IMNE Social Justice Team Mission Statement
"We recognize that the patterns of social injustice in our country have their roots in the theft of land and the genocide of native peoples, as well as the forced labor and suffering of enslaved peoples brought to this country against their will. Justice matters. Without it, acts of compassion are hollowed and there can be no right relationships.
As Interfaith Ministers we are called to be a compassionate presence in our communities. We are called to witness when hateful words and actions continue historical patterns of violence and oppression. We seek to stand in solidarity with the marginalized and oppressed. In living out our faith, we seek to alleviate pain and embody a world for all living beings based on moral courage, kindness, and love.”
Rev. Thomas Kircher - IMNE Social Justice - Personal Statement, June 2025
For me social justice involves the recognition and righting of wrongs – theft, exploitation, morally corrupt actions – perpetrated by one part of society on another. These wrongs are typically done for the purpose of accumulating wealth, power, and status at the expense of the other. Those who benefit usually become comfortable with what has happened or is happening and utilize their wealth, power, and status to create institutional mechanisms and cultural narratives to maintain the status quo.
I believe that my humanity requires that I engage with the moral struggles present in my life and times. I believe that moral awakening in human beings is not a given. It often requires action, confrontation, and interruptions in the status quo for a human conscience to recognize existing systemic injustice and historical wrongs. I know this has been true for me. I believe that for social justice to become real I need to challenge myself and others to consider “who benefits”. I believe this is a collective work for humankind and urgently needed now.
Rev. Deborah CR Cotter - IMNE Social Justice - Personal Statement, June 2025
I am a cradle Episcopalian grown into an Interfaith Chaplain. My earliest memory of feeling a spiritual presence was at the back of St George’s Episcopal Church in Durham, New Hampshire, waiting for the signal to carry the church school offering plate forward. My father, the lay reader, was at the lectern. A bright light was cascading through the stained glass window behind the altar into the sanctuary and I thought “wow. There is something MORE, something BIG and BEAUTIFUL out there”. I missed the cue to take the plate forward and got nudged to move. I was maybe 4 years old. Whatever the MORE is, I have been connected to it, perceived it as a life giving force that sustains all that is, most of my life.
I became a Godparent at an early age-12. Two more times as a Godparent participant and countless times as a witness, I said the Baptismal Covenant of the Episcopal Church. The lines that have always spoken most strongly to me are “Will you strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being?” Respect the dignity of every human being. That hooked me and reeled me in. The response to this question is “I will, with GOD’S help.”
Through experience with Quakerism, Sikhism and Buddhism and the study of indigenous/world religions, I find a common thread of concern and dedication to “the least of us.” Fair play, responsibility, forgiveness, reparation are all components of respect. When I feel that there is injustice, disrespect, I wish to have an active voice or be involved in an act of service toward bringing awareness. I am moved to use my spirit for life giving solutions toward justice and peace; most definitely with GOD’S help.