Anti-Racism training: Reconciliation Offering at Work
Last week our congregation took part in the annual Disciples of Christ Reconciliation Offering. Larry Thompson did a great job introducing the offering and tied his experiences serving as a state trooper in the 1960’s to the social turmoil that our country is going through today. He challenged us all to learn more about each other, to support the offering, and (most fundamentally) pray that we can learn to be reconciled to all of the people God has placed in our lives.
Our congregation took Larry up on his challenge. Not only did we financially support the Reconciliation Ministry of the denomination, our prayer group began its Tuesday session with a conversation about racial reconciliation and then lifted the issues we discussed up in prayer. We also discussed ways that we have seen the legacy of racism manifest itself in the life of our community of Dexter.
Another step on the journey came on Thursday, October 6, 2016. Over 100 students, clergy, and lay members of the Disciples of Christ gathered at Drury University for an afternoon of Pro-Reconciliation/Anti-Racism training. Four hours of conversation, education, and experience sharing allowed the participants to get a better sense of the scale of the problem.
We were reminded that our nation’s legacy of racial discrimination is not accusation of personal guilt. The system was created long before we born, but it is our responsibility to help unravel the effects we have inherited. In order to do that, participants were given tools to help address the situation in their own churches and communities. Next steps and best practices were shared.
Just like Larry Thompson had said, we were reminded that prayer is the foundation of the whole process. We need to remember that all people are made in the image of God. We are all sisters and brothers in Christ. Obviously, this training was not the end of the process of racial reconciliation. It was of educating ourselves on how to take another step along the way. In this case, it is also a step made possible as a direct result of our financial support to the Disciples of Christ Reconciliation Offering.
Speaking for myself, I came away encouraged by all that is currently going on in the Mid-America Region and am hopeful for the possibilities that this kind of ministry creates. Thank you to all who contributed to making our world just a little bit better.
I invite you to explore the Mid-America Region and national Disciples of Christ Reconciliation Ministries resource pages. Some things you will know already. Some things will be new. Some things will make you uncomfortable. That is okay too. You do not have to agree with everything someone else says, but it is still important to listen. That is how dialogue works. By doing so, we can educate and equip ourselves on what it means to be Christ’s agents of reconciliation in the world.
