“For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.
Ephesians 2:14 NLT
As disciples we are deeply grateful God built our fellowship to be multiracial and multicultural in 711 churches in 150 countries around the world. This can only happen through Jesus who died to forgive and unite us in him. We are also grateful that we have a fellowship that is engaging in the crucial conversations on how we can do better to address racism, discrimination and prejudice that we strive to shed from our sinful natures as we grow to become more like Christ together. Thankfully the church leadership formed the ICOC US Social Cultural Unity and Diversity Team (SCUAD) to address these issues in our US churches. We are grateful for the numerous churches and church leaderships who have spent times of lament weeping with those who weep and are now looking for ways to turn repentance into action. We have been asked by multiple churches in every region of the US to help them establish their own SCUAD. We hear you and want to help.”
Many of our churches currently have a SCUAD team for their local congregation. You can see Boston’s here.
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age. – Matthew 28:18-20
VISION
God vision is for a multicultural body of believers to worship him and be the Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven. Contrary to the world, God’s Kingdom is a place for everyone who accepts Jesus as Lord. In God’s family everyone is an equal part and belongs. God desires unity, not uniformity, and commands his followers to love as He does.
MISSION
The SCUAD’s mission is to assist the church by providing a unified Christ-centered vision and plan to strive for racial equality within the church and within the communities we live. The goal is to foster an inclusive environment that maximizes the value of all cultures, values diverse perspectives, experiences, and knowledge base, and addresses areas of inequity and injustice as needed.
Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? – Isaiah 58:6