Assemblies of God

The death of George Floyd has reminded us again of the sins of racism and injustice and that we, as Christians, must do something. It is clear that this is not merely an American issue, rather it is a global issue, and one we must contend with here in the UK.

The words of Micah 6:8 have resounded again this week:
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

We are all called to act against prejudice and systemic racism, whether in our nation, the nations of the world, the church or our justice systems. Right now, we must speak clearly to affirm that we have all been created equal, that the image of God is seen in all people regardless of colour, nationality or creed. With this in mind, there should be neither space nor place for racism in our society, racism is a sin, and we must all work together to ensure that we eradicate anything that devalues another life. The events of this last week have impacted humanity, and we stand united, believing for an end to the days when people are judged, dehumanised or vilified because of the colour of their skin or background.

We recognise that there is not a simple solution, but are committed to walking forward together. With this in mind, we are involved in conversations with a number of BAME leaders in AoG to ensure that we listen, learn together and create an action plan that can heal hearts and speed an end to this injustice.

At this time, let us mourn with those who mourn (Romans 12), take time to listen (James 1), educate ourselves (Proverbs 4), prefer others (Philippians 2) and persist in seeing this evil eradicated (Galatians 6).

Finally, we pray, calling on the Mighty God to move powerfully in the hearts of all men and women, including the influencers whom God has placed in a position to deliver significant change.

Ps Glyn Barrett

On behalf of the National Leadership Team and Board of Directors