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Western Methodist Justice Movement
The Western Methodist Justice Movement meets at Zephyr Cove, Nev.
An Open Letter to the Council of Bishops of The UMC
From the Western Methodist Justice Movement Meetingin Retreat at Zephyr Cove, Nevaadaon September 1, 2014
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Sovereign, Jesus Christ:
We are writing to you at this crucial moment in the history of the United States and of the world to urge you to speak a prophetic and pastoral word on behalf of The United Methodist Church. We believe that there are three current crises that demand your timely attention:
1) The shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, which has galvanized a movement of those who say “No more!” to the criminalization of U.S. minority communities and to the militarization of U.S. police forces;
2) The crisis caused to the U.S. immigration system by the recent surge of children crossing into the country without documentation, which has started to open our eyes to the violence, poverty and injustice that lead to the creation of unhealthy and unsustainable patterns of global migration; and
3) The continuing violence in Gaza that has led to the deaths of thousands of Palestinian civilians, many of them children, and caused untold damage to homes, schools, businesses, hospitals and places of worship, which has helped us to find clarity about the brutal nature of the Israeli occupation of Palestine and U.S. complicity in it.
In the face of these crises, we believe the Church of Jesus Christ needs to speak with a witness that is both prophetic and pastoral. We are writing to you, because we believe that it is your role, as the Council of Bishops, to lead The United Methodist Church in addressing the crucial issues of our time. The Book of Discipline states:
The role of the bishop is to be a prophetic voice for justice in a suffering and conflicted world through the tradition of social holiness. The bishop encourages and models the mission of witness and service in the world through proclamation of the gospel and alleviation of human suffering. [¶ 403.d)]
The people for whom you have been elected to provide temporal and spiritual oversight need to hear from you. They need to know that their bishops are engaged with the critical issues of justice and injustice, violence and peace, wealth and poverty that are roiling the U.S. and the world. They need to receive a prophetic and pastoral word from you that is grounded in our legacy of Wesleyan theology and praxis.
We are dismayed that the Council of Bishops has yet to speak out publicly on the events that we have described above. We are thankful that individual bishops have written and spoken boldly. But, we are also aware that individual bishops cannot speak on behalf of The United Methodist Church as a whole to interpret stands already taken by the General Conference. As indicated in Division Three, Article III of the Constitution of The United Methodist Church, responsibility for “the general oversight and promotion of the temporal and spiritual interests of the entire Church” resides with the Council as a whole.
We therefore implore you, as a Council, to do the important and prayerful work of leading the Church in addressing the injustice, oppression and violence that are confronting us through the events taking place in Ferguson, on our U.S. national borders, and in Gaza. The people of The United Methodist Church around the globe are yearning for your leadership on these critical matters. Now is the time!
We look forward to hearing back from you soon.
May the grace of Jesus Christ be with you now and always.
Cc: Western Jurisdiction College of Bishops of The United Methodist Church