Racial Justice Church Covenant
On September 18, 2022, St. John UCC affirmed by congregational vote the following covenant:
As followers of Jesus who taught
us to love our neighbors as ourselves, acknowledging that we are fallible
humans who often fail to adhere to that teaching, we the congregation of St.
John United Church of Christ of Freeport, Illinois covenant to be a Racial
Justice Church.
We covenant to:
- Pursue intentional
learning about race, racism, implicit bias, white supremacy, and the life
experiences of people of color, through both published media and interpersonal
relationships.
- Examine our own
individual and collective biases and root out any racist or other ideologies of
oppression.
- Strive to make our
church an even more welcoming place for people of all races.
- Establish and
strengthen relationships with communities of color locally.
- Partner with
organizations led by people of color in opposing racism however it manifests in
our city, county, and beyond.
These are long-held commitments of
our congregation, and today we formalize them in the form of this covenant. May
God guide us and bless our efforts as we seek to create a just world for all
people.