Statement on Racism

In response to the senseless killing of Mr. George Floyd and others, and the ensuing demonstrations and protests both in the United States and here in Canada, the Chair of the Elders Team, Mr. Adeyola Adeyemo has released the following statement on behalf of Bramalea Baptist Church.

"The Elders and Pastoral Leadership have had an opportunity to discuss the events of the last couple of weeks south of the border and have asked me to release the following official statement on behalf of the church.

We are heart broken, sickened, and outraged to watch the video of Mr. George Floyd, an African American man being killed before our very eyes by white officers of the Minneapolis Police Department. It is more disturbing to note that this happened within a few weeks of similar occurrences where unarmed African Americans have been killed unjustly.

We must emphasize though that the video of the incident involving Mr. Floyd was particularly gut wrenching and deeply disturbing. It should be a wake-up call to all of us to the reality of systemic racism in our society. We realize that these recent occurrences have been recorded mostly in the US, but we have reason to believe that this is an issue here in Canada as well.

It is a rather painful and unfortunate reawakening to the reality that racism is not a thing of the past and continues to present a danger that must be met head-on. As a church, we must stand for what is right and just. We cannot remain silent or turn a blind eye to these atrocities.

We serve a God of love, mercy, and justice. The Scriptures make it clear that all human beings are made in HIS image. We are bound to profess and promote actions that respect every human life. We also understand that we live in a broken world and we can all agree that injustice such as what we witnessed against another of God’s own creatures is a SIN.

Finally, we pray for the peace of the Lord to be upon the family members and everyone grieving the loss of these innocent African Americans. We acknowledge that the sadness and pain are intense.

As a church, we will continue to speak up against racism and any form of injustice and we encourage everyone at BBC to speak out against racism wherever we see it – whether in our Church or in our community – but to do so with love and fervent prayers. Church Leaders and Pastors remain available to speak to and pray with you about your experiences and suggestions about eradicating racism from our midst with the strength and power of God.

Thank you,"

Adeola Adeyemo, Chair of the Elders Team