Nov. 16: New Freedom Bus Tour 
The New Freedom Bus Tour arrived in Salt Lake City as part of a month-long tour of cities around the United States, beginning in Philadelphia and ending in New York City on December 10. Organized by the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, the objectives of the bus tour were to document economic human rights violations in the United States and to help local organizations organize the poor and homeless.

The tour's Salt Lake City stop was hosted by MESJ and JEDI for Women. Amity Scoville, MESJ's liaison with the PPEHRC, was a principal organizer of the event. She also conducted seminars at the Midvale Winter Overflow Shelter to solicit participation from local individuals currently without homes.

The bus tour arrived in the early hours on the morning of the 16th. A small but energetic rally was held at the City/County Building from 10 am to noon. Later that afternoon, bus riders went on a "reality tour" to see the face of poverty in Salt Lake City. An article about the bus tour's Salt Lake visit appeared in the Ogden Standard-Examiner. Amity Scoville and Debora Wrathall were among those quoted.

Nov. 14: First MESJ Meeting in Utah County
The first meeting of a Utah County MESJ group was held at Utah Valley State College. The meeting was organized by Dennis Potter, a UVSC faculty member, and drew a dozen interested individuals. Members of the Salt Lake group were present as well to offer advice and support. Discussion centered on what kinds of activities the Utah County group might pursue and what the relationship between the Utah County and Salt Lake groups will be.

Nov. 13: Interfaith Panel on Worker Justice
James Tobler spoke on an interfaith panel on worker justice and living wages organized by the National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice. Tobler provided the panel’s LDS voice, speaking alongside representatives of Judaism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestantism. At the forum of which this panel was a part, the NICWJ unveiled a new booklet, Latter-day Saints and Justice for Workers, one of several resources the organization has prepared to build connections between faith communities and labor. James Tobler and John-Charles Duffy, both members of MESJ, helped create this booklet.

Nov. 9: Salt Lake Tribune Article
MESJ was the subject of the lead article in the "Body and Soul" section of the Salt Lake Tribune's Saturday, November 9, issue. Mary Brown Malouf, who wrote the article, became aware of MESJ when she saw a "Mormons for Peace" sign during a rally at the Utah state capitol two weeks before. In the same weekend that the article appeared, MESJ received 30-40 emails from new inquirers.

Oct. 26: "No War in Iraq" Rally 
Displaying scriptural mottos such as "Blessed are the peacemakers" and "Renounce war and proclaim peace," MESJ members participated in a "No War in Iraq" rally held on the steps of the Utah capitol building. The rally was one of several demonstrations staged in various cities, most notably Washington D.C. and San Francisco. At a planning meeting two days earlier, MESJ voted to officially endorse the Salt Lake City rally, which was organized by People for Peace and Justice of Utah.

Oct. 6: March for Peace
Oct. 7: National Day of Protest Against War in Iraq
Immediately following the Sunday morning session of General Conference, MESJ members joined a silent march for peace from Pioneer Park to Washington Square, organized by People for Peace and Justice of Utah. On the following evening, MESJ took part in a second peace demonstration, this time in front of the Federal Building in downtown Salt Lake. This second demonstration, part of the National Day of Protest Against War in Iraq, brought together members of various faith communities in Utah. James Tobler spoke at the Sunday demonstration and was quoted in the Salt Lake Tribune.

Sept. 25: University of Utah Brown Bag
Amity Scoville, MESJ's liaison with the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign, met with students and leaders in the University of Utah's Bennion Center for a brown bag presentation on the PPEHRC's soon-to-be-launched New Freedom Bus Tour. As a result of the brown bag, the Bennion Center agreed to donate half of the proceeds from its upcoming Oxfam banquet to the PPEHRC. Plans were also set in motion for combining the Bennion Center's annual sleep out for the homeless with the New Freedom Bus Tour's stop in Salt Lake City, scheduled for November.

Sept. 11: Walk and Gathering for Freedom, Diversity, and Remembrance
Despite rainy weather, several hundred people representing a variety of religious, ethnic, or cultural groups walked from Washington Square to the Franklin Covey Field as a show of solidarity in diversity. MESJ was one of several LDS groups participating in the event, which was organized by NCCJ (National Conference for Community and Justice). During the walk, MESJ members were introduced to a representative of the Area Presidency, who commended them for their community involvement.

Aug. 10: Sunstone Symposium 
At the Sunstone Symposium in Salt Lake City, MESJ presented a panel discussion titled, "Is Progressive Political Activism Supported by Mormon Theology?" John-Charles Duffy moderated the panel. James Tobler spoke about workers rights, Debora Wrathall about health care, Scott Warnick about poverty, and Amity Scoville about the importance of becoming involved in local political processes. Panelists discussed how LDS teachings or their own experience encountering the suffering of others have inspired them to become involved in these social issues. In addition, MESJ tabled throughout the three-day symposium.

