Did you hear about the new ELCA social statement Faith and Civic Life ? This reading takes you inside the important intersection. This episode contains Section 6, “Selected Contemporary Concerns in Civic Life,” and the Conclusion.

As we participate in God's work in the world, ELCA social statements provide broad frameworks to help individuals and communities with moral formation, discernment and thoughtful engagement with current social issues. Social statements also set policy for the ELCA and guide its advocacy and work as a publicly engaged church. They result from an extensive process of participation and deliberation and are adopted by a two-thirds vote of an ELCA churchwide assembly. Faith and Civic Life was adopted by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in 2025. The fully annotated version is available from the ELCA Resource Center.

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Readers: Staff of ELCA Witness in Society 

Here I Pod is a production of ELCA Advocacy. Join the ELCA Advocacy network: elca.org/advocacy/signup

Host: Regina Q. Banks
Production: Blake Chastain, Karen Krueger
Intro/Outro Music: "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" arranged in jazz-style, by Steven Seigart

About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of “God’s work. Our hands.,” the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA’s roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.

Did you hear about the new ELCA social statement Faith and Civic Life ? This reading takes you inside the important intersection. This episode contains Section 5, “Constructive Relationships Between Religious Organizations and Political Authority.”

As we participate in God's work in the world, ELCA social statements provide broad frameworks to help individuals and communities with moral formation, discernment and thoughtful engagement with current social issues. Social statements also set policy for the ELCA and guide its advocacy and work as a publicly engaged church. They result from an extensive process of participation and deliberation and are adopted by a two-thirds vote of an ELCA churchwide assembly. Faith and Civic Life was adopted by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in 2025. The fully annotated version is available from the ELCA Resource Center.

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Readers: Staff of ELCA Witness in Society 

Here I Pod is a production of ELCA Advocacy. Join the ELCA Advocacy network: elca.org/advocacy/signup

Host: Regina Q. Banks
Production: Blake Chastain, Karen Krueger
Intro/Outro Music: "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" arranged in jazz-style, by Steven Seigart

About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of “God’s work. Our hands.,” the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA’s roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.

Did you hear about the new ELCA social statement Faith and Civic Life ? This reading takes you inside the important intersection. This episode contains Section 4, "Religion and the First Amendment."

As we participate in God's work in the world, ELCA social statements provide broad frameworks to help individuals and communities with moral formation, discernment and thoughtful engagement with current social issues. Social statements also set policy for the ELCA and guide its advocacy and work as a publicly engaged church. They result from an extensive process of participation and deliberation and are adopted by a two-thirds vote of an ELCA churchwide assembly. Faith and Civic Life was adopted by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in 2025. The fully annotated version is available from the ELCA Resource Center.

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Readers: Staff of ELCA Witness in Society 

Here I Pod is a production of ELCA Advocacy. Join the ELCA Advocacy network: elca.org/advocacy/signup

Host: Regina Q. Banks
Production: Blake Chastain, Karen Krueger
Intro/Outro Music: "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" arranged in jazz-style, by Steven Seigart

About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of “God’s work. Our hands.,” the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA’s roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.

Did you hear about the new ELCA social statement Faith and Civic Life ? This reading takes you inside the important intersection. This episode contains Section 3, "Assessing the U.S. Constitutional Form of Government."

As we participate in God's work in the world, ELCA social statements provide broad frameworks to help individuals and communities with moral formation, discernment and thoughtful engagement with current social issues. Social statements also set policy for the ELCA and guide its advocacy and work as a publicly engaged church. They result from an extensive process of participation and deliberation and are adopted by a two-thirds vote of an ELCA churchwide assembly. Faith and Civic Life was adopted by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in 2025. The fully annotated version is available from the ELCA Resource Center.

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Readers: Staff of ELCA Witness in Society 

Here I Pod is a production of ELCA Advocacy. Join the ELCA Advocacy network: elca.org/advocacy/signup

Host: Regina Q. Banks
Production: Blake Chastain, Karen Krueger
Intro/Outro Music: "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" arranged in jazz-style, by Steven Seigart

About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of “God’s work. Our hands.,” the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA’s roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.

Did you hear about the new ELCA social statement Faith and Civic Life ? This reading takes you inside the important intersection. This episode contains Section 2, "God Calls All People to Robust Civic Participation."

As we participate in God's work in the world, ELCA social statements provide broad frameworks to help individuals and communities with moral formation, discernment and thoughtful engagement with current social issues. Social statements also set policy for the ELCA and guide its advocacy and work as a publicly engaged church. They result from an extensive process of participation and deliberation and are adopted by a two-thirds vote of an ELCA churchwide assembly. Faith and Civic Life was adopted by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in 2025. The fully annotated version is available from the ELCA Resource Center.

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Readers: Staff of ELCA Witness in Society 

Here I Pod is a production of ELCA Advocacy. Join the ELCA Advocacy network: elca.org/advocacy/signup

Host: Regina Q. Banks
Production: Blake Chastain, Karen Krueger
Intro/Outro Music: "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" arranged in jazz-style, by Steven Seigart

About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of “God’s work. Our hands.,” the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA’s roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.

Did you hear about the new ELCA social statement Faith and Civic Life ? This reading takes you inside the important intersection. This episode contains the Introduction and Section 1, "Foundational Teaching: God Acts for the Well-being of All Through Civic Life."

As we participate in God's work in the world, ELCA social statements provide broad frameworks to help individuals and communities with moral formation, discernment and thoughtful engagement with current social issues. Social statements also set policy for the ELCA and guide its advocacy and work as a publicly engaged church. They result from an extensive process of participation and deliberation and are adopted by a two-thirds vote of an ELCA churchwide assembly. Faith and Civic Life was adopted by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in 2025. The fully annotated version is available from the ELCA Resource Center.

