Nearly 150 churches and ministries in over 20 states participated
DUMFRIES, Va., June 16, 2023 – More than 100 churches plus 40 nonprofit ministries distributed over 39,000 pounds of food in underserved communities throughout the nation as part of the inaugural National Unity Weekend June 10-11. The 2-day initiative – to be held on the second weekend in June every year – is an effort to bring unity to the Church and thus to the nation through the acts of serving and worshiping together.
On Saturday, more than 500 volunteers at 18 locations in 3 regions distributed food to those in need, prayed for their community and provided additional resources. Then, all of the participating congregations heard a message on Sunday about oneness in Christ, based on Galatians 3:28.
The idea for National Unity Weekend came out of the Let’s Talk movement founded by Bishop Derek Grier in the fall of 2021 to bring healing and unity to churches on issues of race and other culturally divisive factors at a time when our nation is experiencing such great division.
“We are praising God and giving Him the glory for the outcome of this weekend, as we believe that the individuals in the communities served experienced the love and the grace and the mercy of Jesus Christ,” Grier said. “We also believe that through this event, God will bring healing to our land – healing of our division, our indifference, our anger, strife and hurt – that will cause us to live up to our original purpose, to be everything God has created the Church to become.”
Movement leaders expressed appreciation for several of the national organizations lending their support to the weekend’s events, including the National Association of Evangelicals, The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), Love Our Cities, CBN and Operation Blessing. They are especially grateful for Operation Blessing’s contribution of the 4,000 boxes of food that were distributed to 4,000 families in need on Saturday.
The effort is expected to grow even larger, building year over year, as pastors and ministry leaders continue to participate in Let’s Talk quarterly zoom calls, growing in their theological perspective on key racial issues and becoming better positioned to address sensitive racial and cultural topics beyond the National Unity Weekend event.
This initiative and quarterly calls have continued to gain momentum following the fall 2021 “D.C. Talks” kick-off banquet at Museum of the Bible, attended by several hundred church leaders from around the nation committed to engaging in dialogue on these issues. Leaders convene regularly via zoom, and growing numbers of individuals are registering their commitments to the Let’s Talk Statement of Change each week.
For more information on the effort, to sign up for updates and review the Statement Of Change, visit unityweekend.com.
About Let’s Talk
Let’s Talk is an environment of diverse Christian leaders from across the nation joining together for real dialogue, full participation and creative approaches to address the issues dividing our nation. Its participants believe many of the critical issues facing the Church today could be resolved by talking to one another directly, honestly, simply, and caringly about what matters most. These leaders have signed a Statement of Change acknowledging there is a problem and indicating a commitment to help the Church lead the way in finding solutions. They then regularly engage in dialogue about their pain, disappointments, and triumphs, as it relates to race relations in America, as well as come up with practical solutions to the crisis. See more at www.letstalklive.org.