The PTCA Anti-Racism Spiritual Pilgrimage is a yearlong journey of:
- deepening our engagement with the racial history of Minnesota and Western Wisconsin
- using personal reflection and small groups to practice spiritual skills for anti-racist living
- taking action in solidarity with Black, Indigenous and other People of Color who are our neighbors in the community
How Will the Pilgrimage Unfold?
The pilgrimage will unfold in thematic units. Each unit will:
- include truth telling, reflection, and action – guided by the voices and/or scholarship of BIPOC community leaders
- engage stories, related to the unit’s theme, of how racism, resistance to racial oppression, and backlash to resistance has played out in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin
- be 7-8 weeks long, and include
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1. Preparatory reading/viewing of articles, films, etc. exploring the unit’s theme.
2. A Zoom gathering for worship, additional “seeds” for conversation, and small group reflection/ discussion. Zoom gatherings will be offered at three different times to accommodate various schedules:
3. Response action and reflection—each participant will have 2-3 weeks to take at least one action in response to their learning during the pilgrimage unit, and reflect on that action. Response actions are not intended to be “solutions,” but rather next faithful steps to deeper engagement and reflection on the way to making anti-racism work part of each person’s daily Christian discipline. |
Themes, Resources, and Schedule for the Spiritual Pilgrimage
Theme 1 Powerful Encouters: Bedrock
Reflecting on the long pre-European history of human communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and the earliest encounters between Indigenous nations and European and African-descent people
- Pre-Reading/ Reflection Resources—Coming Soon!
- Zoom Gathering for Prayer/ Worship, Additional “Conversation Seeds,” and Small Group Reflection—Week of September 21-27, 2020
- Cohort A: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 6:30-8:30pm
- Cohort B: Saturday, Sept. 26, 9:00-11:00am
- Cohort C: Sunday, Sept. 27, 3:00-5:00pm
- Recording of Educational Offerings from Zoom Gathering— Will Be Posted When Available
- Response Action Ideas and Resources—Will Be Posted When Available
- Reflections from PTCA Members on Learnings from this Theme—Will Be Posted When Available
Theme 2 Fragile Reign: Colonization and Repression
Reckoning with the difficult history of colonization, and the structures of white supremacy which could never fully quell the resistance of Black, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC)
- Pre-Reading/ Reflection Resources—Coming Soon!
- Zoom Gathering for Prayer/ Worship, Additional “Conversation Seeds,” and Small Group Reflection—Week of November 9-15, 2020
- Cohort A: Wednesday, Nov. 11, 6:30-8:30pm
- Cohort B: Saturday, Nov. 14, 9:00-11:00am
- Cohort C: Sunday, Nov. 15, 3:00-5:00pm
- Recording of Educational Offerings from Zoom Gathering— Will Be Posted When Available
- Response Action Ideas and Resources—Will Be Posted When Available
- Reflections from PTCA Members on Learnings from this Theme—Will Be Posted When Available
Theme 3 Making a Way from No Way: Activism & Advocacy
Uplifting the myriad ways that BIPOC used institutions and systems to advocate and organize for systemic change
- Pre-Reading/ Reflection Resources—Coming Soon!
- Zoom Gathering for Prayer/ Worship, Additional “Conversation Seeds,” and Small Group Reflection—Week of January 25-31, 2021
- Cohort A: Wednesday, Jan. 27, 6:30-8:30pm
- Cohort B: Saturday, Jan. 30, 9:00-11:00am
- Cohort C: Sunday, Jan. 31, 3:00-5:00pm
- Recording of Educational Offerings from Zoom Gathering— Will Be Posted When Available
- Response Action Ideas and Resources—Will Be Posted When Available
- Reflections from PTCA Members on Learnings from this Theme—Will Be Posted When Available
Theme 4 Homemaking & Homecoming: The Good Life
Celebrating the BIPOC people and communities that persevered in making Minnesota and Western WI a warm and vibrant place for themselves – and all of us
- Pre-Reading/ Reflection Resources—Coming Soon!
