Reflections from Discipleship and Leadership Formation
Young Adult Conference – May 23-25, 2025 38 young adults Anabaptism began 500 years ago when a group of young adults gathered and prayed for ways to follow Jesus in their rapidly changing world, and it continues today as 38 young adults from 9 states and the District of Columbia converged over Memorial Day weekend for the Church of the Brethren’s annual Young Adult Conference, hosted at Brethren Woods Camp and Retreat Center near Harrisonburg, Va. From Friday evening to Sunday morning, through sermons, small groups, service, and social activities, we unfolded the wisdom of Jeremiah 17:7-8, exploring how strong and well-nourished roots can fortify us in times of drought and heat, nurturing our growth and renewing the hope God gifts us. Attendees cherish the space to share their struggles, hopes, and talents with Christians of similar age and values, and also to simply have fun together. ~Luke Haldeman, 2025 attendee and member of the Young Adult Steering Committee
Christian Citizenship Seminar – April 5-9, 2025 24 students, advisors, and staff CCS is a wonderful opportunity—not only to meet new people and explore Washington, D.C.—but also to learn about yourself, your voice, and how to use it. This trip offered many chances to discover ways to advocate and make our voices heard. As youth, it’s important for us to recognize the power in our voices, and CCS helped me do just that. ~Kaia Pfeiff, 2025 participant
Clergywomen’s Retreat – February 10-13, 2025 More than 70 clergywomen I am deeply grateful to all who made the Clergywomen’s Retreat 2025 such a meaningful experience. The way Rev. Meghan Good guided us through various scenarios of love— showing how Jesus modeled and encouraged us to love in a way that benefits us and blesses others—was truly inspiring. The small group discussions were especially valuable, allowing us to connect as sisters in Christ, listen to each other’s concerns, and recognize that we may be facing similar challenges in our ministries. We were able to share wisdom and hope, strengthening our faith as we continue our journeys. ~Mayra Calix, 2025 attendee
L.E.A.D Conference – November 15-17, 2024 Around 100 participants and staff The very first Church of the Brethren L.E.A.D. (Listen – Equip – Adapt – Disciple) Conference took place at Ephrata (Pa.) Church of the Brethren in November of 2024. The event was sponsored by Discipleship and Leadership Formation. Through worship, keynote messages, and breakout sessions, the gathering encouraged, inspired, and equipped leaders to adapt and serve effectively in their ministry contexts. Our next L.E.A.D. Conference will be back at Ephrata on May 1-3, 2026. Church leaders of all positions (board members, treasurers, Sunday school teachers, pastors, deacons, etc.) are all welcome to come learn and grow with us so we can all be more effective in the congregations we serve. ~Nathan Polzin, executive director of Discipleship and Leadership Formation
Update from Intercultural Ministries The deportation defense response team—a partnership between Intercultural Ministries, On Earth Peace, districts, and many others—has answered prayers for many reasons. It includes many hands and brains for what is needed to help our churches, our brethren, and ourselves. Together we are able to discover the needs and navigate the sensitive issues collectively with compassion and understanding. Serving with this group of people doing this great work is immeasurable but incredible. Addressing matters related to immigration has broadened the scope of Intercultural Ministries. We have not only been offered the opportunity to serve well but to be Jesus in the neighborhood for our brothers and sisters with knowledge, empathy, compassion, love, and respect. ~Founa Badet, director of Intercultural Ministries
Founa Badet, director of Intercultural Ministries, speaking at a workshop at the L.E.A.D Conference in November 2024.
By Founa Badet, director of Intercultural Ministries
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” ~Matthew 5:7, NKJV
My mother came to the US with a merchant visa, which is called an E-1 Non-Immigrant (Treaty Traders). It allowed her to be admitted to the United States solely to engage in international trade on her own behalf. She had her business of goods and services where she was in and out of the country until she worked her way to apply for residency. She first applied to become a documented immigrant with her permanent green card and then applied for my older brother and me to join her—a process that usually takes three to five years. While she was waiting for us to be approved, she applied for her citizenship. I arrived in the US almost 27 years ago with a permanent green card and later became a citizen.
My background and the process I (and others) went through in order to arrive in the US has informed the immigration work that the Intercultural Ministries Office is now part of—a pivot that has been instrumental and essential for our work for the Church of the Brethren. I am honored to serve and I am proud of the work.
