In this Joespeak Podcast, we are joined by Pastor Sam Casey, the pastor of New Life Christian Church and Executive Director of Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement, a 501(c)3 faith-based organization. Pastor Sam talks about the convergence of his roles as pastor and community organizer over more than two decades, and explains how he approaches his advocacy for issues in communities of color. He makes clear that churches must be involved in justice issues to be true to their fundamental spiritual mission. He lets us know how the playing field changed with COVID-19 in both the church and the larger community, and how his organization is partnering with public and private entities to sound the alarm on available resources and deal with long held community distrust. Finally, Pastor Casey talks about why he remains optimistic and casts a wide net to encourage involvement of everyone, spiritually inclined and otherwise-- in today’s fight for justice.