On Sabbath, June 27, 2020, the leadership of the North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is asking its members, churches, ministries, and services to join in a special day of prayer for the deep hurt and frustration that racial injustice and inequity have caused in North America. As the conversations on racism in society and in the church continue to grow, we are urging the 1.2 million church members in the territories of Bermuda, Canada, Guam/Micronesia, and the United States to come together and prayerfully seek God’s guidance and leading in our lives, especially in how we relate to one another, and how we can help stop injustice against people of color.

As leaders, we want to ask the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and ears so we may understand and listen to our brothers and sisters, specifically in the Black American community, as they share the pain and anger they have experienced over the years. We want to ask for forgiveness, and we want to ask for compassion and strength to have the tough yet necessary conversations so our church can move forward in healing the wounds that run deep in our faith community.

By coming to God in prayerful surrender to Him, we can become the church God wants us to be to reach out to those hurting in all our communities.