Following this year’s Council of District Executives meeting, some districts contacted my office and On Earth Peace to brainstorm how to support churches dealing with immigration setbacks. Intercultural Ministries was already supporting some districts and participating in trainings from Faith In Action, ACLU, Episcopal Migration Ministries, AMMPARO, and Haitian Law Association on Know Your Rights and we were staying informed about what documents are needed for change of status, how to walk with migrants, Temporary Protected Status, Humanitarian Parole changes, and the red card. We had a resource page on our website before the change of administration. Marcia Sowles (from the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy) and I began brainstorming how to navigate the new and changing immigration policies, and the forming of an immigration support group with Brethren Disaster Ministries, the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy, and Intercultural Ministries to serve this growing need in our denomination.
The Deportation Defense Response (DDR) team—a partnership between Intercultural Ministries, On Earth Peace, districts, and many others—has answered prayers for many reasons. It includes many hands and brains to address the needs of our churches, our brethren, and ourselves. Together we are able to discover the needs and navigate the sensitive issues collectively with compassion and understanding. Serving with this group of people that is doing this great work is immeasurable but incredible.
As I previously mentioned, I came to the US with documentation, but this may not be the case for the brethren we are serving through the work of DDR. Some were offered a two-year parole from the previous administration to work, go to school, and be able to apply for different legal documentation such as work permits, driver’s licenses, Temporary Protection Status, and more. Others, however, crossed the border running for their lives with their families and belongings, but they were able to stand before a judge and get access to apply for some services.
Addressing matters related to immigration has broadened the scope of Intercultural Ministries. We have not only been offered the opportunity to serve well but to be Jesus in the neighborhood for our brothers and sisters with knowledge, empathy, compassion, love, and respect. The same way the current administration changes daily, our work must adapt daily. The steering committee of the Response ministry team meets regularly to check-in, receive reports, and guide us for self-care and support.
For such a time as this, we are called for more, and we are grateful to be used for God’s glory. We are receiving calls and emails from pastors, lay leaders, lawyers, brothers, and sisters asking how can they help. Other districts are joining, and rallies are happening. No act of detention is going unnoticed so that our brethren do not get lost in the system. It is heavy work but we trust in God.
Intercultural Ministries is also actively working with a translation team to make important documents available in multiple languages including, but not limited to, the Separate No More paper, an upcoming position description, and more. We believe translation is an important step as we get ready for Annual Conference in July and the Jubilee Celebration in November. We continue to work with the districts that reached out for support and welcome others to join our efforts.
May God bless the work of our hands for God’s glory in Jesus’ name.
By Traci Rabenstein, director of Mission Advancement
“How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? . . . May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.” ~1 Thessalonians 3:9 & 12, NIV
As I write this final reflection for 2021, it’s hard to believe that the year is almost over. My grandparents used to talk about how fast time was moving along. As a young girl, I didn’t really understand. Now I do. Each year seems to go by more quickly than the last, and near the end of each one, I find myself wondering: what impact is the Church of the Brethren making in this world and in our communities?
It is easy to get caught up in the drama and chaos of our country, to move to one side or the other of a discussion or political view, or to use that view as the lens in which we mold God into the image we prefer. We are called, however, to discern with scripture and the Holy Spirit what the shape of God actually is.
In his speech to the Greeks in the Areopagus, Paul told them that we cannot think of God as an object that we can shape. He said, “Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising” (Acts 17:29). Instead, we are called to increasingly embody the image of God through our transformative relationship with Jesus Christ and through him seek to love one another as he loved us.
The words of Paul to the church in Thessalonica contain encouragement and blessing for them. 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 was also written as a prayer for them. His words are a reminder to those who followed the teachings of Christ to be centered, not on themselves or their struggles, but on loving each other and showing compassion to all who were suffering. Indeed, by encouraging them to love generously, he was inviting them to “live and share the radical transformation and holistic peace of Jesus Christ”—a mission that we now carry together.
Through loving one another, we join together to show compassion to those who are in need and with whom we can serve and share God’s blessings. Your support this year allowed for the Global Food Initiative and Brethren Disaster Ministries to send grant monies across the globe to our partners who were in need of assistance during this pandemic season. Your contributions made a way for National Older Adult Conference to gather online and for our Intercultural Ministries to offer webinars to stretch us to think outside ourselves and toward survivors of all kinds of injustice. Your partnership has made it possible for Brethren Volunteer Service and FaithX to provide opportunities for service and workcamps in areas where support was needed. In all these ways and many more, the ministries of the Church of the Brethren have made a difference in 2021 with your help.
As this year ends and the next one begins, we thank God for you and celebrate all that we do together. Thank you for your generous gifts of finances, prayer, and service. Together our love increases and overflows for the glory of God and our neighbor’s good.
The Everyday Ubuntu book discussion group earlier this month.
