Becoming Just
Ideas and next steps for you, your family, Small Group, and Refuge Church
Assessing Power, Privilege, and Becoming Self-aware
The prayer, “Search me O God,” is the prayer of someone who has been freed by grace and from the need to self-justify (Psalm 139). Consider going for coffee with someone or scheduling time with a few trusted members of your community and doing this self-assessment. Take time to consider your power and privilege, and how you are (or are not) using it for justice.
Use these questions as a guide:
In what contexts am I situated? What connections do I have? In what networks do I belong? In what relationships am I embedded? (work, home, neighborhood, church, professional network, social media, etc.)
In those contexts and relationships, what influence do I have? Where does my voice matter? Where does it not?
In those contexts and relationships, what authority do I have? Where do I get to tell people what to do?
Are the people who have less power and privilege in those contexts flourishing or struggling? Am I the cause? Can I do anything about it?
How can I find out how I’m using my power and privilege? Can I ask my coworkers, employees, people on my team whether they feel seen, heard, cared for, and treated with respect?
What resources do I have at my disposal to do justice? What money, possessions, abilities, gifts, time do I realistically have?
When I pray and ask God to bring some person or situation to mind that He wants me to do justice for or in, what comes to mind?
What is one small step I can take this week in obedience to God’s voice?
Actively Listening & Learning
Begin intentionality pursuing people in order to learn from and listen to them. Get to know your neighbors. Get to know, from their vantage point, what are the obstacles keeping them from living life as God intended (Shalom). Go first, take risks, be brave, have the awkward and uncomfortable conversations.
In addition, check out these resources:
Recommended Reading
Check out these other books that have been helpful to Refuge staff and read them individually or with a group of friends:
*Asterisk indicates the books are written at an academic level.
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Justice & Global Missions
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Justice and Political Tribalism
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Justice and Church History
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Justice and Consumer Choices
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Justice and the Food System
Take Action
Using the values of Justice & Mission at Refuge as a guide and filter (Contextualization, Mutuality, Wholistic), prayerfully discern where God may be inviting you to adjust your lifestyle and schedule to incorporate regular acts of justice into your life.
See our recommendations below:
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Change for a dollar
We invite you to drop a single dollar into one of the red boxes in our space every Sunday as a practice that leads to seeing the needs of your neighbors and blessing them. Every dollar raised is used by you, the Refuge family, to provide for a one-time need of a neighbor.
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Volunteer for Shine
Serve at our local elementary school Marie Hughes to support teachers, students, and families. Email our Shine co-ordinator Karla to get involved.
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Saranam
A multi-generational housing program that works to address homelessness in ABQ. They will be moving across the street from Refuge in the near future.
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Poverty Framework
A workshop conducted by Shine that teaches what true poverty looks like and how we can address it as a community. This class happens quarterly.
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Getting Ahead
Getting Ahead is a 16 session workshop for families of students in APS Title-1 Schools who wish to improve their economic stability and to dream about the future. For more information, talk to Katie.
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Laundry Love
A way that a church, small group, or community can offer to pay for laundry for their neighbors at a laundry service for a day as a way of loving their neighbors and building relationships.
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Levanta Lending
A local organization based on relationships, to help low-income families with low-interest loans with no start-up fee, and also provide free financial coaching.
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Missional Grants
A small grant given once each year to a Refuge participant to help initiate a ministry, a project, or a business, that addresses a need in our city.
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Ukraine
A mutual partnership where we learn from our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. We pray for justice for them. For more information about partnership, talk to the JAM team
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Westside Thrift
We are dreaming of a sustainable store that can serve our community and also provide job opportunities for single moms or students who are part of Saranam. If someone is a social entrepreneur and have the desire to get the thrift store off the ground, talk to Pastor David.
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Rwanda and Global Partners
Our global partners Ivan and Jordan have started a school called Aspire Academy in Bugesera, a district of Rwanda with a high population of families living in deep poverty. Our desire is that this would be a mutual partnership where we learn from one another about faith, resilience, hope and generosity. We hope to support the work God is doing in Rwanda.
