With a focus on dismantling racism, churches can take steps to bring about racial justice
by Melody K. Smith | Presbyterian News Service
LOUISVILLE — The Matthew 25 invitation continues to be embraced by congregations and mid councils, even through a pandemic and times of social unrest. Or, just maybe, because of those things.
The three focuses of the Matthew 25 vision are to build congregational vitality, eradicate systemic poverty and dismantle structural racism. In view of the current unrest and protest in our nation, the call to be a Matthew 25 church is more compelling than ever. The first Matthew 25 event was held on June 10, with over 500 churches registering. The event facilitated sharing and dialogue that was so well received, more events were requested. With this in mind, the next online event — Matthew 25: Dismantling Racism — is scheduled for July 29 from 2–3 p.m. Eastern Time via Zoom.
This event will feature mid council leaders who will share how they are using Matthew 25 to impact their ministries and communities around the focus of dismantling racism.
This online event is open to all Matthew 25 congregations, groups and mid councils that have made the commitment to embrace the Matthew 25 vision, as well as anyone interested in learning more about Matthew 25.
“We are inviting all those who are still discerning the commitment to Matthew,” said the Rev. Dr. Diane Moffett, president and executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency. “This may very well be one of the first ways that churches can take steps to bring about racial justice.”
The invitation to become a Matthew 25 church was officially launched in April 2019. Over a year later, there are almost 600 churches, groups and mid councils that have made the commitment to become a Matthew 25 church. This represents over 5,900 congregations across the country that have received the invitation and have been engaged in this bold vision.
”I am grateful for the number of churches who are joining the Matthew 25 vision and committing to the focus of dismantling structural racism,” said Moffett. “Racism is a sin. We are all created in God’s image and called to love God with all our heart, mind and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. Given our current context, it is especially important that the voice of the church is heard. We must not be silent in times like these.”
To register for the Matthew 25 event, click here. Congregations, groups and mid councils should also expect to receive an invitation with registration information. All attendees are encouraged to mark their calendars now and plan to learn how each congregation and mid council can go deeper with Matthew 25, especially during this challenging time.
You may freely reuse and distribute this article in its entirety for non-commercial purposes in any medium. Please include author attribution, photography credits, and a link to the original article. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDeratives 4.0 International License.