What does our faith have to do with the criminal justice
system? No, really, I’m asking for your opinion: Hearing the Cries: Faith and Criminal Justice is the ELCA’s new study on faith and the criminal
justice system. Each of us has been affected in some way by our criminal
justice system, yet too often we do not feel welcome to be honest about our
feelings and experiences. The study seeks comments from every angle, including
ex-offenders, victims, law enforcement and judicial personnel, and family
members of those affected in some way by our criminal justice system. In short,
this study needs you.
We of Lutheran Church of the Savior have a unique
opportunity to engage in this conversation with the entire ELCA. We will begin
by offering a four-week Sunday morning Adult Faith Formation class to look at
Hearing the Cries, at 9:00am on starting on October 16th and ending
on November 6th. After our final meeting we will offer feedback to
the ELCA Task Force on Criminal Justice by November 11th, who will
use our feedback along with that of other congregations and members to draft a
Social Statement for the whole church. In this way we will be contributing to
an ongoing nation-wide conversation about criminal justice among people of
faith.
On Saturday, October 29th we will supplement our
group discussion with a visit from the ELCA Director for Racial Justice Ministries, Judith Roberts. Judith will provide context on both the church and
wider society for the study, and address questions we come up with in our Sunday
morning talks. We are very lucky that Judith will be able to join us from
Chicago to enhance our discussion, and this event will be open to the public
and publicized to local congregations, the synod, and the synod anti-racism
team. Our hope is that even those unable to join the group on Sunday mornings
will have the opportunity to engage this study and offer feedback.
I sincerely hope you are able to join us for these important
conversations, on Sunday mornings at 9:00am starting on 10/16 and/or at 10:00am
on Saturday 10/29.
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