- Zoom Gathering for Prayer/ Worship, Additional “Conversation Seeds,” and Small Group Reflection—Week of March 15-21, 2021
- Cohort A: Wednesday, March 17, 6:30-8:30pm
- Cohort B: Saturday, March 20, 9:00-11:00am
- Cohort C: Sunday, March 21, 3:00-5:00pm
- Recording of Educational Offerings from Zoom Gathering— Will Be Posted When Available
- Response Action Ideas and Resources—Will Be Posted When Available
- Reflections from PTCA Members on Learnings from this Theme—Will Be Posted When Available
Theme 5 Rise! Active Resistance
Lifting up the stories of courageous movements that stood up for justice in active resistance
- Pre-Reading/ Reflection Resources—Coming Soon!
- Zoom Gathering for Prayer/ Worship, Additional “Conversation Seeds,” and Small Group Reflection—Week of May 10-16, 2021
- Cohort A: Wednesday, May 12, 6:30-8:30pm
- Cohort B: Saturday, May 15, 9:00-11:00am
- Cohort C: Sunday, May 16, 3:00-5:00pm
- Recording of Educational Offerings from Zoom Gathering— Will Be Posted When Available
- Response Action Ideas and Resources—Will Be Posted When Available
- Reflections from PTCA Members on Learnings from this Theme—Will Be Posted When Available
Why A Spiritual Pilgrimage?
The murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, by Minneapolis police, showed us once again the death-dealing power of systemic racism in our country.
Our hearts are with our Black & African-American siblings in Christ across the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area (PTCA). There are no words that can grasp the deep exhaustion, fear, grief, and pain caused by the repeated brutalization of Black bodies and terrorization of Black communities. There are also no words for the amazing acts of love, resistance and resilience in the Minnesota Black community.
For those in our PTCA community who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC): we see you. We know that there are important conversations to be had within communities of color right now, for healing, truth, and repair – and that our institutional conversations may not be where you need to engage. We are committed to seeking your comments and providing support and resources. Despite our differing labors in this effort, we seek to stand together.
Still, as a majority-white presbytery with majority-white leadership, our institutional and communal work at this time as followers of Christ is to listen humbly, pray fervently and act courageously, following the lead of experienced Black activists and thought-leaders.
The Rev. William H. Lamar IV wrote:
Our hearts are with our Black & African-American siblings in Christ across the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area (PTCA). There are no words that can grasp the deep exhaustion, fear, grief, and pain caused by the repeated brutalization of Black bodies and terrorization of Black communities. There are also no words for the amazing acts of love, resistance and resilience in the Minnesota Black community.
For those in our PTCA community who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC): we see you. We know that there are important conversations to be had within communities of color right now, for healing, truth, and repair – and that our institutional conversations may not be where you need to engage. We are committed to seeking your comments and providing support and resources. Despite our differing labors in this effort, we seek to stand together.
Still, as a majority-white presbytery with majority-white leadership, our institutional and communal work at this time as followers of Christ is to listen humbly, pray fervently and act courageously, following the lead of experienced Black activists and thought-leaders.
The Rev. William H. Lamar IV wrote:
There comes a time when being nice is the worst kind of violence.
This is especially true of the many Christians who erroneously conflate being nice with following Jesus. No more euphemisms. No more pretending.”
In this spirit, we cannot pretend our communities, church, and common life are not deeply shaped by the legacy and present realities of racism and resistance to racial oppression.
Accordingly, the 2020-2021 Spiritual Pilgrimage invites all to take a closer look at the history of racism and resistance to racial oppression in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin so we are better equipped to take action in solidarity with ongoing efforts to repair centuries of oppression and move toward the life-giving justice for all that God intends.
Accordingly, the 2020-2021 Spiritual Pilgrimage invites all to take a closer look at the history of racism and resistance to racial oppression in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin so we are better equipped to take action in solidarity with ongoing efforts to repair centuries of oppression and move toward the life-giving justice for all that God intends.
