ESTHER's Story

The beginning of our organization.

ESTHER held its founding Covenanting Event on November 7th, 2004, with six congregations. Prior to our covenanting, gatherings of interested religious and lay leaders were held since May, 2002.

ESTHER is an interfaith social-justice organization. We are grassroots and non-profit, focussing our work in the Fox Valley region in Wisconsin.

ESTHER aims to bring together people of faith and communities of faith to build community and to identify and act on issues of injustice. Faith communities covenanting with ESTHER are united based on shared values such as equality and human dignity. We work with congregations and individuals in collaboration with community partners and public officials so all have a voice and role in bringing about strong and just communities.

We seek to:

Bring healing and unity as an interfaith community that reaches beyond the divisions of race, creed, and socio-economic status
Build solid relationships with one another and with community leaders
Identify and address root causes of poverty, oppression, and injustice
Be agents of change that unite the community and spread a message of hope,
Work at local, state, and national levels to promote justice
Empower people to overcome injustices and respond to the social-justice concerns of people in the communities of the Fox Valley

ESTHER is an affiliate of WISDOM, the Wisconsin affiliate of GAMALIEL.

Executive Officers of ESTHER

Sara Companik, Acting President

Kathleen Gribble, Treasurer

Penny Robinson, Secretary

Religious Leaders Caucus of ESTHER

Our faiths tell us to seek peace and justice for all God’s children. We build community as we join together to support each other, to encourage each other, and to walk with each other in seeking justice for all.

We are comprised of clergy and professional staff of faith communities that belong to ESTHER. We bring together diverse histories of faith traditions seeking to demonstrate unity and build on those values that unite us in community. The Religious Leaders Caucus is the vision bearer for the organization and works to shape and forward the vision of ESTHER. It does so by reflecting on injustices and community needs and makes recommendations to the ESTHER Board for new issues and injustices that call for action.

New leaders are welcome to attend our monthly luncheon. The Religious Leaders Caucus of ESTHER meets the third Thursday of each month at Noon over lunch. Meeting location roatates with a different host congregation each month. For information on the next location for our luncheon, call us at 920-216-0891.