VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 1/19/21)—American Baptist Home Mission Societies’ (ABHMS) board of directors has released a statement decrying the violence that took place at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

The statement reads as follows:

We lament and condemn the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol, which sought to prevent a joint session of Congress from fulfilling its Constitutional duty to formally count electoral votes for the U.S. President and Vice President. We lament and condemn violence as a substitute for political persuasion, discussion and deliberation. We lament the loss of life, the terror visited upon those who work in the Capitol, and the destruction of property by an angry mob.

President Donald J. Trump must be held accountable for inciting violence and directing a seditious mob to advance on the Capitol through the words he chose that day and the rhetoric he employed for months leading up to it. Mr. Trump violated his oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States” by fomenting an attack on a coequal branch of government. Those who abetted him in that body, and all who have helped sow the seeds of distrust and hate, must also be held to account. Without this accountability, our government cannot be one of laws and of equal justice under the law. We commend the House of Representatives for defending the Constitution and upholding the law by impeaching President Trump; we encourage the Senate to convict.

As the Board of Directors of American Baptist Home Mission Societies, we affirm our organization’s long history of advocating for justice and peace and engaging in acts of service. In that same spirit, today we call upon American Baptists and our partners in mission to join us in condemning the violent attack on the Capitol and praying for our nation and for all those in authority. Together, let us turn from evil and do good, seek justice and pursue it, so that we may enjoy peace.

American Baptist Home Mission Societies partners with American Baptists to promote Christian faith, cultivate Christ-centered leaders and disciples, and bring healing and transformation to communities across the United States and Puerto Rico.

American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with approximately 5,000 congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.