A letter to the church addressing racial injustices in our world
Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Hampton Roads Church,
Recent events including the senseless deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and others along with the responses of racial hatred and violence have shocked us and left us feeling anger and grief for those most affected in our congregation and our community. We stand against the systemic racism that pervades our nation and we apologize for being slow to make this statement on such a critical matter.
We know that many of you are hurting and we want to suffer with you. In 1 Corinthians 12, the scriptures remind us that we need one another…
1 Cor 12:25-26 (NIV) so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
This passage and others call us to unity and to share in the suffering our brothers and sisters are feeling. In Matthew 14:14 and other passages mention Jesus’ compassion, a word that means “to suffer with”. Philippians 2:1 tells us that compassion reinforces our unity:
Php 2:1-2 (NIV) Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.
Our desire is for us all to grow in our compassion and understanding so that we can be like-minded in the mind of Christ and unified as we face issues of injustice together.
Our Troas night last November on unity and diversity along with recent Sunday lessons and midweek Prayer Vigils were first steps. We want to hear from you to find ways of building our unity within the church and in our community on issues of racial injustice.
May our unity be a light to the world around us, our prayers be full of compassion and healing and our actions be a path for the gospel to overcome the sin and injustices of this world.
Ed Anton, lead evangelist Clayton Walker, elder
edwardanton@gmail.com walkerclayton@verizon.net
Tom Benton, elder Kurt Woodham, elder