Antiracism
DIVERSITY TASK FORCE
As a Matthew 25 Church, Wellshire is committed to work to “dismantle structural racism.” This is a key objective of the Diversity Task Force.
In June 2020, the Session commissioned a Wellshire Diversity Task Force. The Task Force purpose statement is below, find the entire document here.
God loves diversity. God delights in justice. Jesus reminds us to love all of God’s children. Therefore, we commit ourselves to exploring and exposing injustice, beginning with our positions of privilege and complicity, in the Church and in our society, and commit to ongoing learning and action. We challenge ourselves and each other to recognize the existence of white privilege in church and society, and to dismantle structural racism.
For more antiracism resources provided by the PC(USA) visit: https://facing-racism.pcusa.org/
LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS
The Diversity Task Force has contributed to five local organizations whose missions exemplify our Matthew 25 calling. Wellshire’s election to be a “Matthew 25 church” calls for us to address social, legal, economic and political “systems” that continue to lead to poverty, racial inequity, and injustice. Please click on the links for more information about each partner:
- AYA Foundation, exists to lead an Economic Revolution by creating a vibrant community of Black entrepreneurs, professionals, and leaders for individual and collective agency and access to capital, resources, and training.
- Casa de Paz, focused
on helping migrants in detention at a federal center in Aurora. Volunteers visit detainees and work to reunite families. “This is a beautiful
community with thousands of people who are committed to building a bigger table!” - Dearfield Fund, helps Black and African
American communities build a foundation of intergenerational wealth and financial well-being, primarily through homeownership. - Innocence Project, works to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions, and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone.
- The Interfaith Alliance, promotes justice, religious liberty, and interfaith understanding through building relationships in order to educate, advocate, and catalyze social change. They are determined that faith should be a force for good in public life.
Definitions
As part of the task force’s commitment to doing this work through education, we have drafted working definitions of terms crucial to our understanding.
Do the definitions add to your understanding of what diversity means? We invite thoughtful discussion as to the terms that have been presented. You may send comments and questions to diversity@wpcdenver.org.
21 DAY RACIAL EQUITY CHALLENGE
You are invited to join us and churches around the nation in a 21-day racial equity challenge. Through exposure to a variety of voices in videos, podcasts, and articles, we can listen, learn and grow, and be equipped to help make real change.
