Social Justice and NeighborLink

Here are some powerful words from Andrew who is the Executive Director Of NeighborLink Fort Wayne......

Micah 6:8
8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

On Sunday, I had the opportunity to represent NeighborLink and share about social justice in a local context at Level 13, which is a church on the NE side of town. I wish you could have been there with me because it was such beautiful experience. Church was outside in a tent and the format was different than a traditional Sunday morning service because they were launching Mission68. It was broken down into three sections in order to highlight three missional priorities as a church as they align with this scripture in Micah. Both Michelle and I felt like family as we connected with the smaller congregation throughout the whole morning. If you're looking for a new church and live on the NE side of Fort Wayne, I encourage you to connect with them.

I had the privilege of sharing with that congregation the concept behind NeighborLink and the situations of our recipients. I also got to tell about the stories of what our volunteers are stepping into and how it goes far beyond just completing projects. I told them about volunteers helping with routine chores for people with disabilities and I was able to tell them about volunteers pooling their resources together to do what no one else would do or expect of them. I was so honored to tell them about a group of volunteers who would show up on a regular basis to take the trash out for a recipient and help them fold their laundry.

There was so much I wanted to tell Level 13 and to tell the "Church" of Fort Wayne about all the wonderful ways people are stepping into the gaps. I wanted to tell them that it's only the surface of what needs to be done.

God is being faithful to expose me to concepts of Social Justice. To me, Social Justice is when people go beyond the project and into figuring out the very structures/issues leading to need for help. Social Justice is when we go beyond just helping by mowing the yard and we offer to be the property caretakers for those who can no longer do it themselves. Social Justice calls us to take jobs in the social services sectors and work to change the very structures that are letting people in need fall through them. Social Justice is when we pack up our families and move them to an under-resourced area of town so we can make the schools and the neighborhoods better places to live and to be influences on the fatherless children. Social Justice may very well be the internal transformation of our hearts and actions because of the experiences we gain from serving.

I feel a great responsibility to be engaged with Social Justice issues. God has called me to share the good news with people who need it most. I know through experiences that it requires movement on my part and that the journey is going to be difficult. I have to go places I don't want go, do things I'd rather not, and interact with people and situations that are uncomfortable.

The greatest thing about the concept of Social Justice is that it can mean something totally different to you as you interact with the margins of our city. NeighborLink is an entry point for you to begin interacting with the concept of Social Justice that will lead you to other things you will see and require your attention.


What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

~ James 2:14-17