Facing Systemic Racism Committee

Mission Statement

East Liberty Presbyterian Church will continuously work to become an anti-racist church.

Vision Statement

Facing Systemic Racism supports the efforts of our faith community to first recognize, and then acknowledge, understand, and dismantle individual and structural racism. As a Matthew 25 congregation and with God’s guidance, ELPC will be a worshiping community of inclusion and unconditional love where all seekers are welcome.

We commit to working together to:

  • Recognize racism, in all its explicit and implicit forms
  • Acknowledge how racism has impacted and continues to impact ELPC, members of the congregation, leadership, and staff
  • Understand how racism operates within ELPC’s practices, procedures, and structures
  • Dismantle racism in our individual hearts and minds and within our church and communities

Click here to learn more about ELPC’s stance on LGBTQ and racial justice, as well as what it means to be a PC(USA) Matthew 25 church.

Reckoning with Our Church’s Ties to Enslavement

The Facing Systemic Racism Committee has recently led ELPC in learning about Sam, Savara, Jack, Nell, Poll, Sukey, Isaac, Frank, Het, and Maria–members of a family enslaved and sold by two of our prominent founders. The lives of this family, the pernicious myths that have kept their stories hidden in the history of our church, and the ways we still benefit from their enslavement are providing important context to inform how we are called to repair.

Learn more about Nell and Poll and their family:

Back to Top