By Frances Townsend
The Standing with People of Color Committee of Annual Conference is two thirds of the way through its three-year mandate, but the work of the church in using the results of their efforts is just beginning. Most study committees produce position statements on issues of the day, but this committee reports its mission to be “to provide connection, education, and inspiration for action on this continuing area of concern.”
The committee was formed in response to a 2022 query from Southern Ohio and Kentucky District. Annual Conference directed the district and On Earth Peace, with staff of the Church of the Brethren including the director of Intercultural Ministries, to collaborate and develop materials for congregational, district, and denominational use.
The committee has been holding many events online and in person around the denomination to foster relationships among Brethren who are already doing or who are interested in anti-racism work on the congregational and district levels.
A workshop tool was developed, called Crucial Christian Conversation with 7 Prompts for structured discussion. Using the acronym “Beloved,” it includes seven things to consider in order to hold conversation partners in love, to hold a safe space for them, to be discerning of how the conversation is affecting you, and to discern how to move forward with what you have learned from the experience. The delegate body was led through a part of this exercise. Additional educational materials are being developed.
The committee is asking congregations to create a new position of Racial Justice Advocate. They are networking these people and providing educational support. Racial Justice Advocates are envisioned to be people who gather information about their own local community’s racial justice issues, historical and contemporary. These advocates will help educate their congregations and organize ways for church members to act, including seeking to connect with ongoing local efforts by communities of color.
During microphone time for response from the delegates, many affirmations and stories of how congregations are already working on racial justice were heard. One person remarked that for her, “This whole process is an answer to prayer.”
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