“Injustice is what happens when someone uses their power to take from someone else the good things God intended them to have: their life, their liberty, their dignity or the fruit of their love or their labor.”
Newport resident Lucie Moore said that this definition from the book “The Just Church” is the guiding principle behind the upcoming Wednesday Night series hosted by Grace Fellowship Church starting April 22. It is free and open to the public.
“Justice matters to God and it should matter to us,” said Moore, a member of the team at Grace that organized the series. Moore became acutely aware of the injustice in the world through her involvement with International Justice Mission.
“As Gary Haugen, the founder and CEO of IJM implores, ‘from God’s perspective, God’s people have always been his solution to the suffering of the world’s vulnerable,” Moore said.
Haugen spoke at Grace in 2014, which inspired a team to meet regularly and discuss “The Just Church” by Jim Martin. They were prompted to organize this series to educate and engage people in solving the issue of injustice.
Moore said the series will explore issues of injustice that plague our world and offer opportunities to do something for the oppressed.
The series will open with a film depicting the ravages of injustice.
Bill Clark, Vice President of Mobilization for IJM, will lead week two. He will explain the biblical basis for justice to lay the foundation for responding to injustice in our world.
Dr. Sandra Morgan, Executive Director of the Global Center for Women and Justice at Vanguard University, will speak the third week on human trafficking, the world’s fastest growing criminal enterprise that is an estimated $32 billion a year global industry.
“Human trafficking occurs in the United States as well as around the world, and the victims of this gross injustice are overwhelmingly the poor. It is the classic case of someone using their power to take from someone else the good things God intended them to have, “ Moore explained.
The fourth week will be devoted to the injustice of domestic abuse and will be led by Dr. Kathie Mathis, a leading expert in domestic abuse who counsels victims and trains church leaders and law enforcement officials to recognize and address the issue.
“People may not think of domestic abuse, whether verbal, emotional or physical, as a justice issue,” Moore said. “But abuse is textbook injustice as it involves someone using their power to take away someone else’s dignity. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention almost 50 percent of women experience some type of aggressive verbal abuse and one in five women experience physical abuse in their lifetime. The Ray Rice incident last fall and other similar stories have shined a light on this issue and we need to keep the light on and approach domestic violence through the lens of injustice.”
The series will end with an exploration of opportunities for engagement with organizations involved in prevention rescue, restoration, and transformation in the area of injustice in Orange County and the developing world.
“God’s call on us is not to feel bad about the injustice in the world,” Moore said. “He wants us to do something about it. That’s why we are beginning with this educational series. So we will be equipped to go out and show God’s love to the victims of oppression and do the work of justice.”
The community is invited to the free series Wednesday nights 7 to 8:30 p.m. April 22 through May 20 at Grace, 3170 Red Hill Ave, in Costa Mesa.
For more information, visit www.gracefellowshipchurch.org.
Cindy can be reached at cindy@onthegrow.com
