On October 17, 2019 the session of First United Presbyterian Church of Dale City (FUPCDC) voted to become a “Matthew 25 Church” as part of the initiative of the Presbyterian Church (USA) by recognizing Christ’s urgent call to be a church of action where God’s love, justice, and mercy shine forth and are contagious. Convicted by Matthew 25:31-46, and in response to the exhortation of the 222nd and 223rd General Assemblies (2016 and 2018) of the PC(USA) we plan to act boldly and compassionately to serve people who are hungry, oppressed, imprisoned or poor. By doing so, we pledge to embrace these three areas of focus: building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism, and eradicating systemic poverty.
Scriptural Basis: Matthew 25:31-46
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
By accepting the Matthew 25 invitation, FUPCDC can help our denomination become a more relevant presence in the world. We rejoice how our re-energized faith can unite all Presbyterians for a common and holy purpose: our common identity to do mission. There are already PC(USA) congregations that identify themselves as Matthew 25 churches. We aim to help multiply this loving commitment to radical and fearless discipleship by partnering with them to help embrace these three focuses:
Building congregational vitality by challenging people to deepen their faith and get actively and joyfully engaged with their community and the world.
Dismantling structural racism by advocating and acting to break down the systems, practices and thinking that underlie discrimination, bias, prejudice and oppression of people of color.
Eradicating systemic poverty by working to change laws, policies, plans and structures in our society that perpetuate economic exploitation of people who are poor.
You will be hearing more about the Matthew 25 initiative in the coming months and next year. Until then, you can learn more here: pcusa.org/matthew25