Social Justice
Lancaster County Interfaith Justice Organization
The Lancaster County Interfaith Justice Organization (LCIJO) is a member of the Direct Action and Research Training Center (DART), one of the largest faith-based, community organizing networks in the country. DART’s 28 affiliated organizations span 10 states.
By harnessing the power of organized people, these organizations hold political and economic systems accountable for acting fairly – pressing them to become more equitable and just.
Since 1982, the DART Network has fought for and won policy changes that have addressed systemic failures which disproportionately harm low-income communities as well as communities of color.
LCIJO is in its formative phase. A city-wide scripture study was held in May 2022 to introduce congregations to the work of doing justice, with organizing training held in the summer, and issue-identification to begin in the fall.
Some of the DART Network’s victories include:
Hundreds of millions of dollars invested in affordable housing
Implementation of fair discipline policies in hundreds of schools, breaking the school-to-prison pipeline
Nearly $950 million invested in public transportation
Criminal justice reforms resulting in 30,000 fewer arrests of children
Justice Ministry League
Formed in 2020 to build on the long history of seeking justice at Christ United, the Justice Ministry League is a team which works on an ongoing basis to learn about and take action to address issues of injustice in partnership with others in our community. This group meets monthly and has coordinated efforts such as a letter-writing campaign to Nebraska legislators to advocate for criminal justice and prison reform, as well as the celebration of Earth Sunday with a special focus on global warming and climate justice. This group also leads Christ United’s witness at Star City Pride each year, where we seek to share the good news that God’s love extends to all people, including members of the LGBTQ+ community.
