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Social Mission and Prophetic Justice
| To continue the quest for social justice as a witness, in word and deed, to the redeeming love of God in Christ, through our Strategy and Action Commission, our Ecumenical Working Group to Counter Racism, and the MCC Board of Directors.
"Do justice... love mercy... and walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 |
Overview
Social witness — churches working together for the sake of the world — is an integral and essential part of the ecumenical commitments of Christian churches.
Ecumenical public policy advocacy involves maintaining watch over a wide spectrum of issues through the lens of Christian traditions, values and social ethics.
The Strategy and Action Commission
The Strategy and Action Commission is composed of representatives of MCC member denominations and directs work on the Council’s priority issues. Those priorities are:
Affordable health care for all
Working to curb violence and promote civil discourse on violence
The Ecumenical Working Group to Counter Racism
The Ecumenical Working Group to Counter Racism seeks to mobilize and coordinate the resources of MCC member denominations to counter racism. The Working Group is leading efforts to promote ecumenical anti-racism dialogue training among congregations in local communities.
Legislative advocacy
Legislative advocacy is a primary focus of prophetic witness. Church leaders and council representatives are called upon to offer public testimony before legislative committees on a range of issues for which the Council has taken a public stand, including:
Opposition to the death penalty
Protecting a worker’s right to Sabbath observance
Preventing casino gambling
Taking action
For action alerts, legislative updates and information about how to become part of the MCC ecumenical public policy advocacy network, visit our Public Policy page.
Building a Culture of Peace - New Decade to Overcome Violence Resources
In a variety of ways throughout its history, the Massachusetts Council of Churches has worked to counter violence at home and abroad. The World Council of Church's Decade to Overcome Violence presents another opportunity for congregations in this region to find fresh ways to address the perennial problems caused by violence.
A new educational resource (a PowerPoint (pdf) and leaders' guide) titled "Building a culture of peace" is designed for Christian adult study groups to use in furthering peace awareness.
The presentation is based on the four main points of DOV: 1) The Spirit and Logic of Violence; 2) the Use, Abuse, and Misuse of Power; 3) Issues of Justice; and 4) Religious Identity and Plurality. The PowerPoint also offers some creative ideas for follow-through. The presentations open and close with meditative exercises, challenging participants to engage the material thoughtfully and prayerfully.
The PowerPoint is Ideal for a Sunday School class, a church forum or luncheon, or for home viewing and family discussion.
Additional resources from the World Council of Churches may be found
Resources
View the following resources online:
Positions and Policies Statements
Order the following resources through the MCC office:
Positions and Policies of the Massachusetts Council of Churches, 1975 -
present
Uniting Against Anti-Semitism: The Christian Community Responds
Video: "Notes from the hill - on casino gambling"
Video: "Racism and the responsibilities of churches"