Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

The apostles often wrote letters to the church they loved, often addressing cultural situations. 

There is much pain on display right now in our culture. The tragic deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Michael Dean here locally, and countless others bring an overwhelming sadness to our hearts. As a church with deep values of love, unity, justice, and peace, our hearts break for the families and communities impacted; and we mourn the atmosphere that is being created across the United States. We are thankful for Christ’s example: a man of sorrows (Isaiah 53:3) who taught us to mourn (Matthew 5:4) and weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15).

And we are weeping.

Thankfully, the pain we see can be healed, but it can only be healed through the blood of Jesus Christ, through the repentance and forgiveness that comes from the cross. From the beginning, God has been calling a people to himself – a people of all nations and tongues (Revelation 7:9); and in Christ, God’s people are made into one body, working together in love and unity for the glory of God and His kingdom (1 Corinthians 12:12-26). Therefore, as God’s children, we must stand against structures, such as racism, that attack that beautiful picture of unity; and we must labor alongside those who work for biblical justice, peace, and reconciliation.

Sadly, our nation has a historical and structural race problem that seeps into our hearts, habits, families, workplaces, and institutions. As a church body, we repent of our own sin, knowing that we’ve failed in this area. We weep alongside our brothers and sisters who are hurting. We commit to walk alongside those who work for biblical justice and peace. We are thankful for the many ethnicities who call TBC their church home. We are praying for peace officers as well. We are grateful for those in our body who serve in law enforcement and daily reflect Christ’s character as they seek to be conformed to the image of Christ and embody his love and justice as they protect and serve.

There is much work to be done, and that work starts on our knees. As we continue to share the gospel of Jesus Christ in all facets of life, we ask you to pray for our church, leadership, community, nation, and world as we seek to reflect the grace and truth of Jesus everywhere.