Doing Our Work
Let’s do the work.
A coalition of churches in my previous hometown created an ongoing antiracism program they called “Doing our Work.” Churches from across the community gathered for shared formation, then at other times the predominantly white and historically black congregations gathered separately to do the specific work that they each needed to do.
Those Black congregations gathered for inspiration and support, for the work of naming and undoing internalized oppression. For the white congregations, that work meant beginning to recognize the hidden and overt ways that white supremacy was very much alive and well, and often supported by current practices and behaviors.
That is just one example of what the work can look like. The work of dismantling racism, which I believe is mandated by our baptismal covenant, might look a little different in every context, but there is a foundation of courage and humility that is essential to every setting.
Our work requires a willingness to name our sin, and change our hearts.
This weekend, we remember the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by welcoming President Michael Baston of Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) to the 9:00 a.m. Abundant Table and the 11:15 a.m. service. We celebrate a saint of the church and nation, but we also remember that we are called to do the work. That work is individual, to be explored with friends, family, pastors and therapists. That work is communal, leading us to have hard and hopeful conversations that require great vulnerability and grace from each of us. That work is poetic and liturgical, as we seek to heal the soul of our nation by starting with our own hearts.
Dr. King called us not only to be the beloved community, but to do the work that will get us there. With hearts on fire, let’s get to work!
The Very Rev. Bernard J Owens