racial reconciliation – Page 2

Oct 23 2020

Justice, Politics & the Black Church of Boston

The Institute for the Study of the Black Christian Experience (ISBCE) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary is excited to host the 2nd Annual (Rev. Dr. Michael E.) HAYNES Symposium on Saturday, October 31 via LIVE stream via ISBCE on FaceBook, YouTube and LinkedIn.

This is a completely virtual and FREE event. We will celebrate 2020 ISBCE Legacy Awardees: Rev. Dr. Cheryl Townsend Gilkes and Rev. Dr. Arthur T. Gerald, Jr. We will hear panelists: Tracy Litthcut (City of Boston), Arva J. Byron (Boston Praise Radio & TV), Rev. Willie Bodrick II (Twelfth Baptist Church) and Rev. Mariama White-Hammond (New Roots AME Church) share on “Justice, Politics & the Black Church of Boston.” Come and join the conversation!

Jul 01 2020

Hope Is Rising

NewCity Church, in collaboration with local community leaders, organizations and businesses, is hosting, HOPE IS RISING. Join us for a free drive-in concert event designed as a safe space for people of color and allies to recharge and be inspired.

Enjoy listening to a live band with special musical guests, celebrate the Black culture, and listen to a panel discussion, “My City and Me,” moderated by Rev. Devlin Scott with panelists, Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, Newton Police Department Chief David MacDonald, Newton Police Department Public Information Officer Lt. Bruce Apotheker, METCO Specialist and Newton Public Schools Teacher Katani Sumner, and members of Newton’s Coalition of Black Residents.

UniteBoston is a key partner for this event and will be coordinating volunteers – contact Joel Putnam at joel@uniteboston.com if you’d like to volunteer.

Social distancing will be observed. Masks are required. Limited spots available – sign up here!

Mar 10 2019

Here’s how Christians in Boston are Participating in Lent

Churches take to the streets on Ash Wednesday, offering ashes on-the-go to busy Christians and passerby’s. Photo by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, courtesy of Flickr

Lent is a time to intentionally create space for focusing more deeply on Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. As Western Christians throughout the world have entered the Lenten season, and Eastern Christians will begin on March 11th, we’re sharing some ways in which Christians in Boston are participating in Lent. There may be an idea that will spur you on in your own Lenten devotion and practice!

Here’s how Christians in Boston are participating in Lent:

A Catholic Perspective – “This year, Lent has particular significance for the leadership of the Church at every level, local, national and universal. Recently Pope Francis called bishops from every country in the world to come together at the Vatican for the Summit to Protect Children and Minors. The summit included powerful testimony from survivors of clergy sexual abuse, religious sisters and laypersons who made clear that a meaningful and effective response from the Church is long overdue and of critical importance…I have decided to implement EthicsPoint, a confidential, anonymous and third-party system, exclusively for the reporting of misconduct by a Cardinal, Bishop or Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston.” Cardinal Sean’s Lenten Letter to the Archdiocese of Boston

An Evangelical Perspective – “Lent is a season of preparation. It’s a season where we give up good things so we can focus on better things. It’s not a rote ritual of fasting simply so we can fulfill a religious requirement. It’s an opportunity to give up some things for a season, so we can focus on Jesus and align our hearts with his.” Reunion Christian Church is participating in an “Experiential Fast,” where each day and week is focused on a particular element of fasting and devotion.

An Episcopal Perspective – “Throughout the six weeks of Lent, I will have a weekly conversation with a spiritual and/or grassroots leader to learn how they are understanding the connection between healing and justice – between repentance, forgiveness and justice. I want to strengthen my leadership by hearing how others tend to or pull at the root causes of this spiritual and social upheaval which I believe is racism. And I want to discover, how is the Spirit inspiring them to turn towards God and one another in bringing about healing and justice?” – Lenten Reflection from the Rev. Arrington Chamblis from the Episcopal City Mission

Resources from a Catholic Perspective– “I think really what fasting and Lent are all about is creating space in your life to focus more deeply, see more clearly, and act more authentically. It is the joyful preparation for Easter, where we take a good look at ourselves to get ready for the celebration. Fasting helps clear our vision but it also helps create space to be filled with other and better things than we usually fill ourselves with…Practices are meant to help draw us closer to God, to community, and to our best selves. So it’s not about extreme measures, perfect adherence, or spiritual status. Try to follow what seems right, challenging, and honoring to you.” Lenten Resources from the Paulist Center, including a list of practices and blogs

