faith in action

Advocacy Amid the Pandemic

Amid all the ways the COVID-19 pandemic has upended lives and livelihoods, Church and Society’s continued connection to frontline communities and trusted partners has been vital to our ministry of public witness and advocacy.


standing together six feet apart

Amid all the ways the COVID-19 pandemic has upended lives and livelihoods, Church and Society’s continued connection to frontline communities and trusted partners has been vital to our ministry of public witness and advocacy.

This pandemic, like many so-called natural disasters, has laid bare the pre-existing injustices upon which our social, economic, and political structures have been built. Both the impacts of and responses to this public health crisis are deeply intertwined with the human-created systems of racism, xenophobia, ableism, and economic exploitation.

Faithful advocacy – both for short-term relief measures and long-term rebuilding efforts– must remain firmly centered around the experience and voices of frontline communities too often forced to the margins.

These past weeks, Church and Society staff have been connecting with impacted communities, learning from trusted coalition partners, and advocating for policy solutions in line with the social teachings of The United Methodist Church.

Among the focus of our recent advocacy:

  • access to affordable, equitable, quality health care for all;
  • expanded nutrition assistance through the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and protection for farm workers whose labor governments are finally recognizing as “essential;”
  • the guarantees of the right to vote and freedom from religious persecution;
  • the humane release of prisoners and detainees and support for those whose shelter is unsafe, unaffordable, or nonexistent;
  • access to paid sick leave, unemployment benefits, and living wages for all workers;
  • support for clean air standards and a cleaner energy future;
  • the rights of immigrants, refugees, and asylees;
  • support for indigenous communities, communities of color, people with disabilities and the medically fragile;
  • and international efforts to support nations by lifting sanctions, relieving debts, providing humanitarian assistance, and supporting multilateral organizations including the World Health Organization.

None of these advocacy areas is new – but they have been made all the more urgent in light of the pandemic. During these ever-changing times, our work depends on long-standing partnerships and trusted coalitions to provide key information, insights, and opportunities for action. And while some of our advocacy has been forced to adapt to new methods such as video call “visits” with Congressional offices and the Administration, our faith witness remains as critical as ever.

We are grateful for the many United Methodists who are on the frontlines responding to the urgent needs created by this pandemic and for all those who continue their faithful practice of advocacy with decision makers. We do not know how long the impacts of COVID-19 will be felt – but we do know that it will take consistent, faithful advocacy rooted in solidarity, partnership, and community to reshape and heal our broken systems so they might better reflect God’s vision of health, wholeness, justice, and peace.