Highlights from our Ongoing Conversations…

Over the past year we have met with many committee members in an initial effort to reflect on our shared congregational commitment to ongoing transformation. Our intention here is to include the major themes that emerged from participants. If we have missed any themes, please let us know. A small sampling of comments appears within quotation marks. We appreciate all the constructive criticism received for us to consider as we plan future conversations. 

Reaching Out:

One theme that stood out was that of outreach: how do we communicate our values to the community, to visitors, and through social media.  For example, there are our banners and flags with the messages they carry, our website, and the way we greet visitors. What do people see on the walls when they come inside?   And, there is another aspect.  How do we reach out when we want to hire someone?  Where we look depends to some extent on what the job is, but we need to broaden our outreach by advertising in different newspapers and contacting different organizations.  And it is important that selection committee members bring diverse viewpoints and have an anti-oppression lens.   

Educating Ourselves:

• Attendees expressed different levels of understanding of terms commonly used in these discussions, such as “white supremacy culture.”  To some it feels like jargon, others find that such terms help us to have a common vocabulary and to see situations more clearly.
• Educating ourselves, and thinking about our expectations, assumptions and biases can help us realize when we make a remark, that might be felt as a “micro-aggression.”
• There were several comments about the challenge of incorporating more diversity in our worship services and website, while avoiding cultural appropriation or tokenism.
• Books such as Kendi’s How to Be Anti-Racist and Wilkerson’s Caste can help us see the ways our society functions. By discussing such books, we can learn from each other’s experiences, and think together about actions we might take.

Bridging the natural silos that occur:

Several people mentioned challenges caused by the perceived separations between various church committees and interest groups. Life circumstances make it difficult for many members to be aware of ongoing activities.

• It was suggested that shared goals and intersecting efforts should be made as visible as possible.
• There needs to be more recognition that anti-oppression work involves all areas of justice; for example, environmental justice intersects with many aspects of oppression. 
• We need to understand that applying the “lens” concept means committing to

anti-racism and being sensitive to other oppressions in every decision that we make.

• We should be aware that activities such as covenant groups and circle dinners can seem exclusive.

Changing into an actively anti-oppressive congregation:

A fourth theme in conversations was moving the congregation into active anti-oppression, anti-racist work. This would be transformational change. Our human inclination is to recognize patterns,and identify with those we already know, providing us comfort and security. The process is difficult.  One question was how do we measure our progress? There are the challenges, tensions, and unease inherent in differing perceptions of anti-racism work. One participant said, “This process makes me feel a little uncomfortable, which is good. It will help me to learn how to make others more comfortable in our congregation.” Another question was have we yet embedded anti-racism, anti-oppression work within our congregation? It is not yet part of our mission statement. Another participant said, “And the discussion made me realize it’s more what you, as a member of the community, are doing. I need to carry that forward.”

Reaching out, educating ourselves, bridging natural silos, and finding our congregational spirituality in anti-oppression work are strong themes that emerged in our conversations. There were many positive comments such as these: “Just having the conversation and sharing experiences and ideas is good.” “Our most important value is that we respect each other, regardless of gender, age, size, genetic makeup, or other surface characteristics.” “We do like to talk to each other. This is very clear.”

Plans going forward:

We are also eager to convey how we are planning to proceed with many ways of communicating what we learned to Committee Members and our fellow congregants throughout the course of the 2023-2024 church year.  We understand all of this in terms of our growth as a congregation that is seeking not only to survive but also to thrive in the coming years. We would like more frequently to bring in outside speakers for topics like cultural appropriation and to continue to work with Rev. Heather around some worship services.  Topics like what does white privilege, supremacy culture, or structural oppression mean could be done informally, at a variety of time frames to reach more people. We hope to go back to the committees with the results of this past years’ conversations and also to offer regular opportunities for congregants and friends to talk about issues that might come up in the news, perhaps before church or later Sunday afternoon. 

We thank each of you for your participation and contributions, and we look forward to broadening these conversations throughout the congregation. In the meantime, we appreciate your continuing engagement with our work.

Sincerely, 

Robbie Brown, Harris Gibson, Gloria Legvold, Claire McNeill, Patty Shepard, and Sandy Thompson

Members of the Racial Justice Team Planning Group