Adventure: A voice for justice - advocacy
A voice for justice
As United Methodists, we are guided by John Wesley's idea that there is no religion but social religion.
Our Social Principles state that "the political system depends upon the full and willing articipation of its citizens. The church should continually exert a strong ethical influence upon the state, supporting policies and programs deemed to be just and opposing policies and programs that are unjust."Yet, in our local churches, how often do we hear an invitation to become an advocate? How often are we encouraged to write a letter or make a phone call to support public policy that helps those in need?
Jesus personified love and care for all. We can certainly follow his example by serving food at the soup kitchen, but why not join the struggle to eliminate hunger? We show love in our local churches, but why not challenge our governments to promote compassion and hope?
Will you care enough about our neighbors here in Maryland, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Bermuda and around the world to become their advocate? I invite you to this opportunity for discipleship.
To receive information, contact Baltimore-Washington Conference Legislative Advocate Beth Reilly at .
God calls us to speak out for others
While some may not like the label of "advocate" or "activist," we are all advocates and activists for those we love. If your child (spouse, family member or best friend) were in trouble, you would do all you could to help, including research, letter-writing, phone calls and conferencing with decision-makers. You would not excuse yourself from involvement due to lack of time or loss of hope. Your comfort zone would become irrelevant. As their advocate, you would persistently push for necessary intervention.
Our Christian faith is all about love of God and neighbor. Such faith will lead us to become an advocate for people in need. If we are open to the power of the Spirit, our faith can move us, call us and fulfill us as we participate in the ministry of advocacy.
Faith in a God of love moved me to advocacy involvement.
About five years ago, I was a busy stay-at-home mother with three preschoolers. I started reading about the crisis in Darfur, Sudan, where mothers were losing husbands and children due to government-sponsored violence.
Janjaweed warriors would enter a camp, rape the women and kill the men and boys - boys as young as two. I knew this tragedy was not the will of God and I was deeply moved to get involved.
I went to my pastor to seek advice and with the support of the church, I was thrust into a world of advocacy. I initiated letter-writing campaigns, held educational events, visited legislators and spoke with reporters.
With no prior experience in politics, my faith had moved me to speak and to act on behalf of the families in Darfur.
Faith in Scriptures and faith in Jesus Christ calls us to advocacy.
Consider the examples of Moses and Esther who used words and actions to advocate for their people. Just as the prophets in the Old Testament were called to speak out against injustice on behalf of the oppressed, the orphan and the widow, we are also called to "speak out ... defend the rights of the poor and needy" (Proverbs 31: 8-9).
Jesus considered our treatment of "the least of these" to be of utmost importance, and when asked about the greatest commandment, he stressed the importance of loving both God and neighbor.
This year we have "neighbors" in Maryland, Washington, D.C., West Virginia and Bermuda who are concerned about food, shelter, heat and employment. To help them meet their basic needs, faith groups will advocate for legislation that helps people pay their energy bills and which qualifies more people for unemployment benefits.
Advocates will support local efforts to help vulnerable children, and we will join a national effort to support comprehensive immigration reform, providing the stranger in our midst (Exodus 22:21) a path to citizenship. Your voice is needed.
Faith in the Holy Spirit fulfills us in our advocacy efforts.
Our history is testimony to the success of faith-based advocacy. Consider the civil rights movement. Advocates were willing to speak out, to march, to rally and to boycott, and today we have an African- American president.
As United Methodists joined other faith groups in Indiana to advocate for people in Sudan, we were able to move national legislation, pass state divestment legislation and highlight the crisis in our local newspapers.
When people of faith work together to help those in need, God's Spirit is present.
Beth Reilly is the legislative advocate for the Baltimore-Washington Conference.
Enter into advocacy
- Incorporate social justice concerns into worship. Speak about issues from the pulpit.
- Use church newsletters, Web sites, small group studies and other venues to teach about and reflect upon social justice issues.
- Regularly e-mail statements to your legislators, let them know you are stakeholders in the community.
- Designate a church representative that will follow the issue closely and disseminate information.
- Invite legislators and others to speak at your church.
- Draft a petition from your congregation expressing concerns.
- Let the media know what your church thinks.
- Express thanks to local officials.
