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)
Upcoming Racial Justice Events and News:
United Methodist Women Social Action (Zoom) program: Sunday, March 7 | 11:00am
The UMW invites all in our church to participate in this Social Action program via Zoom. Rev. Dana Neuhauser, Deacon and Minister of Public Witness, New City Church (UMC) in Minneapolis, will speak on "Race and Grace" to offer "grounding" in the theological why of antiracism work. Following the death of George Floyd and the renewed call to end racism, Neuhauser heard many say, “What do we do, what do we do now?” Neuhauser is focused on finding paths where we can join together to do this work. She said there is energy and activism about what we do now, “I don’t think we can just think our way through this.” She recently addressed the UMC Annual Conference on how to equip congregations for long term racial justice work, saying “Racial injustice lives in our bodies as well as our institutions and systems… there is a hunger for what we do now.” Rev. Neuhauser said this is work she’s been called to for a long time, allowing her to step out in faith to be of service to others, to activate and connect, and stand against racism. Plan to attend via ZOOM on March 7.Questions: Anita Mayfield k [DOT] anita [DOT] mayfield [AT] gmail [DOT] com | Carole White cjwdew1 [AT] comcast [DOT] net ZOOM link: [CLICK HERE]
Conversations on Race: How Race is Lived in America - Do Good Roseville and the City of Shoreview/Shoreview Human Rights Commission are hosting monthly Conversations on Race. On Thursday, March 11, the discussion will be based on How Race Is Lived in America, the New York Times award-winning series of short documentaries based on conversations with people of different races regarding their lived racial experiences. Registration in advance is recommended, as these events can fill up fast. To register for the March Conversation on Race, [CLICK HERE]. To register for the April Conversation on Race, [CLICK HERE].
Centennial’s Antiracism Team has changed its name! The former "Antiracism Team" is now called Centennial For Racial Justice. If you are interested in being included in an opt-in email Listserv to be notified of additional opportunities to take action and other news related to our antiracism work for racial justice as the church, please send an email to Karensa Fischer at patinapatina [AT] me [DOT] com. We will continue to publicize highlights using Centennial News, the website and Facebook.
Our congregation is in discernment as we consider joining the Racial Reconciliation Movement, with the guidance of a coach from the Commission on Religion and Race (CORR) of Minnesota United Methodist Church. We are working toward the adoption of a Racial Reconciling Covenant in 2021, which will help identify goals for our racial justice work, and establish an ongoing plan for accountability and re-evaluation of those goals in years to come. We encourage all of our members to become familiar with this Covenant document, as it will be discussed in upcoming events and conversations.
The United Methodist Church defines racism in our Social Principles
“Racism is the combination of the power to dominate by one race over other races and a value system that assumes that the dominant race is innately superior to the others. Racism includes both personal and institutional racism. Personal racism is manifested through the individual expressions, attitudes, and/or behaviors that accept the assumptions of a racist value system and that maintain the benefits of this system. Institutional racism is the established social pattern that supports implicitly or explicitly the racist value system. Racism, manifested as sin, plagues and hinders our relationship with Christ, inasmuch as it is antithetical to the gospel itself….”