News, Information, and Resources from WMJM and our Partners.
WMJM Stands with Central Conference Voices to Decry Vote Manipulation
Leadership of the Western Methodist Justice Movement (WMJM) stand with Central Conference Bishops and other Central Conference voices in decrying the attempt by the Wesleyan Covenant Association (WCA) and other conservative organizations to manipulate the processes of General Conference by offering to expedite vaccines for voting delegates from outside the United States. ( Photo by Arek Socha, courtesy of Pixabay; graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News)
State Department visits Palestinian Village of Wadi Foquin
On Friday, December 17th, State Department official John Robbins made a visit to the Palestinian village of Wadi Foquin in response to advocacy efforts led by Friends of Wadi Foquin.
From the WMJM Chair: Time to Get Organized!
WMJM Chair Jan Nelson looks back at how this justice movement got started. And where it might go.
WMJM Primes the Pump for Jurisdiction Gathering
Small groups gathered for informal conversation and reported back on the key issues raised in the discussion. This gathering allowed a wider set of voices to participate in the conversation and provided space for the Holy Spirit to enter into the conversation.
The Church Came to Us: Western Jurisdictional Volunteers Visit the Philippines
The Western Jurisdictional UM Volunteers in Mission hosted a virtual solidarity visit to the Philippines, August 18 – 21. Each day included a Bible study led by Rev. Revelation Velunta, author of Reading the Parables of Jesus inside a Jeepney, and professor of New Testament and Cultural Studies at Union Theological Seminary in the Philippines.
National Methodist Federation for Social Action Board Engages in Anti-Racism Audit
For the last several years the national Methodist Federation for Social Action (MFSA) Board has been looking at its own connection to racism, and how to be a truly anti-racist organization.
Webinar: The Ongoing Palestinian Nakba ("catastrophe")
In June, Friends of Wadi Foquin presented a webinar on current land confiscation in the West Bank village of Wadi Foquin for the construction of a new segregated road that will serve the illegal Israeli settlements and expand Israel’s apartheid infrastructure.
Did you Miss It? Decolonizing the Church: True Regionalization for the UMC
On June 5 WMJM hosted this webinar to highlight information about the Christmas Covenant proposal and the church's history of being a colonial power. Presenters shared about impacts of colonization in the Philippines, Africa, and Europe. Along with information about how the Christmas Covenant, a plan originating out of UMC Central Conferences, changes this point of view in UMC structures.
Follow-up on Funding for Episcoapal Leadership
Thank you to those who were able to attend the February 13 presentation by the GFCA on the election of Bishops. You may find linked here important documents from the gathering
Neocolonial Manipulations by Good News and WCA Are Resurfacing
American exceptionalism plays a crucial role for United Methodist traditionalists in defining their worldview and reaction to situations in the global church. They have difficulty admitting failure with humility; instead, they have a tendency to blame and break the institution, burn the house and point to everyone else but themselves as the problem. Sadly, this evil persists today in our denomination.
An Open Letter Regarding Use of Federal Police
As United Methodist followers of Jesus Christ, we condemn the Trump administration’s decision to send federal agents to Portland on the pretense of enforcing “law and order” against “anarchists and agitators.”
Webinar: Growing Into Our Best Or Worst Selves – Spiritual Reflections on our Times
Join Western Methodist Justice Movement in welcoming Rev. Dr. Kah-Jin Jeffrey Kuan, Bishop Warner Brown, and Rev. Dr. Dottie Escobedo-Frank who will lead us in considering how we respond spiritually to all that is happening in our world right now.
"This Letter Is Late!" A WMJM Confession on Racism
This letter is late!
We should have written it ages ago! More to the point, we should always have been actively involved in the work of creating a different kind of nation…
Native caucus sounds alarm over tribal land dispute
While most people in the United States have been focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic, a decision to revoke the reservation status of a Native American tribe’s more than 300 acres in Massachusetts has gone relatively unnoticed, according to the Native American International Caucus of The United Methodist Church.
A Call to Justice in the Time of COVID-19
In an open letter to The United Methodist Church the members of the Love Your Neighbor Coalition call for people of faith to "pick up the mantle of justice and speak out against oppression in all forms but especially the oppression of the most marginalized and at-risk in our world."
WMJM Farmer's Market Produces Fresh Fruit
On November 9 United Methodists from most of the Western Jurisdiction annual conferences as well as a participant from a Central Conference gathered to share some of their hopes and dreams for The United Methodist Church, especially the Western Jurisdiction. The group intended for its work to be shared at the Fresh United Methodism Summit.
WJ Bishops Promise Safe Harbor, Invite All To Sign
Western Jurisdiction United Methodist bishops intend to set aside complaints against clergy accused of being gay or performing LGBTQ+ weddings; urge others to join them.
Connectional Table’s U.S. Regional Conference Legislation Available
The Connectional Table is publishing in English its legislative petition to create a U.S. Regional Conference, as well as a one-page frequently asked questions sheet and a narrative booklet. The materials will soon be available in other languages.