Overcoming the sin of racism through the love of Christ.
What is R.U.N.?
Our Mission and Vision.
Through the love of Christ that compel us, the Racial Unity Network is a Christ-centered ministry that works to bring about racial justice and reconciliation, within the Church first, and then the community.
Our vision is to:
Push back the sin of racism
Educate, increase awareness, & provide pathways for honest and transparent conversations about the impact of racism
Prepare Christians with tools needed for transformative work
Have the Church lead as agents of change within Centre County
Our Core Values.
Justice. We serve a God of righteousness and justice [Psalm 33:5]
Reconciliation. We are given a Holy task to reconcile people to God through Christ and to one another [2 Cor. 5:17-21]
Truth. We strive to follow God’s truth and speak the truth [Eph. 4:14-15,25]
Repentance. We are called to confess our sins so that we may be healed [James 5:16]
Grace. We must extend grace to one another [John 1:16]
Love. God’s greatest commandment [Duet. 6:4-5]
Elements of Racism.
Racism can be defined as: a false explicit or implicit belief or practice that qualitatively distinguishes or values one race above other races.
It is systemic and institutionalized, ingrained within the fabric of U.S. society, and it continues to have dark historical, political, socio-economic, and spiritual ramifications in the 21st century.
Just because you haven’t witnessed or experienced an overt act of racism doesn’t mean it does not exist.
The Sins of Racism.
Racism is Sin: It’s rooted in pride, born out of fear, and creates a false sense of privilege.
Impact on the Church: Racism creates dividing walls among God’s people. Many present-day churches are either not aware of race issues or reluctant to take courageous steps to confront them.
The Cost on Human Lives: Consider the wages of sin and its cost on human life not only from a spiritual perspective, but also a physical one.
Key Concepts.
We have a personal responsibility to learn about the nature and negative impacts of racism. When we remove the veil on the sin of racism, there is freedom in the Spirit and we are transformed into the Lord’s image [2 Cor. 3:16-18]. It begins by putting to death our own earthly nature, then exposing implicit biases within the church, and leads to confronting racism in the broader community [Col. 3:5-10]. And finally, we must seek to educate and increase awareness of race-based topics, and to celebrate diversity.
Journey to Becoming The Beloved Community.
Martin Luther King, Jr. defined Beloved Community as “a community that seeks redemption, reconciliation, a spirit and love that can transform opposers into friends, transforms the deep gloom of the old age into the exuberant gladness of the new age, and a love which will bring about miracles in the hearts of people.”
R.U.N. focuses on five areas to manifest Beloved Community: Prayer, Personal Growth, Institutional Growth, Equipping the Church Community, and Public Advocacy.
