The Crossroads UMC Commitment 

    Crossroads UMC re-affirms its commitment to resist evil injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.  In the wake of the killing of George Floyd, we wish to express our outrage at this egregious act of injustice and commit ourselves to standing with those who continue to demand accountability and justice.  We also stand with all of those who continue to suffer at the hands of racism in our country.  The history of our denomination and congregation is storied yet troubled in dealing with racial inequality in America.  We often have not heard the cries of the needy and been complicit in the face of hatred and racism.  We promise to take on the work of becoming more of who we are called to be in Christ Jesus by examining our hearts and minds in an attempt to rid ourselves of the sins of prejudice, discrimination, racism, and complicity.

    We have been moved by the voices of those on the streets calling for a better, more inclusive, and loving future.  As a result, we wish to make the following commitments:

    1. Eliminate all forms of institutional racism in the total ministry of Crossroads UMC, giving special attention to those institutions that we support, beginning with their employment policies, purchasing practices, environmental policies, and availability of services and facilities;
    2. To speak out against acts of racism in our community and use our platform to amplify the voices of the oppressed.
    3. Create opportunities in our church to deal honestly with the existing racist attitudes and social distance between members, deepening the Christian commitment to be the church where all racial groups and economic classes come together;
    4. Increase efforts to engage people of all races into conversation with Crossroads UMC to gain a better understanding of the racial divide in our community; particularly Canton, Ohio.
    5. Establish a diverse team to evaluate how Crossroads UMC has engaged issues of racial equity and justice in its past and present its findings to the congregation.
    6. Raise our congregation’s awareness of the continuing needs for equal education, housing, employment, medical care, and environmental justice for all members of the community and to create opportunities to work for these things across racial lines;
    7. Work for the development and implementation of local policies to protect the civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights of all people
    8. Facilitate nomination and election processes that include all racial groups by employing a system that prioritizes leadership opportunities of people from communities that are disproportionately impacted by the ongoing legacy of racial injustice. Use measures to align our vision for racial justice with actions that accelerate racial equity.

    We continue to pray for justice and peace until all of God’s children are valued and respected…

    Sincerely,

    The Leadership of Crossroads United Methodist Church