Warm greetings to all who registered for Gathering on Sacred Ground, with Presiding Bishop Curry!
We are so grateful to all the participants and facilitators who shared their Sacred Ground stories, grateful for the poetry and the song, and grateful to the Presiding Bishop for blessing us and calling us forward. We are also deeply moved by how many of you registered: 4121! – and that approximately 3200 of you attended or watched the simultaneous livestream on YouTube (many more since). We are indeed living members of the Jesus Movement!
You can find and share the event recording on the main page of The Episcopal Church website as well as the main Sacred Ground page. Stay tuned for a closed captioned version of the recording and for an FAQ that responds to your most popular questions posed during the gathering. In addition, check out this wonderful story about the gathering in the Episcopal News Service.
The program leaflet is here, including the Litany of Repentance and prayers for racial justice, with sources listed (find more on the Religious Resources page of the Sacred Ground webpages). The Sacred Ground Is… poem created by the Trinity Church Santa Barbara circle is here.
Weblinks related to the gathering are listed below:
Support The Episcopal Church’s work for racial reconciliation, healing and justice - The Episcopal Church is very pleased to offer this curriculum at no charge… and, if you are inspired and touched by the work and are in a position to make a gift to help it grow, here is the link.
Episcopal Asset Map - This map shows the hundreds of locations across the Church that have registered a Sacred Ground circle
Becoming Beloved Community Where You Are Resource - The best place to start when discerning “What comes next?” after Sacred Ground and where God is calling you in the lifelong journey toward truth, healing and justice
Becoming Beloved Community – The Episcopal Church’s vision for racial healing, reconciliation and justice, plus resources, curricula and more
Racial Justice Audit and upcoming webinars - The Racial Justice Audit surveyed Episcopal Church leaders about their experiences of racism, racial identity, and power in the life of our church. – read the audit and attend the upcoming webinars to learn more
From Many, One - Conversations Across Difference is a campaign inviting Episcopalians and our neighbors to engage in one-to-one listening and sharing across the many differences that separate us.
Register for FREE tickets to the May 22 Concert for the Human Family – This inspiring virtual event will include the postlude song (“Welcome to the Show” by Kory Caudill and Wordsmith), “From Many, One” conversations across difference, and a post-concert conversation with Presiding Bishop Curry and guests
Social Justice and Advocacy - Episcopal resources and events on community organizing and working for justice that take us “from the pews to the public square”.
Summary of Anti-racism and Dismantling Racism Trainings - select list of trainings by groups familiar with the Episcopal Church
Finally, a few statistics that may be of interest: of the 4121 registrants,
720 were facilitators
3013 were participants
432 have been both participant and facilitator
235 were from other denominations/faiths (highest #’s: Lutheran, Catholic, Presbyterian)
In closing, we loved bearing witness to the growing community building around Sacred Ground. May there continue to be ripples of spirit that bring us closer to God’s and our dream of beloved community. After the event Katrina was out for a walk and saw someone wearing a T-shirt that said “Teamwork for Dream work.”
May it be so!
Webinar Recording:
Watch the webinar recording on the Episcopal Church website here. We will also let you know when a more accessible version with closed captions is available.
Thanks again,
Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers
Canon to the Presiding Bishop for Evangelism, Reconciliation and Creation Care
Katrina Browne
Sacred Ground Curriculum Developer
Consultant, Becoming Beloved Community
Phoebe Chatfield
Associate for Creation Care and Justice
Presiding Bishop's Office
For more information on how to engage with issues of racial justice and reconciliation, check out The Episcopal Church Becoming Beloved Community webpage.
From email sent from sacredground@episcopalchurch.org on May 4, 2021.