RACE UNIFICATION COMMITTEE

Background and Formation
In June 2020, two months after George Floyd was murdered by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and after requests from the Salem Presbytery and the Presbytery’s Peace and Justice Task Force, the Clerk of First Presbyterian Church’s Session requested the formation of a committee to consider possible steps toward racial justice and reconciliation. An eleven-member committee met for the first time in August 2020 and named itself the Race Unification Committee (RUC).
 

Purpose

In 2021, after discussions at three consecutive regular meetings, RUC members approved this Purpose Statement for the committee:

“We are here on earth to illuminate and live out God’s love for all people, each one a brother or sister in Christ. Through prayer, study, personal and congregational discovery, communication and partnership with others, and action, the Race Unification Committee seeks to provide a path forward to understanding, justice, healing, and peace.”

We believe this purpose fits well within the Mission and Vision statements of First Presbyterian Church.

 

Meeting Schedule

The RUC meets monthly on the second Monday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, meetings began and continue to be held on Zoom. The RUC also conducts book studies and participates in community activities outside of its normal meeting schedule.

 

Contact

We encourage your involvement in the RUC. For further information or to get involved, contact the church office at 336-248-2140 or office@fpclexnc.com.

 

Resources

Books

Curry, Michael. “Love Is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times” (2020).

Evans, Tony. “Oneness Embraced: Reconciliation, the Kingdom, and How We Are Stronger Together” (2011).

Irving, Debbie. “Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race” (2014).

Mills, Cheri L. “Lent of Liberation: Confronting the Legacy of American Slavery” (2021).

Thurman, Howard. “Jesus and the Disinherited” (1949).

Wallis, Jim. “America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America” (2016).

Washington, James M. (Editor). “A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King Jr.” (1986).

Zucchino, David. “Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy” (2020).

 

Films

“The Best of Enemies.” (2019). STX Entertainment.

“The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song.” (2021). Four-hour series narrated by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. PBS.

“Reconstruction: America After the Civil War. (2019). Four-hour series narrated by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. PBS.

 

 

Denominational, Presbytery and Church Resources

Presbyterian Church, Facing Racism: https://facing-racism.pcusa.org/

 

Salem Presbytery, Peace and Justice: https://www.salempresbytery.org/peace-justice-1

 

First Presbyterian Church, Salisbury, NC, Race Task Force: Race Relations | First Presbyterian (salisburyfirstpres.org)

 

First Presbyterian Church, Greensboro NC: Racial Equity – First Presbyterian Church, Greensboro, NC (fpcgreensboro.org)

 

First Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, NC: https://firstpres-charlotte.org/advocacy/anti-racism/

 

Church of the Heavenly Rest (Episcopal), New York, NY: Racial Justice — church of the heavenly rest

 

Miscellaneous

Crucial Conversations on Faith and Race, Lexington – www.2cfar.org