Just Speak!

Can you believe it? August is almost here again, which means a new cohort of Volunteers are coming in just two months! 

This year’s Just Speak! portion of our 2018 National Orientation is open for anyone to attend. Just Speak! is a chance for church and community leaders to encourage, inspire and challenge our incoming Volunteers as they start their year seeking peace with justice. This year’s Just Speak! will be held on Saturday, August 11th at 4:30 PM at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, followed by dinner.

One of our favorite Just Speak! speakers is coming back this year – Jonathan “Pastah J” Brooks serves as Senior Pastor at Canaan Community Church in West Englewood and has taught elementary education and arts in inner city Chicago for over a decade.  As a firm believer in investing in the community you grew up in, Jonathan has a deep desire to impress this virtue on the students and young people in his congregation, classroom and community. Jonathan is married to Miche’al Newman-Brooks and has two beautiful daughters Jasmine and Jade, they reside in West Englewood a few blocks away from the church campus. We are excited to hear from Jonathan in August!

We are blessed to have Andrea Sawyer-Kirksey joining us this year for Just Speak! as well. Andrea was recently named the Executive Director of DOOR in Denver, CO. Andrea had been serving as the Interim Executive Director since August 2017. Before moving into the Executive Director role, Andrea served as the Chicago City Director for DOOR, bringing her experience as an educator, justice advocate, and program development professional. She has created curriculum for youth through undergrad and graduate levels dealing with issues of justice, inequality, racism, and poverty. DOOR is a faith-based network of cities that provides opportunities for service, learning, and leadership development within the urban context. DOOR is an opportunity to encounter the city through the eyes, ears, and heart of God. To learn more about DOOR and Andrea’s work, visit www.doornetwork.org.

If you’d like to stay for dinner, please RSVP to Erika Dornfeld at midwest.chi.mil@lutheranvolunteercorps.org by August 3rd, 2018.