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Dear Justice-Seeker,

This issue of MFSAVoices is jam-packed with resources and information. So much so that it won't all fit in your email message so be sure to click view entire message at the bottom of this email to view the entire issue. Our newsletters are designed to be used all month long. So take a quick glance and take note of important dates to add to your calendar but also come back in the following weeks to work your way through the action items.  

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We continue to see the urgency of our work to make broad systemic change. Change that honors the dignity and worth of all people, puts people over money, and honors the earth and all her inhabitants. Since 1907, MFSA has been shining a light on injustice and organizing to change it.  

You make our collective work possible by your witness for justice every day in your church, community, and Annual Conference. MFSA does not receive any financial support from the United Methodist Church's giving channels. 100% of our budget is funded through your membership dues and your generosity in giving.

There are 76 days until General Conference

Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) believes in the connection of the United Methodist Church and is committed to working toward a more justice-filled, inclusive, and equitable denomination at the upcoming General Conference. We will be working in coalition across our denomination to move our legislative priorities forward. Want to learn more please participate in a any and all of the webinars listed below.

The Fierce Urgency of Now: Legislation for the United Methodist General Conference 2024

We call on The United Methodist Church to SPEAK and ACT NOW for human rights, freedom, and a just peace in the Holy Land.

This April, the United Methodist Church will gather for its signature quadrennial event, and 862 delegates from around the world will gather in Charlotte, North Carolina for the UMC General Conference of 2024.

Among the 1000+ pieces of legislation submitted, UMKR and justice partners in the church are advancing a legislative slate with eight important petitions.

There has never been a more crucial moment for Christians to speak and act with courage and compassion for the people of Palestine and Israel. As an international institution, one of the world's largest churches, we are genuinely capable of making an impact.

So many United Methodists are horrified by the devastation we are seeing today in the Holy Land, and we are urgently seeking avenues to become part of the solution.

That is what UMKR's legislation provides.
• UPHOLDING the UMC's historic opposition to colonization of occupied Palestinian territory,
• AVOIDING profits from illegal occupations and the immense suffering they cause,
• PROTECTING children's human rights and ENDING military abuse of Palestinian children,
• DEFENDING our right to challenge injustice with economic action, and more!

Learn WHAT these resolutions propose, WHY Palestinians Christians are calling to us for these actions, and HOW each can be meaningful action for real and lasting solutions in Israel/Palestine.

UMKR and MFSA invite you join us for a different kind of webinar, that comes around once in a quadrennium: a briefing on Palestine-related justice legislation for the UMC General Conference, presented by a diverse panel of experts on these issues.

General Conference Webinar
Feb 24, 2024 9:30am-3:30pm PT

Presentations and discussion of the crucial issues coming to
The UMC General Conference in April-May 2024

February 24, 2024
9:30 AM to 3:30 PM  •  Lunch will be served

Holman United Methodist Church
3320 W Adams Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90018
AND
Gathering on Zoom

REGISTRATION:
 Registration link to come  
$30 in person, includes lunch
$5 online

  REGIONALIZATION LEGISLATION
  Decolonizing our church
  Presented by Rev. Izzy Alvaran
  Convener, The Christmas Covenant Team;
  Member, Philippines Annual Conference



  THE REVISED SOCIAL PRINCIPLES
  Responding to the 21st Century
  Presented by Dr. Mary Elizabeth Moore
  Co-chair, Worldwide Writing Team for Revised Social Principles;  Dean Emeritus,      Boston University School of Theology

Climate Justice and MFSA

Hello, once again. My name is Takundanashe (Taku), and I am a third year Master of Divinity student at Drew Theological School with a focus in social justice advocacy. In September 2023, I started interning at Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) working as the organizing associate. For my internship, I will be organizing an event called the Worldwide Climate Teach In. This is an event that will be conducted in association with Bard College. It is an advocacy event centered around climate justice and environmental sustainability. In the next few MFSAVoices (MFSA newsletters) we will be continuing to highlight climate justice and what we can do to make a bigger impact...

Watch the recording of last week's webinar by UMKR and MFSA. 

Reconciling Ministry Network Releases VBS Curriculum

Reconciling Ministry Network announced the release of JUST Like Me: an innovative and adaptable, multigenerational Vacation Bible School (VBS) curriculum for congregations and communities of all sizes.

JUST Like Me centers the deep and active faith lives of children and engages the real-world contexts in which children live. Built on theologies of inclusion, this unique curriculum uses First and Second Testament Bible characters to help students build vital social and spiritual skills to support active faith development.

Racial Audit Implementation Team 

In 2017, MFSA committed to becoming an intentionally anti-racist organization. We worked to recruit people of color (POC) to serve on our Board of Directors and staff. At the end of 2019 we continued on our journey towards becoming a more anti-racist organization by forming a Racial Audit Team and partnering with Crossroads Antiracism and Training, a non-profit that focuses on dismantling systemic racism and building anti-racist multicultural diversity within institutions and communities, to conduct a full organizational racial audit. This Racial audit was completed/adopted in Jan 2023 and presented publicly in Feb 2023. In June 2023 the MFSA Board of Directors created the MFSA Racial Audit Implementation Team to implement the recommendations of the Racial Audit. Our goal is to be better structured to perpetuate justice and equity throughout MFSA, our church, and our world.

Now's the Time for Action

Here are a few ways you can seek justice and work for broad systemic change:

1. Call for a ceasefire now 

2. Here is a list of products and services to boycott of companies that are supporting Israel's apartheid of Palestine.

3. Take the pledge to bring racial justice into our education system. From curriculum to student life, there is so much we can do to make schools a safe and equitable place for all children.

4. Support and protect families who face emotional, financial, and legal strains after being forcibly separated at the border.

5. Support studying and developing a system of reparations to make up for our many sins as a nation.

6. Protect public lands in Alaska today.

7. Call for independent oversight to Federal prisons to ensure justice comes first.

8. Demand Congress pass the Equality Act and expand non-discrimination protections for LGBTQIA+ people.

In Case You Missed It

1. Learn how you can support your local public library by reading our article Reading Banned Books as An Act of Resistance.
2. Access the latest recording and resources from MFSA and UMKR's webinar, "Storytelling as Resistance: Palestinian Identity and Resilience in Literature for Young People"
3. Visit the Racial Audit Report page on our website.