By LaDonna Nkosi, the director of Intercultural Ministries
The time of quarantine and sheltering in place has given us opportunities to connect and be in conversation together in new ways. Since March, Intercultural Ministries of the Church of the Brethren has been hosting #ConversationsTogether and online discussions about the book Everyday Ubuntu: Living Better Together the African Way.
I have very much enjoyed hosting #ConversationsTogether. It has been a highlight each week to gather with people from across the denomination to listen and share stories as we journey together in reading and discussing Everyday Ubuntu. The chapters entitled “Put Yourself in the Shoes of Others,” “Strength Lies in Unity,” “Choose to See the Wider Perspective,” “The Power of Forgiveness” and “Have Dignity and Respect for Yourself and Others” are just a handful of topics that have guided our conversation. We also were able to have a discussion with the author, Mungi Ngomane, and Brethren from both the US and Africa were in attendance. Mungi is a peace and justice advocate, a board member of the Tutu Foundation, and the granddaughter of Nobel Peace Prize recipient Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, and it was a blessing to talk with her.
Carolyn Fitzkee of Lancaster (Pa.) Church of the Brethren said, “Being an introvert, this online Zoom experience has stretched me out of my ‘comfort zone.’ I have been blessed by meeting new people from across the denomination and challenged in my faith by studying the concept of ‘ubuntu.’ I especially enjoyed finding scriptures to go along with each lesson.”
Michaela Alphonse, pastor of Miami (Fla.) First Church of the Brethren shared, “The book discussion group has created a space to talk about race and justice, what it means to live in an interdependent society, and what it looks like to be in relationship with one another.”
Reading and discussing Everyday Ubuntu has helped us “have a deeper respect for one another, in spite of major differences,” said Eric Anspaugh Central (Va.) Church of the Brethren of Roanoke. “I am learning so much about myself and experiencing the insights of others.”
Ellen Whitcare Wile of Easton (Md.) Church of the Brethren shared that she has appreciated “talking with others from wide and varied experiences about how it is possible to build unity by working together.” She continued, “In order to live prosperously together, it is so important to reconcile where needed, and be truthful and respectful of each other.”
In what ways are you being in community in this season? How are you, your church, family, or community connecting with others during this time? Churches from around the denomination are connecting online and in other ways to break through isolation and build community. Virlina District and Central Church of the Brethren in Roanoke have welcomed more than 50 people in an online book discussion of The Color of Compromiseby Jemar Tisby. Harrisburg (Pa.) First Church of the Brethren will be discussing this book also. Peace Covenant (N.C.) Church of the Brethren will be reading and discussing How to Be an Anti-racist by Ibram X. Kendi.
If you’re interested in joining a discussion:
> Connect online for #JourneyThroughJulyandAugust, an online series of racial justice and intercultural educational posts at the Intercultural Ministries Facebook page (www.facebook.com/interculturalcob). #JourneyThroughJulyandAugust is co-hosted by the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy and Intercultural Ministries.
> Join us Thursday, Aug. 6, 1 p.m. Eastern Time for “What It Means to Be an Anti-racist Church in These Times,” an interview with Rev. Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim, professor of Theology at Earlham School of Religion. She is the author of books including Reimagining Spirit, Keeping Hope Alive: The Sermons of Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. and co-author of Intercultural Ministry. This event is co-hosted by the Office of Ministry and Intercultural Ministries.
However you are able to connect with us and the larger church in this season, may the Lord bless you!
This resource is part of the joint program “Black History 2020: Looking Back to Live Forward” led by Rev. LaDonna Nkosi, the new Director of Intercultural Ministries and Alexandra Toms, Racial Justice Associate in the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy. We will be offering various blogs, videos, and articles throughout the month of February exploring the intersections of faith, Black history, and current day racism. We hope you join us this month to read, listen, and reflect as we look back through history, so we can better live into Christ.
Michelle Alexander, the author of “The New Jim Crow” explains in this Ted Talk how certain laws disproportionately affect people of color causing similar discrimination as was seen during the Jim Crow laws. This video gives a look into how policies that may not seem racist can perpetuate racial disparities.
We have a special reading today from Josh Brockway, Director of Spiritual Formation who was inspired to write for the “Black History 2020: Looking Back to Live Forward” program led by Rev. LaDonna Nkosi, the new Director of Intercultural Ministries and Alexandra Toms, Racial Justice Associate in the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy. We will be offering various blogs, videos, and articles throughout the month of February exploring the intersections of faith, Black history, and current day racism. We hope you join us this month to read, listen, and reflect as we look back through history, so we can better live into Christ.
