Awareness
Intentionally becoming aware of our stories and the stories of those around us builds understanding of perspectives not our own. It helps us to understand where we’re each coming from and to spend time processing what’s formed those reactions and feelings (Lamentations 3:40).
As we work towards a greater awareness, we have two goals:
To hear more from one another about our individual perspectives and lived experiences
Elders and ministers to craft and share autobiographies to understand our stories in regard to race
Relationships
At the core of positive relationships is trust. People feel safest when we are connected to others who we trust will have empathy and understanding toward us (Philippians 2:4). In order to build relationships in which members and visitors feel physically and psychologically safe, we have two goals:
Strengthen relationships by listening to the experiences of members of color in our congregation
Create and sustain relationships in our community with businesses and vendors of color
COMMITMENTS
In listening to the Holy Spirit and the experiences of our members, one way we believe God is calling us to move forward as a church is through our reconciliation commitments (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). We recognize the sin of racism has caused brokenness on both an individual and systemic level, and we commit to disrupting the financial effects of this in our society by being open-handed (2 Corinthians 8:13-15, Leviticus 25:8-54).
Our hope is to contribute to the movement of the kingdom of God (Revelation 7:9) by using what we’ve been blessed with to bless those who continue to be marginalized or disadvantaged.
As we determine commitments, now and in the future, we seek to partner with organizations who embody one or more of the following core values and aims.
Specialize in restoration and provide education in areas of reconciliation and bridge-building
Improve quality of life for people of color on individual or systemic levels
Redress the long-term effects of injustice
Acknowledge the Christian faith/worldview
In 2022, we chose to partner with East Side Church of Christ, Changing Expectations and Hispanic Impact Fund .
East Side Church of Christ is a diverse family of believers who partners with God in East Austin. The largest segment of their members are black. During the winter storm in February of 2021, they experienced pipes bursting at their church building which led to major, costly repairs and for some time forced them to meet in a different location.
We’re humbled by the opportunity to reflect a relationship like that shown in 1 Corinthians as one group of believers who supports another group of believers who have gone through challenges and experiences different than many of us.
A local organization in Round Rock whose mission is to provide the highest impact computer coding programs to inspire Black and Latino youth to pursue computing careers. Their programs are designed to increase these students' interest, engagement, knowledge and intentions to persist in computer science education and careers.
This network exists to support economic security and advancement of Hispanic Central Texans which is an essential priority for the future of our region. They do so by investing in organizations focused on advancing Latino leadership and creating pipelines of youth, emerging & established Latino talent.