Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dear Saint Markans & Friends,
As we enter this Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, I hope you’ll join the world over in investing significant time studying his writings, watching his public proclamations, and sharing widely those key quotes of his that speak most deeply to your heart and to our present moment. And I hope you’ll do so in a way that honors his own complexity, as his beliefs and practices evolved through the course of unspeakable trauma and dramatic triumph, both personal and public.
But I also ask that you prayerfully engage the questions, What now? Who is Dr. King calling me to be? What is Dr. King calling me to do?
Our own history indicates these questions paralyze us with uncertainty. So, the Saint Mark’s Racial Justice & Healing Team has developed an introductory short-course to shine some light on possible next steps for you. The short-course, in alignment with the meta-theme of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s nine-year tenure, is called ‘Building Beloved Community (BBC)’ and aims to lay the groundwork of solidarity and trust among us as we, together, take our first steps into this multi-generational endeavor. Through short readings, video presentations, and small group discussions, we will develop a shared sense of purpose, a shared commitment to group norms, and a common lexicon and knowledge base for the work ahead.
Our BBC curriculum is the ‘first fruits’ of the past year’s work of the Racial Justice & Healing Team, along with our visit in November with the the Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, author of ‘The Church Cracked Open.’ (Available in our Cathedral Book Shop)
As you may recall, in 2020 Saint Mark’s embarked on a racial audit of our leadership bodies of council, staff and clergy. These same leadership bodies then reviewed the audit findings and recommendations and invited the creation of our Racial Justice & Healing Team, under the leadership of myself and Archdeacon Rena Turnham. Faithfully and aptly co-chaired by cathedral members Mary Ramsbottom and Brian Childs, this team has spent the last several months deeply digesting the report’s findings and recommendations and, with the help of ECMN Missioner for Community Engagement and Saint Mark’s Cathedral member Rachel Babbitt, is now in the process of finalizing specific plans for the next couple of years for us to embark on the most important work of our lifetime and the lifetime of our beloved Saint Mark’s Cathedral. These plans will be shared with the council and congregation in the coming months and will launch us into the next phase of our work, where there will be an invitation for everyone to join in and take part in concrete, hands on ways.
So, please join us for our Gather Round - "Becoming Beloved Community Where We Are" (via zoom; Weds. 1.26, 2.2, 2.9, 2.16, 2.23) to put a ‘toe in the water’ of our Racial Justice and Healing journey and be part of this first step. We will learn, ponder and pray together and begin to have conversations among our members in a safe and secure environment. This is where we begin, so please join us!
Yours, in faith, hope, and justice ~
Paul+
