Clarendon Presbyterian Church, Anti Racism/Discrimination Policy
This policy was adopted in draft form by the Mission Cohort and the Session in December 2024. Together, we decided that we would like to listen to each other and discuss this policy as a congregation in 2025 before the Session formally adopts the policy on behalf of the church. It is a requirement by the General Assembly of the PCUSA that each congregation has an anti-racism policy.
F-1.0403 states, Unity in Diversity: “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:27–29).
The unity of believers in Christ is reflected in the rich diversity of the Church’s membership. In Christ, by the power of the Spirit, God unites persons through baptism regardless of race, ethnicity, age, sex, gender, disability, geography, or theological conviction.
There is therefore no place in the life of the Church for discrimination against any person. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) shall embrace full opportunity for participation and representation in its worship, governance, and emerging life to all persons or groups within its membership.
Racism is the opposite of what God intends for humanity. It is the rejection of the other, which is entirely contrary to the Word of God incarnate in Jesus Christ. Racism is a lie about our fellow human beings, for it says that some are less than others. Because of our biblical understanding of who God is and what God intends for humanity, the PC (USA) must stand against, speak against and work against racism. G-3.0106 requires each Council to adopt an anti-racism policy.
As a congregation within the PC(USA), Clarendon Presbyterian Church will:
1. Seek to welcome and to know each person who comes to the church and the church community. We will especially be attentive towards celebrating & affirming black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+ peoples, immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees. We will listen to these communities in the way they identify themselves.
2. Condemn violence and the threats of violence against BIPOC and LGBTQ+ peoples. We condemn the killing of Black and Brown peoples and grieve their loss.
3. Work alongside our siblings of color and different gender identities in protesting structural racism manifested in historic and current realities. Alongside the communities that surround us in the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland, we will engage in broad based community organizing as well as advocate for the policies and systems for justice. We will organize and advocate for affordable housing; for equitable, culturally sensitive, and accessible health care including behavioral health; for rights and supports for immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees; for schools, programs, and environments where every child can succeed and feel supported; for criminal justice reform; and for safe and healthy communities for all.
4. Work alongside immigrants to support their safety and rights including opposing unjust and violent deportations, and promote pathways to legal status and citizenship. We will engage with church partners in Arlington and Northern Virginia, such as VOICE to organize to protect immigrants’ rights, as well as improve their health and housing options.
5. Educate ourselves to seek awareness of our own behavior and biases and the impact on our community of faith and the wider community. Listen and when asked, respond to the lived experience of BIPOC peoples. Seek church resources (worship, preaching, music, studies) which are reflective of all ethnic and racial backgrounds.
6. Hiring practices: Clarendon Presbyterian Church is an equal opportunity employer and will not allow discrimination based upon age, ethnicity, ancestry, gender identity, national origin, disability, race, size, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or any other status prohibited by applicable law.
As part of our anti-racism policy, we include our Land and Labor Acknowledgment, written by church members and adopted by the church in 2021. Starting in 2023, we have pledged to make a yearly financial contribution to an indigenous led organization. We begin most worship services with this land and labor acknowledgement.
A land acknowledgment names the traditional Native inhabitants of the land you are in, in order to offer recognition and respect; to cultivate a deeper awareness of the history that has led to the present moment; and to create an opportunity for reflection on our responsibilities as descendants of that history. We acknowledge that we live and worship on the Native lands of the Piscataway, Nacotchtank, and Pamunkey peoples, among others, and we pay our respects to elders past and present, known and unknown. We also recognize that many inequities of money and power in the place we know as Arlington are based on past and present racial injustice, including the stolen labor of people of African descent.
We commit to these actions because we know that as children of God, created in the image of God, all are equal and worthy of love and respect.