We are an anti-racism, pro-reconciliation church
We Need to Talk
Speaking the Truth in Love: Covenant, Hospitality, Unity, and Reconciliation based on Ephesians 4. 1-16 the theme for upcoming Annual Gathering. The theme is a reminder to us that humility and bearing one another in love is one of the ways we can speak truthfully and honestly with each other.
There is something systemically wrong when the sin of white supremacy and its attendant racism does not bother to hide, when people are so easily dehumanized in the eyes of others. We need to talk about these things in a way that values our God-given humanity and the humanity of others. Otherwise, difficult conversations become impossible. Difficult conversations require humility and respect for those with whom we engage and for ourselves. It is necessary in the secular world, it is vital in the church, and it is hard and sometimes painful to do wherever we are.
We are again in a season of pain and protest as another unarmed African American man who was pulled over for a traffic violation has been killed by a police officer, fewer than 15 miles from where a police officer is on trial for the death of another African American man who had a knee on his neck for nearly 9 minutes and 30 seconds. Assaults aimed at Asian American continue, and in the second time in a few months a Capitol Hill police officer has lain in honor after being killed in an act of violence.
People are anxious, and angry and exhausted. I found this prayer, which has been modified slightly to be helpful.
“We are tired. We are tired of marching, of rallying, of saying our lives matter. We cannot to endure the trauma of violence against Black bodies [and Asian-American bodies, or Indigenous bodies, or of transgender and non-binary bodies]. It settles on our skin, on our bodies – muscles clenched, hands trembling, something pressing again our chest. Free us, God. Let a spirit rise up to meet our feet again the concrete. Send strength to our shaking voices. Be with us. When we say [Our Lives] Matter, let it be the sound of your voice making its way back to us. And grant us, rest. Give us the courage to walk away when we need to. To breathe. To hold our children close. To eat and sleep and be restored. Because this is too much to hold. Hold it with us. This is too much” (from @BlackLiturgies).
May God give us grace to hear and see, to feel and think to live in full, with all that God wants for us. As we do, may we speak the truth love, and hear it in love as well.
--LaTaunya Bynum
Regional Minister of Christian Church of Northern California-Nevada,
Regional Voices newsletter, April 15th, 2021
In response to the murders in Atlanta on Tuesday, March 16th, 2021:
As members of the one body of Christ and the family of humanity, we join together to condemn the rise in overt anti-Asian violence in the United States. We join with our Asian American siblings to call for an immediate end to xenophobic and racist rhetoric, hate crimes and violence against Asian Americans. Thousands of incidents of racism against the Asian American community have been reported since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and many more have gone unreported. The intentional use of such nomenclature for the COVID-19 virus such as “the China virus”, has been perpetuated and promoted by leaders in the US with impunity. We denounce racist language against Black and brown communities, and we must insist that anti-Asian violence be called out and addressed as part of the systemic injustices laid bare in this time of global pandemic.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we must hold ourselves accountable to the Biblical commandment to love God by loving neighbor, (Mark 12:31, 1 John 4:21) and to affirm that all are created in the image of God. (Genesis 1:27). Jesus teaches us that we are to love one another as he has loved us, and that such love will say to the world that we are his disciples. (John 13:34-35).
In the context of such violence, the shooting at multiple spas in Georgia that resulted in the additional loss of Asian lives demands that we be vigilant in naming and eliminating the ongoing threats being faced by over 20 million Americans. Whenever one human being is diminished, we are all diminished. We cannot remain silent in the face of such violence and terrorism being visited upon our siblings. We stand in solidarity with Asian American Christians and community leaders to call US leaders to account and demand justice and safety for Asian Americans. We must hold elected officials accountable for their words and inaction, as we must whenever such racist and bigoted injustice occurs. For the sake of the common good, (Jeremiah 29:7), we urge them to pursue justice and peace. (1 Timothy 2:2)
We say we are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. We say we welcome all to the Lord’s table as God has welcomed us. We say we are an anti-racist, pro-reconciling church. We call each other as Disciples of Christ to do the work of being that church. Let us be the church we say we are. --from Disciples.org
As members of the one body of Christ and the family of humanity, we join together to condemn the rise in overt anti-Asian violence in the United States. We join with our Asian American siblings to call for an immediate end to xenophobic and racist rhetoric, hate crimes and violence against Asian Americans. Thousands of incidents of racism against the Asian American community have been reported since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and many more have gone unreported. The intentional use of such nomenclature for the COVID-19 virus such as “the China virus”, has been perpetuated and promoted by leaders in the US with impunity. We denounce racist language against Black and brown communities, and we must insist that anti-Asian violence be called out and addressed as part of the systemic injustices laid bare in this time of global pandemic.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we must hold ourselves accountable to the Biblical commandment to love God by loving neighbor, (Mark 12:31, 1 John 4:21) and to affirm that all are created in the image of God. (Genesis 1:27). Jesus teaches us that we are to love one another as he has loved us, and that such love will say to the world that we are his disciples. (John 13:34-35).
In the context of such violence, the shooting at multiple spas in Georgia that resulted in the additional loss of Asian lives demands that we be vigilant in naming and eliminating the ongoing threats being faced by over 20 million Americans. Whenever one human being is diminished, we are all diminished. We cannot remain silent in the face of such violence and terrorism being visited upon our siblings. We stand in solidarity with Asian American Christians and community leaders to call US leaders to account and demand justice and safety for Asian Americans. We must hold elected officials accountable for their words and inaction, as we must whenever such racist and bigoted injustice occurs. For the sake of the common good, (Jeremiah 29:7), we urge them to pursue justice and peace. (1 Timothy 2:2)
We say we are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. We say we welcome all to the Lord’s table as God has welcomed us. We say we are an anti-racist, pro-reconciling church. We call each other as Disciples of Christ to do the work of being that church. Let us be the church we say we are. --from Disciples.org
Sunday, June 7th, Pastor Jesse showed a video from our General Minister and President, Rev. Terri Hord Owens, and Rev. April Johnson, Minister of Reconciliation. In this letter, there is a place to sign proclaiming and reinforcing our commitment to be a anti-racism, pro-reconciliation church. Here is that link: https://disciples.org/congregations/we-need-to-be-the-church-we-say-we-are/
Below is a snippet of the letter.
Below is a snippet of the letter.
...Disciples, we call ourselves a Pro-Reconciling, Anti-Racist church. We have named it as a mission priority, and we have worked hard – though often imperfectly – to live that out in every expression of our ministry. In this moment, when protests rage and our hearts are broken again and again, we need to be the church we say we are.
-- Yours in Christ,
Rev. Terri Hord Owens, General Minister and President
Rev. April Johnson, Minister of Reconciliation
Click Here to see the entirety of the letter, sign the statement, and learn about different ways to act.
13 Books to Read Right Now If You Want to Be Anti-Racist
https://chalicepress.com/blogs/news/13-books-to-read-if-you-want-to-be-anti-racist
https://chalicepress.com/blogs/news/13-books-to-read-if-you-want-to-be-anti-racist
If you're looking for some good reading material during the pandemic, the Christian Church of Northern California-Nevada has you covered. Here is a list of thirty-six (36!) titles total, compiled by Rev. Monica Cross, covering topics from racism to reconciliation to restructuring.
https://ccncn.org/resources/2020_CCNC-N_Regional_Resource_List.pdf
https://ccncn.org/resources/2020_CCNC-N_Regional_Resource_List.pdf