Hearing the Cries: Faith and Criminal Justice Study at LCS

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 16^th and ending on November 6^th. After our final meeting we will offer feedback to the ELCA Task Force on Criminal Justice by November 11^th, 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 29^th 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.