Tag Archives: racial reconciliation

Absalom Jones of Philadelphia

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Absalom Jones (1746-1818) by Raphaelle Peale (Wikipedia Commons)

The life and legacy of Absalom Jones is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, his faith, and his commitment to the causes of freedom, justice, and self-determination. Born a slave, he became one of the founders of the black Episcopal church in America, becoming the first African American Episcopal priest. He was a leading figure among Philadelphia’s African American community (born a slave in 1746 in Delaware, he was manumitted – released from slavery – in 1784) who advocated the abolition of slavery from the pulpit. You can read more about him at the Episcopal Church Archives site. His feast day (day of death) is February 13.

Set us free, Heavenly Father, from every bond of prejudice and fear; that, honoring the steadfast courage of your servant Absalom Jones, we may show forth in our lives the reconciling love and true freedom of the children of God, which you have given us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

(Collect for Absalom Jones, February 13 in Lesser Feasts and Fasts, 2006, p. 160)

There are many sermons and documents, plus an official portrait of Absalom Jones. Choose more or more of the following to delve deeper into the life of this important American and priest:

Continue reading Absalom Jones of Philadelphia →

The Call to Justice: Remembering Dr. King

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Since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, his birthday on January 15 has been honored with speeches, sharing Dr. King’s values of the American Dream, equal opportunity, and that one day white and black children might be judged by “the content of their character . . . [and not] by the color of their skin.” How do we do justice to Dr. King’s commitment to social justice that involves (as it do for him) personal faith, the New Testament’s gospel of unconditional love, and the Old Testament prophetic insistence on righteous justice? “It is not enough for us to talk about love,” he told his followers. “There is another side called justice . . . . Standing beside love is always justice. Not only are we using the tools of persuasion––we’ve got to use the tools of coercion.”

Continue reading The Call to Justice: Remembering Dr. King →

Racial Healing, Justice, and Reconciliation

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2018 slid into 2019 quickly with my New Year’s resolution to post here more often quickly was an instant failure. Yes, it’s been awhile (almost seven months!) since I’ve posted here. But those of you who follow me on Facebook or Twitter (plus Pinterest and Instagram (where “I’m still a newbie”) know that I’m still around, active in a variety of ways. So over the next few days I’ll try to make up for that with a snapshot of projects and recaps that I’ve been busy with since last fall – lots of links to resources and articles to come!

Racial Healing, Justice, and Reconciliation

I am now in my third year of a term on the Episcopal Church in Connecticut’s (ECCT) Mission Council (aka diocesan Executive Council). As part of our work stemming from a 2017 diocesan resolution and following Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s initiative of Racial Reconciliation as part of The Jesus Movement, I have been on a team that has helped kick off a two-year Season of Racial Healing, Justice, and Reconciliation in ECCT. For our quarterly gatherings we have held conversations, read books and articles, and shared personal stories. Continue reading Racial Healing, Justice, and Reconciliation →

79th General Convention Recap

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It’s been a little over a week now that I’ve returned from almost two weeks in Austin, Texas where the 79th General Convention of The Episcopal Church was held. This triennial gathering is how The Episcopal Church determines its budget and way forward in living out the mission of the Church (to reconcile all to God in Christ). If you’re an Episcopalian, you know what I’m talking about (hopefully).

It was a convention in which we put our faith into action; there was lots of energy around social justice. And while in Austin, Episcopalians practiced what we preach. In any case, these are my top ten “take aways” from the fifth General Convention that I have attended. I’ll be posting more (with resources) about each in the coming week – check back here! Continue reading 79th General Convention Recap →

Looking Toward General Convention

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Every three years The Episcopal Church gathers in what is known as General Convention to consider a wide range of important matters facing the Church ranging from liturgical revision to social justice initiatives, budgetary matters to theological discussions, and so much more. Some call it a grand family reunion that brings representatives (lay, clergy, and bishops) from all the 110 dioceses of The Episcopal Church together for ten days (more like two weeks). Officially, General Convention is the governing body of The Episcopal Church; it is a bicameral legislature that includes the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops, composed of deputies and bishops from each diocese. In July 2018, the 79th General Convention will be held in Austin, Texas hosted by the Diocese of Texas.

Leading up to this  triennial meeting, various committees, commissions, agencies, boards, and task forces created by the 78th General Convention meet to study and propose legislation to be discussed and voted upon in Austin. While most Episcopalians are oblivious to the machinations of General Convention, the decisions that are made at this gathering has an impact on what can (and should) be happening in local congregations as each of us are members of this church body. For example, decisions that effect every church goers that was approved at previous conventions include: the use of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, the election of our current Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, the ordination of women, the inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons in all aspects of church life, and full-communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). Continue reading Looking Toward General Convention →