Money Week: Why Spend Money on This Book or That Class?

Most white church people I know have never had a person of color over for dinner in their homes. They have never invited a person of color to spend the night in their guest rooms.  They have perhaps never even had dinner in a restaurant together side by side with a person of color.

And of course few of our congregations find white people and people of color together in the same pews on Sunday mornings.  There are multitudinous reasons for these realities.

Last weekend, my Presbytery shared this book with all our commissioners in hopes that people will read it and talk about it and be troubled/inspired/discomfited by it.  As the world changes – demographically and culturally, whether we like it or not –  we can decide to hunker down and pretend like we can segregate ourselves forever into communities that will always look like and sound like and think like we look, sound, and think.

Or we can try to learn from each other. Please read this book.

And if you live in the Chicago Area, please register here for anti-racism training to be held Saturday, October 1st at 9 am at Friendship Presbyterian Church.  The registration deadline is Monday, September 26.  Bring your mother.  Bring your neighbor.  Bring your co-worker. Invest in your own education for the sake of all that is good and holy.

If you don’t live in Chicago, check out the anti-racism opportunities in your town.

It will make a difference in the way we live our lives.