United Women in Faith Video
The opening shot of United Women in Faith's welcome video shows the diverse sisterhood it seeks to foster among women. (UM Insight Screenshot from UWFaith.org)
A United Methodist Insight Special Feature
Even before controversy erupted recently over a bishop's sermon asking the new federal administration to show mercy to vulnerable groups, United Women in Faith was busy gathering "like-minded" believers to join in a campaign called the Micah 6:8 Pledge.
"Our Micah 6:8 Pledge is a movement that inspires courage and action, rooted in the enduring wisdom of the prophet Micah: 'What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?'" said Emily Jones, UWFaith's executive for racial justice and director of the organization's much-loved reading program.
While most of those who've signed the Micah 6:8 Pledge are women, "all like-minded people" are welcome, said Jones.
"It's about what we're called to do in this moment, when many folks are wondering how to act (in response to the new federal administration)," Jones told United Methodist Insight in an online interview. "We welcome anyone who shares our commitment to join in; you don't have to be a member of United Women in Faith or the United Methodist Church."
Jones said the Micah 6:8 Pledges is intended to give people spiritual encouragement and a willingness to act in society according to the scripture's instruction.
"We trust God's promise to give us a future with hope, and we lean into that with faith and humility," Jones said.
UWFaith transformation officer Khia Shaw-Wilson said the change in federal administration provides women of faith an opportunity to "remember who we are, channeling the courage and wisdom of our foremothers to commit to God's work regardless of what happens in Washington, D.C."
Shaw-Wilson said that UWFaith leaders believe that women can spearhead powerful social movements because "our work moves at the local level."
"We make change most effectively as women of faith operating in a community; we think there's something powerful about being a sisterhood that's working together collaboratively," said Jones. "We build spiritual resolve and mission effectiveness working together, especially in this moment for intersectional justice."
Shaw-Wilson added she believes the Micah 6:8 Pledge reminds people that, while United Women in Faith has a new name, the former United Methodist Women organization reaffirms principles of justice, kindness and love of God it has held for 156 years. For example, UWFaith still supports some 80 national mission institutions such as Bethlehem Centers and Wesley Centers, along with organizing and leading annual Mission u educational gatherings.
"We're still an ally for communities of color, women and children and the environment," she said.
Micah 6:8 also represents UWFaith's aim to develop and implement new programming, based in part on data showing what women want and need in their faith journeys, Shaw-Wilson added. She cited the new Soul Care program as a good example.
"Even before COVID we needed programs to build us spiritually and have better self-care," Shaw-Wilson said. "Women told us that even if they had to pay for it, Soul Care is the kind of component they wanted."
The UWFaith Reading Program represents another example of building on past successes, said Jones.
"The catalog for the Reading Program looks the same but the process for choosing books has been made more rigorous," she explained. "Each book now had four volunteer evaluators, and we completed 700 evaluations in setting up this year's catalog.
"We had 400 people apply to be evaluators," Jones continued. "We gathered a mix of voices, which makes the Reading Program stronger."
Another innovation is new live virtual programs. The quarterly sessions give participants the opportunity to talk with Reading Program authors and one another about important issues, said Jones.
Shaw-Wilson affirmed that UWFaith will continue to organize grassroots activism, especially around Reading Program emphases like racial disparities in maternal health, mass incarceration and climate justice. UWFaith also will continue to amplify women's voices and equip them for church leadership, she said.
Jones acknowledged that the current social and political times frighten many people, but she stressed that United Methodists and other believers need not face them alone.
"How do I make sense of it?" she asked. "I think the best way is to take the Micah 6:8 Pledge and stay in community, be in sisterhood and share communal strength."
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, an online news-and-views journal she founded in 2011 to amplify the perspectives and activities of marginalized and under-served United Methodists. Please email for permission to reproduce this content elsewhere.