This is a statement from the FCC leadership team regarding our stand on racism as a church

Recent events in USA

Recent events in the USA have once again drawn attention to the ongoing injustice caused by racial discrimination. The killing of George Floyd by police officers on 25 May in Minneapolis and the subsequent killing of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta last Friday (12 June) are horrific reminders that injustice in this, and many other forms, continues to be a reality across the world in our day.

One body of Christ

Fundamentally, we believe that all people are made in God’s image, are of equal and infinite worth, and that we all, together, form one body in Christ.

We, therefore, believe that God’s commitment to justice and love for everyone He has created demands that racism, and, indeed, all forms of injustice, be acknowledged and tackled.

We weep, along with many others, for the suffering we have witnessed, for those who have lost their lives, for those who have experienced persecution, and those who live in fear.

While the outpouring of grief and the protests in many nations, with people of all ethnicities standing side by side, are to us a sign of hope that we may be approaching a watershed moment, there is much that needs to happen if change is to be real, long term and effective.

Call to repentance

As a church, we must be prepared to challenge injustice in whatever form, wherever we find it, especially when we find it in ourselves! If, and when, we come across it, we know that there is no condemnation, but there is a call to repent. Repentance leads us to change, a change of mind and attitudes, to embody a gracious and loving spirit of inclusion and understanding.

Standing together

And as the Leadership Team, we are determined to listen to the voices of BAME (Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic) people in the church. We know of at least one in our fellowship who has personally experienced racist violence and therefore is strongly affected by current events. And we understand that others in our church know what it is to have to deal with racism and discrimination on a regular basis in their everyday lives. We stand with them, pray for them, and acknowledge their bravery, their forbearance, and the valuable contribution that they play in the life of FCC.

The Evangelical Alliance released a statement on 1 June, which we wholeheartedly endorse:

Let us stand together as brothers and sisters in Christ as we cry out for justice, as we stand with those who are suffering oppression, as we weep with those grieving and in pain.

Our responsibility to act

We all have a responsibility to act against discrimination and systemic racism in our workplaces, in our churches, in our justice system and in our wider communities.

As the church, we must unite across all ethnicities in saying and showing that all are created equal and that all bear God’s image. There can be no place for racism in our society. We must work together to see it eradicated from all our structures and relationships.

As FCC leaders, we ask you all to join with us, and with the church worldwide, to pray for those affected by racism, in whatever form, and to call on God to move powerfully across the world at this time to eradicate injustice and bring systemic change.

With our love and blessings,

The Leadership Team

For a thoroughly biblical perspective on racism from one of the father’s in the Salt and Light family, have a full watch of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY9i7nNBtR0

Or, have a look at this theological take on George Floyd’s death drawn from Acts 17:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtR8qVPcX08