Six New Things: Week of July 27

One

Two rallying cries from Upper Room: editor Britney Winn Lee corralled some great writers to create Rally: Communal Prayers for Lovers of Jesus and Justice while Brenda Salter McNeil encourages us all in Becoming Brave: Finding the Courage to Pursue Racial Justice Now.

Two

Dig in to the why’s and wherefores with Jennifer G Brownell‘s Dispatch from Portland and OnBeing’s The Pause (in its entirety – it’s all good!), which focused on the life and work of Rev. John Lewis.

Three

Prepare your congregation for racial justice work – intergenerationally! – with Dismantling Racism Works Web Workbook; inspire your youth, specifically, with the MN Conference UCC’s Youth Lead Now: Equipping Young Leaders for Social Change (August 6); and take direct action by signing the letter to Bureau of Prisons – from Love Resists and the Loved Ones of federal inmates – calling for the prompt release of all imprisoned people in their custody who meet their own standards for COVID-19 humanitarian release.

Four

Support the spiritual well-being of your teens with Sarah E. Bollinger and Angela R. Olsen’s The Awakened Life for High School Students: Finding Stillness in an Anxious World (Upper Room) which includes a Student Guide & Leader’s Guide.

Five

Develop your own resiliency with Rev. Dr. Candace Adams, ACC’s Spiritual Wellness Journey Workshop and/or develop your pastoral skills in Movement Chaplaincy, the work of spiritual accompaniment to justice movements and their leaders, an emerging vocation that brings care, healing, and resilience-building to our struggles for justice.

Six

And to wrap it all up with a pretty bow: share Robin Tanner‘s A Blessing for Risk-Takers and Failures: because we all need reminders that we are enough and that all we do is all we can do.