JUST CONGREGATIONS

Getting Involved with Just Congregations

What is Just Congregations?

Just Congregations is an exciting new effort that builds on Temple Emanu-El’s long tradition of Social Justice.

The process starts with conversations. In individual and group meetings we listen to our members stories of their past, their present, and their hopes for the future. We hear the concerns that are keeping us up at night. As we tell our stories, we discover the issues that are widely and deeply felt among the members of Temple Emanu-El.

This process will also identify new leaders for Temple Emanu-El. These are leaders who feel passionate about Social Justice and who want to work for change. These individuals will engage in a deliberative process of researching the issues that are identified through our conversations. The leaders will explore possible solutions. However, we don’t just concentrate on ourselves.

The power of Just Congregations is that the same listening process that is occurring at Temple Emanu-El – is simultaneously occurring at 50 other faith-institutions in the Dallas area. There are Protestant, Catholic, non-denominational churches, mosques, and Zen Buddhist centers of every race and ethnicity. Our Temple leaders will work with the leaders from the other faith communities to advocate for solutions to the issues of which there is shared concern.

The Just Congregations initiative provides us with a way to build community within our congregation. It helps us understand which issues matter to our members and to find new leaders who are interested in taking action. Furthermore, the initiative develops strong connections of cooperation, communication, and coalition across lines of race, class, and faith.

How can I get involved?

There are two primary ways in which you can get involved with Just Congregations:

Congregational Conversation Campaign- The foundation of Just Congregations is the hundreds of one-to-one conversations and small group meetings conducted by members of the Core Team. The goal of these conversations is build relationships, discover issues that are of concern to our members and identify Temple members who want to work on those issues.

Issue Research and Advocacy- Once issues have been identified, core team members will join with other members of Dallas Area Interfaith to research issues and identify solutions. It is important to note that issues are not broad problems like hunger or poverty, but rather specific winnable proposals like the passing Parkland Bond or funding more Dallas police officers.

To Get Involved, Contact:

Rabbi Asher Knight: rabbiak@tedallas.org or 214-706-0022
Mike Sims, Chair of the Core-Team : mike.sims@thomsonreuters.com

Just Congregations
Fall Events