By Josh Brockway, Director of Spiritual Formation
I start my first lectures in my history class by asking the
students to define history. The first student usually offers a riff on
Santayana—those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. Usually the
second one, however, is is that “History is told by the winners.”
For centuries the record of the past has been composed by
those who have the education and the time to write. Not only that, those
persons in power have provided the means, money, and permission to tell the
story. From this vantage point of wealth, leisure, and power, the stories
inevitably leave out facts and people that did not reflect well on the
powerful.
I learned early in my training as an historian that while
the powerful define and tell the story of the past, there are ways of finding
out about everyday people. Traces of the past hold up remarkably well to the
passage of time. Thanks to grocery lists scratched onto broken pieces of
pottery, thoughts and memories sketched into journals, and letters lovingly
wrapped with string and stored in hope chests we can knit together portraits of
the past. Since history is fundamentally the story we tell about the past,
access to these traces help us fill in the gaps in official histories, or the
histories written by the powerful.
While the powerful define and tell the story of the past, there are ways of finding out about everyday people.
In the 20th century historians started looking specifically
for traces of people on the margins or in the gaps of official histories.
Women’s history, Black history, Hispanic history, and even histories about
Children are now common conversations among scholars. Telling the stories of
people overlooked in textbook histories helps us understand the past more
completely. Though there is bound to be uncomfortable parts of these stories,
bits of information we might not want to know or that challenge the stories
were told growing up, histories focused on people at the margins make for a
better story.
Black history month is one of those cultural moments each
year when the stories of Black Americans are highlighted because these stories
have been rarely told in textbooks. The story of Black Americans has not been a
part of the dominant historical story taught in our schools and textbooks.
Thankfully, though, Black historians have painstakingly compiled the data and Black
communities have maintained rich stories about Black life in America. With
Black History Month, all of us can hear whispers from the past thanks to these
historians and story-tellers as it reaches the general—and white—public.
Black historians are crafting compelling stories of black
life in America based on their own questions and using the rich trace of Black
life. These better stories are helping us all to understand the breadth of our
past as a nation. And yes, these histories make us as white folks
uncomfortable. They challenge what we have been taught, since what we learned
came from those who benefited from that telling of history.
We are all learning things like the racist origins of rich
and poor neighborhoods through the economic practices ofredlining
(Color of Law by Richard Rothstein https://wwnorton.com/books/The-Color-of-Law/).
We are learning that racist policies have driven and formed racist ideas
(Stamped from the Beginning, Ibram Kendi https://www.ibramxkendi.com/stamped).
We are learning about the horrific and violent lynchings that terrorized Black
people from south to north (Equal Justice Initiative, https://lynchinginamerica.eji.org/).
And we are realizing that the stories we learned about the Lost Cause of the
Confederacy were crafted by white supremacists after Federal Troops left the
south at the end of Reconstruction (The Myth of the Lost Cause, Edward H.
Bonekemper https://www.regnery.com/9781621574545/the-myth-of-the-lost-cause/).
And even then, we must realize that the better story of our shared past is more than racist policies, violent segregation, and mass incarceration.
Black History includes the beautiful and useful quilts made
in Gee’s Bend Alabama. In this small Black community in the middle of the
Alabama River, families passed down the craft of quilt-making in ways that few
other communities could in the mobile times of the 20th century. The result is
a stunning collection of utilitarian art that embodies the story of the people
who sewed and used the quilts out of the cloth gathered from work clothes,
remnants, and even feed sacks. https://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/gees-bend-quiltmakers
Black History includes the rich period of time known as the Harlem Renaissance. From 1910 to the 1930’s, Harlem was the locus of Black art, literature, and music. Notable writers like Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston among many others gathered there to share their stories and ambitions. Musicians like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington added the sounds of Jazz to the nightlife of Harlem at clubs like the Savoy. Artists, playwrites, and actors all shared their creative productions with the community. And much like the rest of America, the crash of the stock market and the Great Depression signaled the decline of the Harlem economy, but the cultural works of the community remain apart of American culture to this day. https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/harlem-renaissance
A clearly American innovation in music, Jazz was the product of cultural interactions in the diverse city of New Orleans. Black musicians merged together ragtime, march, and the blues with improv solos and “trading fours” that mimicked the call and response of Black preachers, to make a distinct form of music. Rock and Hip-hop today have taken a number of cues from Jazz. It has also become a global music since Black artists like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and Charlie Parker performed all over Europe since they faced discrimination in America. https://americanhistory.si.edu/smithsonian-jazz/education/what-jazz
Jazz, the Harlem Renaissance, and Gee’s Bend Quilts are just
a small snap-shot of the rich historical contributions of Black Americans to
our culture. These snap-shots fill in the gaps of our text book histories so
that we all learn a better story about our past. And yes, economic, physical,
and emotional terrorism are interwoven into these stories. Yet, telling the
better story means we tell the whole story about all the people.
