Following a meeting held on June 10, 2020, West Missouri’s Diversity and Reconciliation Commission issued a statement, which is reproduced below.
Diversity and Reconciliation Commission
“The fundamental truth undergirding this vision [of the Beloved Community] is that all are made in the image of God. It is in our diversity that we discover the fullness of that image….
Whenever individual or community behaviors work against God’s vision, we have promised to respond in ways that will serve to heal: “Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? I will with God’s help (Book of Common Prayer p305).”
March 21, 2006 pastoral letter from the House of Bishops — “The Sin of Racism: A Call to Covenant.”
The Diversity & Reconciliation Commission of The Diocese of West Missouri stands in solidarity with the call for justice for all who have suffered from systemic injustice and oppression because of their race. As Episcopalians, we believe that all people are created in God’s image and likeness. We proclaim in our baptismal covenant that we will respect the dignity of all human beings. We believe that respect is not just a state of mind but is demonstrated in what we do. We believe that the sin of racism harms all people of the community—oppressed, oppressors, and indifferent. We, therefore, have committed ourselves to work for the dismantling of racism through education, prayer, repentance, confession, forgiveness, and action, and we call upon all the people of West Missouri to join us. We are here to provide resources, support, education, and training for all who are ready to engage in that redeeming work.
…what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8
We recommend the following resources to you:
- Responding to Racist Violence as the People of God: www.episcopalchurch.org/responding-to-racist-violence
- https://episcopalchurch.org/library/document/becoming-beloved-community-plan
- https://episcopalchurch.org/library/topics/racial-reconciliation
- Resources for Adult Formation with an Emphasis on Race and Diversity by Katherine Malloy, on Building Faith: A ministry of the Virginia Theological Seminary, https://buildfaith.org/resources-for-adult-formation-with-an-emphasis-on-race-and-diversity/
- http://www.centerforracialhealing.org/multi-media.html
- https://episcopalchurch.org/office-black-ministries