Truth and Action Roundup 3.28.25

View this email in your browser Welcome to the Truth and Action Roundup, a reliable weekly source of information, inspiration, and action for the first hundred days of the second Trump administration. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to continue receiving it. Today is Friday, March 28, day 68 of the new Trump administration. As the month of March ends, we find ourselves inspired this week by the plethora of actions happening in Washington, D.C., and around the country by civil society organizations and activists who are offering ways to push back against the cruelty and chaos the Trump administration has unleashed. We won’t be able to engage in every opportunity for activism — and we can, in fact, be more effective by aligning our gifts to the needs of the moment. When each of us focuses on making a difference in one or two areas where we are best able to help, that makes our overall impact as a movement of people who seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8) that much stronger and effective.    — The Truth and Action Roundup Team Help us plan for the future! Please take this short survey. In the News Here’s what’s been happening this week: 1) Donald Trump issued an executive order this week that seeks to transform U.S. elections by requiring proof of citizenship in voter registration, granting federal agencies (including the head of DOGE) access to state voter rolls, withholding funding from states that count ballots received after Election Day (even if postmarked by Election Day), and more. Voting and civil rights groups, however, point out that the president does not have the authority to mandate many of these changes without congressional action. Indeed, the executive order includes many provisions in the SAVE act, which Republicans are attempting to pass in the House of Representatives, but which is unlikely to pass in the Senate. 2) Federal agents have detained Rumeysa Ozturk, a Ph.D. student at Tufts University who is a Turkish citizen, accusing her of “activities in support of Hamas.” Ozturk wrote an op-ed in March 2024 criticizing the university’s response to the pro-Palestinian movement. Her detainment and the attempt to deport her are part of a broader Trump administration effort not just to crack down on pro-Palestinian activists but to test whether the constitution’s freedom of speech protections restrict the government’s ability to deport non-citizens who engage in speech or activism the administration doesn’t like. 3) The fallout continues from the Trump administration’s accidental inclusion of The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg in a Signal group chat discussing imminent U.S. airstrikes in Yemen. The White House has attempted to minimize the incident and deflect blame as much as possible, but former officials of both parties have emphasized that far lesser security breaches commonly result in immediate firings. 4) The Department of Health and Human Services abruptly canceled more than $12 billion in grants that states were using to track infectious diseases, provide mental health and addiction services, and more. While the grants were awarded during the COVID-19 pandemic, they were being used for a broader set of public health needs, including by Texas health officials to track the measles outbreaks there. Take Action This week, we are sharing a multitude of great opportunities to take action: Attend the Repairers of the Breach Moral Witness Wednesday: A National Call for Justice, Love, and Truth-Telling on April 2, 2025, at 11 a.m. Eastern at the U.S. Supreme Court. Join an Interfaith Alliance: National Call to Action for Faith Communities webinar on Wednesday, April 2, at 8 p.m. Eastern, focused on preparing for the nationwide Hands Off! Day of Action on Saturday, April 5. Plan or Join #PublicWitness Events during Holy Week and Easter: Get resources and ideas for how you can mark Holy Week in your community by taking action to uphold the teachings of Jesus and his special focus on care for the poorest and most vulnerable. Protect Immigrant Children: Tell Congress to restore vital services and push back on rapid deportations. The near-total termination of the Unaccompanied Children Program means small children are having to represent themselves in immigration court proceedings. Tell Congress: Stop Musk and Trump from Destroying Social Security! Congress must act now to protect the Social Security Administration from DOGE’s reckless cuts. Stand With Our Haitian Sisters and Brothers: Tell Congress to speak out against the Trump administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitian citizens in the United States. What We’re Reading and Watching Apartheid Theology Didn’t End. It Evolved | American churches were particularly vulnerable to a new and deadly strain of apartheid theology. What is the antidote? (By Adam Joyce) 12 Christian Women Shaping the Church in 2025 | These women lead through empathy, build community, and fight against rising tides of hopelessness with messages of radical and inclusive love. (By Hojung Lee) If God Can Roll Away Stones, Why Are Palestinians Still Trapped Under the Rubble? | In Christ in the Rubble, Palestinian pastor Rev. Munther Isaac surveys the devastation of his homeland and finds God in the most unexpected places. (By Josiah R. Daniels) Deep Breaths  What makes YOU come alive? The world feels heavy right now — marked by deep unrest and interconnected chaos. Systems and institutions are unraveling, reminding us that human-made borders can’t shield us from collective suffering. Yet, there is hope in seeing people wake up, take action, and find strength in one another. Still, with so much happening, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. More choices can mean more pressure, and sometimes that leads to paralysis. When I find myself there, I return to the words of Howard Thurman: “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it.” It’s a reminder to focus on my part to play — not everything. Because doing what makes me come alive is also how I stay aligned with the One who breathed life into me in the first place. Our passions — especially those born out of grief, love, and longing for justice — are not random. They are holy clues, pointing us toward the work God is calling us to. The divine doesn’t ask us to carry the whole world, just to carry our piece of it faithfully, to discern the part that is ours to hold, and to trust that others are doing the same. So I invite you: Pause and listen to your soul. What issues ignite your spirit? What injustices awaken the divine fire within you? Choose one or two, and commit to meaningful action — not just as a task, but as a spiritual practice. Then, rest. Use rest as a holy rhythm and as a declaration that you are not God, and you don’t have to be. We can’t do it all — but we can do what we’re called to do. As Rev. Katie Geneva Cannon said, “Do the work your soul must have.” This week, make that commitment. Show up. Speak out. Rest. Rinse and repeat. Let your soul come alive — because that, too, is worship. Please pray with me.  God who is both near and far; we sense that your heart is broken. The world you created through nommo — the generative and life-giving word, is overcome with chaos. Violence, fear, pain, sickness, poverty, racism, and hatred are being used to create hegemonic structures to divide and separate communities. Our eyes and ears are overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of our days.  Yet, in the middle of all of the turmoil, when we stop and remember that YOU are in this with us, we gain assurance, remembering all that you have done up until this moment. You are the God of Word and Deed and the God of healing and peace. You are justice and love rolled into one.  So God, help us discern what we are called to do in this moment, for our hearts are broken just like yours.  Guide our feet while we run this race, for we don’t want to run this race in vain.  In the powerful and justice-invoking name of Jesus, we pray, Amen and Ashé. ––Rev. Moya Harris, Director of Racial Justice, Sojourners The Truth and Action Roundup is compiled by Sojourners staff: President: Rev. Adam Russell Taylor Director of Racial Justice: Rev. Moya Harris Senior Research Associate: J.K. Granberg-Michaelson Senior Adviser and Director to the President’s Office: Elizabeth Denlinger Reaves Senior Director of Campaigns and Mobilizing: Sandy Ovalle Martínez Director of Congregational Outreach & Education: Rev. Andrea Saccoccio Associate Editor: Josina Guess Mobilizing and Policy Assistant: Miriam Tellez Senior Director of Marketing: Sandra Sims Donate Subscribe Copyright © 2025 Sojourners. All rights reserved. Email: sojourners@sojo.net | Tel.: 202.328.8842

