Recognizing the Genocide in Gaza: MFSA Joins Call for Accountability

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib recently introduced H.Res. 876, a resolution formally recognizing that the Israeli government has committed genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza and urging the United States to meet its legal obligations under the Genocide Convention. Joined by 20 co-sponsors, the resolution details more than two years of mass killing, forced starvation, and widespread devastation confirmed by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, and leading human rights organizations—including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Doctors Without Borders, and Palestinian human rights partners. The resolution calls for concrete U.S. action: ending arms transfers, investigating and prosecuting individuals and corporations complicit in genocide, complying with international court orders, and enacting targeted sanctions.

The Methodist Federation for Social Action is among more than 100 endorsing organizations supporting this historic effort. As a faith movement committed to the sacred worth of all people, we believe naming truth is the first step toward justice. This resolution is a vital response to decades of impunity and the United States’ continued material support for the Israeli military. We stand with Congresswoman Tlaib, the co-sponsors, and the many community, faith, legal, and human rights organizations demanding accountability, protection for Palestinian lives, and an end to U.S. complicity. Justice must be pursued, international law must be honored, and the work to end genocide—wherever it takes place—must engage all of us.

Rooted in Peace: Understanding Nonviolent Direct Action Through the Lens of Faith

By Camille Bianca Manangan

When I first heard about Nonviolent Direct Action (NVDA), I thought it was just a peaceful way to protest, a strategy to fight injustice without using violence. But after attending a NVDA training, I realized it is much more than that. NVDA is not only a method; it is a way of life. It shapes how we think, act, and respond to the world. It’s about standing for justice with love, choosing peace even in the face of conflict, and believing that change can happen without causing harm.

Coming from another country, I used to think of advocacy as something loud and confrontational. But the NVDA training helped me see peace differently, not as silence or weakness, but as power under control. It reminded me of what John Wesley and the United Methodist Church teach: faith must be active in love. Doing no harm, doing good, and staying in love with God are not just moral reminders, they are a lifestyle.

The call from Micah 6:8 also spoke to me during this time: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God?” NVDA helps us live out this verse. To do justice means standing up for what is right. To love kindness means treating others with compassion, even when we disagree. To walk humbly means letting God guide our hearts and actions. Nonviolence is the bridge that connects these three: it turns faith into action that restores, not destroys.

Peaceful protest, advocacy, and education are all parts of this work. Peaceful protest shows that courage doesn’t need to be violent. Advocacy turns our words and beliefs into movement. Education opens our eyes and helps us understand why injustice happens and how we can change it. When these three come together, they become powerful tools for transformation. NVDA becomes not only a way to resist oppression but also a key tool for achieving real and lasting change.

Solidarity is another lesson that deeply touched me. To be in solidarity is to stand with others, not just for them. It means walking beside those who are hurting, listening to their stories, and sharing their struggles. It means realizing that justice cannot be selective, if one group suffers, all of us are called to respond.

The heart of resistance is the hunger for change, the deep desire to make the world more just and compassionate. My hunger pushes us to act with love, not anger. To resist peacefully is to believe that God’s grace is stronger than hate. It is to be the change we long for, even when the world does not change easily.
Through this, I also came to see how peace and justice must be rooted in all the pillars of society, the church, government, education, and community. The church must speak truth and model compassion. The government must protect the dignity and rights of every person. The educational system must teach not only knowledge but empathy and responsibility. The community, where families, neighbors, and organizations belong, must become a space of care, where people feel safe and valued. When these pillars work together in peace and truth, transformation becomes possible.

During the NVDA training, I experienced how simple acts, like listening, empathizing, and learning, could break barriers and build understanding. These are not just skills for activism; they are spiritual practices. They are ways to live our faith daily.

As I continue my journey as a young leader, I want to lead with peace. I want to create spaces where everyone feels seen and respected. The NVDA training reminded me that peace is not separate from faith, it is faith in action. It is how we live Micah 6:8 in real life, through the way we speak, act, and love.

I am also reminded that peace begins within. It starts with how we care for ourselves and others. My prayer as a young leader is to keep walking this path with courage and grace, trusting that each small act of peace brings us closer to the world God desires.

