Dear Friends of ESTHER,
We have worked faithfully and diligently over this past year. Let’s take a step back and look at what happens when faith communities come together to build a community reflective of shared values within our faith traditions.
- We worked on treatment instead of prison. Outagamie County now has a drug court that works with nonviolent drug offenders to rehabilitate their lives, keep families together, and keep persons out of costly incarceration.
- We worked on education. All residents graduating from Wisconsin high schools are now eligible for in-state tuition rates in our state technical colleges and universities.
- We worked to have affordable and accessible health care. This work continues at both the state and national level.
- We worked to diminish predatory payday lending. Together with WISDOM affiliates across the state we have called for a cap on the over 500% interest rates charged by payday and title loan companies in our communities.
Meanwhile, a small number of people with loud voices are attempting to define our work in a way that does not reflect what we do. These voices are aimed at disrupting our good work and the abilities of our faith communities to live out their faith through work in the area of social justice. ESTHER will go on. We will work with member congregations and individuals in collaboration with community partners and public officials to have a powerful role in the community that will evoke positive and lasting change.
We continue to seek dialogue with Bishop Ricken, who applauds the work of ESTHER and JOSHUA and states, “This good work must continue.” We strive to share accurate information regarding the principles of the Gamaliel Foundation with the Bishop and how those principles are consistent with the tenets of Catholic Social Teaching. We have always had a positive working relationship with the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay and work to sustain our relationships with our Catholic brothers and sisters.
As a faith-based organization of Protestants, Catholics, Muslims and Unitarian Universalists, with the shared values of equality and social justice, we are stronger and more effective when we work together toward shared goals. We continue our work to bring inequities to light and persist in seeking justice and the common good throughout the greater Fox Valley.
Sincerely,
Maynard Beemer, Rev. Joel Schlachtenhaufen
President of ESTHER Religious Leaders Caucus Co-Chair
