September 7, 2012. The Topeka Capital-Journal.
In his 13 years as a pastor in Topeka, the Rev. Neil Buono, of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, says he has never been more excited about an initiative than he is about a new justice ministry he is helping to launch.
“It’s a congregation-based ministry,” Buono said. “We’ve already got close to 30 congregations committed to participating in a citywide Bible study. Another 40 congregations are in the exploring mode.”
The project, called “Rethinking Justice,” is the first ministry of its kind in the capital city. It will kick off with a Bible study and workshop at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, at Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 1750 S.W. Stone.
The initiative is being coordinated through the Miami-based Direct Action Research Training Center, which has an office in Lawrence and oversees about 20 justice ministries in seven states across the nation.
Buono said the group’s focus will be “to improve the quality of life for all God’s people in the city of Topeka, by moving to a God-pleasing vision of what our city might be.”
The Rev. Jon Hullinger, pastor of Mater Dei Catholic Church, helped get the ball rolling for the justice ministry after hearing about it from one of his parishioners.
Soon after Hullinger floated the idea, about a dozen other ministers were on board.
Key leaders have been meeting since this past Easter to start organizing the group.
Organizers say the process includes clergy developing a strategy to get lay people from their congregations involved in the justice ministry.
Those lay people, in turn, will hold in-home meetings for about 15 people to get a feel for major concerns for the Topeka community.
Once those concerns are identified, over a two-month period, representatives will gather for a larger convocation of between 300 and 500 people. There, representatives will agree on two major areas of emphasis.
No area is off-limits. Concerns to be tackled could include such areas as crime, joblessness, poverty and youth issues.
The goal is for the various congregations to settle on two main area of emphasis, then work together to make changes in the Topeka community.
“Our hope is that we can give witness to the diversity of God’s creation by working together,” Buono said. “It‘s about doing things here locally. It’s an agenda for the Topeka community.”
Among the most appealing parts of the justice ministry, Buono said, are its intentional efforts in bringing together Christians of different races and denominations, not to mention from different geographic areas of the city.
“It’s a long-term process,” Buono said. “We’re not looking at doing this in six months. It’s not a come-and-go type of thing. We hope, over many years, to transform out city into a more just community.”
The Rev. Bob Sutton, pastor of Kansas Avenue United Methodist Church, is among those who have been active in the ministry to date.
“I think it’s a fantastic thing,” Sutton said. “It offers us an opportunity to look at issues, and also to speak up and come together on them.”
Sutton said the group, by its very nature, will have credibility, because it doesn’t revolve around a single congregation or personality.
The Rev. E.T. “Tom” Watson, pastor of El Shaddai Ministries, has been one of the leaders of the effort.
The time for such a justice ministry, he said, “has come and passed and is back again.”
“My sense is that we’ve arrived at a place where we’re done talking,” Watson said. “We’re going to do something about it.”
The Rev. Branson Roberts, pastor of First Church of the Nazarene, said he couldn’t help but notice the variety of denominations represented in the justice ministry.
Here were ministers from congregations ranging from Baptist to Roman Catholic to United Methodist to Community of Christ to Lutheran to Church of God in Christ.
“I think it makes God’s heart jump with joy,” Roberts said, “to see the church come together as the body of Christ in the city of Topeka.”
For more information about the Rethinking Justice workshop and breakfast, call (785) 506-8915. Tickets, which are free, are required for admittance.
