Church and Society's 2023 Priorities Focus on Climate, Human Needs

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In the midst of crises inside and outside The United Methodist Church, God still calls people to address the needs of creation and the God-fashioned creatures who inhabit it. That was the word from staff at the General Board of Church and Society, the UMC's social justice arm, during a Jan. 25 "Justice Talks" webinar at which they outlined plans for the Washington, D.C.-based agency's work in 2023.

Church and Society is moving through its own transition after the retirement of longtime executive the Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe in December. Church and Society is responsible for carrying out the social justice policies adopted by General Conference, which is the only body that speaks for the entire United Methodist denomination.

Interim general secretary John Hill, who said he is in his 30th year as an advocate in the nation's capital, explained that Church and Society will focus this year on five general areas: climate, health, migration, peace, and poverty, all with an eye toward where the issues intersect with racial justice. (The concept of "intersectionality" — the ways in which various social injustices cross over one another — has been a major theme of United Methodist social advocates in recent years intersections with racial justice).

"We've sent a letter of welcome to the 118th Congress in which we invited federal officials to prioritize people over partisanship," said Mr. Hill during the webinar. "We can't predict what will happen, but we must do the work now in conversation with elected officials. By the time some legislation comes up for consideration — the debt ceiling, the farm bill, appropriations — we will have done deep work with Congress on these issues as a moral case to care for people.

"Inaction in Congress is no longer an option," Mr. Hill said.

Health care and maternal mortality

The Rev. Camille Henderson-Edwards, whose portfolio includes health care, said Church and Society bases its activity on the United Methodist Social Principles in the Book of Discipline. Her area focuses on Paragraph 162A, in which health care is affirmed as a basic human right. This year Church and Society will emphasize maternal and reproductive health care in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the right to abortion given 50 years ago in the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. In many states, the decision caused women's health clinics that also provided abortions to close, leaving women in far-flung rural and low-income communities without health care.

"Maternal mortality isn't specific to the United States; it's global," said Rev. Henderson-Edwards. "Yet the U.S. has highest rate of maternal mortality among industrialized nations.

"What's more, Black women are three to four times more likely than white women to die from birth-related causes. Sometimes this is caused by a lack of access to health care, sometimes it's the quality of care. In all cases, women need resources to decide on their health care, so we're focusing on restoring federal protections on health care.  This also is an act of justice and discipleship."

Rev. Henderson-Edwards cited the importance of local-church involvement in health care education.

"The Rev. Tom Berlin, who's now a bishop, invited us to come to Floris UMC when it called the community together to contend with the complexities of where the church stands (on abortion)," she said. "The UMC's statement is very nuanced and needs lots of understanding. Churches can create spaces for people to have conversations around abortion that aren't polarized."

Climate justice

A longtime climate justice advocate who has participated in international conferences on the global climate crisis, Mr. Hill said that years of United Methodist advocacy made a difference in 2022. He cited the adoption of the Inflation Reduction Act's tax incentives to move away from using fossil fuels that damage Earth's atmosphere. However, he noted, even that landmark legislation "doesn't help people without tax liabilities," such as the poor and communities of color often hardest hit by environmental damage.

Mr. Hill said that Church and Society will focus on advocacy for an equitable build-out of a cleaner economy that helps rather than harms low-income communities and communities of color.

Regarding immigration and global migration, staff member Kendal McBroom said that current U.S. policies "don't affirm the value, worth and dignity" of migrants as the UMC supports in Paragraph 162H of the Social Principles.

"We affirm migrants regardless of their nationality or place of original because their worth and dignity are bestowed by God," Mr. McBroom said. "We want to advocate for ensure a sense of security for migrants in a pathway to citizenship."

Mr. McBroom said his interaction with a congressional staffer who is United Methodist but knew nothing of the Social Principles underscored the need to educate both political leaders and church members about the UMC's social justice stances.

"Our giant hope is that more of Congress will become aware of where the church stands on issues and priorities," said Mr. McBroom. "We're challenged by partisan gridlock in Congress, but we want it to know immigrants as people in the hope that will influence policies."

Peace, war and gun violence

Regarding peacebuilding, staff member Holly Metcalf said the UMC's stances are "rooted in the belief that human values should outweigh national and military aims." A good portion of this advocacy focuses on keeping the U.S. defense budget in check and advocating for nuclear disarmament, a current worry because of Russia's threat to use nuclear weapons in its war against Ukraine.

"The United States spends alarming amounts on the military, money that could go to meet human needs," said Ms. Metcalf. "Congress allocated $45 billion above the Pentagon's request in the last budget.

"The Social Principles provide a strong theological foundation to reject war, but the reality that we live in a violent world poses challenges for Christians," she said.

Domestic gun violence poses the most pressing challenge, said Ms. Metcalf in the wake of a string of mass shootings, two in California alone.

"Our faith compels us to protect the sanctity of human life," she said. "We've had 40 mass shootings in the U.S. already in 2023, and mass shootings are just the tip of the iceberg of gun violence.

Ms. Metcalf continued: "We know how to solve the problem of guns. We have evidence-based proposals, examples from other countries, examples of US laws that have expired. There are plenty of ways to engage on this issue: safe-storage, assault weapons bans, closing loopholes on background checks. This issue cuts across any partisan divide."

She added that the United States also exports more guns than any other country. "The laws we pass in the United States affect lives worldwide."

Economic issues and food insecurity

Regarding poverty, the Rev. Laura Kigweba James asked Rev. Henderson-Edwards how Church and Society will approach economic issues.

"We must support and advocate on behalf of poor people," said Rev. Henderson-Edwards, citing the Social Principles Paragraph 163 titled "The Economic Community."We must inivest in life-giving priorities such as expanding the Child Tax Credit to give people what they need, as we did during the height of the coronavirus pandemic."

She cited the coming farm bill legislation as an example where human needs should be prioritized.

"The Farm Bill is up for re-authorization; it's a package of many different pieces of legislation," Rev. Henderson-Edwards said. "It includes such things as the Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP) and emergency food assistance. We have to create a narrative to support reauthorization of the Farm Bill, so churches must translate advocacy into how the bill affects church life, such as food pantries and feeding programs. We need Congress to hear the everyday experiences of people on the ground around food insecurity."

The webinar closed with Church and Society staff encouraging annual conferences and local churches to become acquainted with the Social Principles and to use the agency's website to join in social justice advocacy through the "action alerts" posted there.

A veteran church communicator for nearly 35 years, Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011 as a channel for under-served and marginalized voices in The United Methodist Church. This article may be reproduced elsewhere with credit to United Methodist Insight and a link to the original post.