WCC NEWS: WCC Commission of the Churches on Health and Healing maps the future in “new world order”

The World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of the Churches on Health and Healing held its fourth meeting, mapping its future in what its leaders defined as “a new world order.” St Luke's clinic operated by Banchen monastery in the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine. Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC 27 March 2025 Each of the commission’s working groups offered an update, and the entire body reiterated the urgent call to act on public health. In his welcome and introductory address to the online meeting, held 20 March, Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, WCC programme director for Life, Justice, and Peace, reflected that the World Health Organization estimates that approximately half of the world's population—around 4.5 billion people—lacks access to essential health services, meaning that they have to face financial hardship to access critical healthcare services. “At the same time, we are witnessing a troubling decline in international cooperation with reductions in health, development aid, and humanitarian support,” he said. “Many communities are becoming increasingly insular, focusing solely on their own concerns while ignoring broader realities of the world.” Rev. Dr Stavros Kofinas, moderator of the commission, said that, since its very first meeting, the commission has become a vibrant group of work groups that are facing major areas in health as they are related to the mission of the church.  He reflected that the work of the commission “is to be an expression of our Lord's philanthropic love to come together as a community of persons that make up His body, a vessel of peace and comfort to those that suffer in multiple ways throughout the world.” Kofinas added: “Since our first meeting, the world order has rapidly changed in many ways. A common thread that runs through all of our work is offering ways of healing the isolation, loneliness, and anxieties that have now predominated all societies.” The commission reflected and strategised on how the church can mobilise to build healing communities, to build listening, caring, and sharing communities that are safe and sacred spaces that promote the dignity, health and wellbeing of all, giving particular attention to the most vulnerable among us. They also reflected on how to engage in direct advocacy, to meet with government representatives to call for increased funding and action on health, climate, and social justice issues. See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland

WCC news: Registration for 11th Annual Symposium on Religion and International Affairs

The World Council of Churches (WCC), in collaboration with UN agencies and interfaith partners, invites global faith-based actors, civil society leaders, policymakers, and international affairs experts to register for the 11th Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-Based Organizations in International Affairs, to be held on hybrid mode in New York City on 3 April. The UN headquarters in New York City. Photo: Marcelo Schneider/WCC 26 March 2025 Themed “The Future is Upon Us: What Now? Amplifying the Role of Faith and Civil Society Actors in Multilateral Solutions,” this year’s symposium will focus on aspects of the UN Pact for the Future, adopted in September 2024. It will explore the critical role of faith-based organizations and civil society in shaping global solutions at a time of increasing challenges to multilateralism. “For over a decade WCC has been collaborating with UN, ecumenical and interfaith partners in organizing this symposium,” said Peter Prove, director of the WCC Commission of the Churches on International Affairs and co-moderator of the event. “This year, we will explore how faith-based actors can actively contribute to shaping global solutions through multilateral engagement, at a time when the multilateral system is under unprecedented strain.”  The symposium will feature high-level discussions on global governance, sustainable development, peacebuilding, gender justice, and emerging challenges such as artificial intelligence.  With faith communities often working at the grassroots level, their inclusion in global decision-making is essential for achieving sustainable peace and development. This symposium is co-sponsored by the World Council of Churches, ACT Alliance, General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church, Islamic Relief USA, Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Soka Gakkai International, and United Religions Initiative, in partnership with the UN Interagency Task Force on Religion and Sustainable Development. Registration link More information about this event Learn more about the work of the Ecumenical Office to the United Nations See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland

SojoMail - Meet the women shaping the church in 2025

View this email in your browser This week: 12 faith leaders to watch in 2025, Rev. Munther Isaac’s Christ in the Rubble, and providing spiritual care during a Texas execution. 12 Christian Women Shaping the Church in 2025 In this week’s SojoMail, we’re featuring women who are leading through empathy, building community, and fighting against rising tides of hopelessness with messages of radical and inclusive love: For the ninth year in a row, we honored Women’s History Month with an article highlighting revolutionary women shaping the church. This year’s list includes theologians, filmmakers, illustrators, musicians, pastors, and academics. Our nominees engage in diverse work, but these women are united through a fearless pursuit of justice. These women shape policy, raise awareness, and mobilize communities around a variety of vital causes. Whether they’re strengthening pluralistic democracy, protecting reproductive justice, resisting Christian nationalism, defending asylum seekers, or upholding immigrant rights, these women choose to lead through faith. We asked each woman to share why their work is so important at this time and to offer us a blessing for 2025. May their bravery, kindness, and devotion inspire you along your own faith journey. Read the full article Advertisement Our Latest Stories Is ‘Wokeness’ Worth Saving? (by Josiah R. Daniels) Sociologist Musa al-Gharbi’s ‘We Have Never Been Woke’ makes the case that we can’t solve the world’s problems without changing ourselves. Read more Trump Administration Erases Page Honoring Trailblazing Priest, Lawyer, and Activist (by María Celeste Masís Ocampo) Rev. Pauli Murray broke race and gender barriers in legal, ecclesial, and social communities. Read more If God Can Roll Away Stones, Why Are Palestinians Still Trapped Under the Rubble? (by Josiah R. Daniels) A Palestinian pastor tries to answer that question in a new book. Read more From the Magazine: I Provided Spiritual Care During a Texas Execution (by Bri-anne Swan) Officially, I was a volunteer of the state — but I intensely opposed what Texas was preparing to do. Read more Advertisements Stop Comparing, Stop Competing — Redefine Success In a world consumed by achievement, the pressure to succeed can feel overwhelming. Stop Trying to Be Successful offers a refreshing perspective. Pete Portal invites readers to redefine success through faith — letting go of comparison and pressure to embrace a life where success isn’t measured by achievement, but by faithfulness to your calling. Sojourners’ Anti-Racism Reading List Check out Sojourners’ anti-racism reading list, curated by our Director of Racial Justice, Rev. Moya Harris. Our Bookshop page features a variety of Sojourners reading lists. When you buy from Bookshop, part of the proceeds go to support Sojourners’ work, as well as to support local bookstores throughout the country. Donate Subscribe Unsubscribe or update email preferences Copyright © 2025 Sojourners. All rights reserved. Email: sojourners@sojo.net | Tel.: 202.328.8842