A United Church of Christ Perspective – “Rend your hearts,and not your garments” I’m embracing #visiblemending for Lent. Late last night, after #AshWednesday was over, I noticed how much the ash cross on my head looked like the #darned holes on my beloved, moth-eaten sweater. So here’s my Lenten practice: 40 days of repair. A daily commitment to mend or fix something, each day. I don’t have a grand plan or scheduled posts, just a clear sense that I need to do some repair work in this season. If you want to join in, #40DaysofRepair.” – Laura Everett from the Massachusetts Council of Churches

An Orthodox Perspective – “March 18 marks the beginning of the Great Lent. It is known in Greek as ‘Kathara Deftera’ or Clean Monday. The word kathara is closely related to catharsis or cleaning. Everyone needs cleanliness. Fortunately, scientific technology has given us many ways of achieving cleanliness, of keeping our bodies clean. Are our bodies entirely clean? Are our tongues clean? Is it not true that they speak words which are not clean, but are offensive, words which show malice or envy, or which indicate a hostile attitude to the progress of others? It is obvious that our tongues need to be cleaned… During Great Lent, our Church guides us to the cleanliness of our eyes and tongues, of our ears and hands, our feet, our hearts and minds, that is to say, to our whole being. Our church prepares us to approach the Cross and receive His Precious Body and Blood.”- Metropolitan Methodios, Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston

A Catholic Young Adult’s Ministry – St. Mary’s of the Assumption Parish in Brookline is participating in “Theosis in Action,” which is an online community to help provide resources for young adults to grow in their faith and opportunities for fellowship as they navigate through adulthood. Theosis in Action is hosting an online Bible study during Lent on Sunday evenings with the focus of “Journey Back to Christ” that all people are welcome to participate in.

An Evangelical Perspective – “Although Lent can be a season of sober reflection on the frailty of our souls, Lent is primarily about the counter-formation of our affections. As we reclaim our own belovedness in Christ, we reorient our love toward Christ. In this season, we’re going to commit to feasting on scripture together. One of the ways we’ll be do this is to memorize Psalm 23 in community. On Sundays during the gathering and through social media, we’ll share stories about how feasting on scripture is transforming the life of our community.” Lent Blog from Reality Church Boston

We’re also featuring a blog article written by Rev. Rita Powell, priest at Trinity Church Boston and UniteBoston board member. Rev. Rita shares about her Lenten practice of taking the daily office outside to God’s creation. If you’d like to add how you or your church are participating in Lent this year, email kelly@uniteboston.com May God meet you deeply in this season of physical and spiritual devotion!

Taize Song and Prayer led by Rev. Rita Powell on the first night of a Taize Pilgrimage for racial reconciliation in Jefferson National Forest

Charged with the Grandeur of God

If you have ever gotten an email from me, you have seen this quote in my signature, “Nor can foot feel, being shod.” It’s from the famous poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins called God’s Grandeur. It is one of the anchoring texts in my life. The opening line is “The world is charged with the Grandeur of God.” In that one phrase, Hopkins captures both the way that the world is filled with God as with electricity—an unseen but real force of energy and a fullness that shimmers—and the way in which we, as that world, are accountable to God. We are “charged with”—filled with and responsible for—all the grandeur.

The poem goes on to reflect on all the ways in which we have obscured that noble calling. Our world, our economy, our carelessness with the earth—all create a way of life that dulls the force of that electrical charge that is the divine life. And so the poem brings us to the line in my email signature- “nor can foot feel, being shod.” Our way of life swaths us in comforts and normal routines that blind us, dull us, diminish us. We grow far apart even from our own bodies. I wear shoes every day. I am not connected to the earth or my own body the way I might be. That line in my email is meant to remind me of this flaw daily.

So this Lent, I’ve decided to take my daily office (a distilled version of it with a big chunk of silence) outside. To behold, in prayer, the God who is in creation. I have found a small corner of a ruined foundation in the meadow behind my neighborhood, and am determined to pray out there each morning in Lent. I have to say, the massive snowfall and plummeting temperatures are not quite what I had been hoping for! And I will be wearing boots, thank you very much. But I will try to begin again this season, to recall the charge we are placed under as members of the grandeur of God.

