FAITH IN ACTION:

Redeemer Justice & Equity Statements

  • Becoming a place not of assimilation but of holy differentiation where our unique particularities are reflected and celebrated in our collective embodiment of Beloved community.

  • Standing in empowering solidarity with our Black, Indigenous, Queer, Immigrant, Refugee, and
    Siblings of Color.

  • Dismantling systems of injustice and oppression, including within ourselves as part of a white-body supremacist society.

  • Actions and attitudes of holy disruption and sacred subversion.

  • Confronting both personal and systemic racial prejudices, stereotypes, discrimination, and institutions.

  • Reducing harm and creating spaces for genuine healing and wholeness across races, genders, sexes, ethnicity, and abilities.

  • Making rather than keeping Peace.

  • Listening to and prioritizing the voices of the marginalized among us, and following the leadership of historically oppressed and underrepresented people in order to effectively embody equity and justice, in particular Black and Indigenous Womxn.

  • Creating sacred space for people of all genders, expressions, and orientations to worship and be celebrated and included.

  • Creating accommodations as a critical foundation to affirming belovedness and belonging.

  • Connecting…with each other, our neighbors, our partner churches, our friends, and our enemies.

  • Persistently fighting racial injustice.

  • Lifting up the assets and abundance in our community.

  • Supporting each other and our community on the lifelong journey of Peace Making.

This statement is an evolving document reflecting the hearts of an evolving people.
Written by members of Redeemer Lutheran Church's
Racial Justice & Equity Cohort, March 2020

WE BELIEVE:

WE COMMIT TO TRANSFORMATION BY:

  • We are the Beloved Community.

  • Black Lives Matter. Native Lives Matter.

  • Queer bodies ~ Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Non-binary, Asexual, Two-Spirit, (+) ~ reflect the beauty and infinitely resplendent Image of God.

  • People of all abilities and neurotypes reflect God’s unmatched creativity, and belong in the Body of Christ.

  • Racial, Gender, Religious, and Ableist injustice poison all of us; No one is free until all are free.

2020 Racial Justice & Equity Statement

BLACK LIVES MATTER

2015 Redeemer Statement:

In our God-given holy imagination, we proclaim that Black Lives Matter. Redeemer stands in continued solidarity with the community in strength and love, against an oppressive system of sanctioned violence and mass incarceration because we serve a God whose son was killed by the state for standing up for peace through justice.

​During this time we invite all people to join us in prayer, study, and action to bear witness to a truly beloved community.

As we continue to live into our mission of being a Beacon of Hope in the Harrison Neighborhood, we plan to have ongoing conversations about our public witness to the issues highlighted by the recent protests in North Minneapolis, which coincide with many of our values as a congregation. We proclaim the value of God's creation in all that we do, from marching and protesting to singing and worshiping. Proclaiming that "Black Lives Matter" is one such expression as a congregation - a reality we aim to uphold through our ministries and programs.
 
-Written by members of Redeemer Lutheran Church, on the 1st of December,  2015 in solidarity with community action in North Minneapolis following the death of our neighbor, Jamar Clark. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

ELCA Churchwide Resources on Racial Justice & Equity