A Statement By Pastor Jeff on Behalf of Our Church

This weekend hundreds of white nationalists, KKK members, and Neo-Nazis descended on Charlottesville, Virginia, and the University of Virginia, to advocate for white supremacy.  We’ve all seen the disturbing news, as the demonstrations have turned violent and innocent people have been attacked, amid ugly racial slurs.

Heaven will be a place where people from all languages, nations, and peoples  live in harmony.   Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy will be done, Thy kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven.”  Jesus is about healing racism and uniting people across different races and cultures. 

At LifeJourney we want to be part of the solution.  To that end, we strongly condemn the hatred being express by white supremacists in Charlotte and call upon all people of goodwill to do the same, including our President and political leaders at all levels. 

But statements are not enough.  That’s why at LifeJourney we have formed working partnerships with the Immigrant Welcome Center, the Dayspring Homeless Center, and are currently in the process of developing a working partnership with a neighborhood near our church – Martindale-Brightwood – that  that has long struggled under the weight of systemic racism and poverty.  Lots of neighborhood conversations have happened over the course of this year, and we’re now on the verge of submitting a matching grant application to help fund our partnership.  It’s taking a while to get this off the ground, but we’re taking the time to try to do it right, so our partnership will endure.

Healing racism is an important part of our calling.  Let’s keep up the good fight!