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Social Concerns Web Links
A collection of useful web links

Addiction
Aging
Corporate Social Responsibility /ELCA Site
Cross Cultural Training Resources
Disaster Response

Doctrine of Discovery
ELCA Church in Society

Faith Based Initiatives
Earth Ministry
Genetic Engineering
Habitat for Humanity
Health Issues
International Community Assistance Programs
Human Rights
Human Trafficking
Hunger
Lutheran Social Services
Lutheran Volunteer Corps

Luheran World Federation
Lutheran World Relief

Martin Luther King Day
Mental Health
Media and Children/Youth
Nuclear Reduction Disarmament Initiative
Organ Donation
Peace Prize Forum/Issues
Poverty
Quilts
Rural Ministry
Sexuality and Gender
Stand With Africa
Stewardship of the Earth's Resources
Suicide Prevention
Violence
Wheat Ridge
World Council of Churches

Addiction

Relapse Prevention (Michael Bayba - Addiction Group)

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Aging

Grandfolk Focused on improving the lives of seniors through guidance during key transitions with lifestyle, products, and services.

Aging in Place "Helping seniors, their family members and their caregivers prepare their homes and their lives for successful aging in place."

Assisted Living Options for People With Disabilities (Assisted Living Research Institute)

In-Home Care: Resource Guide Provides information both for those seeking to work as caregivers and those looking for caregivers to provide services to people in need of care.

57 Must-Know Caregiver Tips, Stats, and Facts (updated:2020) (Medicare Plan Finder)

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Corporate Social Responsibility/ELCA Site

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Cross Cultural Training Resources

Cross Cultural Conversations (ELCA)

Talking Together as Christians Cross-culturally: A Field Guide (rev. ed.) (ELCA)

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Disaster Response

Lutheran Disaster Response (ELCA)

Public Health Emergency (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services)

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Doctrine of Discovery

Doctrine of Discovery: Stolen Lands, Strong Hearts Contains links to the film and Study Guide commissioned by the Anglican Church in Canada about the continuing impact of the decision, made over 500 years ago by Pope Alexander VI, that lands being "discovered" by European explorers of that time were "empty" and that their millions of indigenous inhabitants were "non-human."

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ELCA Church In Society

Social Statements (ELCA) - With introductions, summaries, and study guides

Talking Together as Christians about Tough Social Issues (ELCA)

ELCA Today: Who We Are

Churchwide Organization (ELCA)

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Earth Ministry

Lutherans Restoring Creation (ELCA) A grassroots movement promoting care for creation, this site contains a wealth of information for individuals, youth, and pastors

What is Your Ecological Footprint? (Global Footprint Network) a calculator to measure an individual's personal use of planetary resources

Laudato Si (Pope Francis) Encyclical on the environment and human ecology

Lutheran Study Guide to Pope Francis' Letter on Climate Change (Terra Rowe) a four-part study

Earth Ministry "Engaging the faith community in environmental stewardship and advocacy"

Web of Creation
: Ecology Resources to Transform Faith Communities and Society

Informing Ecological Design

Blessed Tomorrow: Caring for Creation Today "A coalition of diverse religious partners working to advance climate solutions in faithful service to God." Contains pages on Communication and Engagement, Impact Reduction, Research and Polling, Events and Webinars, Success Stories

Let All Creation Praise An ecumenical site that "offers resources for congregations to celebrate God's love for creation, to worship God with creation so as to reconcile and restore our human relationship with the rest of nature, and to foster love and care for God's whole creation."

Interfaith Power and Light: A Religious Response to Global Warming -- an interfaith organization that aims to"inspire and mobilize people of faith and conscience to take bold and just action on climate change."

Eco-Justice Ministries "An independent, ecumenical agency that helps churches answer the call to care for all of God's creation, and develop ministries that are faithful, relevant and effective in working toward social justice and environmental sustainability."

Season of Creation "Activities and resources to celebrate the Season of Creation" which occurs annually beginning" September 1, the Day of Prayer for Creation, and runs through October 4, the Feast of St. Francis, who is the patron saint of ecology," and is "supported by an ecumenical steering committee and a coalition of partners from around the world."

