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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.

This year, we have witnessed countless challenges and uncertainties, but it is in times like these that the work of the Methodist Federation for Social Action becomes even more critical. We remain steadfast in our commitment to promoting justice, equity, and inclusivity, guided by the principles of love, compassion, and social responsibility. We continue to work tirelessly to address issues of racism, inequality, discrimination, and more, in accordance with our United Methodist values. We still have more work to do and we need your help to work toward our goals in 2024. With your help, we can:

1. Support the Racial Audit Implementation Team to implement recommendations of the Racial Audit and dismantle and interrupt white supremacy within MFSA and the church at all levels.
2. Pass Justice-Seeking legislation and advocate for policies and changes that reflect our commitment to justice and inclusivity. The postponed 2020 General Conference will be held in Charlotte, NC in 2024 and in coalition with the Love Your Neighbor Coalition (LYNC), Justice-Seeking United Methodists, and Central Conference allies we are working to pass Justice-Seeking legislation that supports Regionalization and the decolonization of our church, the Revised Social Principles, the Removal of the discriminatory language against our LGBTQ+ siblings, protection of Palestinian children and families, divestment from fossil fuels, and  support of our Racial-Ethnic Caucus groups and ministries.
3. Engage in more advocacy efforts, both within and outside the church, to protect our democratic process, and rights to free and fair elections, bodily autonomy, free speech, safe workplaces, living wages, clean air and water, equity, and justice.
4. Resource our movement to be a more powerful voice of conscience in imagining what the United Methodist Church will be in the future, and advocating for more voices to be present at the table.

As the year comes to an end, we ask for your support to help us sustain and expand these vital organizing efforts. We believe that together, we can create a more just and compassionate church and  world. Your support is invaluable in this endeavor.

We are so grateful for your enduring support and belief in the power of collective commitment to social justice. Your partnership is not just a donation; it’s a shared dream of a world reverberating with justice, love, and equity.

May this holiday season bring you joy and warmth, and may the coming year be filled with hope and justice. Thank you for standing with us as we work to fulfill our mission and bring about meaningful change in our church and world.                                                                                 

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.

Pat Stewart and Rev. Andy Oliver (Board Co-Presidents) 
Bridget Cabrera (Executive Director)
Methodist Federation for Social Action 

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. Support the Paycheck Fairness Act and protect workers from pay discrimination.

3. Protect Native Families in your state by pressing your state legislature to pass a statewide Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) law.

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

5. Mandatory minimum sentences restrict the ability of the courts to show meralcy and compassion to those accused of crimes. They lead to mass incarceration and are often used for drug offenses instead of other avenues that may be more successful like treatment. Learn more and pusled h for more just practices in your state.

6. 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.

7. Stand against LGBTI Criminalization in Russia.

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

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

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.