Racial Justice News:
Join Us! Our congregation is joining GCORR (General Commission on Religion and Race) in the Racial Justice Prayer and Action Challenge, beginning on Juneteenth (June 19). Joining this challenge means committing to a daily prayer and taking a weekly action. Centennial has also been invited to host a community prayer service for racial justice on July 24, marking the end of the 6-week challenge together. You can find more information and sign up as an individual [CLICK HERE]. If you would like a paper copy of the materials, please contact Sara Metz (Roseville) at snmetz [AT] msn [DOT] com or Karensa Fischer (SAP) at patinapatina [AT] me [DOT] com.
Can you believe a year has gone by since our congregation adopted the Racial Reconciling Covenant? In the upcoming Church Council meeting on June 21 at 7pm, the Centennial for Racial Justice team will be asking for the Council's annual reaffirmation of the Racial Reconciliation Covenant. Please join us to share and discuss the ways that we can live into these commitments as a congregation and continue the work in the coming year. To review the Covenant, go to http://centennialumc.org/files/docs/RacialReconcilingCovenantUpdated.pdf The Zoom link [CLICK HERE]
A note from our Church Council: Centennial is a part of the Racial Reconciling Movement in The United Methodist Church. The Racial Reconciling Covenant was approved at Centennial’s All-Church Conference on June 15th by a vote of 56 yes, 7 no, and 2 abstaining. You can read the Covenant, as before, at http://centennialumc.org/files/docs/RacialReconcilingCovenantUpdated.pdf. The Covenant builds upon both our official church mission statement, approved in 2010, and our official Reconciling-Welcoming statement, approved in 2015.
Centennial for Racial Justice
At Centennial, we believe that God’s Kingdom is a kingdom of justice, unity and strength, and that all people are made in the image of God. To love Christ is to be actively opposing all forms of racism (explicit, implicit, systemic and individual) in pursuit of reparation, reconciliation and meaningful justice. (See Article V Racial Justice of of The United Methodist Book of Discipline)
The Centennial for Racial Justice team was formed to call our entire congregation into action to illuminate and dismantle racism within the culture of our church community and the communities in which we live. (See Centennial for Racial Justice Call to Action)
Please join our Centennial for Racial Justice email list. Contact Karensa Fischer, patinapatina [AT] me [DOT] com or Julie Elholm jelholm [AT] centennialumc [DOT] org to get on that email list.
Find us on Facebook
For more information or to join our team, please contact any one of our team co-chairs:
Sara Metz | snmetz [AT] msn [DOT] com
Karensa Fischer | patinapatina [AT] me [DOT] com
Resources for the journey:
Resources for Responding to Systemic Racism
Staying Awake: The Gospel for Changemakers by Rev. Tyler Sit of New City UMC
How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey toward Racial Justice by Rev. Jemar Tisby
Visit this website for a wide variety of resources about dismantling racism in your own life and in the world around you: https://www.dismantlingracism.org/
Video: "Marginalized Wisdom: Getting Beyond the Uncomfortable Part" by Dr. Bertice Berry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv8JLlTMWCA