Statement Regarding Anti-Racism
Session of Decatur Presbyterian Church, Decatur GA
July 13, 2020

The mission of the Decatur Presbyterian Church community is to share Jesus Christ’s love for the world.
Our bicentennial goal: Every child of God – engaging, belonging, being transformed.
We, the pastors and active elders of Decatur Presbyterian Church (USA), Decatur, Georgia, as followers
of Jesus Christ, seek to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our
neighbors as we love ourselves. We affirm that our neighbors are of every race, color and nation, and that
every human being is a beloved child of God with inherent and sacred worth. Thus:
-WE GRIEVE over the recent deaths of Rayshard Brooks, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George
Floyd, and over all those whose lives have ended tragically in senseless and unnecessary violence;
-WE ABHOR the misuse of power, especially when it is involved in the killing of a human life,
-WE ACKNOWLEDGE that many individuals have been killed because of the color of their skin, and that
the effects of racism in our nation are pervasive, real, and deep,
-WE CONFESS that many white persons and congregations benefited from the oppressive and unjust
scourge of slavery, that systemic structures of racism persist to this day, and that far too often white
persons have remained silent and on the sidelines in the fight against injustice, and consciously or
unconsciously with words and actions demean or dehumanize others.
-WE PRAY for God’s mercy and grace for ourselves and our congregation, and we pray for God’s Spirit to
usher in a new day of peace, justice, reconciliation, and hope in our community and in the world.
Furthermore, relying on God’s grace,
-WE COMMIT ourselves to listen deeply and carefully to members, friends, and neighbors, in particular
those who may look or think differently than ourselves,
-WE INTEND to engage in the difficult and long term work of dismantling racism, beginning with ourselves
and our congregation, and utilizing our time, talent, and treasure to do so,
-WE AFFIRM that anti-racism and seeking justice for all is at the core of the work of the Church,
-WE SEEK God’s wisdom for the way forward as we educate ourselves about the experiences of those
whose skin is of a different color than our own.
As we move forward toward a new and more equitable society, we will deepen our commitment to:
-WELCOMING into membership, leadership, and employment persons of color,
-SERVING the poor and homeless of our community with hospitality and various forms of assistance
through DPC’s Threshold Ministry,
-HOSTING AND PARTNERING with Trinity Presbyterian Church-Decatur, a mostly African American
congregation, as their leaders discern their future calling, as well as with Norvisi Fellowship, a
congregation of mostly Ghanaian immigrants.
-PROVIDING a home for the Global Village Project, a school for refugee girls with interrupted education,
and deepening our congregation’s involvement in supporting, working with and building relationships with
the school and their students,
-CONTINUING to provide human and financial resources to local and global missions which address the
needs of the poor, advance their cause, and seek to eradicate systemic poverty.
Finally, we stand in solidarity with our black elders, members, friends, neighbors, and colleagues; their
lives matter to God and to this congregation.