Welcoming Statement
First Presbyterian Church, Mount Pleasant, Iowa
First Presbyterian Church, Mount Pleasant, Iowa affirms that all people are children of God.
Who is welcome here?
If you are Asian, Hispanic, Black, or White...
If you are male or female or transgender...
If you are three days old, 30 years old, or 103 years old...
If you’ve never stepped foot in a church; or if you are Buddhist, Roman Catholic,
agnostic or are a life-long Presbyterian...
If you are single, married, divorced, widowed, separated, or partnered...
If you are straight, gay, lesbian, or bisexual...
If you are a Republican, Democrat, Independent, Socialist, or not registered to vote...
If you have, or had, addictions, phobias, an abortion, or a criminal record...
If you own your home, rent, live with your parents, or are homeless...
If you are fully-abled, disabled, or a person of differing abilities...
You are welcome here! All are welcome here!
This congregation is committed to being a radically loving and welcoming community of faith. We believe it is our responsibility to follow the teachings of Jesus and bring the kingdom of God to the world through love of and service to others.
Who is welcome here?
If you are Asian, Hispanic, Black, or White...
If you are male or female or transgender...
If you are three days old, 30 years old, or 103 years old...
If you’ve never stepped foot in a church; or if you are Buddhist, Roman Catholic,
agnostic or are a life-long Presbyterian...
If you are single, married, divorced, widowed, separated, or partnered...
If you are straight, gay, lesbian, or bisexual...
If you are a Republican, Democrat, Independent, Socialist, or not registered to vote...
If you have, or had, addictions, phobias, an abortion, or a criminal record...
If you own your home, rent, live with your parents, or are homeless...
If you are fully-abled, disabled, or a person of differing abilities...
You are welcome here! All are welcome here!
This congregation is committed to being a radically loving and welcoming community of faith. We believe it is our responsibility to follow the teachings of Jesus and bring the kingdom of God to the world through love of and service to others.
Anti-racism Vision Statement for First Presbyterian Church of Mt Pleasant, Iowa
The Bible insistently reveals that God loves diversity and justice. This is seen in the wide variety of creation in which God delights. It is heard in the words of the prophets, who reject oppression and commend justice as true worship. It is embodied in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, who resists the power of empire and values all persons, regardless of status, as children of God. Jesus gathered a community of people around him that crossed over every social and cultural boundary. Those who had been set apart were brought together: poor and rich, male and female, gentile and Jew, centurion and tax collector, Canaanite, Galilean, and Syrophoenician. Jesus called this community together in anticipation of, and participation in, the coming of the new creation.
Racism is the opposite of what God intends for humanity. It is the rejection of the other, which is entirely contrary to the Word of God incarnate in Jesus Christ. It is a form of idolatry that elevates human-made hierarchies of value over divinely-given free grace. Racism is a lie about our fellow human beings, for it says that some are less than others. It is also a lie about God, for it falsely claims that God favors parts of creation over the entirety of creation.
Because of our biblical understanding of who God is and what God intends for humanity, the PC(USA) must stand against, speak against, and work against racism. Antiracist effort is not optional for Christians. It is an essential aspect of Christian discipleship, without which we fail to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ.
While recognizing that racism victimizes many different racial ethnic groups, we acknowledge its unique impact on the African American community. Anti-black racism has been a structural component of the United States from the beginning. The Constitution defined an African American as three-fifths of a person, denying their full humanity. The economic foundations of the United States were built on slave labor. The legal system of the United States has consistently perpetuated the subjugation of African Americans throughout the history of the nation.
Given the particular forms that anti-black racism has taken in the United States of America both historically (including slavery and Jim Crow) and today (including mass incarceration, disproportionate policing, economic inequality, and continuing acts of racially oriented violence and hate), we state clearly: GOD LOVES BLACK and BROWN LIVES who were created equally in the image of God. Too many have denied this basic truth for too long. As followers of Jesus Christ, we must stand against racism in all its forms.
Finally, as Presbyterians we know something about work. While aspects of the Protestant work ethic may be problematic, to the degree that it signifies our determination, persistence, and stubborn strength, we embrace it in this regard: we commit ourselves to DO THE WORK of countering racism in our witness to the Gospel. In our affirmation that God loves difference, we will honor diversity as a good in which God delights. In our conviction that God desires justice, we will learn from others to broaden our understanding of equality. In our humility as sinful people, we will listen openly to diverse voices regarding how racism functions in our society. In our gratitude for God’s grace, we will turn again and again towards the vision of whole community found in the Word of God. In our joyous response to God’s love, we will love one another.
Adapted by the First Presbyterian Church of Mount Pleasant
from the PC(USA) Church wide Anti-Racism Policy Vision Statement
Racism is the opposite of what God intends for humanity. It is the rejection of the other, which is entirely contrary to the Word of God incarnate in Jesus Christ. It is a form of idolatry that elevates human-made hierarchies of value over divinely-given free grace. Racism is a lie about our fellow human beings, for it says that some are less than others. It is also a lie about God, for it falsely claims that God favors parts of creation over the entirety of creation.
Because of our biblical understanding of who God is and what God intends for humanity, the PC(USA) must stand against, speak against, and work against racism. Antiracist effort is not optional for Christians. It is an essential aspect of Christian discipleship, without which we fail to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ.
While recognizing that racism victimizes many different racial ethnic groups, we acknowledge its unique impact on the African American community. Anti-black racism has been a structural component of the United States from the beginning. The Constitution defined an African American as three-fifths of a person, denying their full humanity. The economic foundations of the United States were built on slave labor. The legal system of the United States has consistently perpetuated the subjugation of African Americans throughout the history of the nation.
Given the particular forms that anti-black racism has taken in the United States of America both historically (including slavery and Jim Crow) and today (including mass incarceration, disproportionate policing, economic inequality, and continuing acts of racially oriented violence and hate), we state clearly: GOD LOVES BLACK and BROWN LIVES who were created equally in the image of God. Too many have denied this basic truth for too long. As followers of Jesus Christ, we must stand against racism in all its forms.
Finally, as Presbyterians we know something about work. While aspects of the Protestant work ethic may be problematic, to the degree that it signifies our determination, persistence, and stubborn strength, we embrace it in this regard: we commit ourselves to DO THE WORK of countering racism in our witness to the Gospel. In our affirmation that God loves difference, we will honor diversity as a good in which God delights. In our conviction that God desires justice, we will learn from others to broaden our understanding of equality. In our humility as sinful people, we will listen openly to diverse voices regarding how racism functions in our society. In our gratitude for God’s grace, we will turn again and again towards the vision of whole community found in the Word of God. In our joyous response to God’s love, we will love one another.
Adapted by the First Presbyterian Church of Mount Pleasant
from the PC(USA) Church wide Anti-Racism Policy Vision Statement