Dear Hope Family,
We are experiencing a crucial moment in our country as communities come together in outrage, in grief, and in
passionate pleas for justice. As people of faith, we lift our voices to mourn the deplorable and senseless recent murders
of fellow Americans Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. As followers of Christ, we are called to
condemn violence and the systemic racism that has led to the deaths and daily inequities of people of color in our
nation. We pray for peace and stand in support of all people who have been and continue to be victims of injustice. As
members of your church council, we echo the commitment made by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
to both condemn and combat systemic racism and injustice in our society. ELCA reaffirms commitment to combat
racism and white supremacy
We know that God has called us to love one another as God has loved us. Have we tried to do this? Yes. Have
we sometimes failed to do this? Of course. As many are awakening to the pain and suffering that’s been felt by others
for centuries, it is critical -now more than ever- that we recommit ourselves to oppose and drive out the sins of injustice
and racism wherever and whenever we encounter them. Sometimes they are blatant; other times they are insidious
and so much a part of the fabric of our lives that we may not even notice them. Many are coming now to a deeper
awareness of what our brothers and sisters in Christ have been experiencing for generations.
As Christians, we can take this moment to step back and, with new eyes and ears, engage lovingly in courageous
conversations, deep reflection, and bold investigation of our society, our community, our church, our families, and yes,
our own hearts. This will be difficult and yet, this is exactly what we seek to do as we serve Christ here at Hope Lutheran
Church Temecula. To paraphrase from Hope’s Mission statement: We are anchored in Christ to build and grow faith and
we are to share Jesus’ love by reaching out and welcoming all. We will trust God in the midst of what makes us anxious,
choose faith instead of fear and serve mission instead of our own comfort. Now more than ever, we need to seek God’s
guidance. We need to invite Jesus to walk with us along a path that we may find uncomfortable. We need the Holy Spirit
to open our hearts and minds.
We, as Hope’s Council, are committed to doing this work and we encourage you to join us, along with Pastor
Sandy and Deacon Shirley, as we humbly stretch ourselves in learning and in discussions with each other and our
neighbors surrounding the topic of what it can mean to be openly and faithfully anti-racist, anti-inequality, anti-injustice
wherever we find it…and pro-compassion, pro-love, pro-healing. May we at Hope Lutheran be open to growth and
renewal as we walk this path together with one another and with God.
Yours in Christ,
Diane Anderson Pastor Sandy Bentz Marta Bills Charles Hoelzel LaNett Hollenkamp
Anna Koelln Pete Loschky Lisa Masters John Mohr Bruce Orner
The Rev. Sandra L. Bentz, Pastor Shirley J. Lee, Deacon, Children, Youth & Congregational Life
