Understanding our call to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God requires continual work and self-refelction. These Bible Studies, released by Justice and Witness Ministries between 2001-2007, can be untlized as a starting point for personal or small group study. They are in printable PDF format. Simply click on the cover or title of the Bible Study you would like to read or print and your browser should open it and allow you to send it directly to your office printer.
This devotional series is intended to be a compliment for UCC congregations and individuals as they reflect on the seminal book by the Rev. William Barber and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, The Third Reconstruction. May this reflection inspire not only awareness but responsive action to bridge racial divisions and truly live out God’s love by loving our neighbors.
As part of the implementation of the General Synod 29 resolution, the joint working group of Council for American Indian Ministries and Justice and Witness Ministries offer this resource for our churches to take up with prayer.
Homegrown Faith & Justice introduces children and youth ages 3 to 18 to the following topics, with Biblical reflection and age-appropriate conversation moments and activities:
God’s Vision of Shalom
God and Love
Love and Neighbor
The Courage to Do the Right Thing
A must-have justice resource for families with children and faith formation leaders!
Jubilee is rooted in the nature of God the Creator. This profoundly simple affirmation is key to understanding jubilee as more than some imaginative flight of fancy of some religious idealist. Scriptures challenge our thinking about jubilee: if you want to take God seriously, jubilee must be taken seriously. We who would follow God faithfully must observe this radical concept.
There is a saying: WWJD – “What Would Jesus Do?” It grows out of the times in which we live when it is not always easy to discern the best response to difficult situations. Many Christians in today’s world respond readily to the question of personal salvation, accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. But the process of salvation cannot end there. Equally important is the prophetic call of Jesus the Christ to respond to the world’s injustices. WSID (“What Should I Do?”) is a question we ask ourselves and our answer ought to be informed by our first question, “What would Jesus Do?
“In times like these, it is crucial that people of faith understand just why the work of justice and peace is the world of the church. Moreover we have come to believe that this work is at the heart of God’s mission. That’s why we had produced this study document, so that you might wrestle with these words along with us. Let us Join together to discover what God would have us be and do in the his world.” – Rev. Bernice Powell Jackson
Together with churches around the world, we have been called to witness that the ending of violence is a central part of our mission. We are invited to work to end violence against women in our homes; to end the violence of war; to end the culture of violence found in movies, music, videos and computer games; and to end violence in whatever form it appears in our own communities.
“’What does the Lord require of you?’ I have asked that question as one who is bold enough to call myself a Christian, a follower of Christ. And I have asked that question as we in Justice and Witness Ministries seek to discern God’s mission for us and for the whole United Church of Christ.
We all know that the answer to that question is to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God. It is important to note that answer follows the word “but.” In other words, all that God requires of us is to do justice.
Doing justice sounds easy, but is oh so difficult. We in Justice and Witness Ministries have come to understand that the very first step in doing justice is understanding why we do the work that we are called to do. We are doing it because that is what the Lord requires. It’s not about being politically correct. It’s about being faithfully correct.” – Rev. Bernice Powell Jackson
