V&M is a compost bucket kind of church. We’re like leaves, twigs, and apple cores that get mixed together in community and heated up by the Spirit, to become a life-giving soil. Compost is only useful when it integrates and contributes to the ecosystem around it, helping other things thrive. And that’s our model for doing justice at V&M.
The working vision for the Resistance Choir is to be a multi-ethnic choir sharing songs of liberation, standing against the Empire, and supporting local social justice action.
The choir brings the power of music to marches, actions, and places of (in)justice. It also brings music to V&M Celebrations for those who desire!
In 2011 we added a new justice-centered holiday to our annual calendar, Table Turning Monday. Each year we carry out a direct action sometime between Palm Sunday and Good Friday to commemorate the day when Jesus walked into the Temple and turned over the tables of the money changers. Turning the tables at a symbolically-charged location that was controlled by the economic, political, and religious power elite, was a symbolic act challenging the complicity of his own leaders in his people’s oppression. And three days later Jesus was arrested by the Roman Empire and given a rebel’s execution. We think this is an important, and often ignored, part of the story and reminds people that this is a subversive tradition. While justice should be a daily practice not a once-a-year one, we hope this holiday will highlight this part of the story for people. In the past 7 years other congregations have been inspired by this and done their own actions. It has been covered by Sojourners magazine, Patheos.com, the Making Contact radio show, and numerous local new sources.
At V&M we are inspired to join the movement Jesus was on to “bring good news to poor, proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (footnote: The year of the Lord’s favor refers to the abolition of debt, slavery, and servitude, the establishment of peace, and rest for the environment). We practice life-giving creativity and call out oppressive systems through a great variety of means.
We believe children have an important place in creating another world. Many of the actions we participate in are family-friendly. Our children’s ministry encourages children to grapple with justice issues in developmentally appropriate ways. V&M is welcoming an increasing number of families into our community and we are actively trying to find ways to incorporate the participation and gifts of children into our justice efforts.
A sample of the movements and causes we partner with:
Hillman City Collaboratory We co-founded this community hub and social change incubator with our partner, Community Arts Create.
Interfaith Economic Justice Coalition Through the IEJC we have been part of the SeaTac worker justice movement, the $15 Minimum Wage campaign, and efforts to combat Islamaphobia.
Black Lives Matter and No New Youth Jail We have marched regularly and participated in various actions in coordination with these movements.
Fossil free UMC One of our pastors and members is the founder of this powerful environmental advocacy movement.
V&M is committed to intersectional anti-oppression, including racial justice, LGBTQI-liberation, gender justice, and other struggles against structural disenfranchisement. All three of our core values call us to these commitments. Deep Listening reminds us that we only have a slice of the truth, and calls us to learn from others, especially those whose voices have been historically marginalized. Creative Liberation reminds us that God is on the side of the oppressed, and calls us to throw off our yokes and take risky stands in solidarity with others throwing off theirs. Radical Hospitality reminds us that the Divine is present in others and calls us to the ongoing work of deconstructing privilege and growing in mutuality.