By Christy Schaub, Standing with People of Color Committee
The Standing with People of Color Committee continues to seek to involve congregations, districts, and families in learning and growing together in ways to enable the Church of the Brethren to welcome believers from every nation, tribe, people, and language (Revelation 7:9).
The challenge is overwhelming and there is much more to be done. Our assignment, which began with the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference in 2022, continues until the Annual Conference in 2025. At the Annual Conference in 2023, we officially launched the “7 Prompts” and BELOVED model for Christian conversations (see https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bEAWs1aNWVMLWB3ZwbAmj5CRUAGnekXY/view).
The seven prompts are designed to encourage conversations in triads or other small groups, beginning with a simple question and moving through the seven prompts to more challenging conversations about justice and racism. The design of these prompts invites participants to look within themselves and reflect on their own experiences and perspectives. It is our prayer that these conversations, across the denomination, can help foster broad engagement and create a path toward faithful and passionate Brethren involvement in healing racism and racial justice in our times.
If you have helped to facilitate a “7 Prompts” workshop, we are inviting you to respond to a questionnaire and share your experiences, your suggestions, and your observations with us. Please take a few minutes to help us understand what you have experienced and how we can improve the process in the months to come. Go to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd4uVnMeSjK6zvYgIYJ0EwfMfEmXRV1-zTb-_r-dxJuKrn5iQ/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0
If you are interested in leading a “7 Prompts” workshop and would like to learn more about the process, two more online facilitator training events are scheduled in April. Find out more and register at www.onearthpeace.org/2024_04_02_swpoc_7_prompts_facilitator_training:
— Tuesday, April 2, at 6:30-8:30 p.m. (Eastern time)
— Saturday, April 6, at 1-3 p.m. (Eastern time)
For questions, please contact us at standingwithpeopleofcolor@brethren.org.
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