The Micah 6:8 Initiative
The Initiative
The Mission Ministry’s Micah 6:8 Initiative is an effort to share opportunities for action and education around social justice issues, while also preventing burnout in this tumultuous political climate.
The Ministry Team
The members of the organizing group have committed to becoming experts in the issues in order to learn where we can make a difference in our community. The group will share these vetted opportunities with the wider congregation under the name “Micah 6:8.”
He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”– Micah 6:8
The Challenge
God has told us what is good. The challenge comes in living it out:
Doing Justice: How do we intentionally engage the systems and institutions of our community to bring justice for the marginalized through a prophetic voice?
Love Kindness: How do we intentionally engage in kindness, love, and peace in the ordinary moments of our everyday lives with family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, strangers, and ourselves?
Walk Humbly: How do we intentionally engage God through spiritual practices, formation, and discipleship?
If you find yourself asking these same questions, will you join the Micah 6:8 Initiative?
Answering Our Call as Disciples
The Micah 6:8 Initiative began as a way to answer God’s call to us in this particular time and place. In the fall of 2016, the members and friends of Western Presbyterian Church went through a discernment and planning process about the call of the church. The process happened to run parallel to the presidential election.In the discernment and planning process, Western expressed its continued commitment to doing God’s work in the world through one part of its shared vision:
Act for peace, social justice, and equality by advocating for the marginalized, being a prophetic voice for racial justice while being aware of our own biases, and seeking and participating in wider, interfaith justice networks.
This vision builds on Western’s strong history of support for many social justice issues.
A New Reality
Coming out of the Presidential election in fall 2016, many members expressed interest in taking action against new policies that will negatively affect vulnerable populations including the immigrant and refugee and the homeless, the poor and the incarcerated. Basic human rights and religious freedoms are being threatened. Changing government priorities could mean that services and policies important to the well-being of the vulnerable, including food and nutrition, controlling gun violence, health care, and affordable housing will be eliminated or minimized in importance and impact.The Mission Committee is calling for the Micah 6:8 Initiative to discern how Western can best make a difference in the current political environment in a faithful, ordered, focused, and on-going way.