In 2020, as our country and community began to examine racial injustice and inequity more deeply, Covenant determined to become more introspective about our own practices. To help this undertaking, the Planning & Evaluation Committee (“P&E”) developed a Framework for Covenant’s Response:

With such a broad and complex issue, what is a Christian to do? What we are always called to do: consider Jesus’ teaching of the two great commandments and implement them in our lives.

For Covenant, this Christian response (the “Response”) should include an examination of our community of faith, our systems and structure, and our history, so to identify racial injustice, racial inequity and racism or identify that within our faith community which supports the same. In doing this as a community of faith, we invite each member to do the same individually. Our Response should include the following:

• Pray for God’s guidance.
• Educate ourselves.
• Say it out loud; i.e. acknowledge the continuing racism in our culture, systems and ourselves.
• In our self-examination, keep our focus on racial injustice, racial inequity and racism. There are other areas where inequities exist, but for this Response we should not dilute our efforts.
• Ask each Covenant Ministry and Personnel to identify three actions it can take to further our Response, insisting that each action be measurable. Then measure success or failure of the actions on a regular basis, at least annually.
• Pray for openness to change and for humility. Work for the former.
• Offer opportunities and guidance for healing, renewal and reconciliation.
• Create a structural mechanism within Covenant to address yet-to-be discovered racial issues with respect to Covenant’s history, buildings and mission.
• Communicate our Response to our membership on a regular basis.

Part of the Response entails examination of Covenant’s physical buildings and the art contained in them including, but not limited to, the History and Mission Windows, and the pulpit and chancel carvings. A task force of P&E was appointed for this purpose. You can read about the Arts Task Force and current status of this project here.

P&E is a logical committee to coordinate the Response for Covenant since all six ministries are represented on the Board and because it is charged to determine how Covenant is fulfilling its stated mission. Such coordination is, of course, done for and subject to Session’s approval.

I understand and appreciate that our congregation represents a broad political spectrum, and we’re better for it. I also understand that regardless of our particular political persuasion, Christian faith stands on a solid bedrock of justice, love, and peace. We believe in hard-won reconciliation, not division.

We relentlessly affirm that each person -- every ethnicity, race, gender, and nationality -- is made in the image of God and is of equal value in God's eyes. Thus everyone should be treated as God’s very own. These values are under siege in our country, and as Christian people, it is for us to ‘stand our ground’ and work toward a world more reflective of God’s ideals for the human community.

Years ago, the Session at Covenant adopted a clear mission statement which will guide us in these tumultuous times: Covenant Presbyterian is a dynamic Christian community that gladly invites all people into a transformational experience of faith; boldly proclaims the gospel; bravely works toward a whole and just world; and passionately nurtures discipleship.

You can expect Covenant Presbyterian Church to embrace this mission statement vigorously. We’ll boldly proclaim the gospel and its perspective on hard issues. We’ll bravely work toward a whole and just world by working on systemic and episodic realities that are far from just. And we’ll passionately nurture faithful discipleship that fosters growth in all of us around important issues such as race, inequality, and justice.

Let me assure you that it’s a serious commitment on the part of this congregation’s leadership. A number of years ago, we diversified our financial deposits to include minority owned banks. I’m asking the finance committee to make every effort to diversify even further. We integrated implicit bias training into our personnel searches and interviews. We’ve shifted nearly all our mission endeavors from doing for others to being with others and we’ve invested heavily in friendships and studies and collaborations with African American congregations. In those changes, we’ve been changed and will continue to change.

I’m sure in doing more that we’ll risk disagreement and error. I’m also sure that God can gather us all up in love and transform us into something more Christ-like as we seek to be agents of God’s redeeming love to a world very much in need.

The Around the Kitchen Table resources are intended to foster conversations in our own homes about racism. We encourage you to identify one time each week to spend with those who sit at your kitchen table – maybe your children, your parents, your neighbors, your spouse, or yourself. The resources can shape your conversations around our shared hope and faith.

If you'd like a longer list of books, podcasts, videos and news articles  for white people and parents, please view this resource.

In 2018, Covenant invested $2 million into the development of an affordable housing property, The Mezzanine at Freedom. The property has evolved into a vibrant community with which the Covenant congregations continues to partner. To get involved in the monthly ministry, please email Ariel Gritter.

Our Child Development Center is founded on the belief that racially diverse classrooms boost learning and lead to improved critical thinking and problem-solving skills. With a $2 million scholarship endowment, our program will be able to support, in perpetuity, families of diverse economic backgrounds. Our financial assistance program will support at least 1 in 4 of the Child Development Center’s children by providing up to 50 percent of the monthly tuition.