Spirituality and Race

Mission for Spirituality and Race

On January 12, 2022, we officially launched the Mission for Spirituality and Race in the Diocese of Michigan. This mission builds on work that we have done as a people in this Diocese for a number of years. As we continue this work, our Diocese will approach anti-racism as spiritual formation, not social justice. This Mission is an answer to our call to live into our Baptismal Covenant and become a beloved community through the dismantling of systems and behaviors that have raised artificial barriers between us as brothers, sisters, and siblings.

The mission continues to engage in formation through:

· Advent and Lenten Book studies

o Upcoming studies will cover the books Begin Again by Eddie S.

Glaude, Jr., and Unsettling Truths by Mark Charles

· Participation in the Anglicanism and Social Justice program through

Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary

o This two-year pilot course began in 2021 and theologically explores issues of Racism, Intersectionality, LGBTQ inclusion, Poverty and

Environmental Stewardship

· Diocesan-wide Sacred Ground Dialogue Circles

o Sacred Ground curriculum was recently updated to include a new module on Next Steps to guide people toward positive action within their contexts

· Diocesan-wide retreats

The Mission also works with individual congregations in their efforts to build beloved community in their contexts. Please contact Sr. Vee at sistervee@edomi.org if your congregation or parish group would like to hold tailored programs specific to you.

Going Forward:

Clergy, those in discernment for ordination, and lay persons who hold or are seeking elected office are canonically required to take anti-racism training. The new Anti-Racism curriculum for our Diocese uses a multi-media resources paired with facilitated conversation over a span of three short sessions. For more information and to register, visit the Spirituality and Race web page at www.edomi.org.

Becoming beloved community means understanding the whole of our story as a Diocese. In the 2022-2023 program year, we will begin to explore the history of the indigenous peoples whose land makes up our Diocese, and begin to study how theology has been used to harm our Native brothers, sisters, and siblings.

The Diocesan Task Force for Racial Repair reported its findings to Diocesan Convention in 2021; this work will continue with the theological work of racial

repair, listening to our church communities, and relating an honest history of who we are and how we came to be where we are.

Plans for pilgrimage have been on hold because of Covid and Covid variants; as vaccinations continue to mitigate the impacts of the virus, we will move forward with plans for prayerful pilgrimage to local sites as well as sites such as the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice.

Respectfully submitted by the Rev. Sr. Veronica Dunbar, Missioner for Spirituality and Race