“Good Trouble” Team Statement

We, the members of the “Good Trouble” study group of First United Methodist Church, Baraboo, Wi, make the following statement:

We reject hate and racism in all its forms and seek to pursue justice and equality for all of God’s people. Expressions of hate and violence in our nation against people of color, most recently the increase in hate crimes directed toward Asian Americans, must stop.

The “Good Trouble” group is in the process of becoming. We are not complete. We are working on understanding our own unconscious biases and white privilege. We are learning about different ways to overcome racial divisions. We seek social justice and racial equality for all groups and individuals by educating ourselves and others and actively challenging the structures and attitudes that underpin racism. We invite you to commit to your own journey of discovery and resolution to make our Church and community a welcoming place for all. 
April 16, 2021

“Asians and Asian-Americans of the United Methodist Church
Condemn the Rise of Anti-Asian Violence in the U.S.”

A statement from Asian American Language Ministry Plan

Rev. John Oda, who directs the Asian American Language Ministry Plan said, “This is not just an Asian American concern. It is not an African American concern, a Hispanic/Latino concern, a Native American concern or a Pacific Islander concern. This increase in violence is a concern for ALL Christians; for anyone who wants to live out the tenets of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and who wants to fulfill His commandment to love one another. The United Methodist Church has a moral obligation to be vocally and visibly outraged at this precipitous rise in violence and hatred against the Asian American community.”

To read the entire message, “Asians and Asian-Americans of the United Methodist Church Condemn the Rise of Anti-Asian Violence in the U.S.” of which Bishop Hee-Soo Jung of the Wisconsin Annual Conference was one of the forty- eight United Methodist leaders who signed this letter, please go to statement-against-anti-asian-violence-mar-2021-final.pdf.