Lutheran Civic Engagement in U.S. History

DRC Sponsor: Kim Bonnet

Michael Wilker is the new senior pastor of First Lutheran Church in Decorah. Most recently he served as the senior pastor of Lutheran Church of the Reformation on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, and previously as the executive director of the Lutheran Volunteer Corps, a national ministry for young adults. He has served bilingual (Spanish/English) congregations in suburban New York and rural California. He was raised on a hog farm near Owatonna, MN.

Pastor Mike will share stories and reflections of Lutheran civic engagement in U.S. history and across the nation. Lutherans care about government because it is a gift from God intended for the safety and flourishing of human life. Yet too often and in too many ways, this gift has been abused. The Lutheran church teaches that all residents of the United States have a responsibility to make government function well—not to abandon our democracy but to engage it in a spirit of robust civic duty. For Lutherans, this responsibility is lived out as a calling from God, expressed in the discipleship described in our baptismal promises.

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW, supplemented by Zoom broadcast. The meal sign-up, meeting announcment, agenda, and any other logistical information including a Zoom meeting link will be distributed to all members by email in advance.