Anglican Legal Aid & Reconciliation (ALAR)
Grant Amount Needed: $8,625
By supporting this project, not only will you be helping launch ALAR legal services, you will also be helping build a scaleable ministry model that can be replicated across the ACNA.Project Overview
Located along the US-Mexico border in the Rio Grande Valley, ALAR reaches a doubly vulnerable population of criminal defendants, delinquent juveniles, and broken families on the border. ALAR provides theologically-informed legal services to these populations, loving and serving their neighbors whose futures are in the hands of the courts in the grace and truth of Jesus Christ.
The M25i Grant and matching funds will support an Anglican presbyter/attorney by enabling him to bring on the necessary paralegal assistance to establish ALAR. Funds will go directly to funding a part-time paralegal (6-8 hours/week) and a fellowship opportunity for local university students.
Project Impact
ALAR will be a ministry of Christ Church of the Rio Grande Valley, an Anglican church plant in Mission, TX. Legal services will not be free unless a defendant qualifies in the courts as an indigent defendant. However, all legal services will be quoted at a greatly reduced fee than market value. In turn, ALAR will invite defendants, juveniles, and their families to join in fellowship at the church’s Saturday evening dinners and Communion services. The clients will be encouraged to take advantage of spiritual direction provided by another Anglican priest.
As a defense-oriented ministry, ALAR seeks to counterbalance the prosecutor’s motto: “Do Justice,” with the other two clauses of Micah 6:8—mercy and humility.