Welcome to the June edition of the Becoming Beloved Community (BBC) newsletter. |
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Our calling is not only to pull people out of the river, but to go upstream and find out what or who is pushing them in. – Jim Wallis (Evangelical pastor, author)
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What is Becoming Beloved Community at Holy Comforter?
As we reel from the effects of multiple viruses—systemic racism, COVID 19, and environmental devastation—we look to our Church and its understanding of Jesus’ call to us. At Holy Comforter, we seek to build and become a Beloved Community, respecting all people as “made in the image of God.” In alignment with the National Episcopal Church, Holy Comforter’s Becoming Beloved Community ministry is our multi-generational commitment and journey to growing a community of reconcilers, justice makers, and healers. Questions about Becoming Beloved Community? Contact us at: BBC@holycomforter.com. |
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BBC Calendar:
June 13: Book and Movie Club - My Name is Pauli Murray; 6:30 p.m.; Ministry Center
June 20: Junteenth (Public Holiday Date)
June 22: Daryl Davis for Liberty Amendment Month - 6:30 p.m.; Vienna Community Center
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Book and Movie Club
My Name is Pauli Murray (film)
Monday, June 13; 6:30 p.m.; Ministry Center
In-Person Film Viewing and Discussion with Pizza
Fifteen years before Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat, Pauli Murray fights for social justice. A non-binary Black lawyer, activist, poet, and priest, Murray influenced both Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Thurgood Marshall.
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Juneteenth Celebration
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American and History (NMAAHC) will host a variety of virtual and in-person events and programs highlighting the experiences of African American Juneteenth celebrations. Also known as Freedom Day, Juneteenth marks the moment in United States’ history—June 19, 1865—when the remaining 250,000 enslaved African Americans in Confederate states were legally declared free—two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. In the century-and-a-half since, the Juneteenth holiday represents a time to gather with family and community, honor the present and reflect on shared history and tradition. The museum’s programming and educational resources can be found on its award-winning Juneteenth website. |
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How can you hate me when you don’t even know me?
Lecture and Discussion; Wednesday, June 22; 6:30 p.m.; Vienna Community Center
An encounter with prejudice early in life led black musician Daryl Davis on a quest to determine the source of the hate. Davis has attended countless KKK rallies and developed relationships with Klan leaders. His unorthodox yet simple approach has wielded surprising results and just might be one part of a solution to racial discourse. Daryl Davis graduated from Howard University with a degree in Jazz. He performs nationally and internationally with The Daryl Davis Band, and has worked with such notables as Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley’s Jordanaires, and The Legendary Blues Band.
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Check Out the BBC Book Collection in the Holy Comforter Library!
Including these and other titles for children, youth/young adult, fiction, non-fiction:
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A graphic novel trilogy, March is a vivid first-hand account of the late Congressman John Lewis’ lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis’ personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement.
Book One spans John Lewis’ youth in rural Alabama, his life-changing meeting with Martin Luther King, Jr., the birth of the Nashville Student Movement, and their battle to tear down segregation through nonviolent counter sit-ins, building to a stunning climax on the steps of City Hall.
Book Two picks up as John Lewis and his fellow Freedom Riders board a bus into the vicious heart of the deep south, where they will be tested like never before. Faced with beatings, police brutality, imprisonment, arson, and even murder, the movements young activists place their lives on the line. But their courage will attract the notice of powerful allies, from Martin Luther King, Jr. to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. Lewis becomes one of the “Big Six” leaders of the civil rights movement and a central figure in the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
Book Three starts in the fall of 1963, with the Civil Rights Movement penetrated deep into the American consciousness. As chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, John Lewis is guiding the tip of the spear. SNCC continues to force the nation to confront its own blatant injustice, but for every step forward, the danger grows more intense. The only hope for lasting change is to give voice to the millions of Americans silenced by voter suppression: “One Man, One Vote.” As a 25-year-old, John Lewis prepares to risk everything in a historic showdown high above the Alabama river, in a town called Selma.
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The story Henry Louis Gates, Jr. tells in Stony The Road begins with great hope, with the Emancipation Proclamation, Union victory, and the liberation of nearly 4 million enslaved African Americans. Until 1877, the federal government tried at various turns to sustain their new rights. But the terror unleashed by white paramilitary groups in the former Confederacy, combined with deteriorating economic conditions and a loss of Northern will, restored “home rule” to the South. The retreat from Reconstruction was followed by one of the most violent periods in our history, with thousands of black people murdered or lynched and many more afflicted by the degrading impositions of Jim Crow segregation. |
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Sacred Ground
Sacred Ground is a nine-session multi-media program, grounded in Christian faith, exploring racial injustice in the U.S. in the example of Jesus Christ and the power of scripture. To date, over 50 people have completed Sacred Ground at Holy Comforter. The program has been offered Monday nights from 7 to 8:30, between September and January. If you are interested in attending over the next program year, please contact the Rev. Ann Gillespie. |
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The Episcopal Church Awards Reparations for ‘Restoring Black Communities’
Six organizations received $30,000 each from a reparation grant fund established by the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland in 2020. Read the article.
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Home Town Podcast
The podcast from Episcopal Migration Ministries features six seasons including interviews, advocacy updates, prayer, music, author interviews, and stories lifting up the role of communities in migration ministry. Stream from the EMM website, or download on your favorite podcast app. |
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Become a Mentor with Year Up!
With Year Up, use your professional and life experience to help minority students and young professionals get a strong start. Year Up's mission is to close the Opportunity Divide by ensuring that young adults gain the skills, experiences, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through careers and higher education. See the flyer. Questions? Please contact Matt Barazia.
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Faith & Justice Summer Academy
Interested in attending? Apply online HERE. |
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