Energy Star for Congregations (U.S.) Contains resources to help congregations reduce energy waste and energy costs, while protecting the environent.


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Faith Based Initiatives

The Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives
(Partnership Center) U. S. Dept. of Health and Human Services

Lombard Mennonite Peace Center "seeks to proclaim Christ's good news, the gospel of peace and justice, and to be active in the sacred ministry of reconciliation..."

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Genetic Engineering

Genetics (ELCA Social Statemtent)

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Habitat for Humanity

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Health Issues

Food and Nutrition: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 (U. S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion) Read online, download, or order a hard copy. Access Toolkit for Professionals

My Plate (U. S. Dept. of Agriculture)

Eat Healthy (President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition)

Be Active (President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition)

Healthy Lifestyle (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services)

Traveler's Health (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Vaccines & Immunizations (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services)

Office of Minority Health (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services)

Health Information Privacy/HIPAA (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services)

Health Care Providers and Facilities (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services)

Residential Facilities, Assisted Living, and Nursing Homes (U.S. National Institute on Aging)

Medicare (U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)

AIDS Info (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services)

The Opioid Epidemic Practical Toolkit: Helping Faith-based and Community Leaders Bring Hope and Healing to Our Communities (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services)

Talking With Teens About Illegal Drugs (U.S. Office of Adolescent Health)

Food Safety (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services)

Public Health and Safety (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services)

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International Community Assistance Programs

ELCA Good Gifts Catalog Helps congregations, companion churches and partners around the world fund initiatives that address locally determined needs and priorities.

Heifer International "Work[s] in 21 countries around the world alongside local farmers and business owners...support[ing] farmers and their communities as they mobilize and envision their futures, provid[ing] training so they can improve the quantity and quality of the goods they produce, and connections to market to increase sales and incomes."

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Human Rights

Human Rights (ELCA)

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (United Nations)

Church in Society: A Lutheran Perspective (ELCA)

The Cross and the Lynching Tree (James Cone, Fred D. Grey Plenary Lecture in Human and Civil Rights, Lipscomb University, June 2017)

Project Implicit A non-profit organization whose goal is to "educate the public about hidden biases and to provide a 'virtual laboratory' for collecting data on the Internet." Offers a number of Implicit Association Tests (IAT) on a variety of social topics that can show individuals the biases of which they may be unaware.

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Human Trafficking

National Human Trafficking Hotline

Commercial Sexual Exploitation (ELCA)

Human Trafficking (ELCA)

Blue Campaign: What is Human Trafficking? (U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security)

My Neighbor is Not for Sale Guide (Lutheran Social Sevices) Designed to help congregations understand the issue of child sexual exploitation and trafficking.

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Hunger

Bread for the World

ELCA Good Gifts

ELCA World Hunger Resources to help congregations "support sustainable solutions that get at the root causes of hunger and poverty."

Lutheran Disaster Response (ELCA)

Wisconsin Deer Donation (WI DNR) "The venison from donated deer is processed and distributed to food pantries across the state."

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Lutheran Social Services

Lutheran Services in America "Made up of over 300 Lutheran social ministry organizations...we empower...their mission to lift up the nation's most vulnerable people by serving seniors, children, youth and families, people with disabilities, veterans, immigrants and refugees and the homeless...in rural and urban areas."

Healing Communities
(Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan) "On the front lines of addressing the well-being of vulnerable populations...including homeless individuals, the elderly, children and adults living with mental illness or active drug and alcohol addiction and more."

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Lutheran Volunteer Corps

"LVC places recent college graduates ('Volunteers') in full-time service positions at social-justice organizations across the United States...for one or two years."

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Lutheran World Federation

Lutheran World Federation

Lutheran World Federation: North America

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Lutheran World Relief

Lutheran World Relief (LWR)

LWR Farmers Market Coffee Provides a strong, up-front price for the farmers who grow coffee beans and also a share of the final sale.

