Our middle son, Jeff, about 7 years old at the time, was sitting in the front seat of our car rummaging around the glove box. He pulled out the myriad selection of old sunglasses and proceeded to put them on, one after another, piling them up on his face and looking through the layers of lenses until he couldn’t see anymore! That memory has become iconic for me as an illustration of how we tend to perceive the world, or scripture…or just about anything – through multiple lenses, layers upon layers. Our lenses include such things as: our age/generational culture, gender, economic status, nationality, religious beliefs, background, education, geographical location…and of course, our race.
I’m offering a New Year’s call to commit some intentional time to evaluate the layers of lensed frames we may be perceiving the world and our lives without really knowing it. It’s only when we understand the lenses through which we perceive the world that we can make faithful choices and adaptations to our perceptions and subsequently our actions.
The contract the Southwest Conference has with Antiracism Study Dialogue Circles continues into its second round of offerings to help us each as individuals, as church communities, and as a conference to understand one of those frames/lenses: what author Joe Feagin calls the White Racial Frame which has been woven into the foundational fabric of our American culture from its beginnings. The Southwest Conference is underwriting the cost of these offerings so that they might be widely participated in and help us transform and adjust ourselves, our communities and conference away from the supremacy of the White Racial Frame, and into a more equitable and just multiracial frame.
These course offerings are free…BUT they are not EASY! This journey of changing lenses, adjusting our perceptions and ultimately our organizational systems and culture takes time and effort, introspection, new learning, practice, perseverance, honesty and humility. I hope we can make 2023 a year when we dive deep as individuals, churches and a conference into this pilgrimage of antiracism and racial justice. Let me describe to you the offerings that will be coming in the next six months, all via ZOOM, and all are open to BOTH lay and clergy.
May we have a New Year of transformation and adaptation to more fully manifest God’s evolving reality of unconditional love and justice!
Rev. Dr. Barb Doerrer-Peacock
Acting Conference Minister /Associate Conference Minister
Sign up for circles and workshops HERE
(also see the info on the introductory workshops HERE)
NOTE: The Lenten Circle has been cancelled.
