Saline Church Members Take Advocacy to Lansing to Fight Food Insecurity

Four years ago, the Michigan Annual Conference (MAC) of the United Methodist Church (UMC) created Advocacy Day. Advocacy Day is an all-day event putting faith to action, and the Michigan Conference of the UMC describes it as a day when “participants meet with lawmakers in Lansing to advance legislative changes that address social systems and structures that keep Michiganders from living into their full humanity.”

Participants Meet with Local Legislators

This year, Pastor Amy Triebwasser and participants from Saline’s First United Methodist Church (FUMC) traveled to Lansing to specifically address the issue of food insecurity. Triebwasser begins by saying, “Our ask to our state representatives was that the budget continue to fund free meals for our school children, make up for the drop in federal food assistance funding, and continue to work to eliminate food insecurity in Michigan.”

Participants in the Advocacy Day event met with staffers from Representative Morgan Foreman’s and Senator Jeff Irwin’s offices to outline their concerns with food insecurity, and later held a press conference on the Capitol steps.

Nicole Rice, an FUMC participant, emphasizes the significance of advocacy. “Advocacy Day makes a difference by bringing people face-to-face with the folks making decisions that impact our daily lives. Meeting with 85 legislators – the entirety of the meetings throughout the day – shows how much collective impact we can have when we come together. It helps make sure our local voices are heard and reminds leaders that real people and communities are behind the policies they’re shaping.”

Safety, Health, and Legislative Change

Previous activities included addressing gun violence in 2023, the first Advocacy Day. Lawmakers were urged to change state law to better protect the public. Ultimately, speaking to lawmakers made a big difference in the passage of key legislation. In 2024, stories were shared to influence state law updates to improve mental health care and save lives. And in 2025, lawmakers were asked to pass policy changes that would increase care for those catastrophically injured in automobile accidents.

Called to Ensure Everyone’s Basic Needs Are Met

Summarizing the purpose of Advocacy Day, Triebwasser explains, “Advocacy Day is a great way to put our faith into action. We believe that God calls us to improve our society so that everyone has their basic needs met. This means doing more than just taking care of the needs that are in front of us. We also need to make sure that our society is structured to care for everyone.”

For information on the First United Methodist Church of Saline, go to www.fumc-saline.org

Featured photo: Advocacy Day participants outside the Capitol. UMC Advocacy Day Participants by the Lansing Capitol. Courtesy of Saline First United Methodist Church.