Newsdesk

Adventist Churches Show Up to Support the Black Community

By Cynthia Mendoza

In response to the recent deaths of Ahmaud Arbery in Atlanta, Breonna Taylor in Louisville, and George Floyd in Minneapolis, Adventist churches nationwide, including in the Pacific Union, have joined in public demonstrations of support for the Black community through protests, prayer walks, and vigils.

Ahmaud Arbery was shot by civilians in February while out for a run near his home, Breonna Taylor was fatally shot in March by police officers while they were executing a search warrant, and George Floyd died during an arrest attempt by police officers in May.

The following are just a few of the churches within the Pacific Union that have engaged in public support for the Black community.

On Wednesday, June 3, members, pastors, and conference officers of the Southern California Conference marched from the University church to the California African American

On Sabbath afternoon, June 6, in Stockton, Calif., the Valley Community, Mayfair, and Pittsburg churches gathered for a Community Prayer Walk.

Museum in Exposition Park, Los Angeles.

The event was a peaceful prayer protest and vigil. The group was joined by members of the community, a local business owner, a captain of the LAPD Southwest Division, and the captain of University of Southern California’s Department of Public Safety, who marched with them and addressed the people.

The message of this event was clear: “Black Lives Matter and God’s voice matters” and to do nothing is to be complicit in the injustice.

“We are surprised and devastated by continued police brutality, particularly against African Americans. It’s discouraging to see we’re still fighting the same battle for the last 100 years,” said Royal Harrison, SCC Greater Los

On Friday, June 5, the "We Deserve to Live – Black People Matter Rally, March, and Candlelight Vigil" took place at the Kianga Isoke Palacio Park (formerly known as Doolittle Park) in Las Vegas. Supported by the Abundant Life and New Life churches and friends, the event drew a crowd of 2,500.

Angeles Region director.

Conversely, Harrison said he was encouraged not just by the turnout at the march, approximately 300 to 350 people, but by the ethnic and age diversity of those who came to show support.

“We all have to work together to make communities safe for everyone,” Harrison said.

Also within SCC territory, in Long Beach in early June, youth and young adults met for a morning community walk during which they visited and prayed with people from businesses that had been affected by a recent riot in that area.

“Never have we seen in our lifetime, a conference explicitly fight for social justice clearly,” read a statement on the One House Facebook page, a group of SCC youth and young adults, under a post of photos from the marches and protests. “We are proud POC [people of color], proud men and women, and proud members of the Southern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.”

Also on June 5, Southern California Conference youth and young adults in Long Beach, Calif., met for a morning Community Walk to check in, visit, and pray with businesses affected by a riot in that area.

In Las Vegas, Nevada, on Friday, deaths of three young people who died June 5, Abundant Life and New Life unjustly.” said Brown, in a separate video churches participated in a rally, march, statement in response to the recent and candlelight vigil at Kianga Isoke deaths. “As I shared my thoughts with Palacio Park in Las Vegas. The theme our pastors and leaders, it became was “We Deserve to Live—Black People apparent right away they too were being Matter.” The event drew a crowd of impacted by the events taking place in approximately 2,500 people. our nation.”

On June 13, the Nevada-Utah Brown’s brief introduction then Conference (NUC) also hosted leads into a longer video, with voices a conversation via Zoom called and thoughts from NUC educators and Courageous Conversation About Race. pastors in response to the recent events. The program was hosted by NUC A common theme among the various President Leon Brown, Elder Karen responses was a commitment to the Schneider, Elder Carlos Camacho, and “weighty matters of the law,” such as Pastor Oneil Madden. justice and mercy, and a commitment

