Beloved Epworth Community,
This fall, Epworth will embark on a seven-part journey of learning and courageous conversations about race, racism, and racial justice with the vision of articulating as a congregation what God is calling God’s people to do. As a community of faith, we believe that to embody the Beloved Community is to continually be working toward a more racially just world.
A number of Epworth folk have been working for decades in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. Some have been involved in anti-racist work in the larger community as well. And over the past year, many more in the Epworth community have responded to the call to deeper engagement, including:
- through anti-racist book and film discussions groups
- by creating works of art that honor the lives of African Americans killed by police
- by grappling with the history that led to the establishment of Epworth -- from the legacy of white supremacy in our denomination to the effects of systemic and institutional racism in our own neighborhood
Wherever you are in your own journey, it is our intent that this process called holy conferencing will bring together every voice in our congregation to listen deeply with love and compassion, to share our learnings and lived experiences, and to begin to articulate what we believe is God’s call for ourselves and our church.
Having difficult conversations takes courage to move past our fears and skepticisms to come to the table with open ears and open hearts. At Epworth, we have used the holy conferencing model to discern about becoming a Sanctuary Church and in preparation for the 2019 special General Conference. In each holy conference session, facilitators will guide us in building and maintaining the foundations of trust and risk-taking in our holy conversations. Stephen Ministers will also be present during each session, to be in prayer for the congregation and our discernment, as well as to offer one-on-one support to anyone who would like to debrief or be in prayer regarding what is arising in them. Music and physical movement will also be woven into each session. To ensure accessibility and that everyone can participate as safely and comfortably as possible, each holy conferencing session will be hybrid, meaning you can participate in person or through Zoom.
The culmination of the holy conferencing journey will be on November 14th where we will directly engage the question, “What is God saying to God’s people about racial equity and justice?” It is our hope that by listening to each other and for God, we will develop a common vocabulary to later draft a statement of commitment to racial justice under the guidance of the church council. That statement would then be presented to the community to be affirmed and adopted, in a manner similar to those statements declaring Epworth to be a reconciling congregation and sanctuary church. This statement will guide, inspire and reflect our individual and collective actions in building a more racially just world.
The first part in this series will be on Sunday, September 19th after worship. Pre-register your attendance and find the latest details, panelist names, Zoom links, and safety protocols at
www.EpworthBerkeley.org/RacialJustice
In faith,
The Holy Conference Design Team: Rev. Carletta Aston, Merrie Bunt, Mary Cavagnaro, Judy Cayot, Greg Downs, Kim Hraca, Shan McSpadden, Randall Miller, Rev. Kristin Stoneking, Meheret Vásquez-Suomala