This is the fifth resource in the joint program “Black History 2020: Looking Back to Live Forward” led by Rev. LaDonna Nkosi, the new Director of Intercultural Ministries and Alexandra Toms, Racial Justice Associate in the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy. We will be offering various blogs, videos, and articles throughout the month of February exploring the intersections of faith, Black history, and current day racism. We hope you join us this month to read, listen, and reflect as we look back through history, so we can better live into Christ.
One of the systemic sins in U.S. history is housing discrimination. People of color have been denied mortgages, charged higher interest rates, and have been denied access to homes in predominantly affluent and white neighborhoods. Even after the passing of the Fair Housing Act, these practices that have occurred across the last 100 years still impact the lives of people of color today. The following video includes interviews with Black Americans who share their stories of the housing discrimination they experienced in Chicago. For more information, click here to read an article that goes into greater detail about redlining in Chicago.
This is the fourth reading in the joint program “Black History 2020: Looking Back to Live Forward” led by Rev. LaDonna Nkosi, the new Director of Intercultural Ministries and Alexandra Toms, Racial Justice Associate in the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy. We will be offering various blogs, videos, and articles throughout the month of February exploring the intersections of faith, Black history, and current day racism. We hope you join us this month to read, listen, and reflect as we look back through history, so we can better live into Christ.
Written by Alexandra Toms, Racial Justice Associate in OPP
When picking a church, people try to find a church where they “fit
in.” It may be that they attend a church that has a strong children’s program
because they are a young family. It could be they attend a church with
opportunities to share their musical talents or offers services with their
preferred style of music and worship. If your Brethren, you make sure to find a
church that has a lot of fellowship activities with awesome potlucks.
Regardless, most people try to find a church that matches their beliefs in God
and meets their needs and wants. What if one of those “wants” is that the
fellow congregants are the same race as they are?
The most segregated time of the week is Sunday morning, when many
citizens of the United States are attending church. As people choose the church
they want to attend, they choose one where they “fit in.” We tend to “fit in”
at churches where people look like us, act like us, and have similar customs.
The race of people in our congregations often influences our choices even when
we are not aware. We may feel comfortable in a congregation because of specific
practices and traditions, but those traditions come from cultures. Different
ethnicities and different cultures practice their faith and live out their
faith in unique ways. For example, I teach as a college professor, and a
student of mine from Puerto Rico shared how she was reprimanded in high school
for wearing her rosary beads around her neck. In Puerto Rico, wearing one’s
rosary was a symbol of faith! In the continental US, in a predominantly white
Catholic high school, it was a sign of disrespect. So what type of church is
she going to feel most comfortable attending? One where she can proudly wear
her rosary or one where she feels condemnation for doing so? If you were Catholic,
where would you want to attend?
Where we “fit in” at church ends up being segregated by race,
which at face value may not sound like a bad thing. However, history has taught
us that there is no such thing as separate but equal. What ends up happening is
instead of simply coexisting in different churches, we become unaware of
different churches. We become unaware of how others live out their faith. We
become unaware of other customs, traditions, and ways of knowing the Divine. We
become unaware that our way of knowing God is not the only way, and we forget
how to learn. When we stop learning, we end up being the ones who criticize a
young girl for how she wears her rosary beads.
When we practice our faith with people of different races,
customs, and traditions, we learn more about who God is. The Lord created
people of all races, cultures, and ethnicities to worship him in their own
ways. As we practice our faith with people of various backgrounds, we learn
more about who God is because different cultures connect to different
characteristics of God. As a young white woman, the images and characteristics
of God I have grown up with are different than the images and characteristics
of God that a person of color may connect with. For example, for many people of
color, the Lord is a God of liberation. God used Moses to free the people of
Israel who were enslaved and oppressed. During his life, Jesus liberated people
from oppressive forces in society: the sinners, the outcasts, the foreigner,
the poor. He gave them a
new life in a society that had pushed them to the margins. In Luke 4:18-19, we
read that Jesus stood up in the synagogue and read from Isaiah, “‘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’…’Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’” (NIV).
