World Concerns, Advocacy, & Community Organizations

A PUBLICLY-ENGAGED CHURCH

The Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church Commuity is a publicly engaged church that rolls up our sleeves and gets to work. We do God’s work in the world, the work of restoring and reconciling communities. We pursue justice and seek peace no matter how long the journey or wide the chasm. Because we are grounded in God’s love and forgiveness, we are well equipped to live and serve here and now, in the world, with all its complexities, tensions and ambiguities.

There is no aspect of life in which God is not active, no place where God is not present. And this is exactly where we are called to participate in God’s work, in the thick of life, embracing individuals, families and communities that are hungry for hope and healing, justice and peace, advocates and partners.

Our faith and our call to boldly serve and love our neighbor take us into some interesting and challenging aspects of life: advocacy, corporate social responsibility, racial justice, science and ethics, peacemaking, justice for women, social issues, and community organizing. We are drawn into every corner of life, society and its institutions to bring the good news of Jesus Christ and to work for lasting, positive change that upholds human dignity. You have a place in the ELCA and an important role in God’s work in the world — find ways here to get connected to a community of faith and the work of our publicly engaged church.

(Click on any logo below to open that organization's website in a new tab.)

JUSTICE, PEACE, AND CHANGE IN THE WORLD

ZELC has a long history of working to help and serve where the needs are greatest throughout the world. Participating in this work that God calls us to in the world compels us to be attentive to complex and changing situations, as well as to the importance of both immediate relief and ongoing, long-term assistance for our sisters and brothers and the communities in which they live.

Our work is pursued and accomplished through a variety of bold, active ministries and initiatives. Each effort strives for justice, peace and change in the world, and draws its strength and effectiveness from working in partnership with others who share a common vision of serving and loving our neighbor and restoring and reconciling communities in Jesus Christ’s name.

CARING FOR CREATION

We are called by God to "keep the earth" (Genesis 2:15).

Why should you and I care about the earth? The ZELC Community believes that we should care about the rest of creation because that is our job—this is why God creates us. The Bible tells us that caring for creation is a matter of justice and a deeply spiritual matter. Humans, in service to God, have special roles on behalf of the whole of creation. Made in the image of God, we are called to care for the earth as God cares for the earth.”

ZELC supports the “Caring for Creation” social statement that expresses a call to pursue justice for creation through active participation, solidarity, sufficiency and sustainability. ZELC is committed to pursuing wholeness for creation through individual and community action, worship, learning, moral deliberation and advocacy.

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

(Click on any logo below to open that organization's website in a new tab.)

Volunteers of America & Maud's Cafe

The ZELC Community works directly with the Volunteers of America Utah in support of the Homeless Youth Resource Center, which delivers a continuum of services to homeless street youth through three components:

Street Outreach Program
Drop-in Center
Transition Home

Maud’s Café is a newly-built coffee shop that will offer an 8-12 week employment training program for the youth from Volunteers of America, Utah’s Homeless Youth Resource Center, Young Men’s and Women’s Transition Homes. Patrons of Maud’s will be supporting the Wasatch Front economy by purchasing quality, locally-produced goods. Join us in giving homeless youth the opportunity to contribute to our community, as they stabilize their lives and work toward self-sufficiency.

VOA Never Give Up from Volunteers of America, Utah on Vimeo.

Crossroads Urban Center

Crossroads Urban Center helps low-income people in Salt Lake City and throughout Utah. They operate one of the busiest emergency food pantries in the state, and a free/low-cost thrift store. Beyond direct service, they also address the root causes of poverty through community organizing and advocacy. Crossroads has various programs to help low-income people:

Luisa E. Lema Emergency Food Pantry
Thrift Store
Anti-Hunger Action Committee
Coalition of Religious Communities
Community Housing Advocacy Project
Utah Poverty Partnership
Sarah House Utah

Zion serves Crossroads Urban Center by accepting donations for clothing, food, and appliances -- there's a blue receptacle under the stairs outside the sanctuary.

Zion also participates in Crossroads's Coalition of Religious Communities (CORC) to fight for social justice and to eliminate poverty.

Primary Children's Hospital

Volunteers from Zion regularly provide a dinner meal for families of patients at Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital. Pastor Steve also visits the center to provide pastoral support and care to families and patients, especially when the families are from out-of-state and do not have much of a support network here in Utah.

Reconciling Works

Since 1974, ReconcilingWorks: Lutherans for Full Participation has advocated for the full welcome, inclusion, and equity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Lutherans in all aspects of the life of their Church, congregations, and community.

The ZELC congregation are Lutherans working with the recognition that racism, sexism, ageism, able-ism, heterosexism, homophobia — and all the other artificial distinctions that seek to raise one group into privilege and preference over another — conspire together to diminish our world and church.

We are a Reconciling in Christ Congregation! All people are welcome here!

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service resettles refugees, reunites families, and rekindles dreams.

Their mission is by witnessing to God’s love for all people, they stand with and advocate for migrants and refugees, transforming communities through ministries of service and justice. For over 70 years Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service has led a ministry of welcome to America’s most vulnerable newcomers.

Good Samaritan

The Good Samaritan Program, founded in 1987, provides assistance to the poor and needy of our community 365 days of the year. Working from the Good Samaratin House on the northwest corner of South Temple and C Street, volunteers provide thousands of sack lunches and other resources each month. The program functions under the direction of The Very Reverend Martin Diaz, Rector of The Cathedral of the Madeleine. The Good Samaritan Program relies on the generous support of its benefactors and the many volunteers who staff the program's services.

Zion youth conduct service projects benefit the Good Samaritan program.

St. Paul's Food Pantry

Zion youth conduct service projects benefit the food pantry at St. Paul's.

The LGBTQ-Affirmative Psychotherapist Guild of Utah

The LGBTQ Therapists Guild website offers support and resources for Utah Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Same-Sex attracted individuals and their allies. The Guild provides networking opportunities, CEU credit classes, outreach, maintains a calendar of events, and provides an online directory of LGBTQ friendly therapists for the general public.

Family Promise

Zion helps support Family Promise by supplementing volunteers at other area churches, to help provide meals, etc.