This reflection was written by Michael Montgomery and Madeline Moore, co-conveners of the Engaging Racial Justice Working Group for the Diocese of Oregon
Have you ever let yourself dream about what our world, including our church, would be like without systematic racism? The Working Group on Racial Justice has been engaging in a process of asking as many Diocesan members as possible the following question:
If the Diocese of Oregon were to undergo a powerful transformation of racial reconciliation through the power of the Holy Spirit, what specific qualities and characteristics would we see?
This includes thinking about such things as programs, interaction, liturgy, stories, and foci.
We are finding that defining just what racial reconciliation is turns out to be both part of the process and part of the answer.
Some of the comments we have received include:
- Reworking our creeds and prayers, to be more inclusive.
- Doing the work of seeing Christ in one another. Discipleship where our politics, poverty, and well-being of others is at the center of our work.
- Offering kindness and perhaps feeling discomfort at the same time.
- Not putting the burden on the ones being marginalized.
- In a racially reconciled Diocese, whiteness will not be the norm.
- Our congregation is totally white, and we are exactly the population who need to embrace the Holy Spirit and move toward racial understanding and the elimination of racism
How about you? What do your dreams include? We would love for you to take some time to think about this question and email us back so that we can be more expansive in our work.
We welcome all thoughts and comments. Please send them to [email protected].