What we believe...

St. James Lutheran Church

These comprise the very essence of Lutheranism:

• We are saved by the grace of God alone -- not by anything we do;
• Our salvation is through faith alone -- a confident trust in God, who in Christ promises us forgiveness, life and salvation; and
• The Bible is the norm for faith and life -- the true standard by which teachings and doctrines are to be judged.

2011 Churchwide Assembly

The following is a message from the Presiding Bishop, Mark S. Hanson:
Dear Leaders,
On November 1, I sent the following letter to President Obama and members of Congress. At the 2011
Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA, members of this church requested that we "communicate to the
president and members of Congress the support of the ELCA for comprehensive immigration reform
and the DREAM Act."

This is Christ's church and I know many of us are already involved in finding ways to welcome the
newcomer. Let us continue to work together to support comprehensive immigration reform and the
DREAM Act.
In God's grace,
Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear President Obama:
As the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and a member of the
Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, I write to lift up the support of our
national church body for comprehensive immigration reform and the DREAM Act.

We are a church that belongs to Christ, and we believe God calls each of us by name. Therefore, the
ELCA has repeatedly affirmed the biblical witness and our shared experience of working with and on
behalf of America's newcomers through our ministry with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.
The 2011 Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA voted overwhelmingly in support of immigration reform
and the DREAM Act. The churchwide assembly is the ELCA's highest legislative authority serving on
behalf of 4.2 million baptized ELCA members.

The biblical call to hospitality also inspired Lutheran congregations across the country to discuss
transforming communities into centers of hospitality through relationship building and advocacy. In
addition, congregations are holding DREAM Act Sabbaths to lift up the experiences of undocumented
youth and encourage broader public support for the legislation.

The need to overhaul the U.S. immigration system is becoming ever more urgent. In the absence of
comprehensive immigration reform, states have felt compelled to write their own immigration laws,
which are often shortsighted and misguided. The ELCA needs your leadership. We urge you to continue
to speak to Congress and the American public to take action on our comprehensive immigration
reform and the DREAM Act and to explore other compassionate policy reforms that advance the common
good.

As a national church body, the ELCA—our congregations, bishops, schools and millions of individual
members—continues to preach, teach, advocate and work with and on behalf of America's newcomers.
This nation has achieved such greatness due to the resilience, labor and intellect of immigrants.
We will roll up our sleeves and work tirelessly until this nation is once again a place of welcome and
justice for newcomers.

In God's grace,
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America