What is it?
The Beloved Community's Social Justice Advocacy Committee is a group of motivated individuals who seek to turn faith into action through concerted efforts focused on several key issues.
What issues is the committee focused on?
The environment and climate change, racial tolerance and immigration, and affordable healthcare.
When does the committee meet?
After the 10 a.m. service the second Sunday of each month, at the Beloved Community.
Can I be a part of the committee?
Absolutely! All are welcome.
News and Events
'Walk For The Earth' March in Stevens Point Sept. 20
Walk For the Earth (also called Youth Climate Day of Action) is on Friday, Sept 20. Join in peaceful solidarity with students all over the world to bring attention to our climate crisis. Meet at the sundial on the UWSP campus for solidarity with youth at 4 p.m. and walk at 4:30 p.m. Bring your signs, bells and other instruments!
'Life After Hate' Lecture in Wausau Sept. 23
A former racist skinhead. A Sikh whose father was killed by a white supremacist in 2012 in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Unlikely friends, they will share their story of ‘Life after Hate’ at the ninth Veninga Lecture on Religion and Society.
Arno Michaelis was a leader of a worldwide racist skinhead organization in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He turned his life around when those he had once professed to hate, including people who were Jewish, gay or black, persisted in treating him with kindness.
Pardeep Singh Kaleka lost his father in the 2012 mass shooting at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek. In the midst of his grief, Kaleka reached out to Michaelis to try to understand the mindset of the white supremacist who had taken the life of his father and five others. The two quickly formed a strong bond, creating Serve 2 Unite, an organization aimed at diverting young people from extremist ideologies, gun violence, substance abuse, and other forms of self-harm.
Together with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robin Gaby Fisher, Michaelis and Kaleka authored the book, “The Gift of Our Wounds: A Sikh and a Former White Supremacist Find Forgiveness After Hate,” published in 2018. WIPPS is collaborating with the Central Wisconsin Book Festival, and this Veninga Lecture will also be the kickoff event for the 2019 festival. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event.
Date: Monday, September 23
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Location: Wausau East High School Auditorium
2607 N. 18th Street
Wausau, WI
FREE and open to the public
Click here for flyer.
Rep. Katrina Shankland's newsletter survey:
Express your feelings on key topics in a survey attached to Rep. Katrina Shankland's newsletter. Follow this link to take the survey.
From the ELCA Office of Advocacy and AMMPARO:
Large immigration raids are expected to happen starting this weekend throughout the United States.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has a strong history of welcoming the stranger. Through AMMPARO, this has been strengthened. The commitment of the church to welcome migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and their families has been strengthened by our relationships with companion churches and our partnership with Lutheran and faith-based organizations, particularly Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) in the United States and globally through the Lutheran World Federation.
Family unity and the acknowledgment that there is God-given dignity in all people has been a cornerstone of advocacy by the ELCA, and we know that tearing families apart and disrupting communities goes against our Social Statement and fair and humane immigration policies.
Further, we encourage you to stand in solidarity with our immigrant neighbors. Therefore, we urge you to contact local leaders in your jurisdiction and urge sheriff and police not to participate in raids or cooperate with ICE in sharing information about immigrants at risk. Please do express appreciation for all existing immigrant support efforts in your locales when you call and do urge police non-cooperation with ICE in the anticipated terrifying raids upon our neighbors.
Scripts for Contacting Local Governments and Law Enforcement
Mayor’s Office
"My name is _____, and I am a member of (name of faith community). I’m calling as a faith partner in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America XXX Congregation, which acts in solidarity to end detention, deportation, profiling, and criminalization of immigrants. (I appreciative the ways XXX has already committed to supporting immigrant neighbors by funding services for non-detained immigrants, and by currently considering assistance for detained immigrants)However, in light of the Trump Administration’s recent threats of mass arrests of immigrants next week, I want to make sure the XXX government does everything in its power to protect our residents. That means: 1) absolutely no coordination between XXX law enforcement and ICE; 2) XXX residents detained by ICE must be able to access XXX's immigrant justice legal services; 3) the XXX jail must end its policy of notifying ICE when an inmate with an immigration detainer is released; and 4) no detention beds may be made available to ICE, even temporarily. Thank you."
