Racial Justice and Reconciliation
At BelPres, we believe in standing up for justice as a reflection of our faith. Join us in creating a community where compassion and action lead the way.
What Does It Mean to be a “Just Neighbor?”
The word "justice” in the Bible means “to make right.” Justice is the act of bringing things back to the way God originally intended - in right relationship with one another, creation, and God.
As a community, we feel called to follow God’s lead in being healers of injustices, a people who right wrongs in our communities, neighborhoods and homes. We embarked on a discipleship initiative to be “Just Neighbors” in an effort to understand God’s call to bring justice where we live and use our property and land for his purposes and heal the spiritual and physical effects of redlining and racially restrictive covenants in Seattle and the Eastside. Please watch the videos below to understand better our “why.”
Our Vision
As we researched and listened to local experts and community leaders to see where we still see injustices play out in our region today, we found the two areas of highest residual impact in this area were redlining and racially restrictive home covenants. We prayerfully asked ourselves how we could be “Just Neighbors” and reflect God’s kingdom and his character in our region. The below steps are what we are calling our church to so we can show Jesus’ healing and engage rewriting injustice for the kingdom of God in our region.
Heather’s Story: Justice Deposits
Learning about redlining has driven Heather to think differently on where she banks.
Albert’s Story: Once You See It
As a real estate profession, Albert shares how he experienced redlining in his work.
Linda’s Story: My Covenant
Linda shares how she dedicated her property and home to the Lord.
Where do you start?
What is our first step to moving toward healing injustices in our community’s history? Prayer. We will pray about how God wants each of us to dedicate our properties and homes to his purposes. We will rewrite our covenants to reflect God's character and his kingdom.
We invite you to host Houses of Prayer to spiritually fight for healing in our own hearts and in our communities. Lastly, we are invited to invest in minority communities through justice deposits and supporting schools that have been negatively impacted by redlining and racial injustices. Together, we can make a big impact for God’s kingdom. Will you join us in becoming Just Neighbors?
Get Involved
Write a New Inclusive Covenant
We believe that racial restriction on our properties and homes is antithetical to the kingdom of God. We are calling our entire church to write new covenants for our homes, apartments, and/or properties to dedicate their use to rewriting injustice and better reflect the kingdom of God. With the generous help of BKCO Title & Escrow, we can check our deeds to see if there is any racially restrictive language and add a new covenant to our deeds.
Pray Over Your Home
Make a Justice Deposit
Explore Our Justice Resources
Ongoing Learning
Books
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
Race and Place: How Urban Geography Shapes the Journey to Reconciliation by David Leong (Seattle author, rooted in Christian faith)
Media
Websites
Segregated Seattle. The Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project. (Check out the narrated slideshow)