Jesus did not choose a church because he wanted to “fit in” nor did he spend time with people he fit in with. He chose to spend his time with the marginalized and the outcasts, but it was not solely for the purpose of healing. He broke bread with, lived with, ministered to, and was ministered to by those who were marginalized in society. He lived alongside the oppressed getting to know them, who they were, and what their needs were. If those in positions of power struggle to even learn about who God is from people who are oppressed, how are they going to learn about the person being oppressed and what their needs are. If I, as a young white woman, who is in a position of power simply because of my race do not live alongside people who are oppressed, I may never learn. If I never learn, then I will continue living a segregated life perpetuating discrimination.
Segregation is no longer considered illegal, however much of the
U.S. is segregated by race including housing developments, schools, workforce,
and employment. Even though a company may employ people of different races,
quite often the jobs and duties are segregated by race. Even with affirmative action,
there are various struggles that people of color disproportionately encounter.
For example, a position that requires a master’s degree is often considered a
high-level position, and these positions are disproportionately held by people
who are white. The difficulty comes in attaining a master’s degree. Higher
education in general is costly for people in the United State, including
expenses beyond tuition such as room and board, textbooks, travel, etc. People
of color have a greater likelihood of experiencing financial insecurity than
people who are white. An undergraduate education often is a huge success and
huge financial toll for anyone. For those who experience financial insecurity,
education beyond undergraduate becomes even more difficult and may seem
unattainable. This results in predominantly white affluent people achieving
graduate level education, so the applicant pool for an upper level position
requiring a master’s degree is predominantly white. Even with affirmative
action, the monetary toll of graduate level education and the need to provide
financially for one’s family limits integration in these areas of the
workforce.
How do we know money is one of the hindrances to integration? It
requires that people live and work alongside those who are oppressed, listening
to their stories and learning from them. If people do not step out of their
comfort zones and remain on the outside looking in, incorrect assumptions will continue
to be made, assuming that people who are oppressed do not have the drive for
graduate level education, or they do not desire those types of jobs. Or concluding
that they have every opportunity as everybody else, but they choose not to get
the education; they are self-segregating!
These assumptions would be wrong.
As we move about our daily lives, instead of always finding places
that we fit in, maybe we need to be looking for places that we don’t fit? Live
alongside people that are different from us and learn what it means for them to
live. What brings them joy, pain, sadness, and trouble? Celebrate with them in
the joyous moments. Mourn with them in the times of pain. Be present even when
it is not comfortable. Live like Jesus lived.
Reflection Questions
In the United States, our churches are segregated, and the average American’s life mirrors this segregation. Below are various roles people have in our lives. For each of these roles, identify how many people you interact with regularly who are of a different race than you.
______ Family
______ Friends
______ Congregants
______ Coworkers
______ Clients (people you
work with who are not coworkers)
______ Additional______________
______
Additional_______________
What are ways that you could increase the diversity of the groups you are a part of? What are some ways you could break out of your comfort zone to live alongside people who are different than you?
The parable
of the good Samaritan is often used to explain how our neighbors who we are to
love are not just the people who are like us, but also the people who are
different than us. It is a common Scripture used when discussing race because
the Samaritan extended love and care for the person of a different race; of a
race who he was supposed to despise. By stopping to take care of the man, the
Samaritan showed love for his neighbor. He also stood up to racism in the
process by crossing the racial divide of the two ethnic groups. The Samaritan
put the needs of the person above his own comfort and above societal
expectations.
What are ways that the Priest and the Levite wanted to protect their comfort over helping the person in need? Who were they “fitting in” with?
What was the Samaritan risking by stopping to help?
When is a time that you saw a “man along the side of the ride,” a time that you encountered racism, but simply continued walking? What could you have done instead?
When is a time that you were the Samaritan, and stood up against racism? How was the experience?
This is the third reading in the joint program “Black History 2020: Looking Back to Live Forward” led by Rev. LaDonna Nkosi, the new Director of Intercultural Ministries and Alexandra Toms, Racial Justice Associate in the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy. We are offering various blogs, videos, and articles throughout the month of February exploring the intersections of faith, Black history, and current day racism. We hope you join us this month to read, listen, and reflect as we look back through history, so we can better live into Christ.
By Alexandra Toms, Racial Justice Associate in OPP
“How do you deal with Jesus the man, the Christ? Do you take him seriously? His life – his words – his death – his victory? The more I have studied of Jesus the more I realize you cannot take him lightly. What he did was not just for the people in his century, not only Jews or Gentiles, but for men of all ages and all races…. Can I as a Christian and an American remain neutral on the subject? Can I show love for Christ if I do not show love for all of the people for whom he lived and died? Can I show love for God if I do not show love for my neighbor? How can I love God whom I have not seen, if I do not show love for my brother whom I have seen?” – Jay Gibble
The above quote was
preached by Jay Gibble to the Altoona Church of the Brethren at the height of
the Civil Rights movement in 1965. And yet, these prophetic words are still
relevant to racism in the United States today in 2020. In fact, it might be
even harder to live out these words in current day. During the Civil Rights
movement, many around the country rallied together to oppose Jim Crow,
segregation, and overt discrimination against people of color. There were
organized marches, sit-ins, and protests of unfair discriminatory laws and
policies. It was clear what it meant to love your neighbor.
