New Paltz UMC Anti-Racist Congregation Statement
The members of New Paltz United Methodist Church recognize and condemn the systemic institution of racism and the impact of its injustices on those who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. We acknowledge that racism exists and continues through the persistence of privilege, intolerance, indifference, unawareness, and false assumptions. We recognize racism as oppressive and self-perpetuating, expressed through explicit and implicit biases, and incompatible when living from the Heart of God while working to bring about God’s Kin-dom here on earth.
New Paltz UMC welcomes diversity in all its forms. As members of Christ’s community, we celebrate the innate and inherent God-given gifts of our siblings who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color and honor these as they work to fulfill God’s call in their lives. We continue the search within ourselves, our congregation, and our community to seek and dismantle those places where we find injustice, prejudice, and systemic racism. As a community of faith, and with God’s continual help and guidance, we accept it as our duty and responsibility to continue our perpetual journey toward Anti-Racism. We commit ourselves, our time, and our resources to fully engaging in this journey beginning with the following:
- Intentionally including our commitment to Anti-Racism and the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities in any discussion about the vision, identity, ministry, or mission of New Paltz UMC
- Offering a minimum of two book studies per year on the topic of racism, racial justice, racial injustice, white privilege, and/or by intentionally choosing books or studies with authors from the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities
- Setting aside one Sunday each year for a special offering, earmarked for a local or UMC affiliated group/organization working directly to support members of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities
- Reexamining ourselves and these commitments annually prior to our Charge Conference to ensure that we are continuing to hold ourselves accountable to the pledges we have made to members of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities
It is the responsibility of the members of the Committee on Justice, Outreach, and Mission to examine these commitments annually and to report its findings to the church at each Charge Conference. However, it is the responsibility of the members of New Paltz United Methodist Church to uphold these commitments and continue to work towards building God’s kin-dom by dismantling the injustices and transgression of racism.
Approved by Charge Conference of the New Paltz United Methodist Church
December 3, 2022
