Our 2021 vision at The Summit Church is to rise up as children of God in an uncertain world. One way we plan to walk this spiritual journey is by having conversations on topics that relate to equality for all humans, especially the oppressed. We hope to bring awareness and education on social topics and make connections to faith and the Bible.
Our first conversation will happen on Sunday, February 28th, at 7 p.m. online. Our Outreach Coordinator has prepared a list of recommended readings, movies, or podcasts for you to choose from. During the month of February, we encourage you to choose something to study, or choose a related item you’ve heard of elsewhere, and bring your thoughts on what you’ve learned to the conversation. This will be a sort of Show-and-Tell on how the material you chose has impacted the way you view racial justice as a calling for Jesus-followers. Also, this is a learning experience, so it’s okay if you’re new to this topic and have questions. We all hope to learn from the dialogue.
Additional resources will be added each week!
Added 2.3.21:
The responsibility lies with us to educate ourselves and act upon issues of racial justice. Black History Month is a great starting point for this journey toward antiracism, but shouldn’t be the end of your growth. Both NPR and PBS have exceptional new cultural, historical, and activist programming debuting in February, tune in or enjoy some of their curated playlists!
- (NEW) Black History Month: What’s Happening at NPR?
- (NEW) Celebrate Black History Month 2021
- (2020) Celebrate Black History Month with NPR Spotify playlist
Added 2.8.21:
Interested in learning, engaging, and acting more on racial justice, but don’t know where to start? Visit The National Museum of African American History & Culture’s website for self-reflection prompts, themed content (for parents, educators etc.), and resources.NMAAHC.SI.EDU
Added 2.15.21:
A post-Valentine’s Day, pre-Lent thought from Austin Channing Brown’s “I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness:” “Christians talk about love a lot. It’s one of our favorite words, especially when the topic is race. If we could just learn to love one another… Love trumps hate…Love someone different from you today…(…)I am not interested in love that is aloof. In a love that refuses hard work, instead demanding a bite-size education that doesn’t transform anything (…) I need a love that is troubled by injustice. A love that is provoked to anger when Black folks, including our children, lie dead in the streets. A love that can no longer be concerned with tone because it is concerned with life. A love that has no tolerance for hate, no excuses for racist decisions, no contentment in the status quo. I need a love that is fierce in its resilience and sacrifice. I need a love that chooses justice.”So, halfway through this month of study, start thinking about how you move from education to “hard work.” How will you choose justice?
Added 2.16.21:
From Tracie: I heard about this resource today, and it looks like a great one. It’s a discussion of slavery that’s framed for the Lenten season. https://www.amazon.com/Lent-Liberation-Confronting-American-Slavery/dp/0664266835/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=lent+of+liberation&qid=1613511531&sr=8-3
Added 2.17.21
Here’s someone to follow on Instagram for black liturgies this Lent. Cole Arthur Riley (search for blackliturgies)
Added 2.21.21
In the Summer of 2020, racial justice conversations reached a fever-pitch following the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor. These tragedies led to global protests and intensified discussions regarding the intersections of race, police brutality, and mass incarceration. These resources seek to explain and contextualize this often controversial topic.
- “American Police” episode of Throughline (podcast)
- “A Conversation with the Police” episode of Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man (YouTube video series)
- “A Panel Discussion on Race” from Biltmore Church including local citizens and law enforcement (YouTube video)
Added 2.25.21
“You don’t have to agree that God is in the bread in a mystical way to see its complex boundaries yet simple beauty. Both making and eating it alters our very bodies and the ways we exist in the world. It impacts the stories we tell about the places we live, the grains our soil grows, and the people with whom we eat. If white power gained strength through thousands of subtle fears about the boundaries of bodies, then it must be undone, in part, through thousands of subtle shifts in the ways our bodies operate in this world.”
What Black history lessons do you think need to be included in school curricula? Or for parents: what were/are you surprised to see is/isn’t being taught?
Check out this relevant and LOCAL collection: exhibits, event & book!- WNC Historical Assoc. Exhibit (Asheville) through April 30- Ann Miller Woodford virtual event tomorrow- Woodford exhibit at Mountain Heritage Center (Cullowhee) — the physical exhibit space is still closed, but they’re sharing materials/photos/info on their FB page- “When All God’s Children Get Together” book is available at Jackson County Public Library & City Lights Bookstore
Added 2.26.21
Here’s the link to join the Zoom Meeting on Sunday, February 28 at 7 p.m.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87565434490…
Meeting ID: 875 6543 4490Passcode: 877958
The Summit Church 
Leave a Reply