Loving your
neighbor meant opposing overt discrimination. Loving your neighbor meant
opposing laws that oppressed based on skin color. Loving your neighbor meant,
for many Brethren, protesting alongside people of color in the March of
Washington and participating in sit-ins at lunch counters. It meant standing in
solidarity with fellow Black Americans and fighting for their freedom.
Since the Civil Rights movement, there have been laws passed to prevent overt discrimination based on one’s race. However, there are still many Black Americans who experience regular discrimination and the after-effects of slavery and Jim Crow. Only now it is much harder to see because we often believe the laws fully prevent discrimination. It is harder to see because, while some of the discrimination is based on blatant racial prejudice, sometimes it is based on our own implicit biases that we are unaware of influencing decisions that we make. If you pass a black man on the street, do you happen to clutch your purse a little tighter or cross to the other side of the road? Do you do this more often when it is a black man than a white man?
I caught myself doing this recently. I was taking the metro, and as I was getting off and riding up the escalator, a couple college age students passed by me and bumped into my bag. I started looking through my bag to make sure that nothing was taken, that nothing would have been out in the open that could be snatched, and that all was accounted for. The person who bumped into me was a well-dressed young black man. I caught myself. Have I had multiple people bump into me on the metro? Oh my yes. It is a crowded space. If I frantically looked through my bag every time I got bumped, that is all I would be doing getting on and off the train. So why did I freak out this time? I could tell myself it was just the situation. It could have been the overall behavior of the group or because they were walking past me, not just standing alongside when I was bumped. Though I do not know for sure, it was likely influenced by the fact he was a young black man. What I do know is that because of racial stereotypes, I have to question why I had that thought. Because of implicit prejudice, this young man has probably had many people have a similar reaction that I, as a white woman, will never elicit from people. No matter how much I study about race, I still catch myself in moments of implicit prejudice that I am constantly trying to unlearn.
The problem is, these small moments can lead to larger consequences for people of color. Research conducted by economists in 2004 showed prejudice toward “black sounding names” when measuring callbacks for interviews after sending out 5,000 resumes.[1] When identical resumes were submitted to various jobs, those with black sounding names received fewer callbacks than those with white sounding names, even though the resumes had the same qualifications. In fact, those with white sounding names and a criminal record still received more call backs than those with black sounding names and no criminal record. This type of discrimination leads to long lasting consequences where Black Americans make on average less money than white Americans even when education is accounted for, and Black Americans have 1/10 the amount of wealth as their white counterparts.[2]
So how do we love our neighbors amidst these implicit prejudices? How do we love our neighbors when these circumstances seem beyond our control? When I think of Jesus’ life on earth, I think of the man who did not just love by being nice to the people he was around. Jesus loved by changing people’s worlds. Many of the people Jesus healed were outcasts of society, discriminated against because of some physical quality. An example that comes to my mind is the woman who bled for 12 years (Mark 5:25-34). Quite often when we hear her story, we focus on her faith. All she had to do was touch Jesus’ cloak, and she was made well. Her faith in this Scripture is evident, but let us look at a slightly different angle.
Why was she so desperate for Christ’s healing? Not only had she bled for 12 years straight, something no one wants to endure, but she was also outcasted from society because of her condition. When a woman was on her menstrual cycle, she was unable to touch anybody, or else they would be deemed unclean. Anything she sat on would be deemed unclean, and if someone touched an object that she had touched, that would cause them to be unclean.[3] This woman would have spent 12 years unable to have human contact, and unable to be in a public space. Anyone she would have been around would have been suspect and anything she may have touched would have been suspect. The healing Jesus provided not only healed the physical ailment of the issue of blood but also reconciled her relationship with society, giving her new life where she was no longer an outcast.
What if our racist policies and our prejudices are the “issue of blood” that support Black Americans being outcasted in society, causing us to question things they touch; question who they are with; question their presence? What if instead of praying for healing of discrimination in the US as a healing of the Black situation that keeps them pushed down, we pray for a healing in our hearts and the hearts of people, and we pray for healing in our policies to support Black Americans? We pray that God moves us to action like Jesus was moved to action because of the woman’s faith. Maybe loving our neighbors, who are of different races, is a process of confronting our own racial prejudices, learning about racial discrimination that is still occurring, and working toward making change; working toward Jesus’ healing in ourselves and in our country.
