Doris Knight, wife of former Pastor Norm Knight who was our UMCMV pastor in the early 2000’s, will be honored as the developer and first “director” of Iowa’s Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON) at a special ceremony October 6 in Cedar Rapids.

     The ceremony will take place at the very first “JFON Leadership Achievement” Awards Ceremony and reception at Coe College’s Clarke Alumni Center on Saturday, October 6, from 11:30-2:00.

     Doris led the beginning of the Iowa JFON Methodist free legal clinics for immigrants and refugees for fifteen years until she retired a few years ago.  She devoted herself to the development of this ministry in Iowa, without pay, and aligned it with the already established National Justice for Our Neighbors Methodist ministry.

     Special speaker during the ceremony will be Deepa Iyer, lawyer, scholar and writer from The Center for Social Inclusion where she provides analysis and research on equity and solidarity in America’s changing racial landscape.  She herself immigrated from India when she was twelve years old.  Her groundbreaking book, We Too Sing America, was selected by the American Librarians Association to be one of the top ten multicultural nonfiction books of 2016.  She was also a trial attorney for the U. S. Department of Justice.

     Attendance at this event will be through a free will offering for the Iowa Justice for Our Neighbors ministry.  For more information, contact Kay Graber at 535-1085.