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Readers: Staff of ELCA Witness in Society 

Here I Pod is a production of ELCA Advocacy. Join the ELCA Advocacy network: elca.org/advocacy/signup

Host: Regina Q. Banks
Production: Blake Chastain, Karen Krueger
Intro/Outro Music: "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" arranged in jazz-style, by Steven Seigart

About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of “God’s work. Our hands.,” the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA’s roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.

Give yourself some encouragement! This Special Episode is a conversation between the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, senior director of ELCA Witness in Society, and the Rev. Laurie Larson Caesar, bishop of the ELCA Oregon Synod. Rev. Reumann and Bishop Strickland discuss a letter to the ELCA signed by ELCA synod bishops. 

Special Guests: 

The Rev. Laurie Larson Caesar, Bishop, Oregon Synod

Interviewed by:

The Rev. Amy Reumann, Senior Director, ELCA Witness in Society 

Here I Pod is a production of ELCA Advocacy. Join the ELCA Advocacy network: elca.org/advocacy/signup

 Production: Blake Chastain, Karen Krueger, Zachary Olson
 Intro/Outro Music: "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" arranged in jazz-style, by Steven Seigart

About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of “God’s work. Our hands.,” the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA’s roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.

Here I Pod is a production of ELCA Advocacy. Join the ELCA Advocacy network: elca.org/advocacy/signup

Host: Regina Q. Banks
Production: Blake Chastain, Karen Krueger
Intro/Outro Music: "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" arranged in jazz-style, by Steven Seigart

About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of “God’s work. Our hands.,” the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA’s roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.

This Special Episode is a conversation between the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, senior director of ELCA Witness in Society, and the Rev. Kevin E. Strickland, bishop of the ELCA Southeastern Synod. Rev. Reumann and Bishop Strickland discuss a letter to the ELCA signed by ELCA synod bishops. 

On our first episode of our new special series, Bishop Strikland shares the meaning of “Evangelical” in his southern context on behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The lens of this leader on current events in the communities, ELCA congregations and ministries in the synod, covering Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee are discussed. 

Learn more about the letter here. 

Special Guests: 

The Rev. Kevin Strickland, Bishop, Southeastern Synod

Interviewed by:

The Rev. Amy Reumann, Senior Director, ELCA Witness in Society 

Here I Pod is a production of ELCA Advocacy. Join the ELCA Advocacy network: elca.org/advocacy/signup

 Production: Blake Chastain, Karen Krueger, Zachary Olson
 Intro/Outro Music: "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" arranged in jazz-style, by Steven Seigart

About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of “God’s work. Our hands.,” the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA’s roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.

Here I Pod is a production of ELCA Advocacy. Join the ELCA Advocacy network: elca.org/advocacy/signup

Host: Regina Q. Banks
Production: Blake Chastain, Karen Krueger
Intro/Outro Music: "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" arranged in jazz-style, by Steven Seigart

About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of “God’s work. Our hands.,” the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA’s roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.

One of the most pressing aspects of the current shutdown of the US federal government is its effect on SNAP and other hunger related programs. The interviews you're about to hear were recorded on Monday, October 27th, as advocates across the country expected SNAP funding to run out or be withheld starting November 1st.

Since this was recorded, SNAP benefits were not released on November 1st, and federal judges have issued court orders that the administration continue to fund SNAP through use of contingency funds.

Take action with our current action alert: 

42 Million Americans Face Hunger Crisis During Shutdown - Take Action Now

Learn more about the Alliance to End Hunger here.

Learn more about ELCA World Hunger here.

Learn more about Lutheran Disaster Response here.

Featured Guest: 

Karen Ehrens, US Policy Manager, Alliance to End Hunger

Special Guests: 

Susannah Cunningham, Senior Director, Building Resilient Communities

Andrew Fuller, Program Director for Economic Policy, Witness in Society, ELCA

Here I Pod is a production of ELCA Advocacy. Join the ELCA Advocacy network: elca.org/advocacy/signup

Host: Regina Q. Banks
Production: Blake Chastain, Karen Krueger
Intro/Outro Music: "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" arranged in jazz-style, by Steven Seigart

About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of “God’s work. Our hands.,” the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA’s roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.

In this episode of Here I Pod, host Regina Q. Banks speaks with Sean Coffman from Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR). Sean and Regina were both in Washington, D.C. to meet with legislators on October 22, 2025 regarding proposed FEMA reform alongside other members of LDR's community of practice. 

Following the conversation with Sean, we hear from two other members of the community of practice, as well as Marcus T. Coleman, Jr from United Way Worldwide. 

Thank you to our guests & contributors:

• Sean Coffman, Program Director for Training & Networks, Lutheran Disaster Response
• Jen Engquist, Disaster Capacity Builder, ND Synods
• Bryce Kennedy, Innovator for Resiliency and Preparedness, Southwestern Texas Synod
• Marcus T. Coleman, Jr., United Way Worldwide

Take action on FEMA reform today with this current action alert, and be on the lookout for another disaster-related alert soon! Get all of our alerts by signing up to be part of our advocacy network.

Download LDR's Congregational Preparedness Guide here.

Here I Pod is a production of ELCA Advocacy. Join the ELCA Advocacy network: elca.org/advocacy/signup

Host: Regina Q. Banks
Production: Blake Chastain, Karen Krueger
Intro/Outro Music: "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" arranged in jazz-style, by Steven Seigart

About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of “God’s work. Our hands.,” the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA’s roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.