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Isaiah 58 and Matthew 25 speak of religion as being closely tied to social justice; these passages provide the inspiration for social justice movement on campus and were the theme for Social Justice Week. Social Justice Week is about being sensitive to conscience and taking steps to follow it. Christianity is moving beyond just a personal faith, and becoming a community that is alive and moving in the world - not just believing but doing!

This is the kind of fire Social Justice Week was about. It was about raising awareness, in a full sense. Social Justice week rocked the boat a bit. To get into the lives of other people, a meal of porridge was served on campus. One bowl of porridge, one packet of sugar, and one cup of water comprises the basic refugee camp meal. It is eaten by many people all over the world in war-torn countries. Only in their circumstances, this one meal is all they get for the day. This event offered the chance to enter a different life.

The showing of Invisible Children highlighted another example of need. Uganda has been a war-torn country where the rebel army (the LRA) has taken to abducting children and turning them into soldiers. The documentary shows how fear has come to dominate the culture of Uganda where each night thousands of children migrate to the city to avoid kidnapping in the bush.

During the week, the Library, Fischer Atrium, and MUB commons became places of public awareness. Informational booths on topics of social justice in public areas opened up a new window of awareness to the general population. Guest speaker Jen Vettrus also had the chance to speak about racial reconciliation near the end of the week.

The Social Justice Week service projects provided a chance to work together to change things right here and now by shoveling snow off of houses. It really gave an idea of what social justice is really about. An afternoon of shoveling hardly stands as anything when it is viewed next to famine, war, or aids, but it gave a great perspective on just how big this work is! In a different light this is what social justice week is all about: it is about difficult steps and community.