Core Pillars – Pray, March, and Act
By Dr. Rachel Marie Brooks Atkins and Cidra Sebastien
As we reflect on the past five years, we’re spotlighting our core pillars – Pray, March, and Act – remembering why each one matters:
PRAY
“We pray because the task is bigger than us.”
Prayer is at the center of everything we do at PMA. Prayer anchors us in God’s presence and power and reminds us that Gospel-centered justice is something we participate in, but He leads. We pray:
In community, standing in solidarity with those who are hurting
On behalf of those too weak to cry out for themselves
Seeking clarity in how we respond to injustice
Trusting a God who is mightier than any injustice we see
Prayer Calls
Because prayer is so important we created Prayer Calls for our community to pray together. This year alone, nearly 200 supporters have joined our Prayer Calls and prayed over our most urgent needs and moments:
Immigration
A Night of Lament
Praying For Our City & Each Other
No Kings Rallies
We also lead with prayer at all of our PMA events including this year's annual MLK Rally that began with a powerful prayer walk, where more than 115 people prayed for Harlem. You’ve also shown up to PMA’s inter[sessions] not only to learn, but to pray as one Church.
Our Prayers Have Power
There is power in our collective prayers for the hurting. God has promised to be present when two or three are gathered (Matt. 18:20), near to those who call on Him (Psm. 145:18), and faithful to respond (1 Thes. 5:24). With everything PMA does, prayer and our reliance on God are at the center of our work.
MARCH
“We march in solidarity with the hurting.”
“He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.” Deuteronomy 10:18-19 NIV
Throughout the Bible, we see God’s heart for justice defined as treating people rightly, with fairness and dignity, especially those who are vulnerable and hurting in society. At Pray March Act, our vision is to make God’s invisible justice visible, and when we see that God’s definition of justice is not aligned with what is happening in our country and/or our own neighborhoods, it’s incumbent upon us to be a prophetic voice and presence to advocate for justice as God sees it.
Prophetic Voice
"Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil! Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor…” Isaiah 1:16-17a NIV
Pray March Act was born out of a march. On June 2, 2020, we marched as an expression of deep grief and a call for repentance after the murder of George
Floyd. We believe the church has a role to play, much like the prophets of old, in naming injustice and calling both our leaders and neighbors to turn away from injustice and do what is right.
Today, we continue to gather and march as an opportunity for civic discipleship, as it allows us to articulate why we are marching. When we gather for our annual MLK Rally we declare the unjust systems in our city, including education, criminal legal, and housing, as we pray for change. When we gather for No Kings Rally’s, we call out the unjust treatment of our immigrant neighbors and demand that our government treat them with dignity and respect. This year, 300 of you marched in solidarity.
Community
While God used individual prophets to declare His justice in the time before Christ, He now speaks through Christ's own body, His church. We speak with a collective prophetic voice. Marching is an opportunity to gather, representing Christ together in unity, as He prayed we would before His death and resurrection (John 17: 20-22).
Our Presence Has Power
There is power in our collective presence for those who are hurting. God has promised to be present when two or three are gathered (Matt. 18:20), near to those who call on Him (Psalm. 145:18), and faithful to respond (1 Thessalonian 5:24). Our presence at marches and gatherings has a meaningful impact on our witness as the Church, and we keep prayer and our reliance on God at the center of our work
ACT
“We act to do justice in a broken world.”
Over the past 5 years, PMA has been at work to undo harmful policies by educating, training, and organizing Christians in New York City. That work includes hosting opportunities to call out issues, learn together, and call in others who can support our effort. Through learning events like our Redirects and inter[sessions], or our community events like our annual MLK Day rallies, we’ve spent time sharing, unpacking, and arming ourselves with tools to better serve ourselves and our communities.
We’ve created space to explore what safety in the city looks like, understand the history of immigration in the US, learn about ways to support those directly impacted by deportations, get clear on the roles of our local elected officials, and prepare for this year's mayoral election. We've trained members to present at budget hearings, explored the complex relationship between racism and capitalism through our Juneteenth book club, and participated in interfaith activities, including the Multifaith Mondays: Moral Witness for Democracy public vigils, and mobilized PMA members to attend the No Kings rallies.
As Christians, we are called not only to know the Word of God, but to do the work of God. And since PMA’s inception, we’ve been working. Our work has been guided by God, and our actions have strengthened our membership and resolve: we will continue to do the work to make God’s invisible justice visible.
As we reflect on the past 5 years, we look at how we have acted to bring forth justice through our work.