Jan 17 2019

Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Dr. King & MLK Day Service Projects

Martin Luther King was a doctoral student at the school of theology at Boston University, and lived in the South End. He was an assistant preacher at Twelfth Baptist Church. He led a mile-long civil rights march from the South End to the Boston Common.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. also stood at the Parkman Bandstand (the same location as the UB summer worship night!), in front of 22,000 people, speaking to the racial divisions: “Now is the time to make brotherhood a reality. Now is the time. The vision of the new Boston must extend into the heart of Roxbury. Boston must become a testing ground for the ideals of freedom.’’

This week, the world commemorates the 51st anniversary of his assasination, and King’s legacy lives on in our city. Pastor Larry King from Cambridge Community Fellowship Church seeks to extend this legacy and shape the identity of his church around social justice and racial reconciliation. Their congregation was featured on Channel 10 News – Click here to watch this!

Martin Luther King’s Prayer for the Church

We thank you for your church, founded upon your Word, that challenges us to do more than sing and pray, but go out and work as though the very answer to our prayers depended on us and not upon you.
Help us to realize that humanity was created to shine like the stars and live on through all eternity.
Keep us, we pray, in perfect peace.
Help us to walk together,
pray together,
sing together,
and live together
until that day when all God’s children
– Black, White, Red, Brown and Yellow –
will rejoice in one common band of humanity
in the reign of our Lord and of our God, we pray.
Amen.

Martin Luther King Day Service Projects

One of the best ways to live into Martin Luther King’s legacy is to participate in service projects. A few are listed below, or email Kelly Fassett, kelly@uniteboston.com if you know of any others that should be added to this list. It would be great to see Christians come together to serve alongside our neighbors!

St. Stephen’s Youth Program’s MLK Day of Action

Monday, January 21, 9:00am-2:00pm at Blackstone Innovation School, 380 Shawmut Ave, Boston.

Join for a variety of projects to honor Martin Luther King. There will be physical maintenance projects (painting and cleaning) and projects appropriate for children under age 13 and those with physical mobility limitations. Breakfast and lunch will be provided, and the day will conclude with an MLK Day Reflection and Education Equity Workshop.

In addition, the Blackstone is requesting donations of hypoallergenic and fragrance-free hygiene supplies such as soap, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and especially skin lotion. If you can provide any of these, please bring them with you to the Day of Action where we will be organizing an area for young people to receive these essential items. Sign up here.

9th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Interfaith Day of Service

Monday January 21st, 9:00am to 1:00pm at Brandeis University, Waltham

Come honor and learn from the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., pack meals for food pantries & congregations that serve the homeless community and participate in social justice discussions with Brandeis clubs and local non-profits.

This year’s theme is “Continuous Giving” and features guest speaker Kevin Peterson from The New Democracy Coalition. Workshops for the day include: Chaplains on Way – Spiritual Companioning, Prejudice or Empathy with CMM’s IFYI Program Director Shelton Oakley Hersey, Habitat for Humanity, Community Day Center of Waltham, with activities for younger kids too. Sign up here.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service

Monday January 21st, 2:00 to 5:00pm at Cambridge City Hall and various locations in Central Square, Cambridge

The 9th Annual Cambridge Day of Service organized by Many Helping Hands 365 to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The event is FREE and open to the public.

All ages are welcome to help with projects that benefit children, teens and adults in need. Join us for an afternoon of hands-on service projects! Make fleece scarves and blankets for homeless children and adults. Make Valentines for elders and veterans. Sort food, winter clothing, books and toiletries for people in need and more! Come spend an afternoon making a difference in the lives of others. Sign up here.

Martin Luther King Jr. Service Project with Courageous Conversations

Monday January 21st, 9:00 to 11:00am at the Church of Our Savior (453 Adams Street, Milton, MA 02186)

Come to assemble blessing bags and distribute to homeless attendees at a mid day luncheon in Boston. Supplies needed include toiletries, granola bars and small snacks, and $5 gift cards to local restaurants. Unscented toiletries are preferred. Bags will be assembled. At 12:00pm, the blessing bags will be distributed at St. Paul’s Cathedral (138 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02111). Sign up here.

