Racial Justice- Christian Education

Below, please find a note from Sarah in response to the events of the past weeks. We have made a separate page HERE of resources for parents and families discussing race and white supremacy.

Dear Parents,

Bearing witness to the hateful acts made public in the recent weeks is not easy for any of us, and it’s natural to want to shield our kids from such harshness.  However, we as Christians cannot keep silence. I don’t say that glibly or even because of our values–I say it because for centuries to this present day, harm and atrocity have been committed in the name of this faith we dare (rightly!) to raise our children in.  

When faith in the God whose power is made perfect in weakness is co-opted and used to legitimize white supremacy, colonization and dehumanization, it is a deadly, dangerous distortion. When we fail to address this with our children, at age-appropriate levels throughout their lifetime, we are complicit in carrying on a colonizing Christianity rather than a Christ-centered, compassionate Christianity.  So, please let me and your church community support you in this sacred, urgent work.

At FUMC we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with service and learning. We have plenty of books to assist us with sharing truths about how God made and loves ALL of us, with all of our differences.  Because all lives by definition cannot matter until bodies of color matter just as much as white ones, we have books where characters of color are centered and in which blackness is affirmed.

I have been encouraged lately to find that many such books are currently on backorder, which means a lot of families are scrambling for resources to have these vital conversations. 

If you would like to borrow one of the books from church, just let me know, and it’s yours for a week!

Jesus not only cared for the marginalized but was among the most vulnerable in his society, a Jew under Roman rule. Jesus taught that even the outcasts, the weak, the women, and despised ethnicities had value because of his allegience to God who is love.  For his radical inclusiveness, he was lynched on a tree called a cross by soldiers because the Roman state had the power to do so with impunity. We have seen history repeat itself too often and done too little — all of us, me included. This is our wake-up call.  Our faith compels us to speak up, to talk with our kids, to be honest about what we don’t know, and determined to learn more so we can care more. 

I wish I could have these conversations with our kids in our Godly Play classroom, just as we’ve talked about real, hard things (like food scarcity and loss of would-be siblings) before. They need to know that our faith encounters all of life and holds them in love even when the world is going crazy. Your kids have an amazing capacity and big hearts!  Rest assured that I’ll do what I can to facilitate such conversations during Children’s Zoom, but if there’s anything I can do behind the scenes to help – just call me!

In solidarity,

Sarah