Multi-ethnic Diversity
Revelation 7:9 (NLT) gives a beautiful vision of the Kingdom of God: "After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb." ​
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We believe the church should be a representation of the Kingdom of God here on earth. Historically, because of racism, hatred, injustice, and segregation, the church has been void of this vision of every nation and tribe and people and language. We recognize the effects and systems of oppression in our own city. We are committed to promoting justice, practicing repentance, and embodying racial reconciliation within our church community, practicing and modeling our commitment to diversity in all we say and do, and supporting city-wide efforts to address racism at both a systemic and personal level.
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As Christians committed to loving our neighbors, the pursuit of justice, and the importance of rejecting evil “in whatever forms they present themselves”, we condemn racism and the racist policies that plague our nation and have led to the persistent violence and exclusion experienced by Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC).
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We actively seek and promote BIPOC leadership in our church, creating a culture of listening and learning. The multi-ethnic church is a minority in America and the challenges persist as racism persists. We commit to leaning on the best practices of black Christian leaders in Columbus, and to do our part to create the anti-racist church and city that fully represents the Kingdom of God on earth.
LGBTQ+ Inclusion
We celebrate God’s gift of diversity and value the wholeness made possible in community equally shared and shepherded by all. We welcome and affirm people of every gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, who are also of every age, race, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, level of education, and family structure, and of every economic, immigration, marital, and social status, and so much more. We acknowledge that we live in a world of profound social, economic, and political inequities. As followers of Jesus, we commit ourselves to the pursuit of justice and pledge to stand in solidarity with all who are marginalized and oppressed. We pledge to embody this equitably, both in our community and in our leadership at all levels.
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This statement of faith is adapted from the Reconciling Ministries Network (rmnetwork.org), which exists to equip and mobilize United Methodists of all sexual orientations and gender identities to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.
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As a United Methodist network, we recognize the historical and ongoing harm done to the LGBTQ+ community by the United Methodist Church. We commit to working for justice within the denomination and will stand with our LGBTQ+ siblings whenever there is debate. We are an affirming congregation that will marry, baptize and offer membership and opportunities for leadership to all who desire it without discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, or gender identity.