Social Justice

The Social Justice Commission of St. Luke's has as its mission to "raise awareness and understanding of current social issues and to ground them in community programs to transform the world."

The commission created Pedal for Peace, a bicycling fundraiser held at the Velodrome in the fall. The first recipient of the $37,000 raised was Mar Elias/Nazareth Galilee Academic in 2009. In 2010, the commission partnered with St. Luke’s Spiritual Life Center to present a remarkable evening with Greg Mortenson in our sanctuary followed by the Pedal for Peace biking event the next Saturday. The groups surpassed their goal to raise $50,000 to help build schools and clinics in Afghanistan through the Central Asia Institute and AWAKEN. In 2011, the Global Health Commission assumed the responsiblity for Pedal for Peace and raised $18,000 for the Indianapolis Interfaith Hunger Initiative. Please go to the Global Health page for more information about the 2012 Pedal for Peace scheduled for September 29 at the Velodrome.

The commission has identified three priority issues: (1) poverty and economic justice; (2) education, and (3) racial equality. The commission responded to the first issue with an adult education class, Poverty 101 – The Psychology of Poverty which was a course designed to help in understanding how the impoverished see, interpret and interact with the world around them. A follow up class and activities are being planned for 2012. For more information, please contact the chair of the Social Justice Commission, Norris Lineweaver at norris.lineweaver@gmail.com or Jayne Thorne.