You can read about call of the EPC to join in a Day of Lament, Prayer and Fasting on June 8, 2020 here.
This past week has caused a range of emotions for all of us. We are seeing decades of injustice boiling over throughout our country. Many are sad, angry, frustrated, and unsure. Unsure of what is next, unsure of if anything will change, unsure of what our response as followers of Christ should be.
As always we want to call sin sin. Whether that be the sin of racism, injustice, hatred, murder or pride. We also want to call sin sin even if it is a response to the sin of others: the destruction, looting, and violence happening in our nation. The root of all problems and brokenness in our world is sin.
As Christ followers we are called to hate what God hates and to love what God loves. God hates sin and we must as well. We must look within ourselves to see where sin remains and repent of it. We are also obligated to speak out against sin that we see in the world around us.
We also need to love what God loves. That means we must demonstrate a radical love of people, bearers of His image, people of all races, people of all nationalities, people of all political parties. Our words can be great, but without action those words are hollow, a clanging cymbal or a resounding gong.
So as Christ followers, what are we to do? In real and personal ways love your neighbors of color. Acknowledge their pain and frustration. When you hear someone else say something sinful, check them on it. When you see injustice happening stand in the gap. Examine yourself and pray. Pray for repentance in our country, where these sins have been at work from the beginning, even at work within us. Pray for those who are protesting, that as they feel hopeless, they would find hope in Christ and be loved by God’s people. Pray for the first responders, that they would bring calm and safety to the situations they are in. Pray for our leaders, that they would unite our country and not divide us. Pray that our own community would stand united, even as we have peaceful protests. Join us, and others in the community, for a time of prayer this Thursday, June 4 at 12:00pm, at Dorney Plaza in Findlay. Come and listen. Listen to people who have had a different experience from your own. Come to pray for our nation.
Below is a letter from our denomination that also gives some practical steps we can all take. There are also some resources from RightNow Media that we have listed at the bottom of this email. We especially want to encourage you to pray and fast on June 8 as we lament together as a church. Here are some resources as you pray and fast.
Pastor Josh, on behalf of the Session
“How long, O Lord…” (Psalm 13:1).
Dear EPC colleague,
I hope you are as profoundly grieved as I am by the tragic events unfolding in our country in recent days. The deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd—and countless others over the years—followed by protests, riots, and destruction have again exposed the vein of unequal justice that has existed for far too long in our society.
In response, the National Leadership Team (NLT) approved four items in a special called meeting on June 1:
First, the NLT encourages EPC Teaching Elders to address this week with the congregations they serve the tragic and senseless death of George Floyd and the extreme indifference to his life demonstrated by the police officers who have been disciplined and/or charged with his murder. Mr. Floyd's death is emblematic of a pervasive historical pattern of disproportionately aggressive policing in far too many communities of color.
Of course, you do not need permission and you have our full encouragement. Moderator Case Thorp issued an especially poignant plea on social media over the weekend. Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s words are just as applicable in our time as they were in his: “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
Second, a Call to Lament, Prayer, and Fasting for Monday, June 8.
A key difference between this emphasis and our previous calls to prayer and fasting is the addition of “Lament.” I encourage you to read two short articles which I believe are especially relevant to this time in our history:
The Call: All members of EPC churches set aside Monday, June 8 as a day of lament, fasting, and prayer to cry out to God for His help in the midst of this crisis in the United States.
As social unrest escalates, it is appropriate for the church to lament this crisis to the Lord, to fast, and to pray about how we as believers in Jesus Christ can be part of the solution to the racism, inequality, and injustice that violate the ideals enshrined in our Constitution and laws.
Please inform your congregation of this call to humble themselves and pray to almighty God for His grace, mercy, and love to heal the divisions in our country, and especially for God’s people to repent of the sin of racism. We will provide some specific prayers and other resources on our website soon.
Third, in response to this crisis, the NLT encourages EPC Teaching Elders and congregations to consider acting, as the Lord Jesus Christ leads, to speak out for justice and equality; to speak against racism, injustice, and inequality; and to work to arrest the origins of civil unrest—namely, poverty, racial separation, immorality, and a lack of radical love.
I hope we all let Bonhoeffer’s words move us: “Not to act is to act.”
Fourth, a Zoom meeting designed for EPC Teaching Elders and Ruling Elders will be scheduled for after the June 8 Day of Lament, Fasting, and Prayer. This event will include leaders of color in the EPC, who will address the appropriate response to this crisis.
Perhaps you have difficulty relating to those who continue to experience unequal justice or aren’t sure how to speak out against racial unrest. The goal of this discussion is to help provide insight to the questions you may have. We will provide more detail on this event soon.
May we be the voice of peace, love, and reconciliation that our communities, country, and world so desperately needs today. Now is not the time to be silent, but to speak out for justice and equality, and against racism, injustice, and inequality.
Thank you, and remember: He is risen!
Jeff, on behalf of the NLT
The 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s tragic death marks an opportunity for Christians to reflect on the state of racial unity in the church and the culture. It creates the occasion to reflect on where Christians have been and look ahead to where we must go as we pursue racial unity in the midst of tremendous tension.
Fully encompassing areas of unity, history, culture, the church and social justice, Dr. Evans looks to the Scriptures for the balance between righteousness and justice that is crucial for applying in this generation and training the next.
Do you believe a truncated gospel? The gospel isn’t simply about a vertical experience with God, it includes horizontal reverberations. Pastor Crump unpacks that we can not be one church without intention and we will not be one church without cost.
We live in dark times, and God has called the church to be a prophetic voice. But we have tragically majored on the minor things, becoming a pathetic voice.
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Stories, news, and resources for things happening at Gateway Church.
