Social Justice Ministry

Led by Christian beliefs, our Presbyterian heritage and a collective desire to make the world more reflective of God's peace and justice, the Social Justice Ministry at Village Presbyterian Church seeks to identify priority areas for advocacy, and responds through bold and faithful education and action in our church, denomination, city, state and nation. In all endeavors, we aim to live toward God's promised day.

“Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers…For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act — they will be blessed in their doing.”

James 1:22-25

Village Church Joins the Good Faith Network - An Interfaith Justice Organization

On Aug. 7, 2023, the Village Church Session approved the Social Justice Ministry committee’s recommendation that Village join the Good Faith Network—an interfaith group composed of more than 25 congregations across three faith traditions in Johnson County, Kansas with a mission of pursuing justice around our community's most pressing problems. This year, the Good Faith Network has been researching the root causes of injustice around mental health, housing and homelessness.
 
O​n May 2, 2023 member congregations mobilized more than 1,200 justice-seeking people to see commitment from our local officials to make real change in Johnson County. Six leaders will be chosen and trained to represent Village. You will be hearing more about this collaborative opportunity in the coming weeks. Email Carol Gee at carolgee419@gmail.com for more information about the Good Faith Network or Social Justice Ministry and how to get involved.

Community Conversations

​The Good Faith Network (GFN) has been working to address the challenges of homelessness, affordable housing and the mental health crisis in Johnson County. So often we read about concerns in our community and wish we could do something, yet don't know where to turn or feel powerless to act.  GFN brings concerned members of various faith communities to work together to identify and address concerns in our community.  We would like to invite you to join us for Community Conversations where your voice is heard around these issues while giving you an opportunity to learn more about this multi-faith effort.

Come participate in a Good Faith Network Community Conversation this fall. RSVP to the host by clicking on their email below:
6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 23 - hosted by Mary Lehoczky: marylehoczky@gmail.com
1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24 - hosted by Jane Goss: jane.nana.goss@gmail.com
5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25 - hosted by Jim Ensz: jensz@enszjester.com
6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26 - hosted by Jeff Ellis: jeffellis153@gmail.com
12:20 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29 - hosted by Jay McKell: jaymckell45@gmail.com
10:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 2 -  hosted by Julie Foster: foster.julie@icloud.com

Women’s Rights

“Presbyterians affirm the value of conscientious decision-making empowered by the Holy Spirit. While there is a diversity of opinion regarding women’s rights related to abortion, no biblical texts condemn or prohibit abortion. The church affirms the ability and responsibility of women in the context of their communities of faith, to make faithful moral choices in regard to problem pregnancies.” (Source) ​​Read more on abortion and reproductive issues from the Presbyterian Church (USA) here.

"We take life seriously and consider it sacred, therefore we believe that abortion must be a free choice to make for pro-quality-life.” - Dr. Bob Meneilly, founding pastor

Gun Violence

Above: In the wake of the Uvalde, Texas tragedy in 2022, Rev. Tom Are joined Kansas City faith and community leaders at Martin Luther King Jr. Park to call for gun control. They urged lawmakers to take immediate action to end the surge of gun violence.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) advocates licensing, registration, background checks and waiting periods when purchasing guns. Additionally, it calls for the banning of semiautomatic assault weapons and the raising of the age for handgun ownership to the age of twenty-one. (Source) Click here for more information about the PC(USA) position on gun control.

Village Social Justice ministry is also a sponsor of Grandparents for Gun Safety, a local nonprofit founded after the Sandy Hook tragedy to advocate for gun control.

Racial Inequality

(Above) In Jan. 2023, Village hosted the 2nd annual community celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and work and action event calling for fair housing practices in Prairie Village. This event was also sponsored by STAND Up for Black Lives+ Prairie Village, the City of Prairie Village Diversity Committee, the Johnson County NAACP and Störling Dance Theater, among other local organizations.

Village Church believes fighting racial inequality begins with examining your own heart and mind and educating yourself regarding cultural biases. Click for a list of antiracism resources and educational materials compiled by Rev. Hallie Hottle. We are committed to pursuing racial justice starting with ourselves and extending to our community, our nation, and the earth.

Immigration & Refugee Issues

Above: In 2022 our Young Adult Ministry participated in the Refugee Resettlement Project, sponsoring a new apartment for an Afghan refugee family in Kansas City in collaboration with Jewish Vocational Service. Volunteers donated furnishings and supplies for the apartment and helped prepare for the arrival of its new residents.

Our Scriptures are very clear about our call to welcome the stranger among us: “When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:33-34). In Matthew, Jesus tells a parable to his followers emphasizing specific classes of people who should serve as if Christ himself. Immigrants are one of those groups. “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35c). In fact, the call to care for immigrants is reiterated thirty-seven times throughout the Bible.
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The Presbyterian Church (USA) advocates for the “establishment by law of a comprehensive legalization program for undocumented persons already living and working in the United States.” The PC(USA) also calls for “reform of current immigration policies and procedures to ensure a more timely and humane process, with special attend to family reunification and to those persons who have been waiting for their immigrant visas and for naturalization.” (Source)

​Village Church partners with Frontera de Cristo, one of five different PC(USA) Presbyterian Border Region Outreach sites situated along the 2,000-mile U.S./Mexico border. Beginning in 2017, Village Church members have participated in immersion trips through Frontera de Cristo under the leadership of Rev. Hallie Hottle. Learn more about our border ministry and how you can participate.

Climate Change

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) advocates for reducing waste, recycling and composting. It calls upon the church to eat a plant-based diet, to take public transportation, and to reduce energy use by replacing light bulbs with LEDs, adding insulation, air drying clothes and planting trees. “When we work to protect creation, we are answering God’s call to till and keep the garden (Genesis 2:15). In the face of deepening ecological crises caused by climate change, our call to act as earth’s caretakers takes on more meaning.” (Source)

​We are committed to making Village Church more environmentally aware and sustainable as an institution by reducing its environmental impact and by practicing, modeling and teaching faithful and responsible stewardship of God's Creation. Our call is to promote earth-keeping within and beyond the walls of our church. Learn more about environmental action at Village.

Left: As of summer 2022, Village Church Food Pantry has begun participating in a compost program to ethically dispose of expired produce.

Get in touch

Hillary Mackowski
Adult Faith Formation
913-671-2341

Social Justice Ministry

Robert Fletcher
Becky Anderson 
Barbara Bollier 
Robert Carlson
Elaine Dalgleish 
Charlotte Davison 
Carol Lynne Ellis
Jeff Ellis 
Jim Ensz 
Vicki Ensz
James Galliher 
Carol Gee 
John Hall
John Lehoczky 

Mary Lehoczky ​​
Robert Martin
Jay McKell 
Kathleen Morrow 
Janice Newberry
Terri Piazza 
Jon Ratliff 
Jani Schepers
Samm Skare 
Linda Stevens 
Michele Stowers 
Julie Sykes
Carol Thrane