Justice Ministry
Biblical inspiration for Justice Ministry
Micah 6:8 says, “And what does the Lord require of you? But to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
In Matthew 23:23-24, Jesus chastises the Pharisees for not following Micah 6:8.
Nehemiah the prophet provides a model for building the power needed to affect powerful systems when he gathers a Great Assembly to hold public officials accountable for the promises that had previously been made to the oppressed Jews in their community. He built power with people.
Vineyard Justice Ministry Efforts
To build power we join with ~25 other congregations under the banner of IMPACT, and together, by turning out thousands of people at an annual assembly called the Nehemiah Action, we exercise that power to bring justice to the Charlottesville area.
As one example of the results of our efforts, IMPACT has been successful getting the City of Charlottesville to put $3MM a year (for several years in a row now) into an affordable housing trust fund. By 2025, the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Trust Fund will have funded the construction or renovation of affordable homes for over 3,500 families in Charlottesville.
Vision 52/1
Our congregation wants to turn out our Average Worship Attendance of 85 people at least once a year for justice. We want the 85 who attend 52 worship services each year to attend the annual Nehemiah Action!
Justice Ministry Cycle
The process of working for justice wins each year starts with building a Vineyard Justice Ministry Network.
• A formal network of relationships – organized through households – that engages the entire congregation in doing justice. We have a 3-part annual cycle:
1. It starts with listening in the fall via house meetings where we listen to each others’ stories of how injustice personally affects us.
2. In the winter and spring, we research and take action. Within IMPACT, we vote on the issues we will focus on, and we learn how they affect our communities.
3. In the summer, we celebrate our wins and start fundraising for the next cycle.
If you have any questions, reach out to the Vineyard Justice Ministry Team Members, Carissa Phillips, Crystal Seek or Jessica Leathers.
UPDATES
Nehemiah Action: Tickets, Parking Info, and Other Important Logistics
We’re now two weeks away from our annual Nehemiah Action! As you’re all hard at work getting your network members and congregations to show up on March 24, we wanted to make sure everyone had some important logistical information for this year.
Parking
Last year we received lots of feedback that parking was difficult for many attendees, with only about 1200 people present. This year, we are expecting at least 1400 so we have made some changes to help ensure parking goes smoothly for everyone:
Like every year, the main lot at CHS will be available for parking and has the most capacity. We will also have parking attendants with high visibility vests to help direct parking in all the available lots.
In addition to the CHS lot, there are three others available for use: Walker Upper Elementary, Crow Recreation Center, and McIntire Park. All three of these additional lots are circled in red.
Walker and Crow are both on the other side of 250, so we will have a few 15-passenger shuttle vans running to help transport people from these lots. Once these lots fill, we will also use the shuttles to help transport people form the far end of CHS’s lot. Please plan (and encourage your congregants) to first park at Walker or Crow to ensure that these lots fill first.
The McIntire lot is accessible to CHS through a short walking trail that is marked in red on the map below. We will not have a shuttle running from McIntire, so those with mobility challenges should plan to use one of the other three lots.
As always, we encourage congregations to carpool as much as possible. This is both a good way to save parking spots for others, and to ensure that more folks from your congregation attend.
Tickets
Tickets were distributed at the Rally last month. If you need more tickets, please contact Will or Aidan. You can also use the link in the button below to download the PDF to print them yourself. Tickets are not required to come; however, having a ticket will help people get through the door and have their attendance counted quicker. We will have blank tickets that those without one will be directed to fill out and turn in.
Investment Drive Training and Celebration
While we are still in the midst of preparation for our Nehemiah Action, we will also start planning for our investment drive in the next few weeks. Every year, the individual investment drive is our largest source of funding, and it is an important way for network members to have ownership of this ministry. Over the coming weeks you should expect Will or Aidan to meet with you & your congregation’s team leaders to start thinking about the investment drive, and below are several important dates for later this spring:
DART Investment Drive Training: April 16 - 18 in Charleston, WV. Registration closes at the end of March so talk to Will or Aidan ASAP if you are interested in attending
IMPACT Local Investment Drive Training: April 28 6:30 to 8pm @ Westminster Presbyterian. ALL TEAM LEADERS SHOULD PLAN TO ATTEND
IMPACT 20-Year Celebration: May 18, 6:30 to 8pm @ St Thomas Catholic Church. ALL NETWORK MEMBERS SHOULD BE INVITED