Invitation: Six-Week Study of Book, I’m Still Here
The Friedens Just Peace Exploratory Team was approved by our Church Council in July 2020 to explore the steps to proclaim that Friedens is a peace-seeking and justice-doing church by way of the UCC Just Peace proclamation. Adopting the Just Peace status for our local church includes authoring a covenant that the JPET team will share with the Council and the congregation in the next twelve months, but before a covenant is presented, JPET team members are organizing experiences for Friedens’ members and friends that support our continued growth as a peace-seeking and justice-doing church. Maybe you’ve read about our Peaceful Prose project or our October Yoga Offering.
Ultimately, Friedens will determine if we choose to assume the formal designation of a Just Peace Congregation within the United Church of Christ. In this post, Ellen Weimer extends an invitation to all of our Friedens members and friends to sign up for a six-week virtual book study through Zoom led by active Friedens members and ministry team leads, Ellen Tuttle and John Charles. This particular study addresses racism which is one of several justice and peace issues of focus in our exploration this year.
By Ellen Weimer
The Just Peace Exploratory Team invites you to a Zoom-facilitated weekly study of I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, by speaker, author, and media producer, Austin Channing Brown. This book helps us to better recognize racial inequity through the experiences of the author. This book and study are about becoming more aware of history, the racial issues facing people of color today, the ways we are biased or unaware, and other related justice issues.
Our hope is that through this study and others, we become more equipped to know what we believe is just and willing to express these beliefs within our circles of relationships. Change comes through new knowledge and understanding. Our past studies have created brave spaces for our members and friends to express themselves openly and honestly. There is no prerequisite for sign-up; we only ask for your open mind and enthusiasm to learn from and with one another.
This study begins Tuesday, November 3, 2020, at 7:00 PM. Our six-week study concludes on December 8, 2020. Sessions are 75 minutes in length and conclude at 8:15PM.
To help our facilitators, Ellen Tuttle and John Charles, prepare for a successful study, we ask that folks sign up by October 25, 2020. They will connect with you ahead of the first session to share important details.
Please signup online at this link. We ask folks to secure your own copy of the book in the format that you prefer.
The JPET leaders will offer additional book studies in 2021, as well as other experiences, such as testimonials, film screenings, and topical discussion series to strengthen our commitment to peace-seeking and justice-doing. If you have ideas for the team or wish to know more about Just Peace, please contact team leader, Adam Hayden.
