Collective liberation.
Reclamation of public faith narratives.

Our Story
Before and during the pandemic, a handful of friends in West Virginia grew increasingly fed up with the way their Christian tradition prioritized keeping the peace over speaking truth to power.
These friends could see another way.
They knew there were people of faith across the state who care about what’s broadly termed “social justice,” but they also knew that those folx felt isolated and disempowered, especially in rural areas.
With people increasingly willing to connect virtually because of the pandemic, the friends dreamed up a way to resource and connect Christians in West Virginia who believe that their faith compels them to work with and for people who have been historically excluded by the Church and the State. A movement was born.
Our History at a Glance
2021
A Vision is Born
Rev. Jenny Williams, founder, lead organizer, and Faith Collective Co-Chair envisions one of the founding partners, Justice & Jubilee, out of needs emerging in her congregational work. She recruits co-chairs Royce Lyden and Rev. Brad Davis.
2022
Partnerships Begin
Upon winning a WV Can’t Wait “Hometown Hero” mini grant in February 2022, Justice & Jubilee is formally recognized. In March the “WV Faith Coalition” is granted financial support through The Groundwork Project, which agrees to sponsor the first 4 years of the organization’s programming, alongside $10,000 of seed money given by individual donors. Soon after, founder Jenny Williams is employed by the ACLU-WV to develop WVFC.
2022
Public Launch
In October 2022, Justice & Jubilee launched “Message and Music,” an online community worship space. In December, the WVFC was promoted by The Groundwork Project during their Instagram Takeover, helping the WVFC begin its public work.
2023
Racial Justice Work
The West Virginia Faith Coalition sponsors and tables at Black Policy Day 2023. Justice & Jubilee hosts “Resisting Racism: Sharing Other Stories”, and a training on indigenous justice, helping the organization sharpen its focus on anti-racism work.
2023
Queer Justice Work
After a year of public queer advocacy, the WV Faith Coalition hosts “The Big Gay Church Brunch” at the WV Black Pride Foundation Center. The event is explicitly affirming and Christian, giving queer folx and allies a safe, joyous space to gather.
2023
Coalfield Justice
From Below launches as an immersion experience to educate people about the history, challenges, and unique opportunities in WV’s southern coalfields. Coalfield justice and the #hollergospel take root in the organization’s strategic planning.
2023
Event-Based Programs
The WV Faith Coalition continues to host new trainings, worship, and classes, while contributing to public dialogue with blogs, speaking engagements, and podcasts. The WV Faith Leaders Network secures clergy to speak at House hearings in the Legislative Session.
2023
Interns
The WV Faith Coalition hosts two interns. Those learning relationships shift the WVFC’s approach to equipping people of faith. Mutual learning and “small-batch” engagement become the focus of 2024 planning for our partners.
2023
Name Change
The West Virginia Faith Coalition is renamed West Virginia Faith Collective to reflect the collaborative, relationship-based partnerships we seek with faith-based entites in WV.
2024
Base Building
WV Faith Collective adopts a base building strategy through issue-based, informative emails and regular Calls To Action during the Legislative Session. The WVFC email list triples.
2024
Expansion
From Below: Rising Together for Coalfield Justice expands to offer advocacy and grassroots organizing efforts. From Below officially joins Justice & Jubilee and the WV Faith Leaders Network as a founding partner of the WV Faith Collective.
Our Team
The WV Faith Collective is the only state-wide community organizing entity led by and for people of faith with a full-time staff person. Dedicated to the liberation and flourishing of all West Virginians, we have built a movement especially sensitive to intersectional points of struggle.
All the members of the leadership team have lived experience in Appalachia and have long histories of working on justice issues in the state prior to the development of our organization. Because the WV Faith Collective’s key issues impact ourselves, our loved ones, and our neighbors, we are dedicated to confronting injustices that compromise the quality of life for historically marginalized people in the Mountain State.
Co-Chair and Director

Rev. Jenny Williams (she/her)
Co-Chair and Director
Jenny has been a United Methodist pastor in West Virginia for over 20 years, leading congregations into relationship with people in their communities who have been historically excluded by society and the Church. She is committed to queer justice and anti-racism work and has organized around trans rights, poverty, immigration, climate justice, homelessness, and racism in policing. In 2022, Jenny stepped away from local church ministry and joined the staff at the ACLU-WV as its first faith-based organizer. In her free time she plays the tambourine adequately for Beer and Hymns Morgantown.
Co-Chair

Rev. Brad Davis (he/him)
Co-Chair
While serving as a full-time United Methodist pastor, Brad organizes in the southern West Virginia coalfields around environmental concerns, poverty, basic infrastructure needs and labor, particularly with mineworkers. A native son of the coalfields, Brad has a passion for the place and its people. Brad explained his work in McDowell County to the Daily Yonder as “reimagining the rural Appalachian church,” shaping what he calls the holler gospel—“the work of transformation in communities ravaged by scarcity.” Additionally, Brad is the proud cat dad of the semi social media-famous “MagnifiCATS,” Sammi and Diva.
Co-Chair

Royce Lyden (she/her)
Co-Chair
Royce is a seasoned community advocate and grassroots activist with a 20-year track record of organizing locally around issues of education, racial justice, and homelessness. Driven by a deep commitment to social justice, Royce has dedicated her career to empowering marginalized communities and advocating for systemic change. Royce describes herself as “a grandmother who lives a nomadic, itinerant lifestyle, a coal miner’s daughter, and a first-born, empathic soul.”
Operations Director

Rev. Krysta Rexrode Wolfe (she/her)
Operations Director
Krysta is ordained clergy in The United Methodist Church. She served congregations in Morgantown and Charleston for ten years before leaving the pulpit in October of 2023 to join the team at the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy. Krysta’s passion is to bridge theological thinking with non-profit administration, which she does for the West Virginia Faith Collective and the Incarnation Institute for Sex and Faith. Krysta also responds to “Director of Chaos” and “Goddess of Details.” She spends her time ignoring pleas from her children to be “less cringe” by dancing badly to pop music and retelling Bible stories at the dinner table with wild hand gestures and a healthy amount of cursing.
Our Endorsers
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