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Let’s ask ourselves “Where and how is Christ’s love being shown, and by whom?

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Dear Congregation,

In my sermon last Sunday I said, “The Holy Spirit was sent to empower us to do the work that Christ would have us do—the work of justice and mercy and peacemaking. The church needs to trust that power and exhale intentionally, taking measures to dismantle racism against people of color.” I then encouraged you to begin by joining me in watching the webinar, “The Cross and the Lynching Tree” that evening. I hope you were able to do so, as it was very powerful, but if you weren’t able to watch then, please know that it is still available on YouTube with a link on the ucc.org website.

I also promised you that I’d be sharing resources with you that offer a variety of concrete ways that we can be intentional about addressing the pervasive problem of racism in America. Edith Guffey, Conference Minister of the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference of the UCC has provided the following Anti Racism Resource List which I share with you. I invite you to look it over and think about where we can start, as individual Christians and as a church, to do the necessary work for real and lasting change.

This has been a week full of so many powerful words and video images, some uplifting, as multitudes of peaceful protesters have come together across our country and around the world responding to the murder of George Floyd and other African Americans by police, and others truly disheartening. Theologian Karl Barth famously said, “Take your Bible and take your newspaper and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible.” As other visual and social media have expanded the means of news-sharing, we are called to interpret them all through the lens of scripture.

“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it; ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22: 37-39

Let’s ask ourselves “Where and how is Christ’s love being shown, and by whom? and “Where is its very opposite seen and heard?” Then, after reflecting, let us commit ourselves as individuals and a church to do what we can in concrete ways to act in love.

May God bless you and may you feel yourself centered and held in the love of Christ Jesus.

Pastor Candy

click here to download this week's bulletin

This document is intended to serve as a resource to white people and parents to deepen our anti-racism work. If you haven’t engaged in anti-racism work in the past, start now. Feel free to circulate this document on social media and with your friends, family, and colleagues.

Here is a shorter link: bit.ly/ANTIRACISMRESOURCES

To take immediate action to fight for Breonna Taylor, please visit FightForBreonna.org.

Resources for white parents to raise anti-racist children:

Articles to read:

Videos to watch:

Podcasts to subscribe to:

Books to read:

Films and TV series to watch:

  • 13th (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix
  • American Son (Kenny Leon) — Netflix
  • Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975 — Available to rent
  • Clemency (Chinonye Chukwu) — Available to rent
  • Dear White People (Justin Simien) — Netflix
  • Fruitvale Station (Ryan Coogler) — Available to rent
  • I Am Not Your Negro (James Baldwin doc) — Available to rent or on Kanopy
  • If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins) — Hulu
  • Just Mercy (Destin Daniel Cretton) — Available to rent
  • King In The Wilderness  — HBO
  • See You Yesterday (Stefon Bristol) — Netflix
  • Selma (Ava DuVernay) — Available to rent
  • The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution — Available to rent
  • The Hate U Give (George Tillman Jr.) — Hulu with Cinemax
  • When They See Us (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix

Organizations to follow on social media:

More anti-racism resources to check out:

Document compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker, Alyssa Klein in May 2020.