2023 NEHEMIAH ACTION ASSEMBLY
DO JUSTICE. LOVE MERCY. WALK HUMBLY WITH GOD.
Gather with thousands of other faithful people from across Columbia to ask our local officials to take action on the issues that effect our communities every day. This year we’ll be asking for proven and researched solutions to
Gun Violence, Affordable Housing, and Mental Health.
How does MORE Justice work?
In the Fall, Team Leaders host House Meetings to discuss community problems that are directly impacting people. At the Community Problems Assembly, members vote on which problem areas to prioritize for the year. Issue Committees are formed to conduct research into those problems, and ultimately come up with specific, winnable solutions. At our Nehemiah Action in the spring, thousands gather to ask public officials to implement these solutions. After the Nehemiah Action, leaders follow up on the commitments made at the Action, and members are invited to invest in MORE Justice.
Who was Nehemiah? What is a “Nehemiah” Action?
In 5th chapter of the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, the Prophet Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem to find his people being exploited. During a terrible drought and famine, a group of moneylenders began capitalizing off of the Israelites desperation by enticing them to buy loans with high interest rates. When the Israelites defaulted on their loans, they were forced to sell their children into slavery (Nehemiah 5:1-5).
Instead of practicing mercy ministry by providing direct service in order to alleviate his people's immediate needs, Nehemiah understood the problem stemmed from a unjust system and the root cause had to be addressed with systemic change. In doing this, Nehemiah was practicing justice ministry.
Nehemiah used his influence to coordinate a "great assembly" where a large Israelites called out the moneylenders for their foul practices. Upon seeing the great numbers gathered to hold them accountable, the moneylenders publicly promised to abandon their practices of usury and to return to the people all that they had taken unjustly.
Every year, MORE Justice recreates the "Great Assembly" Nehemiah led by holding our own Action Assembly.
Like in Nehemiah 5, the assembly addresses public officials and powerful decision makers and asks them to publicly commit to use their positions of authority to address our community’s problems.