Holy Communion Sundays at 8:15 & 10:30 am
Mission statement
The Social Justice Initiative, a Christ-centered ministry, transforms awareness about racial and gender justice, equity and oppression through learning, dialogue and community collaboration.
History
In 2020, the LM council established a Social Justice Task Force made up of several individuals to explore ways in which the congregation might engage in issues of social justice. The group sponsored several learning opportunities, such as book discussions and adult forum sessions. In 2021, the council formally changed the task force to the Social Justice Ministry Team. The council endorsed the SJMT mission statement during their August, 2023 meeting.
Initiatives
Luther Memorial library resources
Click to view a list of books available at the Luther Memorial library
Recommended resources
Click to view a list of recommended books, films and other media
Educational opportunities (Past initiatives)
- Trans Allyship Workbook: Building Skills to Support Trans People in our Lives by Davey Shlasko: Book discussion (Summer 2021)
- Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla Saad: Adult Forum followed by three evening discussion sessions (September 2021)
- “ELCA Declaration to People of African Descent” (pdf): Four-part Lenten series of evening discussions via Zoom (2022)
- Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman: Adult Forum led by Pastor Worzala Dumke
- The End of Bias: A Beginning – The Science and Practice of Overcoming Unconscious Bias by Jessica Nordell: Two-part Adult Forum presentation (January 2023)
- Purple (YouTube): Two evening sessions via Zoom (May 2023)
- “Civility: Talking through Divisive Topics”: Adult Forum discussion (May 2023)
- “Dialog: Talking Through Divisive Topics”: Adult Forum discussion (January 14, 2024)
- “Black History for a New Day”: Nine-week course offered by Nehemiah Center for Leadership Development/Justified Anger. Nine LM members participated in the 2022 session, and since then, an additional five LM members have taken the course. (2022, 2023)
- Backpack drive for Families Overcoming Struggles to Encourage Restoration (FOSTER), in partnership with Nehemiah Center for Leadership Development: LM members donated school supplies, clothing, shoes and funds to support this initiative (2022, 2023)
- Established new social justice section in Luther Memorial library
Learn more
Get involved with social justice at LM. Contact Helen Hartman at hartmanhelen@gmail.com.
