The Charleston Area Justice Ministry (CAJM), is a growing network of faith-based congregations who are culturally, economically, geographically and religiously diverse who come together to make the Charleston area a more just place to live, work, and do business.
Our Vision
In Micah 6:8, we are told that we’re required by God to do three basic things: “Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.”
Walking humbly with our God is taken very seriously by congregations of faith. We are in worship at least 52 times a year, we have scriptural studies, retreats all designed to help us in our walk with our creator. Loving mercy is also something many individuals and congregations put into practice very well, for example, helping build a home with Habitat for Humanity. In contrast, an example of doing justice could mean holding our officials accountable to provide affordable housing for thousands of people.
Although we’re required to do justice, as individuals and in individual congregations we don’t do it as well because we can’t do it alone. We need power to do justice—power in large numbers of organized people. So CAJM works with congregations across the Charleston area to organize a large annual Nehemiah Action. This Assembly is named after the prophet Nehemiah, who held a Great Assembly to win justice for the people in Jerusalem who were being exploited by moneylenders.
We have accomplished much already – see History and Future. But there is still much to be done. So all of our congregations share a vision to turn out their average worship attendance to the Nehemiah Action. Because if they can bring thousands of people together 52 times a year to practice faithfulness, that same number can come out once a year for justice.