Letter from Trinity Session

2020 is a turning-point year. COVID-19 has disrupted households, jobs, rhythms—nearly all aspects of life.

2020 is also a time when our nation is in uproar. Our nation is hurting. Racial inequalities in our nation have resurfaced in public discussion and demonstration.

Jesus and all the prophets of the Bible used clear and strong language to speak against evil.

Our Lord and His servants also used clear and strong language to speak for love.

God's Word still calls us to act justly (Isaiah 1:17, Micah 6:8), to be our brother's keeper (Genesis 4:9, Matthew 25:35), and to seek the welfare of the city (Jeremiah 29:7). To those ends, we at Trinity speak against white violence on black lives, including but not limited to police brutality, as witness in the killings of people from John Henry James and Emmet Till, through Trayvon Martin, to Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd, along with too many others. We also speak against the ways that racism diminishes the dignity and opportunity of black and brown communities. We speak against racism, both individual and structural, because God made each of us in His image and because He is a God of justice.

God's Word also calls us to fear God and honor governing authorities (1 Peter 2:17), to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), and to love our neighbor (Mark 12:31). To those ends, we at Trinity call for committing to respectful words regarding all of our leaders, even when offering critique; supporting local law enforcement when they work to be guardians of all of our safety; and embodying empathy, lovingkindness, and sacrificial love.

Half a decade ago, Trinity pledged to become a "multi-ethnic community" as part of our 2020 Vision Statement. It is now 2020, and we continue to work to meet that goal. Being a "multi-ethnic community" is not only a goal, but also, we hope, a result of serving Jesus by loving our neighbors. Our Lord's Church already is multi-ethnic. As our denomination puts it, we seek "doxology through diversity." We reject and denounce bias, hate, white supremacy, and violence, and we humbly pray that the Lord searches our hearts and reveals the ways we have let these evils prosper.

We, His church, are intended to be part of that deliverance. In recent weeks, we have lamented in our Sunday morning services and in special prayer services. And we will continue to do so in morning prayer each Wednesday through Pentecost. This past Sunday, we offered a class on issues of race and injustice, and teaching will continue through the following months. We are creating spaces for our brothers and sisters of color amongst us to process and pray together. And we are seeking ways to learn from and partner with other brothers and sisters in our community. We, the Session of Trinity, are also committed to educating ourselves, our leadership, and our congregation about the history of systemic racism in our nation and especially in our own city, how the white church both actively and passively participated in it, and how that continues to this day.

And while this moment requires a renewed commitment to prayer and reflection, generous listening, committed study, and a deeper engagement with God's Holy Word, it is also a moment that demands action. For instance, the Session will be calling our Local Mission Team to increase its investment in the ongoing work of Abundant Life Ministries, which Trinity helped to launch more than thirty years ago. dedicated to holistic community development, Abundant Life has been working since then to affirm individual creational dignity, deconstruct generational poverty, and resist systemic racism. More than a half century after the Civil Rights Movement, communities of color in Charlottesville still face unacceptable gaps in wealth, housing, food security, education, and healthcare.

While we recognize the myriad forces at play in each of these realities, as Christians we cannot stand by in silence and inaction. This moment has raised our sensitivity to these hurts. So we are also calling Trinity Church members to consider the ways that they too can support this long-standing partnership and to partner with other organizations in the city in the work toward justice and equality through gifts of time, treasure, and talents.

We are citizens of His kingdom and stand with our Lord and our neighbors. We seek to show Charlottesville that we are Christians by our love.

In the love of Jesus and the unity of His Spirit,

The Session of Trinity Presbyterian Church