David’s statement from 10/25/2020:
Good morning. I wanted to talk to you briefly about a new initiative our congregation will be undertaking. The Session has decided to become a “Matthew 25 church”. Now you may ask, what does that mean? As stated on the PC(USA) website, “Matthew 25:31–46 calls all of us to actively engage in the world around us, so our faith comes alive and we wake up to new possibilities. Convicted by this passage, both the 222nd and 223rd General Assemblies (2016 and 2018) exhorted the PC(USA) to act boldly and compassionately to serve people who are hungry, oppressed, imprisoned or poor.
By accepting the Matthew 25 invitation, you can help our denomination become a more relevant presence in the world. We recognize Christ’s urgent call to be a church of action, where God’s love, justice and mercy shine forth and are contagious. And we rejoice how our re-energized faith can unite all Presbyterians for a common and holy purpose: our common identity to do mission.”
There are three focus areas to being a Matthew 25 church (and, no we do not need to take on all three): first, Building Congregational Vitality, second, Dismantling Structural Racism, and third, Eradicating Systemic Poverty. The Session feels that at this point, we could focus on Dismantling Structural Racism and Eradicating Systemic Poverty. Those sound-like lofty goals, so we will break it down into smaller pieces and work on those. Currently we are in the learning phase and looking at opportunities to address these areas.
So, this morning I wanted to introduce Structural or also referred to as Systemic Racism. I know you are all sitting there saying “but I am not a racist!”. But let’s look at it a bit closer….
Earlier this summer while joining in the Presbytery of Northern New England’s anti-racism challenge, I found out something startling, and that is that I am a white male. Now, you may laugh or say that is not so startling or shocking, but I must differ with you. The startling aspect of this is not the obvious (that I am a white male), but the privilege and advantage I received and possess in the world as a result of that and the structural racism that exists in our word and society.
Structural racism is a result of our history… long before we were born. It is a result of the attitudes, biases and laws enacted by this country after the end of the Civil War and the Emancipation of the slaves. Jim Crow laws and racial segregation along with the government literally “red-lining” certain metropolitan areas and neighborhoods (mainly black) as unsafe for or not conducive to investment. So, when our grandparents were able to buy a small home after World War II, those living in the red-lined areas were considered too risky for mortgages. You can then see how the trend expands to all aspects of their lives… Without property ownership, there are no property taxes which pay for public schools and services… Leading to poorer education… Less of a chance for a college education… less qualifications for high paying jobs… you see where I am going with this.
Also, there is Implicit Bias in society. An example of this is that an applicant for a job with a “white sounding name” is more apt to receive a job interview than an applicant with a “non-white” sounding name. Sadly, most people are unaware of this built-in bias toward others.
Another aspect of structural racism is the tendency to generalize and create an atmosphere of separation. What do I mean by this? Generalizations are thoughts or comments like, “Poor people are poor because they are lazy.”… “Black men are not good fathers.”…. “Arabs are terrorists.” … “Whites are good and honest.” … “Gays have no sexual morals.” … “Jews are greedy.” … “People with accents can’t be trusted.” … “Presbyterians are wealthy white people.” … “All cops are good.” … and, “All protesters are criminals.” Once generalizations are made, the individuals are placed into categories that are not true and are extremely hurtful. And the separation comes when terminology such “those people” or “you people” are used.
I, as a white male, benefitted from systemic racism. My grandparents and parents were able to buy a house, live in nice neighborhoods, attend excellent colleges and obtain well-paying jobs. And likewise, I grew up in nice houses, lived in nice neighborhoods, had a great education, attended an excellent university, which allowed me to obtain a great job. I could say, my grandparents and parents worked hard for all they had, and that is true, but that also ignores the fact that they and I benefitted from the exclusion of others based solely on their race. That is difficult for me to accept. But I must accept that. And I must find a way to address this inequality in our society. We must accept that and WE must find a way to address this inequality in our society.
As a Matthew 25 congregation, we will be examining ways to right the injustice of structural racism in our community. This is a journey that the congregation will take together. With God’s help we will find a way to reach that point and help people who are hungry, oppressed, imprisoned or poor, to overcome structural racism and to follow the teachings of Jesus, and do as the Prophet Micah says in Chapter 6 verse 9, “He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”