A unique feature of Chicago’s Northside is the number of neighborhoods that are considered the most ethnically diverse communities in the world. As a congregation, we prayed and explored how could we help refugees living alongside us, which led to partnering with Exodus World Service. We are also excited to be launching a new Gospel Justice Center with our partners at Administer Justice.
How our partnership began
We have been asking God to open doors and provide opportunities for our church to meet the needs of our community. In the wake of the pandemic and the hardships of the past year and a half, people are desperate for hope, healing, and justice. By God's grace, we can offer the help of a lawyer and the hope of God’s love.
What is Administer Justice?
Administer Justice provides pro bono legal services to those who cannot afford an attorney. Every month, our Gospel Justice Center Team will run a legal clinic at our Roscoe Village location. A Gospel Justice Center is a team of passionate individuals who care about God’s heart for justice. Together they empower vulnerable neighbors with the help of a lawyer and the hope of God’s love.
We hope you will prayerfully consider joining our Gospel Justice Center Team at Holy Trinity Church North Side.
Deuteronomy 10:18-19 says,
"He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt." To sojourn means to reside temporarily. A sojourner is someone on the move, staying temporarily in a place that's not home. There are many different kinds of sojourner, and one kind particularly relevant to our ministry is refugee.
According to Exodus World Service, a Chicago-based organization, "Refugees are people who have been forced to leave their own country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution. Refugees are outside the borders of the United States when they request an opportunity to begin a new life in our country. Unless the situation in their country changes, refugees are unable to safely return to their homeland." Thousands of refugees first settle in Chicago upon their arrival in the United States, especially here on the North Side.
That means that we have a unique opportunity to "love the sojourner."