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Methodists United for Peace and Justice (MUPWJ) roots began with the Foundry United Methodist Church's Foundry Peace Mission (http://foundryumc.org/peace-justice-mission). In 1987, The group focused on creating a national organization to support The United Methodist Church's Council of Bishops pastoral letter In Defense of Creation: The Nuclear Crisis and a Just Peace. This document called for the end of the philosophy and policies supporting nuclear deterrence amongst nuclear armed countries. To replace idea of nuclear deterrence the bishops called for greater witness for peace and justice as a more permanent solution to the safety and security of global populations. MUPWJ became a staunch lobbying advocate on not only this issue but others such as ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and Chemical Weapons Convention, halting all research and development of nuclear weapons, enforcement of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, as well as other related topics. Other peace and justice issues include cutting federal budget spending for the military, United States military action in the Middle East and Afghanistan, redirecting government funding to meet human needs in the US and the developing world as part of its ongoing mission.

MUPWJ education and advocacy work manifests itself in their Peace Leaf and Justice Alert publications as well as various seminars. They also would advocate government leaders and groups around the world but their primary focus is on United States government offices. The group originally focused on United Methodist members. Later it expanded to include other Methodist denominations and like minded ecumenical groups. Their headquarters is currently located in Washington, D.C.

Howard W. Hallman, Executive Director and Chair of MUPWJ, helped to establish and worked within the organization since its inception. Hallman has spent most of his adult working for peace with other organizations as well. He held various MUPWJ leadership roles while becoming the primary driving force for its global partnership with like organizations. It was his worldwide vision of peace and justice that drove MUPWJ to become a credible voice for the movement. Hallman is also a prolific author. His work has appeared in more than 250 articles and al least nine books. The collection is primarily Hallman's office and personal files which include several manuscripts, correspondence, plays, screen plays and novels whose primary plots involve aging, sports and interpersonal relationships.

The Judicial Council is the highest legal body in The United Methodist Church. It rules on the constitutionality and legality of actions of the General, Jurisdictional, Central and Annual Conferences. It rules on decisions made by presiding bishops on questions of law arising in an Annual Conference. It also rules on whether acts of other official bodies of the denomination conform with the Book of Discipline. It acts on these either on appeal of lower rulings or through requests for declaratory decisions. Only General Conferences, Jurisdictional, Central or Annual Conferences, the Council of Bishops or a general agency can petition the Council.

The Council is composed of nine members and must reflect the racial, ethnic, and gender diversity of the United Methodist Church in the United .States. They are elected for eight-year terms by the General Conference from a slate of nominees submitted by the Council of Bishops. The General Conference also elects six lay and six ministerial alternates to serve in the case of a vacancy. Decisions made by the Judicial Council are final.

In 1939 with the merger of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South and the Methodist Protestant Church provision was made in the Constitution for a Judicial Council. The Methodist Episcopal Church, South had such a body in operation since 1934. It served as the model for the Judicial Council of the newly formed Methodist Church. In 1968 with the merger of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church there was no basic change in the function of the Judicial Council.

The Evangelical Association of North America was founded by Jacob Albright.

Albright was born near Pottstown, Pennsylvania, May 1, 1759 to German immigrant parents. After the death of his children he experienced a religious awakening. He joined a Methodist class and received an exhorter's license. In 1796, he began to travel throughout Central Pennsylvania preaching to Germans in schoolhouses, churches, and homes. By 1800, he had organized three classes in three separate southeastern Pennsylvania counties. In 1803, a small conference of lay persons met and formally ordained Jacob Albright and chose the name "Albright's People" (Die Albrecht's Leute).

In 1807, the first conference was held at Kleinfeltersville, Pennsylvania. The name "The Newly-Formed Methodist Conference" (Der Neuformirten Methodisten Conferenz) was adopted, Albright was elected bishop and authorized to compile a Scriptural creed and a plan of organization, but he died on May 18, 1808, before he could finish.

George Miller completed and published the Discipline in 1809. It was identical with major portions of the German edition of the Methodist Episcopal Church Discipline of 1808. John Dreisbach became the first presiding elder and established the first publishing house at New Berlin, Pennsylvania which also became the church's headquarters.

In 1816, the first General Conference was held near New Berlin. The General Conference revised the Discipline, changed the church's name to "The Evangelical Association" (Evangelische Gemeinschaft), and approved a hymn book. In 1853, the Church's denominational headquarters was moved to Cleveland. By the 1870's English and German language members were nearly equal in membership, requiring literature to be published in both languages. After World War I the need for German periodicals became minimal.

Throughout the late nineteenth century there was a growing tension in the Evangelical Association. Many of the differences were not doctrinal, but personal. An epidemic of church trials began in Iowa in 1889. The 1887 General Conference delegated the decision of naming the place for the 1891 General Conference to the Board of Publication, which picked Indianapolis. A minority disputed the right of the General Conference to delegate this authority and insisted that the right belonged to the East Pennsylvania Annual Conference -- the oldest conference. The East Pennsylvania Annual Conference named Philadelphia, as the site for the 1891 General Conference. In 1891, the minority group with Bishop Rudolph Dubs met in Philadelphia, and the majority met with Bishops J.J. Esher and Thomas Bowman in Indianapolis

Each group organized and carried out its work as though it were the official body of the church. During the quadrennium, there were two churches within the Evangelical Association, each with its own set of officers claiming to be the church. Court cases were held to determine property rights. In most instances the majority group was favored. The minority group met in Naperville, Illinois on November 30, 1894 and organized itself as the United Evangelical Church.

In 1911, both the Evangelical Association and the United Evangelical Church appointed commissions to explore the possibilities of reunion. In 1921 "The Basis of Union" was submitted to the Annual Conferences. On October 12, 1922, the two churches merged and formed the Evangelical Church. Not everyone was happy with the merger. A majority of the East Pennsylvania Annual Conference joined by a few congregations in Ohio and Illinois opposed the merger and continued to act as the United Evangelical Church. Lawsuits over property between the Evangelical Church and the dissenters occurred. In one important legal case the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania upheld the legality of the merger, denied the dissenters claims to Albright College, and denied them the right to use the name the United Evangelical Church. The dissenters named themselves the Evangelical Congregational Church, which is still in existence.

In 1946 the Evangelical Church merged with the Church of the United Brethren in Christ to form the Evangelical United Brethren Church.