(Press release)

August 13, 2010: On Sunday, September 12th, Christ Lutheran Church, located at 3101 MacArthur Drive in Waco, will host a B-B-Q dinner, with optional take-out, to benefit the programs of Lutheran Ministries and Social Services of Waco, the local Waco non-profit best known for its Legal Assistance Project.

The dinner will be served starting at 10:30am and will end at 2pm.

Plates are priced as follows: 3-meat $10, 2-meat $9, and 1-meat $8. Each plate will come with two sides and a roll, with your choice of brisket, chicken, and/or sausage.

Lutheran Ministries and Social Services of Waco is dedicated to bringing hope and peace of mind -- to those in our community too poor to afford the services of an attorney for a civil legal issue -- by providing access to justice with compassion.

Our emphasis is on doing Gods work as we are instructed to do in Micah 6:8, what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Texas ranks 43rd in the nation in its funding for civil legal services to the poor and only two out of every seven or eight income eligible applicants is able to be served by a government funded legal aid organization.

There is no attorney representation provided for by the state of Texas in CPS cases where the parents rights are not being terminated, but are restricted only, such as through supervised visits.

Relative caregivers must find legal help on their own for these types of cases.

Private attorneys typically charge a retainer of $1,500-3,000 for this type of family law case, an amount which is unrealistic for persons living at the 200% of poverty line or below.

There are three programs which will benefit from this fundraiser: the "Legal Assistance Project", an assisted pro se civil legal aid clinic for self-representing litigants in family law matters; "Seniors Count", legal educational forums for seniors and caregivers on end-of-life decision-making and advance care health planning; and a new program, "Families In Transition", which will provide additional social services support to families served by the Legal Assistance Project who are involved in a CPS mandated child custody case.