Racial Reconciliation
God’s kingdom is bigger
By Kevin Himes In Acts 10, Peter had a dream — a weird dream. Foods that any God-fearing Jew knew to be unclean were no longer off limits. It’s like a vegetarian dreaming of bacon high fiving a cheeseburger while God says, “It’s okay to eat meat now!” Although it seemed ridiculous at the time, Peter’s dream ultimately paved the…
‘Aha’ moments: Reflections on a lifetime
By Gregory Battle “Now I understand why people choose to have biographers. This is painful to revisit.” — All-Too-Black Greg Many of the things that have formed my life experiences are the same things that have formed the lives of other men of my age. Then there’s a whole other thing: I am visibly Black. I have 67+ years of learning…
Celebrate Social Justice Sunday on June 18
Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s racial reconciliation resource team, is inviting all Ohio Conference churches to set aside Sunday, June 18, as Social Justice Sunday, in recognition of Juneteenth the following day. (If June 18 does not work well for your congregation, please consider setting aside a different Sunday as Social Justice Sunday.) The theme for this year’s Sunday is…
June 18 is Social Justice Sunday
Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s racial reconciliation resource team, is inviting all Ohio Conference churches to set aside Sunday, June 18, as Social Justice Sunday, in recognition of Juneteenth the following day. (If June 18 does not work well for your congregation, please consider setting aside a different Sunday as Social Justice Sunday.) The team is preparing worship planning resources,…
List of resources for racial reconciliation work now available
Grace & Groundings, Ohio Conference’s racial reconciliation resource team, has compiled a list of resources for working at racial reconciliation: Racial Reconciliation Resource List.
Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.
Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This is a day that remembers the nonviolent approach to racial justice that was led by minister and activist Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Grace & Groundings,” Ohio Conference’s racial reconciliation resource team, invites you to use the previous Sunday – Jan. 15, 2023 – to remember the work…
Grounding our healing in grace
Let us begin to heal. Read Proverbs 3:1-7, noting especially verse 5a: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” We are in community with each other. Many of us are hurting. Can we come together and promote healing? Maybe you don’t see it. Maybe you don’t feel it. But when you listen…
Winter Read starts discussion process
Conversations about race can be uncomfortable for some of us. How do we begin to grapple with issues of racial reconciliation? More than 60 people from around the Ohio Conference committed to discussing racial reconciliation this winter while participating in a new initiative called the Ohio Conference Winter Read. Led by Pastors Vikki Pruitte-Sorrells of Lee Heights Community Church in…
Winter Read offers place for discussion
We would love to have you join us for the Ohio Conference Winter Read, which is currently underway. This winter Ohio Conference is trying something new, a Conference-wide book study offered via Zoom. We are studying Latasha Morrison’s book Be the Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation. As of mid-January, 58 people are participating in the Winter Read. Discussion leaders…
Video series promotes discussion
A group of Ohio Conference congregations from Wayne County has joined together to create a video series focused on intercultural ministry and racial reconciliation. Series on Solidarity is a six-part series of videos and accompanying questions for small group discussions.
The goal of this series is to facilitate understanding and to promote the equality of all people. The Ohio Conference supported this project with a ministry grant in 2020. For links to these videos and the discussion guide, see http://bit.ly/SeriesonSolidarity.