Social Justice Action Team (SJAT)

Our Commitment as a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Congregation

As a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) Church Congregation, we strive to adhere to these truths:
​We are a Church Community working to serve God and neighbor by being open to all people. We at Elk River Lutheran Church (ERLC) welcome all, as together we yearn to better understand the mysteries of God’s teachings.

We are challenged by Christ to care for, to love, to understand and listen to each other regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, national origin or economic status. We celebrate together in our unity as God’s people.

ERLC is a place where all are welcomed to participate fully in the life of this congregation, and each person is invited to share his or her own unique gifts.

Our Mission and Focus

As an active part of ERLC’s commitment to the Reconciling in Christ body, the SJAT currently participates in two initiatives in our greater community and is working to expand to more outreach programs.

Community Initiatives

  1. Open Doors for Youth, which is a center located in Elk River that serves unhoused youth in our community. Our goal is to partner with this organization to help meet the ongoing needs of these local youth.
  2. The annual Wright-Sherburne County Pride Fest, held in Monticello, MN. For the past two years we have been a sponsor of this event and have set up our ERLC booth at the Pride Fest, held on the fourth Saturday in July. The event is open from 11 AM to 4 PM and is an outreach opportunity for ERLC.

Other Areas of Engagement

​Members of our team have attended local fundraisers and seminars for other social justice events, such as
  • Terebinth Refuge – a Faith based, non-profit org to help victims of human trafficking
  • A seminar on Christian Nationalism to raise awareness of this unnerving trend in sour society.
We are constantly looking for more Social Justice opportunities and events that would fit our charter and welcome all ideas.

Get Involved

​If you would like more information about our charter, feel free to chat with any of our team members, or better yet, join us at our next team meeting.

🗓 Meeting Time: 3rd Wednesday of each month
🕡 Time: 6:30 PM
📍 Location: Conference Room on the 2nd-floor meeting room at Elk River Lutheran Church
Current Team Members
Kevin Jenkins – President
Paula Donnelly – Vice President
Amy Anderson – Open Doors Representative
Pauline Kuhn – Guardian Angels Representative
Lorie Schulstad-Werk
Diana Schansberg
Debbie Pouliot
Dale Ziner
​Pastor Anne Schaefer