Justice Awareness

The ministry of Justice involves understanding those whose life experience is different from our own.

Join the Immanuel community in monthly Justice Awareness learning suggestions so that we are better able to live out Jesus' love for our neighbor, both as a community of faith and as individuals.   

Justice Awareness Resources:

• Resources for the current month can be found below.
• Archived topics/resources are available: Justice Awareness - Archives 

Justice Awareness: Hops & Hope

Join us each month as we read a book on faith, justice and what it means to find hope in Christ amid a messy and complex world.  All are welcome to join, whether you finish the book or not. 

Details: Hops & Hope

Truth & Healing Movement

Learning from our indigenous neighbors

For the past couple of months, a group has been meeting to learn more about the Indigenous history of the United States and Eden Prairie, and to explore more of what it would mean to continue to support and advocate for our Indigenous neighbors today. We spent the last month doing some personal research and collecting some helpful resources. Below are a couple we wanted to share:

• Pronunciation Videos (opportunity to learn how to pronounce some of the Dakota names around us)
  • Oceti Sakowin tribal names
  • Dakota Place Names in Minnesota
• NativeLand: this website allows you to search your zip code and learn more about the Native communities that call this land home
• Birchbark Books: native owned (Louise Erdrich) bookstore in Minneapolis
• Write in Advocacy Opportunity around the Senate Bill 1723 and the Truth and Healing Commission
• MN Curriculum Resources for K-12 students
• Recorded ELCA Truth and Healing events/lectures

Recent Events

In August Immanuel members attended two events:  a reading of "The Story of the Red Rock" at Staring Lake in Eden Prairie, and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Wacipi (Powwow).  Below is a reflectionon the Wacipi from Immanuel member Linda Toso: 

"I did attend the worship service at the Tiowakan Spiritual Center on Sunday, the 18th.  My information said a 10:00 worship, but when I arrived there, the door said 11:00 am.  I had some time to wander around the site which includes a cemetery and a beautiful playground for children.  I took some pictures and will share them with our group when we gather again.  This worship service during the annual Pow Wow is commemoration of the "Dakota 38," the hanging of 38 Dakota men in Mankato.  The story was retold and the Dakota names of the 38 men hanged were read.  The same Dakota man who told the story and read the names also sang, in the Dakota language, a hymn which is in our ELW #837, Many and Great, O God Are Your Works (Wakantanka taku nitawa).  Joseph R. Renville wrote this hymn in the Dakota language sometime between 1835 and 1842.  There were seven stanzas, paraphrasing Jeremaih 10:12-13:  "It is {the Lord} who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom......."

Philip Frazier, who was born into a Sioux family in Nebraska, wrote an English version paraphrase of the first and last stanzas. Renville adapted the native tune we now call LAC QUI PARLE, the "lake that speaks."  All seven stanzas were sung so beautifully by Len (Dakota presenter) at this worship service.  Len was presented with a beautiful handmade quilt, honoring him for the many years he has been offering this story, Dakota 38 names, and song to keep this sacred tradition alive.  

One of the men at that worship service was a descendant of one of the Dakota 38 hanged and was visibly moved as those names were read.  Generational trauma remains throughout these communities, and they talk about how the sacred Pow Wow is such an important part of their healing process.

We have learned, from attending, how this is a sacred healing event, with verbal prayers before the sacred dances and sung prayer, accompanied by drum circles made up of Tribes from many parts of the U.S. The scars are deep and they acknowledge that it takes much time to heal, but they also acknowledge and celebrate that they are slowly recovering their culture, language, traditions and spiritual health and making progress to heal from the traumas that result in alcoholism, drug abuse and destructive anger."

More Information

Deacon Savannah Olaphson
Coordinator of Service and Justice Ministries
savannah@immanuel.us, 952-230-0357 (direct dial). 952-937-8123 ex. 57