ALL PEOPLE ARE EQUAL AND SHOULD BE TREATED WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT
Trinity Grace United Church's decision to become an Apartheid-Free Community emerged from our congregation's deep commitment to justice and human rights. In March 2024, our members voted by majority at our Annual General Meeting to take this significant step, making us the first church in Vancouver and second in Canada to join the AFC movement.
This decision followed a thoughtful process of education, awareness-raising, and engagement with Palestinian voices, including those of Christian Palestinians. Our AFC commitment manifests through our dedicated working group that contextualizes what being Apartheid-Free means for our faith community, visible declarations in our physical and online spaces, and integration with our other justice work.
While we recognize this as an aspirational journey connected to our ongoing work toward Indigenous reconciliation and inclusion, we remain steadfast in our pledge to stand against Israeli apartheid, settler colonialism, and military occupation as part of our broader commitment to freedom, justice, and equality for all peoples.
Upcoming Events on Palestine
Our Pledge
Trinity Grace United Church proudly aspires to be an Apartheid-Free Community through our commitment to these four foundational principles:
01 - We affirm
OUR COMMITMENT TO FREEDOM, JUSTICE, AND EQUALITY FOR THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AND ALL PEOPLE;
02 - We oppose
ALL FORMS OF RACISM, BIGOTRY, DISCRIMINATION, AND OPPRESSION; AND
03 - We declare
OURSELVES AN APARTHEID-FREE COMMUNITY AND TO THAT END,
04 - We pledge
TO JOIN OTHERS IN WORKING TO END ALL SUPPORT TO ISRAEL’S APARTHEID REGIME, SETTLER COLONIALISM, AND MILITARY OCCUPATION.
Our Apartheid-Free Commitment: An Ongoing Journey
Our Apartheid-Free pledge is aspirational—a commitment to continual growth and action rather than a finished achievement. We recognize that this work exists within a web of interconnected justice concerns, where Palestinian liberation is intrinsically linked to Indigenous sovereignty, inclusive community for all marginalized groups, climate justice, and economic equity.
As we stand against Israeli apartheid, we humbly acknowledge our own complicity in systems that have harmed Indigenous peoples in Canada and excluded many others based on their identities. We cannot claim to be fully "apartheid-free" while benefiting from these structures, yet we commit to opposing all forms of apartheid, colonization, and exclusion wherever they exist.
We see profound connections between Palestinian struggles and the experiences of Indigenous peoples and other marginalized communities. The systems that oppress Palestinians share roots with those that discriminate against 2SLGBTQI+ individuals, racialized people, and those facing economic injustice. Our prophetic witness against one system of injustice strengthens our ability to recognize and resist others.
In this spirit, we move forward with both humility and determination, knowing that freedom and justice for all peoples are inseparable.