Martin Luther King Jr. Outdoor Service Project

Monday January 21st, 9:30am to 12:00pm, 500 Walk Hill Street, Mattapan

Join us for the outdoor service project at the Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary. Help us collect litter from the trails. Sign up here.

Courageous Conversations MLK Day Celebration

Monday, January 21st, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM, Concord Baptist Church, 180 Blue Hill Avenue, Milton

Milton Interfaith Clergy Association invites you to participate in the Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Milton Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency. Sign up here.

Martin Luther King Day Community Conversations on Race

Monday, January 21 from 8:30am to 3:00pm at Grace Chapel, 3 Militia Drive, Lexington and surrounding towns

the Town of Lexington will commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with its 6th annual family-friendly day of volunteer activities supporting the underserved. The events begin at 9am (doors open at 8:30am) with a community dialogue on race in the Courtyard at Grace Chapel. This year’s topic is Dismantling White Privilege and Institutional Racism in Lexington and Beyond: the 400-year Struggle for Racial Justice. From 1-3pm, there will be fleece scarf and blanket making in the gym at Grace Chapel as well as a drop off station for donations of non-perishable foods, new and well-preserved toys, media, and more. Town activities will include cookie and card making, delivering sand to seniors for their winter walks and driveway and more. Visit the website for more information.

2019 Town of Brookline MLK Day Celebration

Mon, January 21, 3:00 to 4:30pm, Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard Street, Brookline

Join together for Brookline’s celebration of the life and values of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at 3 pm Monday, January 21, 2019, at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. The theme for this year’s event is “Reflections on Race – Brookline Then and Now.” This year’s program will feature Brookline: Facing Civil Rights, a documentary film conceptualized by the MLK Jr. Celebration Committee and Produced by R. Harvey Bravman. Sign up here.

MLK Day of Learning: 50th Anniversary of the Poor People’s March

Saturday, January 19, 8:30am – 1:00pm at City Mission Boston, 185 Columbia Rd
Boston

Fifty years ago, Dr. King announced the Poor People’s Campaign. Although launched in 1968, this movement continues to be relevant today. Join City Mission for our annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Learning, where we will continue this important work. The US Census reflects the huge disparities in Boston, where the poverty rate for white residents is just under 7%, and for Black residents is 21.5%. The event is coordinated by City Mission Boston and will include guest speakers and facilitated small group discussion to help us learn from, and build community, with each other. Sign up here.

Boston Cares MLK Day of Service

Monday, January 21st, 10am to 1pm at Boston Latin School, 78 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston

On January 21, 2019 Boston Cares will organize 600 volunteers at the Boston Latin School, to support local immigrants and refugees through the creation of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) learning tools for community organizations and schools throughout the city of Boston. Volunteers will create English journals, conversation games, and vocabulary and citizenship flashcards for organizations for immigrant and refugee families learning English and preparing for the citizenship exam. New this year, volunteers will also create magnetic lapdesks and phonetics kits for beginners who may not be literate in their native languages. Additionally, our sponsors will join us in building beds for families who do not have a bed of their own. MLK Day is always kid-friendly and open to youth 5+. No orientation is required. Register here.

Jan 12 2019

Visualizing Racial Justice and Reconciliation

Stephanie Irwin with Civil Rights Activist John Perkins

The theme of the 2019 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is “Justice, only justice, you shall pursue” (Deuteronomy 16:20). In light of this theme, we created this discussion guide around Stephanie Irwin’s artwork to invite local conversation around the ways in which we can contribute to God’s justice in our communities.

Stephanie lived in the Longwood Christian Community in 2011 to 2014 while training as a physical therapist. This project was inspired by Stephanie’s experience as part of reconciliation workshops in Rwanda, Africa with members of the Tutsi and Hutu ethnic groups. It was there that she learned that healing “could only progress by facing the truth and acting upon it.” She created these art pieces seeking to share God’s call for justice and reconciliation with all those around her. Stephanie lives in Seattle now. Her artwork and photography are available at https://www.stephanielynnephoto.com/

We are planning to use the discussion guide below during some of the UniteBoston neighborhood dinners, but it could also be used within a church bible study or community group. When coming together with people from a variety of perspectives, it is always good to set expectations and guidelines for the conversation. Together, let us consider how God is inviting us to contribute to acts of justice and reconciled relationships within our lives and communities.

