ABSTRACT
Reverend Dawn Carder, a Presbyterian minister from Mankato, led the charge on a sunny March morning in 2010: “Let’s walk!” And with that, the small contingent from Minnesota senate district 23 set out to walk the 1.5 miles from the convention center to the state capitol building to meet with their representatives. 1 A longtime participant in Joint Religious Legislative Coalition (JRLC) events, Carder views her work with the organization as a way to live out the call of her favorite Bible verse, Matthew 25: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” 2 Though Carder participates regularly in JRLC events, contacts her representatives when asked to by the group, and even organized a JRLC event at her church, she is not an official member of the JRLC.
