North County Churches Uniting for Racial Harmony and Justice (NCCU) added churches 24 and 25 to its organization recently.
Trinity Church of the Nazarene in Florissant became a member on May 7, following its service and a presentation by NCCU President Rance Thomas on some of the activities of NCCU since it was organized in 1998 and after inviting members to join NCCU .
Then Immanuel United Church of Christ in Ferguson became a member on July 30, following its two services and two presentations by Thomas on the activities of NCCU since its formation.
Membership consists of a church’s congregation signing NCCU’s Covenant Statement committing members to work with NCCU to promote racial understanding and social justice. The Covenant Statement is an ecumenical statement committing individuals to work together to promote understanding between the races and social justice within North County.
“The signing at Immanuel UCC was very inspirational and unusual because approximately 15 children came forward and signed the statement without being coerced,” Thomas said. “They were very excited to do so. This is the first time this has happened.”
Each church will receive membership plaques during NCCU’s annual Covenant Renewal Ceremony where various churches will come together and celebrate a general Covenant Renewal Ceremony in November.
NCCU now consist of 25 churches of various denomination, including seven Catholic and several non-denominational churches in Florissant, Ferguson, unincorporated North County, Black Jack, Bellefontaine and other municipalities. It was organized in 1998 when 19 churches on various denominations came together at John Knox Presbyterian Church to discuss the changing demographics in North County due to the massive influx of individuals into the county from the city of St. Louis.
This resulted in a massive movement of long-time residents to St. Charles and beyond. Many individuals were concerned about the uncertainty and the future of North County. After meeting for three and a half hours, the group decided to form NCCU to work to bring individuals together to help them overcome some of the myths and misunderstanding they had of one another.
Since that time, NCCU has brought thousands of individuals together through community forums, conferences, workshops, prayer services and health screenings. It has coordinated various activities with other organizations including St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley, University of Missouri at St. Louis, North County Incorporated, People’s Health Center, St. County Health Department, Christian Hospital, SSM DePaul Hospital, Hazelwood and Ferguson-Florissant School Districts, and elected officials.
Since the Ferguson unrest following Michael Brown Jr.’s killing, NCCU has been working with the police chiefs and departments of St. Louis County, Florissant, Hazelwood, Clayton and Alton, Illinois, to improve the relations between the police and the community.
“We also have a North County Youth Task Force that is working to improve condition for students,” Thomas said. “This includes a Computer Academy where each summer 20-45 students are trained to build a computer and use software and upon completion of the training, we give them the computers free of charge.
Thomas is impressed that the organization remains together and growing after almost 20 years. He said, “What has been so amazing is the willingness of individuals, churches, school districts, and police department to continue to work on these issues for such a long time.”
For more information, visit http://nccustl.org/ or email RThomas257@aol.com.
