ANGLICAN
LEGAL AID & RECONCILIATION

We are a faith-based, nonprofit legal clinic that ministers reconciliation by

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• listening to and respecting the accused;

• telling the stories of the innocent and guilty alike;

• helping offenders make restitution;

• supporting victims and offenders to find wholeness;

• mediating conversations between spouses;

• connecting juvenile clients with mentoring and tutoring;

• injecting mercy and humility into the justice system one case at a time; and

• multiplying our efforts by training tomorrow’s ministers of justice and reconciliation.

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We partner with local churches that have proven commitments to proclaiming the Gospel, duly administering the sacraments of the Church, and providing friendship and non-judgmental worship spaces to the clientele we serve.

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We are headquartered at Christ Church of the Rio Grande Valley, an Anglican church in formation that offers radical hospitality to our Hidalgo County clients and their friends and families through its Saturday Holy Communion services, dinners, and fellowship events.

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LEGAL DISCLAIMER: ALAR is incorporated as a legal entity separate and apart from any Anglican province, diocese, or church. ALAR has its own board of directors that does not report to any boards or officials of any Anglican province, diocese, or local congregation. While the Vicar and Executive Director of ALAR is under canonical authority as a priest with respect to parish ministry, neither his bishop nor any leaders of his diocese have any legal authority over ALAR, nor can they legally direct his actions as a licensed attorney. Thus, any person or organization retaining ALAR for legal services must disclaim liability against any and all Anglican entities or officials that are not themselves agents of ALAR itself.

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STATEMENT OF CHARITABLE PURPOSE: Anglican Legal Aid & Reconciliation (ALAR) shall operate as a religious, not-for-profit organization. ALAR is a faith-based ministry that seeks to serve “the least” of our brothers and sisters, as commanded by Jesus Christ in Matthew 25, and the community at large. We are ministers of reconciliation (II Corinthians 5) whenever our clients’ legal issues are intertwined with interpersonal conflict, be it within a single family or between neighbors. We relieve the poor and distressed by connecting our clients to other services, and by providing low-cost legal aid to those just short of qualifying for court-appointed representation. By speaking grace and truth into the lives of our clients and their families, including at-risk juveniles, we address the root causes of family and community deterioration. Therefore, in accordance with federal definitions regarding 501(c)(3) organizations, ALAR has both a religious and charitable character that serves to lessen the burdens of government; lessen neighborhood tensions; combat community deterioration and juvenile delinquency; promote strong families; and defend the dignity, worth, and civil rights of all clients throughout the term of their legal representation. ALAR may engage in other activities aligned with this statement and the vision and mission statement of the organization, so long as said activities are lawful and permissible for tax-exempt non-profit organizations under state and federal law.