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Sep 10 2021

Leading Confidently In God’s Rescue Mission – Carolyn Custis James

Vision New England – Women in Christian Leadership – Leading Well Forum Series

In our rapidly changing world, women are learning how to draw from the attitudes and skills that are developed from our unique experiences as women. These distinct approaches to leadership achieve results, but often in different ways. We invite Christian women in leadership on church staffs or in non-profits to join us online this year to explore what it means to lead well. This is a great opportunity to hear their voice and share yours…to listen, ask questions, and reflect with peers so that your own leadership is honed.

On September 24th hear from Carolyn Custis James in on free, interactive zoom forum. God’s calling on His daughters is big. His plan from the beginning has been for his male and female image bearers together to reflect his heart for the world and look after things on his behalf. This is God’s call to leadership. Throughout scripture God often chooses the most unlikely people to advance his purposes for the world. Far too often human systems impede our ability to respond. How do we as women leaders confidently embrace our calling and encourage other women and girls to hear and step into their calling too? From her theological training and years of ministry experience, Carolyn will challenge us to accept these divine assignments.

Carolyn is an award winning author who thinks deeply about what it means to be a female follower of Jesus in a postmodern world. In 2013, Christianity Today named her one of the 50 evangelical women to watch. She speaks regularly at church conferences, colleges, and for other Christian organizations both in the US and abroad and is a guest lecturer at various theological seminaries. Her speaking and writing ministry is dedicated to addressing the deeper needs and issues confronting both women and men as they endeavor to extend God’s kingdom together in a messy and complicated world. Her books include Malestrom:  Manhood Swept into the Currents of a Changing World and Half the Church: Recapturing God’s Global Vision for Women.

To register, click here.

Written by Andrew Walker · Tagged: christian, church, conversation, Courageous, evangelical, faith, fellowship, leaders

Nov 29 2018

Advent: Awaiting the Birth of Justice

Advent is a time of preparation. It’s a time for seeking the presence of God in our world and watching for the “renewal of all things” (Matthew 19:28). In Advent, we recognize that God became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). God walked among us and went to the margins to become one with the oppressed, the vulnerable, and the persecuted.

In Advent, the incarnation inspires us to reflect on how we are called to be Christ’s hands and feet to one another, and work towards alleviating systems of injustice. This week, we feature a blog by J. Wu, who is a Life Together Intern within the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern MA serving at Church Of Our Saviour in Milton. J. attended a recent gathering by Courageous Conversations Toward Racial Justice, which is a monthly series of dialogue-centered programs designed to address racial healing and justice in our community. The leadership of Courageous Conversations has five clergy from four different churches! Read about J’s experience attending this gathering below.


Also, this month the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) put forth a statement: “Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love – A Pastoral Letter Against Racism.” They describe: “The entire body of bishops felt the need to address the topic of racism, once again, after witnessing the deterioration of the public discourse, and episodes of violence and animosity with racial and xenophobic overtones, that have re-emerged in American society in the last few years.”

Click here to read the full pastoral letter


Courageous Conversations: Dissolving Silence with Authenticity, Openness, and Awe

As I stepped into the Church of Christ, I could hear the crisp clattering of metal chairs
being unfolded. This was my first time helping to coordinate an event held by Courageous Conversations Towards Racial Justice. Caught in a grip of self-consciousness, my shoulders wanted to fold up like a stacked chair. Despite joining the Steering Committee, I could scarcely believe that I could have productive interactions around the topic of racial justice with people I barely knew.

Wrestling against my urge to sink into the wallpaper and blend out of sight, I stammered
some offers to help set up chairs for the event. As I did my job, my nervous glance darted from new face to new face, before tentatively perching on the rack of colorful bolts of cloth that were arranged up front and center in the middle of the chairs.

My stomach sank. Soon, I would be called to interact with people of different racial
backgrounds and age generations than my own. Picking out a seat, close to the front but not too close, I exhaled as a clear musical note rang across the air and announced the start of the Bystander Learning Event. My eyes widened.

Nothing prepared me for an innovative form of Bystander Learning, in which the form of theater became a conduit that focused discussions about systemic injustice. Even the tight grip of my nervous jaw gave way to awe and laughter. This event illuminated the tense multitudes of emotion, compelling volunteers to eagerly share their experiences of discomfort around privilege and disadvantage.

Soon, we all practiced techniques of Bystander Intervention with True Story Theater, a
trust made possible by sharing our personal stories pertaining to interactions of racism and privilege in our everyday lives. In an almost complete opposite of my initial reactions, I leaned into the experience rather than flinching away. By the end, I carried newfound clarity as to how I can be a more involved in implementing my justice-based values rather than freeze up as a passive bystander in situations of social inequality.

Since then, I can proudly assert that Courageous Conversations Towards Racial Justice
makes space for justice-oriented learning through monthly programming. More than ever in our current political anxiety, compounded by constant media reports of inhumane actions, I need a space like Courageous Conversations that welcomes all people to participate in understanding, interrupting, and ending systems of racial injustice.

Courageous Conversations Towards Racial Justice is nearing the third year of holding
monthly events. The next event is on Tuesday, December 11th, 6:30 PM, St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, 112 Randolph Ave, Milton. At this gathering, they will be watching a documentary by Tim Wise, which examines what it means to be white in a nation where privilege seeps into every institutional arrangement, from education to employment to the justice system. Click here to learn more about Courageous Conversations Toward Racial Justice.

 

Written by uniteboston · Categorized: Blog · Tagged: advent, boston, community, Conversations, Courageous, ecumenism, Episcipal, healing, inequity, injustice, justice, Life Together, Milton, oppression, persecuted, racial, racism, reconciliation, vulnerable


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