Meeting aims to move churches from mercy to justice
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Craftsman and Afghan refugee Hameed Jafri
displays his wares at the 2006 Fair Trade Market at Manchester (Mo.)
United Methodist Church. Bazaar founder Kellee Sikes will lead a
workshop on fair trade at the Board of Church and Society's "Living
Faith Seeking Justice" conference in November. A UMNS photo courtesy of
William Brinkhorst.
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A UMNS Report
By Kathy L. Gilbert*
July 2, 2007
 In second grade, Kellee Sikes met an Ethiopian boy whose brother had been killed and eaten by a lion.
The attack happened as his family fled the African country in hopes of a better life.
"Having him stand up and seeing the tears roll down his face is a memory I will never let go of even if I could," said Sikes.
That friendship sparked a desire in Sikes to seek social justice. By age 27, she had traveled to 29 countries.
"I got to meet and see a nice portion of the world, and I was exposed
to a lot of different cultures and religions and ideas and ways of
thinking that just really spurred on this need to figure out a way to
love the world," she said.
Now a member of Manchester (Mo.) United Methodist Church, Sikes will
be a workshop leader for "Living Faith, Seeking Justice," a Nov. 1-4
conference in Fort Worth, Texas, sponsored by the United Methodist Board
of Church and Society, the denomination's social action agency.
The event features speakers, workshops, exhibits and activities
designed to teach and preach the United Methodist Social Principles. It
aims to train and equip individuals and churches to live out justice
that transforms the world in the ways of Jesus Christ.
"Equipping congregations to move from mercy to justice will be the
focus of the conference," said Jim Winkler, top executive of the board.
"We want to hold a different type of event rather than a legislative
briefing in order to lift up justice ministries in local churches and
annual conferences with the expectation this can provide support and
encouragement to others."
From mercy to justice
Winkler points to Manchester United Methodist Church's Fair Trade Market as how one church can move from mercy to justice.
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Kellee Sikes
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Under Sikes' leadership, the Missouri church started the market that
takes place each November. Last year, the event raised $75,000 and drew
an attendance of approximately 4,000 people from the community.
"I’m very grateful to that congregation and its leadership because it
really gave me quite an opportunity to be able marry my social justice
passions and volunteer work to the corporate work I do," said Sikes, who
own her own consulting business.
"I believe fair trade really does quantify a lot of our Christian
beliefs in a consumerism capacity that makes sense. There is a way for
an American to have a comfortable life without it having to be at the
expense of someone else."
Another example cited by Winkler is the United Methodist Church of
Santa Cruz, Calif., which is constructing an eco-friendly church
building to reflect good stewardship of the earth. Among other things,
the design includes solar panels rather than a tile roof and a parking
lot that absorbs water rather than sending runoff into storm drains.
The church is among the first United Methodist churches in the United
States to "go green" from the ground up. Construction on the $8 million
project is scheduled to begin in August and is targeted for completion
by the end of 2008.
The Rev. Hilde Marie Øgreid, a pastor in Norway, wants European
United Methodists in particular to participate in the conference. "When
justice is threatened anywhere in the world, it is the responsibility of
the whole of our global church to do something about it," said Øgreid, a
member of the conference design team.
"In Europe, we are a minority church. We are used to explaining what a
Methodist is, and we might feel that our impact on society is very
small. To spend a few days then with 1,000 Methodists from other parts
of the world is inspiring, encouraging and awakening. We can and we do
make a difference!" Øgreid said.
Sharing solutions
Conference workshops will be grouped into five categories: health and
wholeness, gender justice, peace with justice, economic and
environmental justice, and civil and human rights.
"Conference participants can expect the workshops to be experiential
and interactive, giving them an opportunity not only to hear what the
workshop leader has to say but also to share their own experiences and
to hear from others," said event coordinator Wanda Holcolme.
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Jim Winkler
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Organizers aim for every part of the conference to follow the collective
call to faith and justice. For example, the conference bags have been
made by the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference, and the meals will be
healthy and built around using sustainable, renewable resources.
The event will include a "cityscape" showcasing art that reflects
justice, and site visits to several ministries that illustrate a
commitment to justice.
"Violence abounds from the Middle East to the campus of Virginia
Tech," said Winkler. "How do congregations participate in helping to
provide an alternative—a vision of a just and peaceful society—and then
act together to carry out that vision? That’s what this conference will
give people a chance to do. Everyone who gathers in Fort Worth will have
an opportunity to hear, learn and discuss solutions."
Speakers include United Methodist ministers, activists and others
working to bring justice to their communities, countries and the world:
- Shane Claiborne, a founding member of The Simple Way, a
community in inner-city Philadelphia that has helped birth and connect
radical faith communities around the world;
- The Rev. Emmanuel Cleaver, senior pastor of St. James
United Methodist Church in Kansas City, Mo., and a member of the U.S.
House of Representatives;
- The Rev. Adam Hamilton, minister at Church of the
Resurrection in Leawood, Kan., who believes the church must serve as a
conscience to the community and state;
- The Rev. Chebon Kernell, a pastor and member of the
Oklahoma Missionary Conference, which was instrumental in organizing
"Rock the Native Vote";
- The Rev. Pamela Lightsey, dean of students at Garrett
Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Ill., and a recipient of the
Denman Award for evangelism;
- Mercy Amba Oduyoye, an African theologian, feminist and
activist who works to ensure that women's voices and concerns are heard
in African society;
- Harold Recinos, professor of church and society at the
Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, who has written widely on the
church's call to engage the world;
- Elizabeth Tapia, director of the Drew Center for
Christianities in Global Context at the Drew University School of
Theology, Madison, N.J., and an ordained elder of the Bulacan
Philippines Annual Conference;
- The Rev. Janet Wolf, director of public policy and
community organizing for a national interfaith coalition working to
challenge U.S. drug policy with a focus on restorative justice, harm
reduction and alternatives to incarceration; and
- The Rev. Michael Yoshii, a clergyman and activist who works for justice in Alameda, Calif.
To learn more or to register, visit www.umc-gbcs.org/livingfaith.
*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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