Some of you, who are involved at the Annual Conference or denominational level, know that one of the ways I serve our connectional church is by serving on the Board of Directors of the UM General Commission on Religion and Race - a commission that was established in 1968, in the newly formed United Methodist Church, to hold the denomination “accountable in its commitment to reject the sin of racism in every aspect of the life of the church.” And while our primary focus continues to be the racial disparity with the church and beyond, our work now extends to a broader context - nationalism, homophobia, disability awareness, gender bias - because we know that all oppression is connected, and therefore cannot be dismantled in isolation.
We currently live in a world where we continue to experience racism and injustices that dehumanize God’s people, but we can do better! The General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR) invites us to join in the work of liberation by joining United Methodists around the globe to participate in a 6 week Racial Justice Prayer and Action challenge, beginning with Juneteenth Sunday, when GCORR will post prayers, every day, on social media. Additional challenges will help us to put our prayers into action. I share this information now, so many members of our community can participate. You can use this link to register and learn about the challenge.
We can also:
Pray every day with the Commission (GCORR).
Take action, using the suggestions given by GCORR.
Incorporate the liturgies, and also
Host similar prayer gatherings.
I hope that many of us will register and join in praying for justice - not only racial, but also gender, orientation and any other form of injustice that questions human dignity. Beloveds, let us continue to be agents of God’s welcome and God’s grace in this world where we experience injustice everywhere.
Let us always strive to do our best, be our best and do all we can to leave a livable world for the generations to come, and a safer place for our generations. And remember God loves you and so do I, and I look forward to seeing you in worship.
