How Long, O Lord?
Black lives, Jesus, and Violence
Over the last few weeks, the violence of black lives has been on the forefront of our minds as we grieve the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, Protesters have been crying out for justice. Social media and news outlets have been debating and discussing this reality. With so many different voices it can be difficult to quiet our own minds and hearts and begin to discern how to respond and what to do.
We will be looking together at "Black lives, violence, and Jesus" and we will be asking the question: "HOW LONG OH LORD?" We will learn together with Jesus as we open the Bible and try to discern through all of these things.
We believe that the Bible and Jesus call us to love our neighbors including those who are racially different than us. Our hope is to listen and learn together with Jesus, listen to different friends and partners in our community, and partner with them as we seek to live out Jesus' call to love one another. Below are some resources, sermons, and partnerships that Riverside has developed over the years.
WOKE BRIDGE COMMUNITY CHURCH
Riverside has committed with other churches from the area to help Pastor Boone plant a church in the Ferguson/Florissant area.
Woke Bridge envisions a community that is accessible to all in the Ferguson/Florissant that models and shares God's transforming grace, diversity, and acts of mercy
Webster Rock Hill Ministries
We love our partnership with Webster/Rock Hill Ministries. The director Ed Johnson and their team of volunteers take the time to try and meet the needs of those in our community.
Their hope is to provide opportunites for a diverse members of our community to work together across lines of class, age, race and denomination.
Alliance for Interracial Dignity
The Alliance was formed in 2012 by different community leaders (Zack and Riverside were a part of the forming) in the Webster area in order to bring the community together by learning from our collective past, challenging the racial status quo, and building a stronger community.