Justice and Witness Ministries, one of four Covenanted Ministries in the United Church of Christ, helps local congregations and all other settings of the church respond to God's commandments to do justice, seek peace, and effect change for a better world. The work of JWM is guided by the pronouncements and resolutions approved by the General Synod of the United Church of Christ.

Working out of three offices in Cleveland, Washington, D.C., and the historic Franklinton Center at Bricks in eastern North Carolina, JWM empowers individuals and local congregations across the nation to do advocacy for justice in their communities and in the world. We also work closely with the United Nations office of Wider Church Ministries and with our colleagues in all of the Covenanted Ministries and other settings of the church who work for justice.

The Economic Justice Ministry Team is responsible for the longstanding commitments of the United Church of Christ and its predecessor churches in the areas of the global economy, public education, consumerism, health care for all, labor relations, economic development, and the elimination of hunger and poverty. The team's leader is the Rev. Dr. Wallace Ryan Kuroiwa.

The Human Rights, Justice for Women, and Transformation Ministry Team addresses a range of concerns: criminal justice, capital punishment, juvenile justice, women's concerns, sovereignty, political prisoners, advocacy for children and families, human sexuality, and multi-racial, multi-cultural advocacy for a more inclusive church and society. The team's leader is the Rev. Lois M. (Loey) Powell.

The Racial Justice Ministry Team is a catalyst for change working to confront and dismantle racism, create a new generation of racial justice advocates, and collaborate with others in pursuit of the UCC's commitment to be a church that is multi-racial, multi-cultural, open and affirming, and accessible to all. The team's leader is the Rev. Dr. Wallace Ryan Kuroiwa.

The Public Life and Social Policy Ministry Team, based in Washington, D.C., coordinates the public policy advocacy work of the church in collaboration with all settings of the UCC. Responding to legislative issues, this team works to give life and voice to the resolutions and pronouncements of General Synod on social policy. This office also houses the work of the  Justice and Peace Action Network, the UCC's grassroots network of justice advocates. 

M. Linda Jaramillo is executive minister of the UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries, responsible for the church?s work on human rights and social, racial and economic justice. Jaramillo has been active in various UCC settings; as a member of the Commission for Racial Justice and the board of the Coordinating Center for Women; as a member and moderator of Ainsworth UCC in Portland, Ore.; as moderator, vice-moderator, treasurer and search committee chair in the Central Pacific Conference; as a member and committee chair of the Executive Council; and as assistant moderator of General Synod. In 2002, she was a UCC delegate to the World Council of Churches Assembly in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1998. She is a former president and vice-president of the Council for Hispanic Ministries and former co-convener of the Council of Racial and Ethnic Ministries.

Jaramillo has over 30 years of management experience working with state, county, and federally funded programs in Oregon, including Head Start, migrant services, child welfare, violence prevention, HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, and adult community-based education. She received a B.S. in Business Administration from Portland (Ore.) State University and a Master of Divinity degree from UCC-related Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, Calif. Fluent in both English and Spanish, she is the first Hispanic to serve as a member of the Collegium.