Thus, NVDA is love in motion. It is the heart of Christ living in us: doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God, one peaceful step at a time.

To access and watch these prerecorded Nonviolent Direct Action Training hosted by our partner the Fellowship of Reconciliation 

Recordings (rough and uncut):

Session I:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/fneYL4pe58-z40d4zEhQb9BPyVMS4aQmdXa0GEn-IC_Z0MQE2qxqorUhtvSAP2Zf.CDK3WGNEZQTEuNXs?startTime=1759690865000
Passcode: qP3&sk1M 

Session 2:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/Q5BzoSx7hIRy7iVl1X94YuTBoIlN1yD-D99lBk7L1KUEJ3_492ejiqQgImP2VaRR.xkmT59B1SecgmHpI?startTime=1760295572000
Passcode: 4^zAF82b

Resources with lots of information on a wide range of related topics:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D9xMbgbEfh741hdDDwHU7a9l4hg1nEba7X3dEs4hu44/edit?usp=sharing

A summary of some International efforts to combat Authoritarianism by Dorie Wilsnak with the New England NV Trainers Network:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15FRxTEFOQK7xokVZICuwW5bDLpEx9_9a/view?usp=sharing

Camille Bianca Manangan (she/her/hers) is a dedicated leader in faith, justice, and advocacy. She has served as an intern with the General Board of Church and Society in 2018 and is currently a board member of the General Commission on Archives and History’s Center for LGBTQ+ United Methodist Heritage.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Legal Management from the University of the East – Manila. She served as a Global Mission Fellow in the United Kingdom from 2022-2024. Camille is now continuing her theological studies at Drew Theological School in New Jersey.

Indiana MFSA Officially Recognized as a Chapter

On October 29, 2025, the Methodist Federation for Social Action formally recognized Indiana MFSA as a chapter committed to being a people of faith who work nonviolently to end oppression and injustice in all its intersections while practicing radical hospitality and inclusivity.

The journey toward this milestone began in June during the Indiana Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church, where a group gathered for an informational meeting and made plans to officially charter the chapter in Indianapolis on September 21.

Throughout their organizing process, Indiana MFSA members have already been active in social action—joining protests, advocating for justice, and embodying the spirit of grassroots organizing that continues to grow across the connection.

Stories of Hope and Resistance

The church has long been a place where justice is not only preached but lived out in times of political and social upheaval. However, with the arrival of a new administration intent on rolling back hard-won rights and freedoms, faith communities across the country are refusing to remain silent.

This new section of our newsletter is dedicated to sharing the ways churches are standing firm in their commitment to justice. We're excited to highlight actions and movements within faith communities that resist oppression, embody radical hospitality, and insist on a future where love, dignity, and equity prevail.

Whether through direct advocacy, sanctuary efforts, mutual aid, or prophetic witness, these faith communities remind us that another world is possible—and we are called to help create it. If your church is engaged in work that challenges injustice and fosters hope—especially through acts of subversion and resistance against oppressive policies—we want to hear from you.

Here are some stories of hope and resistance:

The Christian Activists Supporting a Conversion Therapy Ban

By Emma Cieslik | Sojourners

The Supreme Court seems likely to overrule a law banning conversion therapy for minors, horrifying queer faith leaders and their allies after years of fighting to protect queer children.

Colorado’s minor conversion therapy law prohibits state-licensed mental health workers from seeking to change a minor's sexual orientation or gender identity, including attempts to reduce or eliminate same-sex attraction or change “behaviors or gender expressions.” Violations are punishable by a fine of up to $5,000. The petitioner Kaley Chiles is a Christian counselor who argues that the law violates her First Amendment right to free speech by censoring what can be discussed with consent in therapy sessions.

Cross-cultural, cross-racial pastors seek revival

By Jim Patterson | UM News

The Rev. Hungsu Lim remembers a congregant reacting badly to the suggestion that he mentor a younger church member to take a leadership role in the church, and eventually replace him.

“He actually started screaming at me, ‘You are not my pastor! I will leave this church unless you leave!’”

Lim is a Korean American pastor at St. John’s United Methodist Church in Buena Vista, Virginia. The incident happened at a previous appointment.

