Dear Parishioners,
Starting today, St. John’s will proudly display two banners in support of the Black Lives Matter movement that has captured the attention of America and, finally, focused its attention on the systemic racism that exists in our country.
As followers of Jesus and his way of love, we need to lend our voices to this principle. If we believe that God loves all of God’s children, we must speak out and work to make sure that justice and equity is extended to all people as well.
The banner quotes the words of the prophet Micah:
And what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)
This is a small step in the long and proud tradition of St. John’s. From our earliest days, when William Hawley baptized and married African Americans of all legal statuses—slave and free—through John Harper keeping the doors of the church open during the 1963 March on Washington and announcing, “This church building is open, as it has always been, to all who want to worship here” to the current Ministry of Presence distributing water, snacks, and spiritual support to those standing against injustice, St. John’s has long stood against racism and in support of civil rights.
Since the senseless murder of George Floyd on May 25, we have all seen the protests that started in Minneapolis quickly spread throughout the country and around the world. St. John’s has stood as the backdrop for some of these protests.
As people of all colors, ages, and backgrounds continue to pour into Lafayette Square to demand equal justice, the vestry felt it was important to let all know where St. John’s and its congregation stand. We discussed what exactly our message should be and how it should be communicated. At the end, we put the matter to a vote. Now, we proudly say “Black Lives Matter.”
In peace,
The Rev. Robert Fisher, Rector
Paul Barkett, Senior Warden
Jeff Hantson, Junior Warden
