctuary Diocese by the action of their Diocesan Convention in December 2016, and with whom we are ecumenical partners in Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Services (IRIS); the City and County of Los Angeles are places of sanctuary; therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Southwest California Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America be declared a Sanctuary Synod; RESOLVED, that the congregations of our Synod will strive to be places of radical welcome, refuge, and protection;
17-01 RESOLVED, that rostered ministers and members of our churches should seek to embody a prophetic witness and articulate a vision of God s justice; RESOLVED, that we will work to protect the dignity, safety, and basic human needs of all immigrants and refugees among us, even by resisting policies that seek to turn away and harm the stranger. Southwest California Synod Sacred Solidarity and Sanctuary Task Force, Pastor Cesar Arroyo Pastor James E. Boline, St. Paul s (Santa Monica) Pastor Joseph Castañeda Carrera, ADORE (Hollywood) Pastor Stephanie Jaeger, St. Matthew s (North Hollywood) Vicar Kristian C. Kohler, St. Paul s (Santa Monica) Dominic Savino Pastor Tracy Williams Additional signatures, Deacon Barbara P. Hoffman, St. Paul s (Santa Monica) Sean D Evelyn (Congregation Council President), St. Paul s (Santa Monica) Pastor Eric C. Shafer, Mt. Olive (Santa Monica) Vicar Sharon M. Ruff Richter, Mt. Olive (Santa Monica) Pastor Caleb Crainer, St. Andrew s (West Los Angeles) Pastor Peg-Schultz-Akerson, Lutheran Church of the Master (West Los Angeles) Pastor Matt Keadle, St. Mark s (Los Angeles) Pastor Ellen C. Jennrich, Grace (Culver City) Pastor Scott Bartlett, Bethel (Los Angeles) Pamela Martin, Trinity (Pasadena) Sharon Heck, St. Mark s (Hacienda Heights) Kenneth Roehrs, Lutheran Church of the Master (West Los Angeles) Lillian Simons, First (Glendale) Linda Koci-Brondolello, Hill Ave Grace (Pasadena) Karla Lysdal-Moffitt, Holy Trinity (Thousand Oaks) Dixie Hanson, Holy Trinity (Thousand Oaks) Pastor Steve Herder, Ascension (Thousand Oaks) Jane Affonso, First Lutheran, (Torrance) John Halbert, Hope Lutheran (Hollywood) Alexia Salvatierra
17-02 Resolution: JUBILEE USA NETWORK our Lord Jesus in his first sermon in Luke s gospel (Luke 4:14-21), in reading Isaiah 61, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor., proclaimed the year of the Lord s favor, the year of Jubilee, described in Leviticus 25 and Deuteronomy 18, a year of freedom and debts being cancelled; the year 2017 is the 500 th anniversary commemorating the Reformation with one of its key themes being Martin Luther s teaching on freedom in Christ and service to neighbor, significantly to the needy (see his 1524 sermon On Trading and Usury LW 45:245-310); the 1999 ELCA social statement Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All includes a call for scrutiny of how specific policies and practices affect people and nations that are the poorest, and changes to make policies of economic growth, trade, and investment more beneficial to those who are poor (this includes a call for reduction of overwhelming international debt burdens in ways that do not impose further deprivations on the poor, and cancellation of some or all debt where severe indebtedness immobilizes a country s economy ); the Jubilee USA Network (www.jubileeusa.org) is an alliance of more than 75 US organizations and 550 faith communities working with 50 Jubilee global partners to build an economy that serves, protects and promotes the participation of the most vulnerable; since the late 1990s the Jubilee USA Network with its global partners has seen the cancellation of over $130 billion of odious debts for the world s poorest countries; our ELCA Advocacy office in Washington DC annually supports the Jubilee USA Network with a gift of approximately $10,000 and is present each year at the Jubilee USA Network Council meetings at the Jubilee offices, housed at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation in DC; the Jubilee USA Network has active Jubilee chapters in San Diego, San Francisco, and in Ventura County; therefore, be it
17-02 RESOLVED, that the Southwest California Synod become a Jubilee Synod, with its congregations, schools and members being encouraged to: pray for the world s poorest countries; designate a contact person to be a liaison with Jubilee USA; study, and when possible, become Jubilee USA congregations; and take action such as letter-writing to Congress or the Administration calling for economic justice in each country and especially the world s poorest countries. Pr. Steve Herder, Ascension, Thousand Oaks Pr. Tim Delkeskamp, Ascension, Thousand Oaks Pr. Lisa E. Dahill, Ph.D., CLU, Thousand Oaks Stacy Smith Bosco, Ascension, Thousand Oaks Susanne Maliski, Ascension, Thousand Oaks Kaylee Searway, Ascension, Thousand Oaks Lauren Godfrey, Ascension, Thousand Oaks