Confession, Repentance and Commitment to End Racism Sunday
Dear Members and Friends of Community of ChristChurch
We recently received the following invitation from our brothers and sisters in the African Methodist Episcopal Church:
“Liberty and Justice for All”
Please join in solidarity on Sunday, September 6, 2015 as we worship worldwide recognizing: “Confession, Repentance and Commitment to End Racism Sunday”
Racism will not end with the passage of legislation alone; it will also require a change of heart and thinking. This is an effort which the faith community must lead, and be the conscience of the nation. We will call upon every church, temple, mosque and faith communion to make their worship service on this Sunday a time to confess and repent for the sin and evil of racism, this includes ignoring, tolerating and accepting racism and to make a commitment to end racism by the example of our lives and actions.
The first action item in this invitation from the AME Church says the following:
Every faith leader is asked to preach about racism and our responsibility as people of faith to end racism.
I will do my best to fulfill this action item and I ask you all to join me in accepting this invitation. Let’s come together in worship this Sunday, September 6th to offer ourselves in support of this important work of the church. The title of the message for that Sunday will be, “The Problem We All Live With,” which is borrowed from the title of the iconic painting by Norman Rockwell (a detail of which is shown here, click on the following link to view the entire painting)…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Problem_We_All_Live_With
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In a recent interview, Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, who serves as chair of the AME's Social Action Commission and presides over the AME Office of Ecumenical Affairs, said:
"It is imperative that the faith community again be the conscience of the nation. The problem of race and racism is one in which this nation is in denial. And as a result, the nation is seeing unfortunate consequences. To overcome this denial, the faith community must move the nation to face reality. The tragedy in Charleston, S.C., serves as a painful reminder that hate and racism are still prevalent in the nation, and you cannot fix the problem unless you face it. This is what the faith community is called and seeks to do."
I look forward to being with you all in worship on that day.
God’s peace,
Pastor David
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