General Secretary’s Statement on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2022

I pause to thank God for the servant leader, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for his life and work as a civil rights leader. Sadly, we are still in the fight for justice and racial equity. Occurrences of injustice—police brutality on Black and Brown bodies, hate against Asians, dehumanization of immigrants, inequality of wealth, vaccine access disparities—all are reminders of a society that has not lived up to Dr. King's vision of the Beloved Community.

We must continue to seek ways to build coalitions to confront systemic barriers that disadvantage many of God's children across the globe. We must be willing to step out and name the sin of racism that keeps Communities of Color oppressed. We must sustain each other as we continue to hold our beloved Church accountable for its own colonial, white normative, inequitable practices, systems, and policies towards Communities of Color.

This is not easy work, but as Dr. King said, "There can be no deep disappointment where there is no deep love." If we claim the gospel of Jesus Christ, of loving our neighbors, then the body of Christ should be living day in and day out in disappointment because we are not yet that Beloved Community.

We still have work to do. I conclude with words again from Dr. King: "Even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream." May we move from the dream to its realization.

Rev. Dr. Giovanni Arroyo
January 17, 2022