Pursuing Racial Justice and Unity Together

Systemic racism in America is not new, but we are in a national moment of heightened awareness of this issue. Caught in a gap between the way things are and the new life we want to see in our world, we need change. But change is uncomfortable.

 

Jesus, out of love for us, died on the cross and rose again three days later. We need the “same spirit that raised Christ from the dead” to bring resurrection in our country, especially in the area of racial justice, but we can’t get there without passing through a kind of death. We must die to frameworks and prejudices and pass through the discomfort of learning, researching, and building meaningful relationships with people who are different from us.

 

Pastor Mark often says we “pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on us.” We must pray for breakthrough while committing ourselves to thousands of tiny steps along the way. This will take time. Becoming like Jesus in any area, including racial justice, is a lifelong journey, requiring mental, social, and spiritual work. 

 

That work is exhausting alone, which is why we need each other. The Christian life is lived in community. NCC is committed to being a safe place where we can pursue racial justice and unity together through honest conversations. God is at work in our world, and as the Church, we get to participate, becoming a reflection of His Kingdom and His will, on earth as in heaven.