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!
2024-25 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.
If you have any questions, reach out to the Vineyard Justice Ministry Team Members, Carissa Phillips or Crystal Seek.
CELEBRATION FOR JUSTICE 30 june 2025
IMPACT’s Celebration is coming up on June 30 from 6:30 to 8pm at St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church. During the celebration we’ll be giving out awards for some of our congregations & leaders, celebrating our progress on our issue campaigns, and reporting on our annual individual investment drive. Dinner will be served beginning at 6:30pm and the celebration will end no later than 8:30pm.
Meeting with Charlottesville Mayor July 16th
At this year’s Nehemiah Action, Mayor Wade & Vice Mayor Pinkston both committed to meet with IMPACT this summer to follow up on the progress towards reducing transit wait times. We’ll be meeting with both of them on Wednesday, July 16th at Charlottesville First UMC. We will gather together at 5pm and the Mayor & Vice Mayor will meet with us at 5:30pm. You can let us know you plan to attend with the form linked below