Dear *{{Informal Name}}*, 

 

Despite the undeniable challenges this year brought, we look back on 2020 with gratitude for God’s faithfulness through this trying time. Below are a few highlights of Justice Revival’s progress and impact in 2020, thanks to your generous partnership and support.

 

A Leading Voice on Equality & Inclusion

 

Justice Revival stepped forward as a leading voice on equal rights and full inclusion of all people, regardless of sex, in our nation’s constitution. We broke ground on a new training program on the Equal Rights Amendment, a basic human rights reform 150 years in the making.

 

Despite unfortunately having to postpone our ERA workshop scheduled for this fall, our work culminated in a powerful Interfaith Statement in Support for the ERA, which we’ll bring before the new Congress next year. In case you missed it, view our March public roundtable with expert faith leaders on the ERA below, and stay tuned for more soon on how you can support this historic cause.

 

A Christian Voice for Human Rights

 

Justice Revival continued to share the Christian case for human rights far and wide, preaching and speaking at a variety of events in person and online, including a debut sermon with Union Theological Seminary's Chapel this fall and a series of events with Vote Common Good throughout the year. I had the opportunity to teach much of our "Human Rights in Christian Perspective" course during a four week series at my home church, Bradley Hills Presbyterian, early in the year.

New Web-Based Education Programs

 

This year’s social distancing mandate caused us to pause our in-person, church-based educational programs last spring, postponing some events until 2021. On the upside, we seized the opportunity to begin creating more web-based educational programs, accessible to much broader audiences.

 

As the nation and the world’s attention shifted to the covid crisis, we brought you a video interview and collaborative webinar (featured below) with colleague Fran Quigley, an expert on the human right to health:

Our July public roundtable on systemic racism in U.S. policing, hosted in partnership with The Forum on Human Rights at the Carter Center, featured expert voices on this vital and urgent issue:

A Wider Reach in the Year Ahead

 

The success of these offerings spurred us to explore possibilities for transitioning our groundbreaking human rights course to a new, web-based model with greater reach and impact. As a result, in 2021 we plan to offer:

 

• A series of dynamic, live, web-based events that bring together leading experts to address timely topics at the intersection of Christian faith and human rights—which you can participate in, wherever you are.
• A companion Study, Discussion & Action Guide that churches can use with the event video series, to deepen the learning experience and move toward collective action.

 

Justice Revival will still be teaching students in the classroom—in particular, seminary students preparing for careers in ministry. We’re thrilled to be bringing our specialized Christian human rights education course to future Church leaders, in person and online.

Trusted Insights on Human Rights

 

Justice Revival continued to provide timely analysis on issues like system racism in our criminal system, hate crimes, gender based rights violations, and U.S. accountability under international law through our “Faith & Human Rights Insights” blog. In case you missed it, my recent Human Rights Day article reflected on major developments that marked 2020.

 

Growth on Many Fronts

 

This was also the year we inaugurated our formal internship program, welcomed two outstanding new board members, and launched our new web site. We hope you’ll visit often to stay up to date on Justice Revival’s ministry and the human rights issues of our day.

 

We’d like to thank every one of you who supported Justice Revival during our recent Human Rights Day campaign, “Imagine: America Transformed.” Your generosity has surprised us in the best way possible, and because of your support we’re prepared to hit the ground running in 2021. Special thanks to all of you who sustain our work with your recurring monthly gifts; we appreciate your strong support!

 

If you haven’t yet had an opportunity to give this year, you can still make your tax-free contribution for 2020 anytime through midnight tomorrow, December 31st. Giving is easy on our website, and every gift makes an important difference to this growing ministry.

Blessings to you and yours this Christmas season, and best wishes for a brighter year ahead.

 

In faith, hope & love,

Allyson McKinney Timm

Founder & Executive Director

A Christian Voice for Human Rights