Response to George Floyd's death: June 5, 2020

Dear FPC Members and Friends,

We have all been horrified by the picture of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man, pleading for air while a white police officer kneels on his neck.  Floyd died during this encounter, leading to the arrest of the officer.  The death has sparked protests over the excessive force so often directed by law enforcement toward black men in America.

Many of these demonstrations have been peaceful, in line with the nonviolent protests of the Civil Rights Movement, which leaders and members of FPC supported in the 1960s.  A young black woman named Erika Atson was among the thousands of peaceful demonstrators who recently came together in Minneapolis to call for justice.  She said she was worried about raising children who could be vulnerable in encounters with the police.  “We don’t want to cause any damages,” she said. “We just want the police officer to be held accountable.”

Holding people accountable — that is so very important. We need to hold ourselves accountable and hold each other accountable as well.  In particular, whites who abuse African-Americans need to be held accountable.  Tragically, there is a long history of such violence in the United States.

At FPC, we hold each other accountable for being a "house of prayer for all peoples” (Isaiah 56:7).  This means that we see all people as children of God, equally made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26).  We do not consider people of color to be less evolved than white people, which was a common understanding in the time of slavery and still persists today. We know that we cannot live in peace if some of us hold on to the idea of white supremacy.

The Wired Word class will be discussing this issue on Sunday at 10 am, and our worship at 8:45 am and 11:15 am will lift these recent events into the light of God's Word. Please participate online in these important opportunities for church members and guests.

We also want to inform you of the conversations that will be happening in the next few weeks about gathering for worship in the Sanctuary once again. Our session ministries will be discussing the state of the pandemic in their regularly scheduled meetings, and then the session will make a decision about gathered worship at its stated meeting on Tuesday, June 16.  After that date, you will get an official update about our schedule, and any changes will be announced on our church website, https://fairfaxpresbyterian.org/

While we are anxious to gather for worship, we do not want to come back together in a way that endangers the health and well-being of the congregation and community.  Because of the danger of the coronavirus, we have to make safety our top concern.  For now, we will continue to offer audio and video online worship, and we will maintain our two-service schedule with worship at 8:45 am and 11:15 am every Sunday at https://fairfaxpresbyterian.org/fpc/sermons#Listen%20Live.  We are maintaining this schedule because we believe that it will prepare us best for a return to in-person worship.

Stay well and please be in touch if we can assist you in any way: henry@fairfaxpresby.com or yena@fairfaxpresby.com.

In hope, health and peace,

Henry G. Brinton & Yena Hwang