(RNS) United Methodist bishops are calling members of the global denomination to “take a stand against the oppression and injustice that is killing persons of color” after the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and other black people.
In a written statement released Monday (June 8), bishops called all United Methodists to name racism and white supremacy as sins and to act to end them.
“It is time to use our voices, our pens, our feet and our heart for change,” according to the statement, signed by Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey, president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops.
Bishops encouraged United Methodists to act by spending eight minutes and 46 seconds in prayer at 8:46 a.m. and 8:46 p.m. each day for at least the next 30 days. Floyd was killed on May 25 when a police officer kneeled on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds in a Minneapolis street.