In 2012, justice seeking United Methodists in the Western Jurisdiction decided it was time to get organized. They had been meeting at jurisdictional conference sessions for years, urging the delegates and leaders to work toward a more just church and world. But there was no organization between those events that worked across the region, and the jurisdiction has no official group that focuses on justice. Western Methodist Justice Movement was born of the desire to work together as an ongoing task, to connect and mobilize United Methodists and other justice seekers to work for the Kindom of God.

Since our formation, WMJM has worked with leaders in the Western Jurisdiction and with people who hold no official position. We have supporters in every annual conference in the jurisdiction, and we work with partners from across the United Methodist connection.

In the years before COVID, we sponsored two major conferences, one at Zephyr Point on Lake Tahoe, and one in Portland. These conferences led to a variety of action items and work groups. Our leadership team met once a year in a retreat to chart the next steps forward. The rest of our meetings were on Zoom, before most of the world knew what Zoom was.

In early 2020, along with everyone else, we moved our gatherings into virtual space. We continue to hold monthly leadership team meetings. We have sponsored several webinars of our own, and we have co-sponsored webinars with partner organizations. We have worked closely with the Christmas Covenant team, and we are raising money to help fund them as they work to spread their anti-colonial message. We are working to ensure that there is broad engagement in shaping the future of the Western Jurisdiction. In addition, we help to amplify the message of other groups advocating for justice for our siblings in the Philippines and Palestine.

If you would like to help the world and the church look more like the Kindom of God, we have a place for you. Sign up for our newsletter at the website wmjm.org. If you see something there you want to be part of, please join in. If you want to work with others on a different task, get in touch with one of our leadership team members.

Jan Nelson, WMJM Chair

Jan Nelson is the current chair of the WMJM Board of Directors. She is an active leader in her own United Methodist Congregation, has just completed an extended term as the Oregon-Idaho Conference Lay Leader, and is a delegate to General Conference.