On Tuesday 07 July at 2pm, the Archdeacon of Macclesfield will chair an online webinar titled, Who is your neighbour? It will be an opportunity for everyone to hear first-hand from some of those who have experienced racism and discrimination.
Those taking part include the Revd Daud Gill, Incumbent at Broadheath, and the Revd Dr Jacob Davadason, Incumbent at Heald Green.
The webinar has been organised in response to the killing of George Floyd in the US on 25 May during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit banknote.
His death sparked a wave of protests around the world calling for racial equality and justice, including in Chester, where a peaceful demonstration was held outside the Cathedral to show solidarity with black and minority ethnic communities.
The strength of feeling and the emotion demonstrated has been clear for all to see and has prompted organisations and institutions, as well as individuals, to reflect on the issues at hand.
An ecumenical group of Christian leaders in the City of Chester, including the Acting Bishop of Chester, the Dean of Chester, and the Archdeacon of Chester, called for an "end to racial injustice", and the Church of England’s Committee for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns (CMEAC) released a statement expressing outrage at the killing of George Floyd and calling on the Church to fight for equality, inclusion and justice. In the statement, the Committee said: “As a national Church we have a responsibility to create a community of faith that celebrates equality, inclusion and justice for all people. This is a gospel imperative and we dare not pretend otherwise. We hope that the current challenge is seen as a defining moment when we can act to transform the life of the Church of England by actively working to end racist behaviour and actions in the institution.”
The Revd Canon Lameck Mutete, Vicar of Tattenhall, Cheshire and Chair of CMEAC in the Diocese of Chester recorded his own impassioned message, reflecting on the death of George Floyd in the US.
In the video, which has been viewed hundreds of times, he said: "As Christians, we are committed to playing our part in seeing racism eradicated and the restoration of justice for all. For so long the oppressed voice has been crying, 'I can't breathe, take your knee off my neck.'
"But the perpetrators of injustice have been silent.
"Finally, God spoke through George and the words went into flames of unquenchable fire. His final utterings have shaken the world and transformed it forever."
Writing in the July edition of the CDN, the Archdeacon of Macclesfield signposted readers to a "really positive and challenging document called Bridging the Gap". It's a report from the religious thinktank Theos into the challenges of inequality and the ways that the Church can make a difference. In the introduction, the Bishop of Burnley, Philip North, writes: "If we love the Jesus we meet in the Eucharist, then we are obliged to make a stand for the perfect dignity of every human person made in the likeness of God. If our worship is to be authentic, we must play our part in the struggle for equality."
So what next? What can we do?
You are invited to come and join the conversation on 07 July at 2pm and together we might begin to listen to different experiences and begin to think about how the Church can play its part in shaping a better future for all.
