Tag Archives: antiracism

Writing & Evaluating Curriculum & Books for All God’s People

June 15, 2020Adult Formation, Children's Ministries, Curriculum, From the Archives, Youth Ministryantiracism, children's books, evaluating curriculum, JED AwareSharon Ely Pearson

Over the past few months I have been cleaning out files from forty years of pack-ratting my Christian Education resources. Many are very dated and not pertinent any longer, many are dated but have stood the test of time, and many have a combination of “this is so wrong” combined with “this is still valid.” This post will be sharing some documents from this third category, so please take it for what it is and recognize where it falls very short (and harmful). But I feel there is enough in the two documents that you can download (understanding they were written thirty years ago) to glean from.

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Racism: An Additional Curated List of Resources

June 3, 2020Adult Formation, Children's Ministries, Faith & Culture, Parenting, Resources, Youth Ministryantiracism, racism, social justiceSharon Ely Pearson

As people march in the streets calling for justice and social change in the wake of yet another black man losing his life at the hands of a white person, I wonder if we have reaching a tipping point after all these years. Four-hundred-plus years in the making, it would seem those who have stayed on the sidelines are now joining others who have been about the work of justice and racial healing. My social media feeds are full of people seeking (and giving) resources for having these important conversations with our children, youth, and yes – with adults. So in order to keep all of these collected in one place, I have placed them here.

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Coming Soon to a Bookstore Near You

October 10, 2019Books Worth Reading, Children's Ministries, Resources, Youth MinistryAbsalom Jones Center for Racial Healing, antiracism, bible study, campus ministries, children's ministries, college students, dismantling racism, Episcopal Church, Eucharist, family faith, how to read the bible, prayer, The Way of Love, youth ministrySharon Ely Pearson

Whether you frequent your local bookstore, library, or Amazon for your reading pleasure bookmark this page for titles to look for in the first six months of 2020. This time of year (autumn) I am steeped deep into projects that will publish in the spring (January through June) as an editor. Spring 2020 will bring some (I believe) great titles for children, youth, and the adults who love them. It has been inspiring to work with authors with a passion for sharing the Good News with others beyond their own ministry settings. Hopefully you will find some that will fill a need in your home or ministry.

The Way of Love has been an initiative of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and the Episcopal Church since its launch at General Convention in 2018. Resources have been created from across the church, but these have mostly been created for adults and church events. The Very Best Day: The Way of Love for Children by Roger Hutchison fills the void by bringing the Way of Love in word and image to children. Through rhyming prose and the artwork we have come to love from Roger we now have a book designed specifically for children. Coming in January.

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Resources for Discussing Racism

July 21, 2015Adult Formation, Children's Ministries, Curriculum, General Convention, Resources, Teacher Training, Youth Ministryantiracism, Christian formation, Curriculum, Freedom Ride, Lift Every Voice, Racial Justice, racism, resources, Trinity InstituteSharon Ely Pearson

I have written about the VUCA World since attending a conference many years ago (Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes) that featured Bob Johansen of the Institute for the Future. His research and predictions struck a chord with me and I continue to be reminded of his predictions as they are being lived out today – even though he spoke of these issues emerging in the future. The future is just as much a part of our past and present as they will be fifty or one hundred years from now.

Redding Voice offers a good overview at New Leadership Skills:

Bob also spoke about his earlier book Get There Early: Sensing the Future to Compete in the Present – look for what you have in common, not what you are polarized about. The Book of Provocation, written for the Episcopal Church, is a product of IFTF and CEEP. Bob said “Faith will live in the space between judging too soon and deciding too late.” The Book of Provocation highlights 15 sources of provocation for the Episcopal Church from the custom ten year forecast map. For each provocation the author suggests dilemmas that are likely to be raised for Episcopal churches if this forecast comes to pass, as well as discerning questions for church members to consider.

This VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) can also lead to opportunities (vision, understanding, clarity, and agility) in the present moment. Several polarities are being lived out in our country today that he names: the Rich/Poor Gap, Polarizing Extremes, and Urban Wilderness.

As we have watched young black men die and our cities have been filled with events of violence, hatred, and polarity the Church has again named the sin of racism that is alive and well in our society. At the 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church, three resolutions were put forth regarding resources for discussing racism and anti-racism training. And funding was provided for the creation of new resources in the triennial budget.

But what about now? What is available for our congregations to delve into this fall as a new program year arrives? Here are a few that are available to begin the conversation, according to each resolution: Continue reading Resources for Discussing Racism →