Social Justice Ministry

Our Sanctuary ministry began in the midst of Central American civil wars in the 1980s. As our own government was supporting the dictatorships that were creating exiles, University Church opened its doors to civilians whose lives were threatened. Out of this grew our Guatemala Partnership, which continues to this day, and since 2016 we’ve made […]

This year’s delegation traveled to Guatemala from May 2-11, 2019. Here are reflections from the trip. Comfortably Uncomfortable by Sarah Jones A few years ago, I started attending a treadmill class at my gym.  Although I had been running for years, this was the first time that I had an instructor who could critique my […]

        THE CONCERN One of the most important developments in several decades is the Obama Presidential Center coming to the Southeast side of Chicago.The Obama Foundation’s ambitious plans to be “more than a library” should, for good reason, generate excitement among residents, business owners, and civic/city leaders. It should also, for good […]

On-the-road reflections from Guatemala, April 27-May 6.

The Guatemala Delegation departed for SaqJa on April 14 and will return on April 23, 2016. We will be blogging on this page as we did last year. Stay tuned for regular updates! (Photo at left is the 2015 delegation.) NOTE: This blog will be continuous, with the most current entry following the previous one […]

Rev. Julian DeShazier, Pastor of University Church will appear on the Chicago Sunday Evening Club documentary, Violence in Chicago: Responding in Faith. The documentary highlights the city-wide cost of violence for all the citizens of Chicago – the damage done not only by bullets but by feelings of fear and hopelessness that stretch from the […]

April 24, 2015 We are on our way home – Reflection by Sharon Our group of 7 has had a great time together this week, but all good times must come to an end. Dan Dale left yesterday and Sara and Andy are leaving today for Xela to attend the wedding of Omar and Allison, Barb […]

April 25, 2015 7:00-9:00 PM at Wellington Avenue Church. Support organizations in their immigrant rights work all while enjoying great food, fantastic music, and the best people in Chicago! Don’t miss the 7th Annual El Pueblo Canta Concert!  Free parking passes available if you act quickly.  Find out more information here.

May 6, 2015 from 7-9 PM…Consider it, Confer, and Speak Up! is a presentation that explores methods of conversation about the difficult topics of sexuality and sexual violence via theatrical expressions as a tool to mobilize individuals to action. Artists will present an exhibition of survivor’s clothing along with their stories. Themes of violence against women, […]

On Friday, April 10th from 6:00-9:00 pm at University Church, CRLN will be hosting a viewing of the film Afraid of Dark followed by a panel discussion. This film is an official selection of the (In)Justice for All Film Fest, sponsored by the Next Movement of Trinity United Church of Christ.   Afraid of Dark […]