Social Justice Ministry

The Social Justice Ministry Team at Immanuel is a direct extension of our membership vows to “strive for justice and peace in all the earth.” Our Mission Statement directs us to “Give of ourselves to God’s mission” and we understand Biblical Justice teaches us to walk alongside and work on behalf of the hungry, the poor and the oppressed.

The Social Justice Ministry is an outward facing ministry with a mission of support, advocacy, and voice for the marginalized in our community. We believe social justice should embody the teachings of Jesus through both word and action. We encourage new members to join us with their passion, ideas, and energy as we continue to evolve as a ministry. To learn more about the places our heart has taken us in the last several years, please read and click below:

  • Hope Housing

    Reducing and Serving the Unhoused – Immanuel is a partner congregation with two seats on the board of Hope Housing, a nonprofit consisting of several local churches. Hope Housing is in the design phase of a transitional housing project on land owned by one of our partner churches. The same non-profit is currently forming a Safe Parking program in Lewis County, which will be housed on multiple partner church properties on a rotating basis. Recently, Immanuel has been directly involved in partnering with Reliable Enterprises to serve recently housed families in their new permanent supportive housing project on Harrison Avenue. To learn more about Reliable Enterprises, follow this link. https://reliableenterprises.org/

  • Racial Equity

    Immanuel rejects racism in all forms. We understand racism can exist in the most subtle forms as well as explicitly. As sinners, we work to understand and heal any of our own biases and micro-biases that have contributed to inequities driven by racism. We are committed to racial equity.

    Our partners include our local Juneteenth Celebration as well as our synod’s anti-racism task force. Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19th each year. Learn more by clicking the two links below.

    swwasynod.org

    nmaahc.si.edu

  • We Welcome All

    At Immanuel, we welcome the LGBTQIA+ - community to participate in all aspects of our faith community. In 2023-2024, we did the important work of becoming a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) congregation. Immanuel celebrates Pride each year in June. Please click here to learn more about Immanuel’s welcome statement and commitment to being an affirming church.

  • Gun Violence Awareness

    Gun Violence Awareness (Wear Orange Sunday) – Anyone can be impacted by gun violence, but it often disproportionately impacts people of color, men and boys in deprived communities, and other marginalized groups. Domestic violence involving firearms also puts women at heightened risk of death or life-changing injuries. Wear Orange 2025 is June 6-8. Click here to learn more about Wear Orange Sunday. Click here to learn more.

  • Environmental Justice

    We understand that our call as stewards of the earth is a profound calling. Earth day 2025 is on April 22nd. Please click here to learn more about our commitment to environmental justice.

  • Indigenous Awareness

    Other areas we would like to turn our attention to include:

    Native American Boarding School injustices
    www.pbs.org/native-america

    Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Movement - May 5th is Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Day
    nlc.org/article/2024/05/03/