First United Methodist Church of Little Rock and Get Loud Arkansas Partner to Encourage Arkansans to Vote
At First United Methodist Church in Little Rock (First UMC LR), discipleship extends beyond Sunday worship and into the life of the community.
Through a growing partnership with Get Loud Arkansas, church members are helping Arkansans register to vote, verify voter registration and participate in civic life. Church leaders say the work is a natural extension of the congregation’s mission in Following Jesus. Loving People. Sharing Grace., the Arkansas Conference’s identity campaign launched in 2025.
On a recent Sunday morning, First UMC LR members gathered for coffee and a text banking training led by Get Loud Arkansas. They learned how to use a digital platform that allows them to send voter registration reminders and voting information to Arkansans across the state. That effort is one of several ways First UMC LR connects faith with community engagement.
“For us, participating in the political process is a part of our calling,” said Rev. David Freeman, senior pastor. “It’s a part of our heritage as United Methodists and Wesleyans.”
Founded in 2022 by Joyce Elliott, a lifelong educator and former Arkansas Senator and House of Representative Member, Get Loud Arkansas is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to increasing voter registration and civic participation throughout the state. The organization was launched in response to Arkansas consistently ranking near the bottom nationally in voter registration and voter turnout.
Kathy L. Webb, who also is a former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives as well as vice chair of the City of Little Rock, took on the executive director role of Get Loud Arkansas after Elliott. As a member of First UMC LR, she said the partnership between her church and the organization she leads was a natural one, and their shared mission is simple.
“I can’t think of a more important issue right now than registering, voting and helping folks make their voice heard,” Webb said.
Rev. Freeman said First UMC LR has long recognized that meeting immediate needs through ministries such as feeding programs and outreach efforts is vital, but not sufficient on its own to actively engage in community. In addition to these ministries, First UMC LR has longstanding commitment to advocacy and community engagement, and partnering with Get Loud Arkansas is one way First UMC LR’s members participate.
“I always think about what my friend, Pastor Preston Clegg with Second Baptist Church here in downtown Little Rock says,” Rev. Freeman said. “’We cannot benevolence our way out of problems we injustice our way into,’ which means we can meet the needs of someone in crisis, but we also must address the larger issues of what put that person in crisis in the first place.”
That understanding has led the First UMC LR congregation to explore how faith communities can engage systems and policies that affect people’s daily lives. Rev. Haley Jones Wells, pastor of community engagement and social work at First UMC LR, said those conversations have shaped the church’s ministry for years.
“The church can continue to do these mercy ministries, but if we’re truly living into the call of the Kingdom of God, there has to be something in the church that recognizes and proclaims the system is broken, and we are here to help it reflect more like the Kingdom of God,” she said.
In 2026, the church’s advocacy team identified food justice, immigration justice and civic engagement as key priorities. The partnership with Get Loud Arkansas emerged from that work.
“The policies don’t change and the sociopolitical system doesn’t change unless we participate in its structure,” Rev. Wells said. “Unless we go out and vote, unless we tell our leaders we agree or disagree with how they are representing the entire community, we cannot live into what Micah said, which is to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’”
Church leaders emphasize that Get Loud Arkansas is nonpartisan. Volunteers are not encouraged to support a particular candidate or political party. Instead, they focus on helping people understand their rights, verify voter registration and participate in the democratic process in hopes that they then help their family, friends and neighbors to do the same thing.
“What I really love about Get Loud Arkansas is it is nonpartisan,” Rev. Freeman said. “It’s not about driving a certain policy. It’s not about a certain candidate or a certain party. It simply encourages Arkansans to participate in the process and lend their voice to the public arena.”
For many church members, the recent text banking training offered an accessible way to do exactly that.
Webb said volunteers participating in the event collectively sent more than 20,000 text messages to Arkansans, helping people check their registration status and connect with resources if they needed assistance. Rev. Wells noted that digital advocacy has created opportunities for members who may not be able to participate in other forms of community engagement.
“I have a lot of folks who have physical limitations and don’t feel like they can get out and stand in the hot sun,” she said. “This was a form of digital advocacy that anybody could do from the comfort of their own home.”
The church’s involvement extends beyond a single training event. Members are encouraging one another to verify voter registration through church communications and are exploring additional ways to support civic participation in the months ahead. One goal is to help every member of the congregation confirm their voter registration is current before upcoming elections. The church also hopes to continue assisting residents in nearby housing communities with transportation to polling locations.
For Webb, the connection between civic participation and faith is clear. “Our involvement in political systems is rooted in the gospel imperative to love our neighbors, do justice and care for the vulnerable,” she said, referencing the United Methodist Social Principles.
She also believes churches have a unique opportunity to help people see voting not simply as a civic responsibility, but also as an act of faith.
“The strength of a political system depends on the full and willing participation of its citizens,” Webb said.
For Rev. Freeman, the partnership represents something even broader: it is about helping people understand that their faith has implications beyond the walls of the church. “We’re helping people draw a straighter line between their faith and their public witness,” he said. “This is a matter of faith for us.”
As First UMC LR continues living into this ministry, leaders hope more congregations will discover similar opportunities to help neighbors find their voice and engage their communities with hope.
“We all have to participate,” Rev. Wells said. “We can’t get apathetic about it. We must hope that the world can become a reflection of God and work toward making it so.”