A supplement to the NEWSpirit Winter 2017 article, “District dialogues offer ‘real talk’ about race” At our request, a number of clergy participants in recent racial dialogue and learning events, sponsored by four districts, kindly shared their reactions and reflections …
District dialogues offer ‘real talk’ about race
Real talk about race is happening around much of the Eastern PA Conference this winter, as dialogues and teaching moments bring people together to explore a difficult but timely topic. And we’ve only just begun. The Central, Southeast and East …
NEJ Bishops urge welcome for immigrants, refugees
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, . . .” United Methodist Bishops of the Northeastern Jurisdiction quoted poet Emma Lazarus’s words found on the Statue of Liberty (also known as “Mother of Exiles”) …
Honor M.L. King’s legacy, dream this weekend
Sunday, Jan. 15, is the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, which our nation will also celebrate with a holiday on Monday, Jan. 16 this year. What will your church and community do to honor this occasion and its significance …
Districts dig deeper into real talk about race
Four districts will dive deeper into their exploration of racial understanding and race relations in January and February with upcoming dialogues that may lead to more. Clergy and laity from all districts are invited to attend. The Southeast District will …
Phila. church offers sanctuary to shield father from deportation
Arch Street UMC in Philadelphia is providing sanctuary for Javier Flores García, 40, an undocumented Mexican immigrant and a husband and father of three. The church, which is part of the national New Sanctuary Movement, welcomed him into asylum the …
Improving race relations on a personal level
The Eastern PA Conference has published three times the Northeastern Jurisdiction College of Bishops’ recent statement promising to work on dismantling racism, healing the pain of violence and oppression, and becoming effective peacemakers. We have published their historic statement, delivered …
Annual Conference learns about breaking down dividing walls
The two main featured speakers at The United Methodist Church’s Eastern Pennsylvania Annual Conference in June set a tone that was healing and harmonious, like the Apostle Paul’s good news that Jesus Christ had “broken down the dividing wall of …
Study reveals burdens of Phila. nonprofits with black leadership
The Philadelphia African American Leadership Forum (PAALF) recently published a comparative research study on the uniquely critical role African American-led nonprofit service agencies play and the challenges they face in serving African American communities. The Rev. David W. Brown, a …
Resources for nonprofits serving black communities
A matter of black and white? By the Rev. David W. Brown* Recently I was honored to have led an effort by the Philadelphia African American Leadership Forum (PAALF) — a network of African American leaders committed to improving the …