We Will Not Bury the Slain

Statement from UVC Pastoral Team on the 

Murder of Sonya Massey

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to offer hope and life to a broken world. Far too often in our culture, brokenness is expressed in racism, misogyny, and through violence. We are bearing witness to yet another demonstration of our societal sins, the tragic and horrific killing of Sonya Massey. 

The full account of the event is available online, but we must urge you to use caution if you choose to view it as it is extremely disturbing. Thankfully, the officer who killed Sonya has been placed under arrest and is being charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct. He has pleaded not guilty. 

As the church, we know that we are called upon by God to be a part of God’s transformation of the world. In the face of such injustice, we sometimes question whether there is anything we can do. Thankfully, there is much we can do and much to be done. 

First, we must create space for lament and grief. In our lament, we pray to God for guidance. Grieving is a spiritual practice, and we need to spend time in lament with God. Grief and prayer center our response in God’s grace and love. Through our prayer life God guides the church to act. Let’s take some intentional time to seek God’s wisdom through prayer so that we can act as a force for peace with justice. 

Second, look for opportunities to grow in your education concerning racism, misogyny, and their intersection. The staff of UVC is about to undergo anti-racism training, and while we have all done some of this work, this is a lifelong journey that needs to be constantly attended to.

Finally, we will use the power of the church to speak out, to march, and to be in solidarity with marginalized people. We need to have a dialogue as the church on how we will be effective change-makers in our culture. There are opportunities to share your thoughts on these issues during the upcoming Listening Sessions with the new pastors on staff. We are already engaged in this work in our current sermon series on adrienne maree brown’s book Emergent Strategy. 

We know that God’s love will triumph. Let us be thankful that we get to be a part of bringing God’s kin-dom of justice and community to life. Let us weep for the brokenness of our world, commit to acts of justice-making, practice works of healing, grace and hope. 

Grace and Peace, 

Rev. Jonathan Grace

Pastor Juan Pablo Herrera

Rev. Abby Holcombe

Rev. Darren Calhoun

Rev. Dr. Pamela Lightsey