We Are Not the First to Resist, But We Must Be the Next

There’s a long line of justice-seekers behind us. People who marched, organized, wrote, prayed, and risked everything—because they believed the world could be different.

More than a century ago, MFSA—then known as the Methodist Federation for Social Service—helped draft the 1907 Social Creed of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It called for child labor laws, safe working conditions, the abolition of sweatshops, and a living wage. Faithful resistance.

In every generation, there have been voices that said “this is too much,” or “now isn’t the time.” Voices that said the church should stay quiet. But time and again, justice has found its way forward because ordinary people refused to stay still.

It was hope and resistance that carried the labor movement, the women’s suffrage movement, and the Civil Rights Movement forward. That same spirit is alive today—where trans people, immigrants, low-wage workers, and so many others are demanding not just survival, but dignity and freedom.

Unfortunately, the attacks against those on the margins are getting louder, bolder, and more vicious. And it feels like it’s spreading.

But so is hope.

Not a vague, feel-good kind of hope—but the kind rooted in action. The kind that says: We’re still here. We’re still fighting. We haven’t given up. That’s the kind of hope MFSA cultivates every day through organizing, resourcing, coalition work, and public witness.

We’re asking you to be part of that hope. Help us keep resisting. Help us keep showing up.

Welcome Camille Bianca Sumera Manangan,
one of our new Organizing Associates

Hello! My name is Camille Bianca Sumera Manangan (Cam) (she/her/hers) and I am excited to be part of MFSA. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Legal Management from the University of the East – Manila. I began my Juris Doctor studies at San Sebastian College Recoletos – College of Law, but was unable to complete the degree because I was called to serve as a Global Mission Fellow in the United Kingdom. I also had the privilege of serving as an intern with the General Board of Church and Society, and I am currently a board member of the General Commission on Archives and History’s Center for LGBTQ+ United Methodist Heritage. These experiences have shaped my passion for faith-based advocacy.

I am currently a student at Drew Theological School, where I am deepening my understanding of faith, theology, and social justice. Having been connected to the United Methodist Church in meaningful ways, I am especially passionate about lifting voices from the margins, particularly around LGBTQ+ inclusion, migration, and cultural identity.

I am grateful to join MFSA and look forward to weaving together faith and justice in powerful ways with this community.

Welcome Connor Prusha,
one of our new Organizing Associates

Hello! My name is Connor Prusha (he/him/his), and I am one of the new Organizing Associates at MFSA. I completed a B.A. in Communication Studies at Baldwin Wallace University and went on to graduate with a Master of Public Administration from Bowling Green State University (OH). I am currently completing my Master of Divinity at Drew Theological School and am a Certified Candidate for Ordained Ministry in the East Ohio Conference. I have a passion for connecting and resourcing United Methodists and local churches through the connectional structures of our church, which I live out by serving as Lead, Philanthropy with United Methodist Communications.

It is a blessing to serve in this capacity alongside the incredible people at MFSA and justice seekers around the denomination! I am a cradle United Methodist, and I have always been appreciative of the ways people of God called Methodists choose to seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. I am excited to collaborate and vision together with chapter leaders, members, and United Methodists everywhere.

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:

Nonviolent Direct Action Training:
Primer in Theory and Practice

Oct 5, 2025 3:00 PM EST & Oct 12, 2025 3:00 PM EST
Both sessions will happen online via Zoom

The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) is offering a free two-part online training on Nonviolent Direct Action, October 5 and 12 at 3 PM EST. Led by experienced trainers Lisa Fithian (Alliance of Community Trainers) and Mary Link (NVDA Training Western MASS Team), the sessions will cover both theory and practice—exploring strategies of noncooperation, de-escalation, peacekeeping, mutual aid, and power-building. Participants will learn how authoritarian systems operate, how communities can organize collectively in response, and how nonviolence can sustain movements for justice. Open to FOR chapters, affiliates, peace fellowships, MFSA & other faith allies, and friends, the training offers practical skills and community support for resisting oppression and building what Dr. King called “the Beloved Community.”

Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) Faith Summit

November 11-13, 2025

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) invites faith leaders from across traditions to gather in Immokalee, Florida, on November 11–13, for three days of connection, reflection, and strategy.

For decades, CIW and consumers of conscience have worked to build a more just food system, uprooting modern-day slavery and ensuring dignity for farmworkers. Today, the award-winning Fair Food Program—hailed worldwide as a model of worker-led human rights—is at a pivotal moment for growth.

At the Faith Moves Mountains Summit, faith leaders will join farmworker leaders to ground ourselves in history, envision the future of Fair Food, and mobilize faith communities nationwide in the movement for human rights.

The summit includes:

• Learning from farmworker leaders

• Building partnerships for a just food system

• Developing strategies for the Campaign for Fair Food

• A Culture Night celebrating Immokalee’s rich heritage

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