If you’ve ever gone to bat for your child when there was a problem at school, helped a relative or neighbor get care when he or she was sick or asked friends to support a favorite project, then you’ve been an advocate. To advocate means to speak up, to please the case of another or to champion a cause. Usually advocacy involves bringing influence to bear in order to win change. It’s something most of us do routinely on behalf of ourselves, our families, our neighbors and friends.
Have you thought about advocating for children, helping to see them grow and develop fully? As Lutherans we believe advocacy is a public witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ where the Church speaks with and on behalf of others in need. Go to elca.org and search “advocacy” to learn how you can begin an advocacy ministry in your congregation.
This message is based on the resource Making Children a Priority, published by Women of the ELCA in 1999 in the series Risky Business: Choosing Change.