Social Justice

Social justice is at the heart of our vocation as Unitarian Universalists. If "the moral arc of the universe is long and bends toward justice" as Martin Luther King, Jr., so famously quoted Unitarian minister, Theodore Parker, then we need to engage in exerting the tug and pressure to help it bend. I invest great energy in my own personal ministry of social justice.  Environmental justice, climate change, and reform of our criminal justice system along with full inclusion for LGBTQ persons all receive my time and energies. I enjoy helping congregations come to greater clarity about their own context and how they might faithfully and effectively engage the issues of the day, human need and injustice, and the well-being of the planet. I also value helping people understand how the inward journey of spirituality connects with the outward journey of justice. Several of the ways I have done this over time include:

• Working toward greater food security and the alleviation of hunger and homelessness in several communities;
• Striving for justice and full inclusion for LGBTQ persons in the religious community and our society;
• Attending to health care needs of the most vulnerable including increasing access to quality health care, promoting child nutrition and health in Haiti, developing strategies to counteract high infant mortality, and defending the right of health care workers to collective bargaining; 
• Founding an ecumenical Peace with Justice Center focused on issues of nuclear disarmament and the struggle for peace and justice in Central America.
• Teaching spiritual practices that inform and strengthen a commitment to justice for the long haul.

I was instrumental along with others in developing Communities of Shalom or "Shalom Zones" in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  As a Board Member, and eventually, the President of Grand Rapids Metropolitan Ministries, an organization comprised of the twenty United Methodist congregations and ministries in the largest metropolitan area in western Michigan, I worked to create a new model for our urban ministry. Communities of Shalom are partnerships between religious congregations, schools, businesses, non-profits, local government, and other entities, grounded in Asset-based Community Development, aimed at systemic change for the well-being of our urban neighborhoods. Several "Shalom Zones" were birthed in the various quadrants of the city as well as a sister Community of Shalom in Haiti as a result. I worked specifically with one on the North End of Grand Rapids, focused on greater food security and developing partnerships for sustainable living. Two community gardens, partnerships with local restaurants and the local food pantries, and the Greening of the North Quarter have been successes.