Ahmaud Arbery. Courtesy of Marcus Arbery/Reuters.

WASHINGTON (UM News) — Church leaders are calling for all United Methodists to work for the complete eradication of racism in light of the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, who was shot and killed while jogging in his neighborhood of Brunswick, Georgia, on Feb. 23. Kathy L. Gilbert reports.

The words “Black Lives Matter” are flying on a flag outside Park Hill United Methodist Church in Denver, Colorado, and United Methodist leaders are calling for a renewed effort to end racism after an unarmed black man was shot and killed while jogging near his home in Brunswick, Georgia.

Ahmaud Arbery, 25, was shot on Feb. 23. On May 7, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced it had charged two white men, Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son, Travis McMichael, 34, with murder and aggravated assault in the case. The arrest came after the public release of a cellphone video of the shooting.

Two United Methodist agencies called in a joint statement for the eradication of racism. The South Georgia Conference bishop, in a statement signed by other clergy, stressed that United Methodists value the sanctity of human life. 
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Read COB press release: Bishops condemn killing of Ahmuad Arbery
Read UMW statement