March 31, 2021
Our mission of building relationships between diverse individuals and communities began in the 1970s, became a greater priority 2010, and today is the cornerstone of our commitment to Being the Beloved Community. Through our racially diverse Co-Pastors and our commitment to eliminating racial disparities in church leadership, we are working to bridge the divide between, and build personal relationships among, members of diverse races. We have both come a long way AND have a long way still to go, especially when reviewing the results of the Race Equity Survey commissioned by the Racial Inclusion Committee. An Executive Summary of the survey may be read here. To receive a copy of the complete report, please contact the Church Office at 216-321-2660 or office@fhcpresb.org.
While this team presents events throughout the year such as our Juneteenth Celebration, its largest event is an intensely educational annual Black History Month highlighting African American experiences and contributions. Learn more about the focus of this year’s event.
Forest Hill Members at a black-owned restaurant during Black History Month
Led by members Elizabeth Shaw and Jeff Smith , the Race Inclusion Committee is an inclusive body that acts as an independent advisor on racial inclusion issues to other church ministries through our Session. Members include Cheryl Anderson, Mark Chupp, Kathy Hanna-Stauffer, Nicole Lawrence, Leslie Pendleton, Quentin Smith, Ann Williams, and Co-Pastors Veronica Goines and John Lentz.
Established in 2017 and co-chaired by members Elizabeth Shaw and Quentin Smith, the Black Caucus meets to discuss and exchange ideas and information among African American members of our congregation. The Black Caucus sponsors social activities such as movie viewings, group dinners and group visits to community events, as well as activities and initiatives designed to address the pervasive racial inequity in our society. They also sponsor the Black Caucus Book Club, the Racial Equity Buddies Initiative, and The Ron Register Scholarship.
Forest Hill Church Black Caucus
Meeting with Doris Evans from the National Presbyterian Black Caucus
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE The Black Caucus exists to Witness, Affirm, Develop and Empower:
List of Local Black-Owned Businesses and Restaurants
The wealth gap between Blacks and Whites have tripled over the past 25 years.
For blacks between 17 and 20, the effective unemployment rate is 51%
Faith communities must do more than pay lip service to equality. Forest Hill Church strives to narrow educational, financial and social gaps between blacks and whites. One of our longest-running ministries as a church has been our efforts on behalf of racial justice and fair housing laws in Cleveland Heights. Learn more about Forest Hill Church’s history at working to find solutions to systemic racial oppression here.
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