Activity and Reflection
As part of working toward
healing, it is important to know what implicit prejudices may influence us.
Below is a link to the Implicit Associations Test (IAT) developed by Harvard
University. The IAT is intended to measure how quickly we may associate certain
words with others. The idea is that we tend to associate words more quickly if
we believe they are similar. To learn more about the IAT, click here. The IAT usually takes
about 10 minutes to complete. If you are interested in completing one of the
tests, please click here and choose one of the
IAT’s on race.
Beyond the examples provided above, what were some ways people would have interacted with the woman because of her condition?
How would this have impacted her relationships with others? How would this have impacted her ability to provide for a family?
What did your IAT score come back as? Are you surprised by the score?
According to Harvard, most of the race-based IAT results show preference for white over black in some capacity. How does this pattern result in similar outcomes for people of color as seen in biblical times for the bleeding woman before her healing?
[1] Marianne
Bertrand Marianne and Sendhil Mullainathan. “Emily and Greg More Employable
Than Lakisha and Jamal? A Field Experiment on Labor Market Discrimination.” American
Economic Review 94 (2004): 991-1013.
[2] A. Javier
Trevino, Investigating Social Problem, 2nd edition (California: Sage Publishing, 2019), 61-62
This is the second reading in the joint program “Black History 2020: Looking Back to Live Forward” led by Rev. LaDonna Nkosi, the new Director of Intercultural Ministries and Alexandra Toms, Racial Justice Associate in the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy. We are offering various blogs, videos, and articles throughout the month of February exploring the intersections of faith, Black history, and current day racism. We hope you join us this month to read, listen, and reflect as we look back through history, so we can better live into Christ.
Reflection by Alexandra Toms, Racial Justice Associate in OPP
A common concept used when discussing race is being color blind: “I don’t see race, I see people.” While this sentiment seems to come from good intentions, it can have negative implications. In the following TED Talk, Mellody Hobson discusses the complications of being color blind. However, she offers another perspective, a way to be “color brave.”
“Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body.”
1 Corinthians 12:14-15 NRSV
Have you ever looked at this Scripture and said, “My foot is part of my body. I don’t see feet; I only see a body.” It’s not a statement I have ever said, and it sounds quite foolish to me; but why? If we do not recognize our foot as its own unique part of the body, we do not recognize its unique contributions. Without feet, we would have difficulty walking, running, and simply standing, as many people unfortunately have had to experience. The body is changed significantly because of the loss of a specific, unique part. This change would be experienced very differently than the loss of a different body part, such as a gallbladder. A foot and a gallbladder serve different functions. They have distinct gifts that they provide for the body, and not having that gift would mean a significant change in how the body works and the lifestyle the person would live.
From a young age, we teach kids to identify various body parts, through songs like “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” As they grow older, we teach the same thing about people and the Body of Christ. We recognize different spiritual gifts, such as teaching, speaking in tongues, healing, and prophecy. We recognize intellectual gifts, encouraging some to be doctors, some to be teachers, and others to be electricians. Yet, often when we look at race, we think we should be color blind and not see any differences.
I believe some of this movement came about with the intentions of reducing discrimination. If I don’t see color, then I will hire the best person for the job without letting racial prejudice affect my judgment. The problem is, by removing someone’s race, we are removing someone’s gift. We don’t see the unique perspectives and life experiences someone has had because of their race. We don’t see their unique qualities and value. We also do not see the distinctive ways people have been oppressed because of their race, remaining blind to networks of oppression and policies that uniquely affect people of color.
When we remain color blind, we also don’t recognize that we have unique experiences and perspectives because of our race, and since those experiences are unique, they are not the same for everybody in the U.S. Our view of life is not the standard. Our perspectives and lived experiences are just as different, but no more or less important, than the hand is from the foot. The hand, foot, and gallbladder are all distinct parts, but they are parts of one body allowing that body to function in a specific way. The diversity of experiences, perspectives, and assumptions of all people of all races, cultures, and backgrounds are necessary for the Body of Christ to be whole and for God’s Kin-dom to flourish.
Reflection Questions
How were you taught to think about race? Were you taught to be color blind or were you taught to recognize and value differences based on race?
The TED Talk mainly focused on the benefits of being color brave in a corporate setting. What are other benefits of being color brave and benefits of diversity?
Reread verses 25-26. If our foot suffers, the whole body suffers. If a member of the Body of Christ suffers, are we all suffering? Does being color blind inhibit our ability to suffer alongside people of a different race?
