Justice Awareness

The ministry of Justice involves understanding those whose life experience is different from our own.

Join the Immanuel community in monthly Justice Awareness learning suggestions so that we are better able to live out Jesus' love for our neighbor, both as a community of faith and as individuals.   

Justice Awareness Resources:

• Resources for the current month can be found below.
• Archived topics/resources are available: Justice Awareness - Archives 

Justice Awareness: Hops & Hope

Join us each month as we read a book on faith, justice and what it means to find hope in Christ amid a messy and complex world.  All are welcome to join, whether you finish the book or not. 

Details: Hops & Hope

2024 Justice Fund Recipient Announced!

As part of Immanuel’s commitment to working towards a fuller understanding of God’s call to justice, it was decided that, starting in 2024, we would include a benevolence budget line of $5000 for the purpose of supporting a justice-minded organization or cause that reflects the love of God and our call to serve the neighbor. This year, our Truth and Healing Table applied to allocate these funds to All Nations Indian Church in Minneapolis. Our hope is that in the coming year we will be able to continue to learn from the incredible ministry of All Nations and all the ways they encourage us to work for justice and peace. You can learn more about All Nations below. Applications for the use of next year’s Justice Funds will be made available later in the Spring of 2025. 

All Nations Indian Church is a vibrant, justice-oriented organization located in Minneapolis. It is an ecumenical partner with the Minnesota Conference of the United Church of Christ (UCC) and the Minneapolis Area Synod of the ELCA, which also are full communion partners. On their website, All Nations Indian Church states, “All Nations Indian Church, United Church of Christ (UCC) in Minneapolis, boasts a rich history dating back to 1987 when its doors first opened under the leadership of Gathering Pastor Rev. Harry C. Stroessner. This church is renowned for its unwavering dedication to Indigenous communities, catering to their spiritual needs and cultural preservation.”

They continue to describe their service in the following words, “For years, All Nations Indian Church has been a vital place of worship, community service, and cultural preservation for Native Americans in Minneapolis. We offer traditional worship services, educational opportunities, and outreach initiatives that address the social and spiritual needs of Indigenous people and our community . . . Mitákuye Oyás’iŋ (We are all related)—everyone is welcome!”

All Nations provides a number of resources for their community in the form of their Mental Health Ministry and in opening their building to police, firefighters, and many other community organizations that support the neighborhoods around them. In addition, All Nations provides space and support for Native American artists and vendors. These activities demonstrate how All Nations Indian Church is building and maintaining strong, vital ties with its contextual community. It accompanies its neighborhood—and, therefore, the broader metropolitan community of which Immanuel is a part—to provide for the common good including healing, health, wholeness, and the dignity of all people.

All Nations Indian Church is very accessible—less than 25 minutes and 20 miles from Immanuel—and Immanuel members are invited to join them in their worship. We also believe that there are projects such as painting, repairs, etc. that Immanuel members could join the All Nations Indian Church community in completing. We anticipate there are many social justice issues we currently and/or will share that can provide opportunities for us to learn together and accompany each other in efforts to facilitate positive changes. As per All Nation’s website, “The first step toward community is recognizing our common humanity. Instead of seeing strangers in the dark, we recognize fellow climbers in the light” (Steven Charleston, Choctaw Nation).

The Truth and Healing table looks forward to partnering and sharing more about the ministry of All Nations in the year ahead and to provide additional opportunities for the congregation to continue to learn about the past realities, present leadership, and future hopes of the Native American communities who share this land we call home. 

National Day of Racial Healing

January 21, 2025

The 2025 National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH) will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 21. It is an annual observance that follows Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

This year, the ELCA, in partnership with Augsburg Fortress, will join the movement of racial healing for our church and the nation. On Jan. 21, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Central time, the ELCA will feature a free online educational event that centers the voices of ELCA leaders of color. We invite you to join us in this collective effort for a more just and equitable world. This event is open to all ELCA rostered ministers, lay leaders and members. We welcome all ELCA synods, congregations, colleges, universities, seminaries, separately incorporated ministries and antiracism teams, as well as the church’s affiliate organizations and ecumenical and interreligious partners. 

Learn more and register here! 

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Truth & Healing Movement

Learning from our indigenous neighbors

For the past couple of months, a group has been meeting to learn more about the Indigenous history of the United States and Eden Prairie, and to explore more of what it would mean to continue to support and advocate for our Indigenous neighbors today. We spent the last month doing some personal research and collecting some helpful resources. Below are a couple we wanted to share:

• Pronunciation Videos (opportunity to learn how to pronounce some of the Dakota names around us)
  • Oceti Sakowin tribal names
  • Dakota Place Names in Minnesota
• NativeLand: this website allows you to search your zip code and learn more about the Native communities that call this land home
• Birchbark Books: native owned (Louise Erdrich) bookstore in Minneapolis
• Write in Advocacy Opportunity around the Senate Bill 1723 and the Truth and Healing Commission
• MN Curriculum Resources for K-12 students
• Recorded ELCA Truth and Healing events/lectures

More Information

Deacon Savannah Olaphson
Coordinator of Service and Justice Ministries
savannah@immanuel.us, 952-230-0357 (direct dial). 952-937-8123 ex. 57