Public Statemtent about Commenting on Social Issues
February 4-5, 2017
Our nation is experiencing a time of significant division. Emotions are high. Social media has become a battleground of ideology.
In the midst of this turmoil, we have heard the frustration of many of you – on all sides of the political and social spectrum – who believe we should take a firm, vocal stand on the things we've been hearing on the news. We know some of you would like nothing more than for us to get up and absolutely blast the political party or legislation or social issue you disagree with.
But here's the thing. If we were to make one careless or partisan statement from this stage, we could easily become dis-unified as a church and lose hundreds from our congregation. It's true. And while some of you would gladly say, "Don't let the door hit you on the way out!", that's not who we are as a church.
Grace is – and always has been – a church of differents. One of the things that makes Grace so unique is that we are a community made up of many unique viewpoints, cultures, and perspectives. And not just our congregation, but our staff as well. We are one body made up of many different parts.
We are the Church, and we have no choice but love and unity. Jesus said it himself in John 13:35. "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." Our world needs us – now more than ever – to be the Church.
With all of that said, we want to make it clear – especially with issues like immigration and refugees and national security and racism and healthcare swirling around us – that we have not, in any way, backed off of our commitment to see healing happen in the six broken places of our world.
We are dedicated to seeing people reconciled to God through faith in Jesus. We are firm in our pursuit of emotional, mental, and physical health for those in pain, love and forgiveness for those divided by hate, loving community for those isolated, care for our decaying physical world, and justice for the downtrodden, including, yes, immigrants and refugees.
Will we take a vocal stand on divisive political issues? Generally speaking, no. But we will never be silent about the reason our church is here: to be the hands and feet of Jesus, whose kingdom of love, justice, reconciliation, and peace in bringing healing to this broken world.
Get Involved to Help with the Refugee Crisis
Join the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic’s prayer team on Wednesday mornings from 9-11
The Clinic provides legal counsel and advice, representation, and education for individuals whose income falls at or below 125% of the poverty level, helping provide people with access to justice. Grace Church actively supports its Immigrant Justice Program, which helps our low-income neighbors resolve the legal issues they face.
The Clinic is seeking to have a consistent prayer presence at the Clinic’s main intake located at 3333 N. Meridian Street, Suite 201, Indianapolis, IN 46208 on Wednesday mornings from 9:00 a.m.-11:00 am. The prayer team will have an opportunity to pray with those clients who request prayer and/or to pray through the prayer requests of those who completed a prayer card. A private prayer room is available as well. Ideally the team would consist of a team leader and several team members. The team leader would be responsible for scheduling the prayer team members for the various weeks. Additionally, the team doesn’t have to be from the same church or group but rather a composite of volunteers. If you are interested in this opportunity please contact Kathleen Bloxsome, Volunteer Coordinator, nclegalclinic.org or via phone 317.429.4131 ext 161
Serve Refugees on a Mission Trip
In November, Grace will be sending a team of 10 to Catania, Italy on the island of Sicily to provide humanitarian and spiritual help to refugees. More information can be on the trip's page.
Volunteer in the Grace Care Center or teaching ESL classes here at Grace.
We have many friends that have left their home countries and are immigrants. For more information about how you can be involved, visit our Care Center online.
Give to ALARM, one of our Partner Ministries.
ALARM provides blankets and tarps for shelters in East African countries. They also aid refugees as they are settling into life in the US to help them navigate US laws and US cultural norms. You can support them with a financial gift.
Provide Kits For Hope to refugees with GAIN
GAiN is a ministry of CRU, and we have 2 partners, the Backs and the Santees who minister with CRU. GAiN is Global Aid Network and they are providing Kits For Hope to refugees all over the world. For more information, and to see what GAiN is doing, visit their website.