“But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”

— Amos 5:24

Pursuing Compassion, Mercy and Justice

In early 2020, a group of people at BCC were brought together by their shared dismay and lament over the killings of unarmed Black people including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. In our initial conversations, we realized that God was calling us to listen and to learn, from Jesus, from Scripture, and from the very people who are suffering from continued injustice and oppression. We agreed that the pursuit of compassion, mercy and justice is not something we can do once and check off our list, but a long-term call to pursuing the righteousness of God in regards to our brothers and sisters.

In that vein, we call ourselves the Long Obedience Team, inspired by Eugene Peterson’s book A Long Obedience in the Same Direction about the Psalms of Ascent and a lifelong journey of discipleship. We are committed to a lifelong, transformational journey of joining God in his work of reconciliation in the world.

The Long Obedience Team believes this is a matter of being obedient to God, who has created a diverse human family. Our life individually and together is to reflect God’s diverse kingdom.

We invite you to undertake this journey toward racial righteousness with us, recognizing that it is a long obedience in the same direction as opposed to something that is easily or quickly fixed. It is not an easy journey, and requires self-reflection, engagement with the stories of others, and facing sometimes painful truths.