It is with admiration and support that the Center for Leadership and Justice says goodbye to Rev. Isaac Lawson. Four years ago Isaac was hired to fill a joint role at CLJ and Immanuel Congregational Church. The partnership was a new but Isaac wove his time seamlessly as he cared for, trained and communicated with community leaders. We wish him well as he begins his new job with the United Church of Christ Conference.
Dear Friends of CLJ,
I have written this letter to inform you that after much discernment and prayer, I have accepted an offer to serve as the South Central Area Conference Minister for the Southern New England Conference starting in October 2021. While I am excited about this opportunity to grow and do ministry at the conference level, I will deeply miss my CLJ family.
I started my joint role with CLJ and Immanuel in 2017, trusting that God had sent me exactly where I needed to be. I wanted to learn how ministers and people of faith could turn our rhetoric about the love and justice of God into ACTION! However, I was not prepared for how the No More Slumlords Campaign would change my life. I saw the power of God and the Holy Spirit move in bold ways that actualized concrete justice and transformative outcomes for real people, primarily mothers and children.
At CLJ, I’ve witnessed people of various faith traditions organize together to rid the city of career slumlords, pass strong clean slate legislation, pass legislation to declare and respond to racism as a public health crisis, and repeal injurious welfare liens in our state … and that isn’t even the whole of it. -Isaac
We are grateful that our ongoing relationship with the UCC will allow for continued work with Isaac.