Director of Corrections
"My name is _____, and I am a member of (name of faith community I’m calling as a faith partner in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America XXX Congregation, which acts in solidarity to end detention, deportation, profiling, and criminalization of immigrants. In light of recent threats from the Trump administration around mass arrests of immigrants next week, I want to make sure the XXX government does everything in its power to protect our residents. That includes two key things: 1) not allowing ICE to use DOC detention beds, even on a temporary basis, and 2) not notifying ICE when an inmate with an immigration detainer is released. Thank you."
Police Chief
"My name is _____, and I am a member of (name of faith community). I’m calling as a faith partner in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America XXX Congregation, which acts in solidarity to end detention, deportation, profiling, and criminalization of immigrants. In light of recent threats from the Trump administration around mass arrests of immigrants next week, I want to make sure the XXX Police Department does everything in its power to protect our residents. That includes two key things: 1) no coordination between XXX Police and ICE on immigration law enforcement and 2) access to XXX's immigrant justice legal services for those detained by ICE. Thank you."
County Executive
"My name is _____, and I am a county resident and member of (name of faith community). I’m calling as a faith partner in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America XXX Congregation, which acts in solidarity to end detention, deportation, profiling, and criminalization of immigrants. I appreciate the ways the county has already committed to supporting immigrant neighbors by funding services for non-detained immigrants, and by currently considering assistance for detained immigrants. However, in light of the Trump Administration’s recent threats of mass arrests of immigrants next week, I want to make sure the county government does everything in its power to protect our residents. That means: 1) absolutely no coordination between county law enforcement and ICE; 2) County residents detained by ICE must be able to access the county's immigrant justice legal services; 3) the county jail must not provide detention beds to ICE, even temporarily; and 4) no notification of ICE when an inmate with an immigration detainer is released. Thank you."
Sheriff
"My name is _____, and I am a county resident and member of (name of faith community). I’m calling as a faith partner in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America XXX Congregation, which acts in solidarity to end detention, deportation, profiling, and criminalization of immigrants. In light of recent threats from the Trump administration around mass arrests of immigrants next week, I want to make sure the sheriff’s department does everything in its power to protect our residents. That includes two key things: 1) not allowing ICE to use county detention beds, even on a temporary basis, and 2) not notifying ICE when an inmate with an immigration detainer is released. Thank you."
Thank you for giving your attention to this message.
God's blessings,
Team LOPPW
Links To Resources
Episcopal Church Advocacy
Episcopal Public Policy Network
ELCA Advocacy
Lutheran Office of Public Policy in Wisconsin
Health Care
ELCA Health Care
Episcopal Health Care Policy
Encourage Wisconsin to Expand BadgerCare – letter-writing campaign
Climate Change
Citizens' Climate Lobby
350.org
Carbon taxing – Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition
Environmental Defense Fund
The Episcopal Church - Environmental Advocacy
ELCA letter-writing campaign on disaster aid and environmental policy
Global Hunger
ELCA World Hunger
Immigration and Racial Tolerance
ELCA Race, Ethnicity, and Culture
ELCA Caring for Creation
Contact Your Representatives
Senator Patrick Testin
(R - Stevens Point)
Senate District 24
(608) 266-3123
Sen.Testin@legis.wisconsin.gov
Representative Katrina Shankland
(D - Stevens Point)
Assembly District 71
(608) 267-9649
(888) 534-0071
Rep.Shankland@legis.wisconsin.gov
U.S. Representative Ron Kind
131 S. Barstow St. Suite 301
Eau Claire, Wis. 54701
Phone: (715) 831-9214
Fax: (715) 831-9272
https://kind.house.gov/contact/email
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson
https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-the-senator
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin
Madison Office: 30 West Mifflin Street, Suite 700
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: (608) 264-5338
https://www.baldwin.senate.gov/feedback
Write Your Congressperson or Representative
Download the letters below and make your feelings known on immigration and gun control. Simply add your name, sign at the bottom and mail the letter to your legislator.
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