The Board of Church and Society: Educate, empower, engage
United Methodists have a strong history of being active on issues of social justice in the world and within local church communities. The denominational General Board of Church and Society is located on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in the historic United Methodist Building, across the street from the Supreme Court.
It is the agency which educates and advocates on the United Methodist Social Principles and has many resources available for churches and conferences to understand and apply the Social Principles.
GBCS offers a wide variety of vehicles to become active on issues of social justice, including:
- Ways to connect with elected officials on state and federal level and educational resources on specific issues.
- "Action Alerts," published through GBCS's UMPower site, which lists perhaps a dozen social and economic justice issues on which church people may want to act or advocate. Currently the two most urgent issues are immigration reform and the Justice Integrity Act toward eliminating racial discrimination in the criminal justice system. Signing up for UMPower (www.umpower.org) will bring regular information about these issues, but one does not have to be on the list to act on the alerts.
- "Faith in Action," a weekly e-mail newsletter that provides news and views from GBCS. It includes articles and updates on social justice actions taking place around the country, and information on a wide range of general justice issues, such as human rights, peace and the environment.
- Seminars and training opportunities for churches and conference leaders to engage their communities on issues that are impacting their lives. The Seminars on National and International Affairs enable advocates to study, reflect and act on various social justice issues.
- Leadership training through the Ethnic Young Adult summer internships and Ethnic Local Church and Human Relations Day grants.
To learn more about the General Board of Church & Society or to access any of the above specific areas of interest, go to www.um-gbcs.org.
GBCS is at 100 Maryland Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20002. The telephone number is 202-488-5600.
The New York office is at the Church Center for the United Nations, 11th Floor, 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017. That phone number is 212-682-3633.
Join the Conversation
BY SANDY FERGUSON
In the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. there is an inscription: "Thou shalt not be a victim. Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander."
In today's world, it's sometimes easy to get caught up in the drama and busy-ness of our own lives. But as Christians, we're called to more. God has given us hearts that reach out to others, minds that search for justice, souls that embrace a vision and voices to speak out in truth.
But working as advocates for social justice should never be a lofty idea or an abstraction. God calls us to care specifically for the lost child in Baltimore, the unemployed woman in West Virginia, the man with AIDS in D.C., the family in poverty in Zimbabwe.
Who does your heart reach out to? What makes your blood boil? What makes you cry, or laugh, or get lost in wonder? Find that thing you feel most passionate about and begin to learn, pray and speak about it.
As advocates we can whisper a meaningful word or shout from the rooftops. But we can't just stand by. We must begin. I invite you to enter the conversation.
Sandy Ferguson is the director of missions and social justice ministries for the Baltimore-Washington Conference.
Tell elected leaders what you think
An effective way to advocate for an issue is to write letters to your elected officials.
Bread for the World, a collective Christian voice that urges lawmakers to end hunger at home and abroad, holds a letter-writing campaign every year, encouraging people of faith to contact their elected representatives on a specific topic.
They do this by providing educational materials to learn about the subject, then model letters or talking points. To learn more about the letter writing campaign, go to: www.offeringofletters.org/2010.
It is more effective to write your own letter than to use form letters, but even form letters, which largely say what you wish to say, are appreciated – telling the congressperson what you’re thinking. The more letters a congressperson receives on a given topic, the more likely he or she will take note. With form letters, adding a personal hand-written note helps the recipient to know that you really care.
- Letters should ask the recipient for a specific action: "Please co-sponsor S. 1524, the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act." or "Explain why you support this action."
- Identify your affiliation: "My church, First United Methodist Church, has set hunger and poverty alleviation as one of its goals this year."
- Explain your own involvement or personal experience: "I and other members of the congregation financially help organizations around the world that work to reduce poverty."
- Ask for a response.
- Provide your address at the end of the letter and on the envelope to show you are a constituent and to facilitate a reply.
To send a letter to your elected representative, go to that person’s Web site for the address, or use the generic address: the legislator’s name, U.S. Senate (or House of Representatives), Washington, DC 20510. To reach an elected representative’s office by phone, where you can ask for his or her office mailing address, call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
Advocacy at the state level is equally important. To find out who your state legislators are, go to www.mdelect.net in Maryland; www.legis.state.wv.us/legishp1.html in West Virginia. For contact information on D.C. officials visit www.dccouncil.washington.dc.us/contact.html.
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