St. Luke’s Vision for Social Justice
We envision a world in which all are welcome at the table of God’s abundance, all creation flourishes in balance and wholeness, and all may live in peace. We work together to pursue peace and justice in our lives and the life of our world. Our service and engagement is centered in the solidarity and joy of building beloved community together.
Collaboration
Strategic collaboration is essential in our pursuit of justice. St. Luke’s Social Justice Collaboration Team uses strategic reflection and discernment to focus our communal justice efforts and outward benevolence. Working with leaders within and beyond our Focus Areas, this team guides the work of connecting, collaborating and communicating to heighten engagement and increase our impact. We strive to be fluid, yet focused in our response to injustice. We know that we are stronger together. St. Luke maintains a spirit of mutually supportive, strategic collaboration in all of our social justice work.
A Process of Engagement
We engage in social justice work through a comprehensive process centered in study, service, advocacy and benevolence.
- In our study and reflection, we seek to understand the complex issues of injustice that intersect in our lives and communities.
- In our service, we form relationships of solidarity, working with disenfranchised and oppressed people in pursuit of justice and peace.
- In our advocacy and activism, we speak truth to power and pursue systemic change for justice.
- In giving benevolently of our money, time and energy, we strategically leverage our resources and privileges to support efforts of peace and justice that will bear the greatest and most equitable impact in our community and beyond.
Get Involved
All people and passions are welcome at St. Luke. We celebrate the many and diverse ways that individuals and groups within and beyond our community work for justice, peace and equity. Your voice and passion will always find a home here.
Our approach to justice and peace work is dynamic and responsive. New opportunities for learning, service, advocacy and benevolence are always emerging. We would love to partner with you to explore your creative ideas or vision.
Of course, sometimes it’s helpful to simply dive in. Here are a few ways to join in St. Luke’s justice and peace work:
• Join our monthly Social Justice Book Read and learn from a variety of voices
• Volunteer with our Families Moving Forward program as we St. Luke transforms our building into a shelter for families experiencing homelessness. Email office@stluke.mn to get involved
• Join us in our on-site vegetable gardens as we grow food for the ICA Food Shelf
• March with us as we advocate for human rights, common sense gun safety, and immigration policy reform
• Learn about Minnesota’s indigenous peoples by joining us in our active partnership with Division of Indian Works and the people of Pine Ridge & White Earth Indian Reservations
Current Focus Areas
We recognize that justice work in the 21st century requires strategy, intentionality and collaboration. St. Luke has three distinct Focus Areas that we engage together as we work to achieve our greatest communal impact for justice. They are:
Economic Justice calls us to demand equitable access for all to those things that protect human dignity and make for healthy, holistic life: adequate food and shelter, meaningful work, safe communities, health care, and education. We recognize that poverty and economic injustice is about more than income alone. Hope, stability, and agency are at stake.
Racial/Ethnic Justice calls us to respect and celebrate the full, inherent dignity and value of all people without discrimination based on ethnicity, race or identity. We live in a society that was built upon a foundation of discrimination and oppression. Complex social and economic forces continue to drive disparities in educational outcomes, health and wealth. We strive to liberate ourselves and our communities from patterns and policies of oppression by working in solidarity with the disenfranchised.
Climate Justice calls us to live in partnership with the earth and all its creatures by living sustainably and caring for people and planet. We engage in climate justice work at the intersections of environmental degradation and its inherent racial, social, and economic inequities. It is the least privileged and most vulnerable global citizens who are the first to feel the effects of the climate crisis and who suffer the most damage. We strive to heal this divide while embracing the beauty of our interconnected world.