Quilts and Kits (LWR) "Give families around the world some of life's essentials, as well as a reminder that they are not alone."


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Martin Luther King Day

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Park (U.S. National Park Service, Atlanta, GA)

Martin Luther King, Jr. Scavenger Hunt
(Teresa Strong)

Martin Luther King, Jr. Kids Word Search 16 (Linda A. Copp)

Martin Luther King, Jr.: An Extraordinary Life (Seattle Times) Includes an interactive quiz

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Mental Health

How Does Mental Health Affect Your Sleep? (Rose MacDowell, Sleepopolis)

NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness "Works to educate, advocate, listen and lead to improve the lives of people with mental illness and their loved ones."

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Media and Children/Youth

Common Sense Media "...source of entertainment and technology recommendations for families and schools"

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Nuclear Reduction Disarmament Initiative

Nuclear Weapons (United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs)

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons: NPT (Nuclear Threat Initiative)

Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative: NPDI (Nuclear Threat Initiative)

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Peace Prize Forum

Nobel Peace Prize Forum Archive (Augsburg University Archives) Videos of presentations may be found on YouTube.

Human Rights Forum (Augsburg University) replaces the Nobel Peace Prize Forum

Nobel Peace Prize Forum (Oslo, Norway) Videos of the keynote addresses may be found on YouTube.

Peace Issues
(The Global Observatory of the International Peace Institute) Provides analysis on trends and issues related to global security.

United States Institute of Peace: Making Peace Possible

Peace and Security (U.N.)

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Organ Donation

Organ Donation (U. S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Division of Transplantation)

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Poverty

Careers for Poverty Aid: Lifting Up the Poor Through Jobs & Community Service (Learn How to Become)

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Quilts

Make Mission Quilts (Lutheran World Relief)

 
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Rural Ministry 

An Initiative to Bolster the Partnership of College, Church, and Community (Project on Rural Ministry: Grove City College)

Center for Rural Affairs

Center for Theology & Land (Wartburg Theological Seminary)

Rural Ministry Conference (Wartburg Theological Seminary)

Church in Rural America (Megan Brandsrud, Living Lutheran)

Rural Ministry (Christianity Today) Subscribe to read entire articles

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Sexuality and Gender

Reconciling Works: Lutherans for Full Participation -- Advocates for the full welcome, inclusion, and equity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual/aromantic Lutherans in all aspects of the life of their Church, congregations, and community.

Human Sexuality (ELCA 2009)

Sexuality (ELCA 1996)

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Stand With Africa

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malawi, Africa (Northwest Synod of Wisconsin ELCA)

Africa (ELCA)

Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations (ELCA)

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Stewardship of the Earth's Resources

Earth on Edge (PBS)

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (U.N.) "Assess the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being and the scientific basis for action needed to enhance the conservation and the sustainable use of those systems and their contribution to human well-being."

Caring for Creation (ELCA) Social statement that "explains the ELCA's teachings on ecology and the environment, grounded in a biblical vision of God's intention for the healing and wholeness of creation."

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Suicide Prevention

Suicide Prevention (ELCA)

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline "Provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across the United States."

Advocate for Suicide Prevention (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention)

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Violence

Community Violence (ELCA)

Gender-Based Violence (ELCA Social Message)

Gender-Based Violence (ELCA Congregational Action Plan)

Gun Violence and Christian Witness (Katie Day, Journal of Lutheran Ethics)

Victim Offender Mediation (Center for Justice & Reconciliation, Prision Fellowship International)

Office for Victims of Crime (U.S. DOJ Office of Justice Programs)

Institute for Peace and Justice "An independent, interfaith, not-for-profit organization dedicated to non-violence and social justice"

Peace Center "All-volunteer and interfaith peace CENTER [acts] as a catalyst for peace in San Antonio, TX."

What is Restorative Justice? (Center for Justice & Reconciliation, Prision Fellowship International)

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Wheat Ridge

We Raise Foundation (formerly Wheat Ridge Ministries) Awards grants to new Christian nonprofit organizations and emerging leaders working to build better communities.

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World Council of Churches

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