We Are the Plumbline

Dear Justice-Seeker,

A plumbline is a remarkably simple tool: a weight suspended from a line, used by builders to determine whether a wall is straight and true.

For MFSA, the plumbline has long represented something more. It is a way of asking whether the church we are building together actually lines up with what we say we believe.

This October, bishops and leaders from across The United Methodist Church will gather for the Council of Bishops Leadership Gathering to imagine the future of our denomination. The gathering is intended to bring together hope, vision, and imagination for what the UMC might become.

MFSA plans to be there, holding the plumbline.

This Plumbline was a gift from Bonnie Beckonchrist when I began this role. It has traveled with me to every major church gathering since.

We will bring the values that you have entrusted to this movement: justice, inclusion, dignity, liberation, and a commitment to those too often pushed to the margins. We will listen. We will build relationships. We will amplify voices that might otherwise go unheard. And we will continue asking the hard questions that keep us aligned with love.

The point of the plumbline isn’t perfection. It’s having something that helps us notice when we’re getting off course. When the church talks about its future, are we building toward greater justice? Are we making room for people who have historically been excluded? Are the voices of those most affected by our decisions helping shape them? Does the church we are imagining reflect the expansive love we proclaim?

These are questions MFSA has been asking for generations, and your support makes it possible for us to keep asking them in the places where the future of our church is being shaped.

Your membership and gifts allow MFSA to travel to gatherings like this one, organize alongside justice-seeking United Methodists, and ensure that our justice-seeking movement is present when important conversations are happening.

When you support MFSA, you help hold the plumbline.

Together, we can keep calling the church toward something more plumb, true, and deeply aligned with justice and love.

Will you make a gift today to help MFSA be present for this important moment in the life of The United Methodist Church?

Thank you for standing with us—holding the plumbline, asking the questions, and building toward a church that reflects the love it proclaims.

Thank you for being part of this work.

With gratitude and hope,

Bridget Cabrera (she/her/hers)
Executive Director 
Methodist Federation for Social Action

You make our collective work possible by your witness for justice every day in your church, community, and Annual Conference. MFSA does not receive any financial support from the United Methodist Church's giving channels. 100% of our budget is funded through your membership donations and your generosity in giving.