Racial Justice, Protests, and our Faithful Response

Greetings PoP Community: The staff have been spending a lot of time listening, praying, and pondering what our call is as a faith community in light of recent protests and demonstrations regarding the death of George Floyd. Pr. Nate and I preached together on this topic on Sunday and have appreciated all of the people who reached out to communicate your passions, grief, and sense of helplessness.

One of the gifts that this church, Prince of Peace, has is a hospitable and welcoming culture. We are a warm and friendly bunch…and we love one another. It is evident in so many ways. And we are strong, too. Over the past 5 years as we have navigated hard conversations about identity and a windfall of money, we have tried to listen deeply and walk together in this. When we do not agree, we do so with grace and kindness. In short, it is my heartfelt belief that as a congregation we are equipped to have the hard conversations about racial justice, privilege, and what our responses can be. Pr. Nate and I are putting together a series of guided, faith based conversations on race that we can have in groups of 8-12, either online or (for some groups who are medically ready) at one another’s homes in backyards. It is our hope that these conversations may provide education, personal transformation, awareness, and a faith active in love.

As I mentioned earlier, the sin of racism is not new in our world, and indeed the ELCA has been a church body working hard to provide its congregations and leaders with resources to have these conversations. No matter where you are in your journey of awareness of the racism in our country, we are hopeful that you will join in these small groups. We will most certainly utilize our gentle gifts, our love for one another, and the teachings of our Savior Jesus Christ to help us navigate the way. Sign-ups and more information will be coming mid-June.

In the meantime, keep an eye on our Facebook page. We have already participated in Online Vigils, community protests, and will be representing PoP at the Saratoga Black Lives Matter Gathering on Saturday. Please, as always, reach out to us if you have questions or concerns. 

-Rev. Sara & Rev. Nate ​