Local Believers "Wade In The Water"

Amos 5:24

Representatives of nearly two dozen congregations met at the Muhlenberg Activities Center last night to consider ways of "doing justice" together, along with faith-based practices of "loving mercy and walking humbly with God".

The meeting was led by a newly forming group called "Faith in Action", which is organizing a network of local congregations that would adopt one issue per year as a special focus for exercising the power of prayer and persuasion toward creating a more just community. The effort is modeled after similar networks in other localities, such as IMPACT Charlottesville, for example.

At the conclusion of last night's lively conversation, participants sang "Wade in the Water" as they brought written lists of concerns and dreams for their local community and placed them on a table, one made to represent the surface of a flowing river.

All of the concerns raised will be considered in future congregational and community meetings held to discern what issue or issues might receive priority.

The following were among the ones named:

Homelessness, affordable housing
Poverty, living wages
Criminal justice, alternatives to incarceration
Employment, more job training and job opportunities
Improved mental health and substance abuse treatment
More family-friendly visitation policies at our local jail
Racism, discrimination, welcoming diverse groups of newcomers

Here's a link to the Faith in Action website, with steps for congregations becoming charter members.