The Denver Presbytery invited all churches to participate in a Matthew 25 Month of Engagement in May. Almost two thousand hours were posted across ten churches. THANK YOU! The stories of Hope in Action are inspiring to all.
Matthew 25 Presbytery-wide Initiative | A Bold Vision and Invitation
Build Congregational Vitality | Dismantle Structural Racism | Eradicate Systemic Poverty
EDUCATION
Education continues to be a major theme in our collective journey to understand – and prepare ourselves to take meaningful action against -- structural racism and systemic poverty.
Faith Formation Leadership from the Presbytery gathered to share resources for the Matthew 25 Initiative in congregations for all ages. A rich resource list was created and shared.
Books cited across the Presbytery included “How to be an Anti-Racist” by Ibram X. Kendi and “God and Race” by Siebeling and Francis. “God and Race” cites Revelation as God's plan for race: 'After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.'"
Other helpful resources were “Facing Racism” from PCUSA, “Enduring Legacy of Racism,” and "The Flag and the Cross." The PBS documentary “Slavery by Another Name,” lays out how a corrupt criminal justice system continues to drive catastrophic results.
Published diversity-related definitions in weekly enews and/or bulletins to keep anti-racism in mind and to build related vocabulary,. For Pride Month (June) the definition included the Presbyterian history with LGTBQ+ people. Prepared a flyer for Juneteenth for distribution during worship.
COLLABORATIVE WORSHIP
A joint worship service between a historic Black congregation and a majority-white congregation included significant conversation and a sermon about love shown through acts of service -- presented in dialog form. Encouraged participation in Central Presbyterian’s Civil Rights Pilgrimage in June.
ADVOCACY
Emails and petitions for human rights and environmental rights especially for those most exposed to pollution, typically communities of color. Contacted Senator Bennet asking for a "yes" vote to end Title 42, the public health order that keeps thousands of migrants from entering the US and seek asylum.
Attended vigils at GEO Detention Center in Aurora in support of immigrants held in detention.
IMMIGRANTS and REFUGEES
Emails and petitions for human rights and environmental rights especially for those most exposed to pollution, typically communities of color. Contacted Senator Bennet asking for a "yes" vote to end Title 42, the public health order that keeps thousands of migrants from entering the US and seek asylum.
Attended vigils at GEO Detention Center in Aurora in support of immigrants held in detention.
FOOD BANKS | HELPING THE MARGINALIZED
Donated time and resources to Good Shepherd’s Food Bank, Food Bank of the Rockies, Metrocaring, the St. Francis Center, and other food banks in the area. Also provided fresh water and clean-up for the unhoused.
Good Shepherd has been operating a busy food bank for almost 30 years. In May served over 380 individuals of which 86 are seniors and 192 are children. Some of the Food Bank clients attend worship with us.
Metrocaring works with our community to meet people’s immediate need for nutritious food while building a movement to address the root causes of hunger. Also offers innovative programming in Healthy Foods Access, Nutrition Education, Cooking Classes, and more.
Hosted a thank you Dinner for nine of the volunteers who served at CARES Shares Food Bank in Strasburg, which closed on May 13th. Shared food, fellowship, sadness and thanksgiving as we expressed our gratitude for the many hours of service!
PARTNERSHIPS
Partners that we work with to advance Matthew 25 tenets include:
Central Visitation Center, a supervised visitation program. Supervised parenting time is designed to be a safe but temporary solution for maintaining a relationship with a parent until he or she parent resolves court or lifestyle issue.
Gathering Place offers services to combat poverty and address the impacts of marginalization and oppression that are often contributing factors to poverty or homelessness focusing on women, transgender folks, and children living in poverty.
Benefits in Action in Lakewood, increases understanding, access, and utilization of healthcare resources, especially for low-income older adults.
New Genesis, a sober living program for homeless men, women and their families striving to become self-sufficient.
The Third Story, a ministry to neighborhood kids in west Denver, that offers Bible clubs, tutoring, mentoring, music camp and other opportunities.
MWANZO, which means HOPE in Swahili, is working on establishing a self-sustaining community center in Rabhor, Kenya.
Matthew 25 is an ongoing initiative across PCUSA. Structural and systemic change is hard work! We together celebrate all efforts by churches, individuals, and Presbyteries. You are truly helping make “God’s kingdom come, on earth as it is in Heaven.” THANK YOU!
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