We are called, as followers of Jesus, to work for justice for all God’s Children.
In recognition of Black History Month, February 1st, Christ Episcopal Church and the Living Beatitudes Community are placing two signs in front of
the church. These signs say “Black Lives Matter because ‘All’ didn’t include Black when they said ‘with liberty and justice for All”. As people of faith, we are called to speak the truth that even though we are all children of God, many in our communities have NOT been treated as such.
In the fall of 2020 the leadership of Christ Episcopal Church and Living Beatitudes Community began a discussion concerning race, justice and faith issues. A number of Adult Education programs grew from those discussions. “Sacred Ground”, “We Say Black Lives Matter, Did You know? Project” and the book “Face to the Rising Sun” Reflections on Spirituals and Justice written by Mark Bozzuti-Jones, an Episcopal priest.
Both communities were invited to participate in Sacred Ground. The series began in September 2021 and we are presently in our 8th session. Sacred Ground is a film-based dialogue series on race and faith developed by the Episcopal Church. Sacred Ground is one way we are “Practicing the Way of Love”, one quadrant of the journey towards Becoming Beloved Community, the Episcopal Church’s “Long-term Commitment to Racial Healing and Reconciliation.” This course challenges us to understand and live the call to work for justice and equality for all God’s children. To learn more about Becoming Beloved Community, click here. To learn more about Sacred Ground, click here.
“We Say Black Lives Matter, Did You Know?” is an educational series aimed at helping our two communities and the larger Dayton community, to gain an awareness of how we, often unknowingly, participate in systemic racism. As people of Faith, we need to examine these issues openly. “Often the response to claims of ‘Black Lives Matter’ is ‘All Lives Matter’. This phrase is mere charade unless all Americans experience a sense that their lives matter enough to protect and promote equality. BLM cries out in the wilderness of America and asks America to fulfill its commitment to the claim that all are created equal. Only then can we honestly say that All Lives Matter.” This is how we honestly live our faith by the practice of protecting and promoting the reality that we are all children of God. When you return to face to face liturgy, we invite you to take time to read the “Did You Know” pieces posted in the front hall of church and in the LBC space.
Given the emotionally charged debates elicited by the “Black Lives Matter Movement”, we are launching the “We Say Black Lives Matter Project” to promote a deeper understanding of the BLM movement’s roots and motivations. One of the quadrants of the journey toward Becoming Beloved Community is “Telling the Truth” – these signs are one way that we, as communities of faith, speak truth to our community. Our objective, through these joint activities, is to foster meaningful dialogue, racial healing, reconciliation and justice in our personal lives, our ministries and our society.
Faithfully,
Tom Stricker
Living Beatitudes Community