“This has been a very difficult time to caring and helping set free those who for our nation. The last several weeks are oppressed. have been especially difficult for me On Sabbath, June 6, Clovis church personally as I contemplated the pastor David Dean interviewed Clovis Police Chief Curt Fleming. In his introduction, Dean said that, in light of everything that was happening, he felt convicted to invite Fleming to speak. Their conversation covered many topics currently On Wednesday, June 3, members, pastors, and being discussed in conference officers of the Southern California communities across the Conference marched from the University church to the nation, and Fleming also California African American Museum in Exposition shared specific physical Park, Los Angeles. The event was a peaceful prayer and procedural policies protest and vigil. The group was joined by members regarding arrests, adding of the community, a local business owner, a captain of that all the information the LAPD Southwest Division, and the captain of USC was publicly available Department of Public Safety, who marched with them online. You may view and addressed the people. the entire interview here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=xnwB0cJ5TfI. The interview begins at minute 58:10.

In the Northern California Conference, the Valley Community, Mayfair, and Pittsburg churches came together for a community prayer walk at a local park in Stockton on June 6. On Sabbath, June 13, the Mayfair church also hosted Crucial Conversations, an online forum with pastors and leaders to address the issues impacting people of color in the church and in society as a whole.

Within the Southeastern California Conference territory, the Mt. Rubidoux church hosted a rally on-site on Sabbath, June 6, in response to the deaths of the three African Americans earlier this year, and also took part in strategic plans to establish building togetherness. Church members are also encouraged to support Black wounded businesses and to reach out to lawmakers regarding abolishing “qualified immunity” so that police officers would no longer be immune from lawsuits or other legal consequences in cases of alleged wrongdoing.

Many of the churches mentioned in this article, as well as others not included at this time, continue to hold online discussions and other events and activities in response to the issues of racial justice. While churches and communities continue to grapple with racial issues, they are also engaged in safely navigating the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with many churches preparing to reopen soon. And many are still fully engaged in ongoing community service, such as providing food baskets for people in need.

As events continue to unfold, more stories and responses will be shared in upcoming print publications and online. For more information on what various conferences and churches are doing, members are encouraged to visit the churches’ and conferences’ official social media pages.

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Stay Connected: Engage with the various ministries throughout Central California Conference by going to CentralCaliforniaAdventist.org or as listed below.

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Hispanic Ministries can be found on Facebook at CCC Hispanic Ministries or on Instagram @ccchispanicministries.

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Prayer Ministries can be found on Facebook at CCC Prayer Ministries or on Instagram @cccsdaprayerministry. There are a few weeks left of the 100 days of prayer; join us today.

Young Adult Ministries can be found on Facebook at CCC Young Adult Department or Instagram @cccyoungadults_. Youth Ministries can be found on Facebook at Youth Evangelism Department or Instagram @youthevangelismdepartment.

La Sierra University

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Northern California Conference Virtual Redwood Camp

Meeting 2020 (July 23-25). Programming for Cradle Roll through adult. Music, seminars, interactive sessions for young people, Mosaic Band, cooking show, walkaround of Redwood Area Camp. Schedule coming soon to new website. Info: www.redwoodareacamp. com. Keep up with the latest news at www.facebook.com/ redwoodcamp and www. facebook.com/groups/ RedwoodAdult2.

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Youth Ministries: Join the online NCC Youth Group, hosted by Youth Director Eddie Heinrich and NCC youth pastors, every Tuesday at 7 p.m. Info: eddie.heinrich@nccsda. com.

Southeastern California Conference

Rocky Railway VBS (June 29- July 31) Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This SECC virtual VBS program will span over five weeks. It will be every Monday (Move it Mondays), Wednesday (Wisdom Wednesdays), and Friday (Family Fridays). Info: 951-509-2260, liz.adams@ seccsda.org.

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Virtual SHIFT Conference

(July 7-11) Tuesday-Thursday, 7-9 p.m.; Friday, 6:30-8:30 p.m.; Sabbath 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Black Ministries is hosting its annual conference. Instead of meeting in person, this year’s meeting will be held virtually. Info: 951-509-2298, Brianna.hill@ seccsda.org.

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