Love Your Neighbour: Faith in Action on Racial Justice Sunday

Churches and schools across our diocese celebrated Racial Justice Sunday in diverse and imaginative ways, each exploring what it means to love one’s neighbour and celebrate God’s inclusive love for all.

At Oldham Parish Church, during a session of Brick Church, children explored the theme of loving their neighbours through play and storytelling. The main Sunday service followed, with the parish delighted to welcome Archdeacon Karen Best as guest preacher. She invited the congregation to reflect on how personal biases can shape expectations of the Good Samaritan, challenging everyone to consider how a more compassionate world can be created by truly knowing and valuing one’s neighbours. Junior Church continued the theme with a focus on “love in action”, producing striking fingerprint artwork to symbolise individuality and unity.

At the J Club at Salford All Saints Ministry, children learned about racial equality and the truth that God loves everyone equally. The group sang We Are Marching in the Light of God and created colourful artwork by drawing around their feet and decorating them—an expression of their commitment to “marching in the light of God” together. The activities encouraged both reflection and celebration, reinforcing the message of equality in a lively, practical way.

Sacred Trinity Church, Salford also marked Racial Justice Sunday during its livestreamed service. Tyran delivered the reading, Lee led the prayers, and Revd Andy Salmon preached on the scandal of racism, urging viewers to consider how faith calls communities to confront injustice with honesty and hope.

Manchester Cathedral observed Racial Justice Sunday during its main morning service, honouring the day through worship, prayer and reflection. Alongside the service, the Cathedral hosted a lively Sunday school session and an insightful Bible study led by Dr Anna Budhi‑Thornton. The combination of teaching, discussion and worship helped the Cathedral community explore racial justice through faith and action.

Across the diocese, the Shades Team contributed significantly by leading sessions as part of the Shades of Love resource created to support schools and churches to creatively engage with racial justice. These sessions encouraged reflection, conversation and exploration of diversity through the lens of faith.

In schools, Shades Ambassadors supported pupils in creating fingerprint artwork to honour Racial Justice Sunday – each print a reminder that every person is unique, valued and loved. Through creativity and collaboration, children learned that every shade and every act of love contributes to a fairer, more compassionate world.

Stansfield Hall Primary School explored the theme “Every shade, every neighbour, every act of love” and created fingerprint artwork to reflect individuality and unity. Pupils discussed what it means to “Love your neighbour” and how to show respect and kindness in everyday life. Bolton Parish Church C of E Primary School also produced creative fingerprint artwork, using unique prints to show that every individual is valued and that diversity strengthens community.

Diane Gray-Stephenson, Racial Justice Programme Lead was invited to talk at St Pauls Oldham, reflecting on this year’s theme: “Love Your Neighbour.”

Reflecting on the service, Diane said: “I spoke about the origins of Racial Justice Sunday, its connection to the murder of Stephen Lawrence, and the ongoing call for churches to confront racism in all its forms.

“I shared from Scripture, particularly 1 Corinthians 12, exploring how unity in the body of Christ means valuing every culture, story, and gift. I also offered some of my own lived experiences as a person of colour—everyday examples of subtle and overt racism that many people never have to think about. These stories helped the congregation understand why racial justice is not a one‑day observance but a lifelong Christian commitment.

“We worshipped together with a gospel rendition of Psalm 85, reminding us of God’s desire to restore and renew His people. We concluded by watching A Million Colours, a beautiful video created by our Shades team, celebrating God’s creativity and affirming that every colour and every person is wonderfully made.

“My hope was to encourage the church to keep listening, learning, and making space so that love of neighbour becomes a shared, ongoing journey.”

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The Racial Justice Programme Team would love to hear how your church, school or community marked Racial Justice Sunday and how it went.

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