A 2020 Glance at Justice Seeking Communities
At the beginning of 2020, our Justice Seeking Communities began the year by participating in writing weekly devotions for the Season of Lent. The Lenten Devotional series provided us with another tool to prepare our hearts, minds, and souls for Ash Wednesday. What we couldn’t anticipate or prepare for was the Coronavirus pandemic that would become one of the defining characteristics of 2020.
Local churches and ministries across the globe began navigating the unfamiliar waters of online worship even before Easter Sunday. Our Justice Seeking Communities promptly provided ways to remain connected and engaged virtually with FaceBook Live, YouTube Live, Zoom, and podcast services, Bible Studies, and prayer meetings. )
Neighborhood Church in Atlanta, GA marches with the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church to stand #UnitedAgainstRacism
Adjusting to virtual life, mask wearing in public, and 6 feet a part social distancing, this nation was forced to face another pandemic. This pandemic had been ongoing for generations but given our full attention because of the murders of multiple black lives by police - systemic racism and violence towards Black and brown lives.
St. Paul and St. Andrew in New York City, NY encourages voter turn out and registration on National Voter Registration Day.
The murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd forced this nation and the world to confront the evil of racism and white supremacy in our societies, policies, and personal lives. In major cities around the US, individuals and communities chose to heed the call for
racial justice and a dismantling of white supremacist values embedded into our systems and institutions.
Justice Seeking Communities engaged in this work by taking part in marches; providing brave spaces for open and candid conversations on race; sharing educational resources and opportunities; and more. The energy of the Black Lives Matter movement continues its impact to this day as our churches continue to hold space and proactively seek to become disruptors to the white supremacist foundations of our institution and society.
The Black Lives Matter marches and protests led us into the fall and into the Election season.
Arch Street UMC in Philadelphia, PA provides hand sanitizer and participates in Count Every Vote march in Philadelphia.
It’s an unfortunate truth that the US has and continues to systemically silence the voices of those not part of the dominant narrative. This became even more evident in the weeks leading up to and the week of the Presidential Election. As organizers and activists fought along side of those demanding to be heard, Justice Seeking Communities also took part in this fight. Providing voter registration information and setting up informational tables outside their buildings, participating in phone banks, and encouraging voters to vote in this election are just some of the ways Justice Seeking Communities made a difference this past fall. Some in cities like Philadelphia joined the rallying cries of the Count Every Vote campaigns and marches, keeping elected officials accountable to basic constitutional rights of every vote being counted, every voice being heard.
And in this last mile of the year of 2020, churches and ministries continue to do the hard of doing church and seeking-justice in an unprecedented time of multiple pandemics and cries for liberation.
As we begin 2021, we celebrate the ministries of our Justice-Seeking Communities and look forward to 2021 as a year full of opportunities for organizing for a more .
If your church, small group, ministry group, or community is interested in becoming a Justice-Seeking Community, check out the JSC Covenant.