July 20: First MESJ Resolutions Conference
After much anticipation, MESJ met at the University of Utah's Olpin Union for its first resolutions conference. The organization adopted official statements on the environment, workers rights, universal health care, the war on terror, the Palestinian occupation, abortion, and gay rights.

July 2: Meeting with Orrin Hatch
As part of a lobbying event organized by the Salt Lake-based Coalition of Religious Communities (CORC), MESJ prepared a letter asking U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch to "help create a welfare system that is both effective and charitable." Specifically, the letter urged Senator Hatch to support welfare reauthorization legislation that would define "work activities" broadly and give states flexibility to grant benefits extensions on a case-by-case basis. James Tobler and Craig Condie personally delivered the letter to Senator Hatch at his Utah office.

June 8: Day in the Park
MESJ tabled at KRCL's Day in the Park, held at Jordan Park in Salt Lake City.

June 4: KRCL Radio Interview
James Tobler, founder of MESJ, was interviewed by Steve Epperson for the KRCL radio program "Building the Good Society." During the interview, Tobler recounted how his experience as an LDS missionary in Mexico opened his eyes to the need to work against social inequity and injustice. He described MESJ's mission, principles, and recent activities. He also read from some of the quotesheets MESJ distributes to highlight LDS teachings that speak to issues of social justice.

May 31-June 1: Strategy Meeting in NYC
By invitation of the Philadelphia-based Kensington Welfare Rights Union, MESJ sent a representative to the Strategy Meeting on Poverty, Welfare Policy, Morality and Faith Community, held at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Tim Shultz represented MESJ at this meeting. Representatives of various poor people's organizations and faith-based groups discussed strategies for putting out messages that would inform politicians guiding welfare reform about the lived reality of poor people in the United States.

May 17: Utah Issues Community Solutions Conference
Tim Shultz, a MESJ participant employed by the Utah Issues Center for Poverty Research and Action, organized a panel on "Mormonism, Poverty, and Politics" for Utah Issues' annual Community Solutions Conference. John-Charles Duffy represented MESJ on this panel, speaking alongside Grant Magnum, co-author of The Mormons' War on Poverty; Jan Ferre, of the Legislative Coalition for People with Disabilities; Michael Siepel, professor of social work at BYU; Alex Nibley, son of Hugh Nibley; and Paul Mero, of the Sutherland Institute. MESJ tabled at the conference as well.

May 1: May Day
MESJ tabled at a May Day celebration at Sugarhouse Park in Salt Lake City.

Apr. 22: Earth Day
MESJ tabled at the University of Utah's Earth Day celebration.

Apr. 20: Stop the War
MESJ participated in a "Stop the War" rally at Washington Square, in downtown Salt Lake City, joining in a march afterwards to the state capitol. At the time of the rally, MESJ had not adopted a position statement on the war against terror. However, in discussions surrounding the vote to march with this event, MESJ participants expressed a variety of concerns about the campaign against terrorism and about the very notion of a "war" on "terror."

Feb. 8: March for Our Lives 
Carrying signs with scriptural slogans such as, "There should be an equality among all" (Mosiah 27:3), and singing "Come, Come Ye Saints," a MESJ contingent joined about 400 other people in marching towards the Olympic Stadium to call attention to poverty in the United States. This was the final, climactic event in the week-long "March for Our Lives." James Tobler spoke at the rally that opened the march. MESJ's participation in the march was covered in the news section of Sunstone magazine, and a photo of the MESJ contingent appeared on the website of the Philadelphia-based Kensington Welfare Rights Union (which co-sponsored the march).

Feb. 4: March for Our Lives Interfaith Service 
As part of the week-long "March for Our Lives," an interfaith service was held in the University of Utah's Orson Spencer Hall, with participation from First Baptist Church of Salt Lake City, Sacred Light of Christ Metropolitan Community Church, and South Valley Unitarian-Universalist Society. MESJ played a key role in organizing this service. Debora Wrathall, of MESJ, conducted the service, and John-Charles Duffy spoke as a representative of MESJ. After the service, Wrathall, Duffy, and Tobler were interviewed by a reporter for BBC Radio.

Feb. 2: March for Our Lives Press Conference
James Tobler and John-Charles Duffy represented MESJ at a press release about the upcoming "March for Our Lives" interfaith service. They appeared with representatives of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union (Philadelphia), JEDI for Women (Salt Lake City), and various local faith communities. The press conference announced a week-long series of events to raise awareness about poverty and homelessness during the Olympics. The press release lead to a Deseret News article which quoted both Tobler and Duffy.

Jan. 16: And Here's Where It All Began 
In an consciously ironic move, the first meeting of what became MESJ was held in a Salt Lake City coffee shop. The meeting convened in response to an email sent out by James Tobler, a Latter-day Saint labor activist recently returned to Utah from Philadelphia. In his email, Tobler invited interested individuals to come together to create an LDS group dedicated to social justice issues. At a follow-up meeting one week later, the fledgling group chose the name "Mormons for Equality and Social Justice (MESJ)."