Note: While Stephanie’s art focuses on relationships between Black and White people, we recognize that racial justice includes people of all races. Additionally, we value Stephanie’s reflections as stated below through her own lens as a Caucasian woman, but we do not seek to universalize her experience or perspective. We felt that this was a valuable lens into one person’s understanding of the process of reconciliation, and hope that you will be inspired as well.

Jesus stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. (Luke 4:16-21, NIV)

“There is another thing that disturbs me to no end about the American church. You have a white church and you have a Negro church. You have allowed segregation to creep into the doors of the church. How can such a division exist in the true Body of Christ? You must face the tragic fact that when you stand at 11:00 on Sunday morning to sing “All Hail the Power of Jesus Name” and “Dear Lord and Father of all Mankind,” you stand in the most segregated hour of Christian America. They tell me that there is more integration in the entertaining world and other secular agencies than there is in the Christian church. How appalling that is.” (Paul’s Letter to American Christians, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Delivered at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama, on 4 November 1956)

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in single garment of destiny.” (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail, 1963)

Stephanie’s Artwork and Reflections

Yokes and Chains

The first piece, titled Yokes and Chains, sets the stage for both the pain of the past that continues to cause separation as well as a hope for abolition of that separation. When considering the process of arriving at reconciliation the pain cannot be ignored but rather must be confronted. As the two children face each other they reflect on the reality and pain of slavery. In this moment they bear witness to the fault, pain, consequence and responsibility of the transatlantic slave trade. In response, they express their pain through the shedding of tears. Both their tears reveal remorse for what transpired in the past as well as for the racism and segregation that persists even today. Though they are separated by a darkness that is fueled by American society, their sorrow also reflects a hope for future change. By first gaining awareness of the truth rather than hiding from it, they choose to be a part of that change.

The Call

The second piece in the series is the foundation of the process. True healing can only progress by facing the truth and acting upon it. The Call presents this truth as the Word of God. The part of the text in focus reveals Colossians 3:11-14 which reminds us that we are called to be one, that in Christ there is no separation and that we must embrace unity through forgiveness, healing and love. The silhouette brings to light the need to receive the truth as the two children from the first piece fall to their knees in surrender.

The Act

As she drew this picture, Stephanie describes, “My mind rushed back to another day in Rwanda where I saw a light emerge in the darkness through the joining of two men who expected to be lifelong enemies. A Tutsi man forgave the unforgivable of his Hutu neighbor and perpetrator from the 1994 Genocide. As I witnessed them walk hand-in-hand, I was convinced that I had never before seen a more beautiful sight. It was at this point that I acquired a renewed hope of flourishing unity between whites and blacks in America. Similarly, the two children who were separated by darkness in the first piece are now joined here to create a light as they respond to their call. With fingers interlocked they move forward together determined to never be divided.”

Beloved Community

The final piece brings the project and everyone together. The hands depicted in this piece are the hands of real people, including the artist’s, who choose to join with people of all color to stand for racial reconciliation and live in multicultural and multigenerational community. Bordering the hands are the words “united” and “reconciled” in twelve different languages to emphasize the beauty of diversity. The intention of incorporating these languages is to allow anyone to feel as if that they are a part of this piece. The piece is titled Beloved Community in order to portray racial reconciliation as specifically centered around love that is fostered through a community. Additionally, it references the song “Beloved Community” developed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which reflects the vision of all four pieces cumulatively. You are invited to join this beloved community with those building it around you.

Discussion Questions

Describe your initial thoughts or reactions to the scripture passage, quotes by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., or Stephanie’s art pieces.
Where have you personally seen racial justice or inequity taking place? What most breaks your heart about this?
Where do you see people sharing in the prophetic mission of Jesus as described in Luke 4? Where is there evidence of the healing, liberating, redeeming power of God in your life or neighborhood? Share a story that comes to mind.
The Bible has continually been a source of inspiration for the Christian community to address conditions that are unjust or undermine human dignity. Where do you see an opportunity for the Church to come together for the cause of racial justice in this neighborhood or community?

Additional Resources:

-Read the Christian Churches Together response to Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail here (2013)

-Check out the Emmanuel Gospel Center’s Race & Christian Community Initiative

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