Northwest Suburban Interfaith Council’s Statement Against Racism.
June 2020
The ancient words of Micah 6:8 remind us: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
The Northwest Suburban Interfaith Council is outraged by the systemic racism that continues to exist in our country. Abuse of power, misuse of authority, and misguided sense of privilege has created a chasm of inequality that pains us and thereby must be the genesis of our collective efforts to improve life for all people.
Our association of diverse faiths stand in solidarity, of one mind and one purpose; Acting justly in decrying racial injustice, not only in regard to George Floyd, but for all people of color. One central precept of our varied religious traditions is that all people are created in the image of God therefore we must act justly and be merciful toward all humanity.
We recognize and walk humbly with God and with those who engage in peaceful protest in honor of the memory of George Floyd and so many others who suffer at the hand of this evil sin called racism. At the same time, we decry the unnecessary looting and violence that denies voices of the peaceful to be heard and not ignored.
Our prayers of healing are with the families of George Floyd and all those whose loved ones have been subjected to similar brutalities. Our efforts will be centered on working towards the dismantling of systemic racism at all levels. Our words must not lay idle, as our hearts and minds will be set on building interracial and further interreligious coalitions with others throughout our Northwest suburban communities and beyond, in the pursuit of eliminating racist policies and pursuing true equality for every person of every color under God’s firmament
Rev. James Preston, Kingswood United Methodist Church
Pastor Clayton Edwards, Kingswood United Methodist Church
Rev. David Breese, Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd
Rev. Dan Whiteside, St. Mary Parish
Rev. Richard Sztorc, St. Mary Parish
Deacon Dan Georgen, St. Mary Parish
Father Joseph N. Le, St. Alphonsus Liguori Parish
Father Corey Brost, St. Viator House
Expression of our feelings on the event at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
Unbelievably, yet another mass murder has occurred in a place of worship: Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. The dead included a Bubbie (grandma) to her family and community, a healing doctor that ran out to help the wounded at the shooting, two gentle spirited brothers who never missed a service, a President of the congregation who provided services to the elderly community, a dentist who treated immigrants and refugees who had never been to a dentist in their lives, a retired research specialist who contributed to learning and development research, a retired accountant who could lead services whenever needed, an all American couple that had ‘Support our Troops’, ‘God Bless America’ and ‘America the Beautiful’ stickers on their front door and a regular worshiper who gave generously of his time to the synagogue and welcomed strangers. People of faith who loved God, improved the world for others and lived lives that mattered.
At the Northwest Suburban Interfaith Council, we mourn each of these individuals that perished at the hands of evil and hatred. O LORD Almighty, our souls are in anguish and our wearied spirits cry out to you. Yet in this despair we renew our resolve to make this earth a better place by joining hands with our interfaith brothers and sisters. May we be witnesses of hope and comfort that only you can provide in trying times such as this.
Jay, Jayapalan, President Northwest Suburban Interfaith Council
Celebrating Our Commonalities
The mission of the Interfaith Council is to foster understanding among those of different faiths, encourage cooperative social service efforts, and serve as an ethical and moral voice promoting the positive growth and unity of our community. This is done through open dialogue, discussion, fellowship, and collaboration to meet some of the agreed upon social needs in our suburban area. In this way, our community can break down barriers caused by the lack of knowledge about, and the fear of, other religions.