In the end, both the church member and Lim moved on.

That’s the way cross-racial and cross-cultural appointments go sometimes in The United Methodist Church. Weariness and stress were oft-repeated complaints by the clergy who gathered at Facing the Future 2025, held Oct.7-9 in Los Angeles. So were frustration at racism, hostility and disinterest.

Lighting the Candle of Peace, Hope, and Justice

As we navigate the realities of this new administration, justice-seeking congregations across the country are standing in solidarity with those targeted by oppressive policies. We've seen churches respond by incorporating the Candle of Peace, Hope, and Justice into their worship services, lifting up prayers and commitments to resist injustice.

Inspired by the Central Methodist Mission in Johannesburg, which lit a candle encircled in barbed wire during the struggle against apartheid, Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol of Mount Vernon Place UMC in Washington, D.C., is one of the pastors who has reintroduced this practice. Rev. Andy Oliver of Allendale UMC in St. Petersburg, Florida, is another. Now, more than 50 congregations—including several MFSA-aligned churches—have joined this movement, lighting a candle each week and naming those suffering under policies of cruelty and exclusion.

Recently, churches have lit the candle:
🕯️ For migrants—asylum seekers facing deportation, undocumented families living in fear, and faith leaders offering sanctuary.
🕯️ For federal workers—those losing their jobs, living in uncertainty, or suffering retaliation for speaking out.
🕯️ For USAID—millions impacted by halted humanitarian aid, from hungry children to struggling farmers.
🕯️ For the National Institutes of Health—patients, researchers, and those dependent on lifesaving medical advancements.
🕯️ For the conflict in Ukraine—those enduring war, Russian dissidents, and leaders seeking true peace.
🕯️ For the judicial branch—judges facing threats, courts upholding the rule of law, and those caught in legal battles over justice.
🕯️ For institutions of higher education and students—scholars facing retaliation, lost funding, and threats to free expression.

Each time the candle is lit, congregations proclaim that the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never overcome the light.

You can access the liturgy below. This document will be updated weekly, with liturgy uplifting a new group targeted by this administration.

In this moment, as faith communities, we must recommit to resisting evil, injustice, and oppression in all its forms. Together, we will continue to bear witness, proclaim justice, and keep the light shining.

"We Believe" MFSA T-Shirt and Yard Sign

We recently launched a new t-shirt design. Boldly affirm your faith-rooted commitment to justice. Featuring core convictions from our movement, this shirt lifts up the truths we live by as Justice-Seekers.

We also just launched a new yard flag, based on our popular t-shirt design! Place this fabric sign in front of your church or home to share these Justice-Seeking truths.

Since 1907 the Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) has been mobilizing clergy and laity to speak out and take action on the pressing issues of our time. Your support makes this work possible.

Becoming a member of MFSA means making a financial contribution to MFSA and joining other activists who care about issues of justice and peace and actively work to make a difference.

As a fully donation and member-supported organization, MFSA depends on people like you to sustain our prophetic witness for justice in The United Methodist Church and beyond. When you become a member, you’re not only supporting national and international efforts — 20% of your contribution goes directly to your local MFSA Chapter/Regional Community. If there’s no chapter near you, that portion helps seed and grow new MFSA communities.

In a time when the call for justice in our Church and our world is more urgent than ever, MFSA continues to organize, advocate, and witness boldly.  Supporting LGBTQIA+ inclusion in The United Methodist Church; raising awareness and building solidarity with Palestine; resisting anti-trans and anti-abortion legislation and advocating for racial, disability, economic, and climate justice, we remain committed to prophetic action grounded in faith.

We invite you to join or renew your membership today. Your support sustains our work, fuels our organizing, and strengthens our collective voice.

Racial Audit Implementation Team Update

Call Your Representatives and Demand Accountability

We are reminded that respect for the office does not mean silence in the face of harm. Our democracy is under threat, and our most vulnerable communities are at risk. Now is the time to speak up—call your representatives and demand accountability.

MFSA is now on Bluesky

We've noticed many of our friends and partners making the move to this platform, and we're thrilled to join the conversation there. Stay connected with us for updates, advocacy, and conversations that matter.

Connect with us @mfsavoices.org