Racial Justice Engagement Report

From September 27, 2016 – October 4, 2016, the “Racial Justice Engagement Survey” was distributed to about 1,300 people involved at a Massachusetts UCC Church. In total, 320 responses were received in this time frame. This report highlights specific points within the survey and expounds on their importance.

Discussing Race and Racism in Church

Eighty-three percent of participants noted that it is important to discuss race and racism in church. Some people indicated in the notes that race and racism should not be discussed in church, though it is an important issue. This is a fair point. However, I would like to add that churches have been at the forefront of racial justice since the founding of America. There are examples of condemnation of slavery by Congregationalists, the predecessors to the UCC:
Rev. Samuel Sewall wrote the first anti-slavery pamphletabout these heinous acts on humanity. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was formed during the Civil Rights Movement to during the Jim Crow era. In fact Andrew Young, who vehemently helped the Civil Rights Movement, was ordained as a UCC minister in 1955. These examples are provided as a reference to how crucial the Church’s role is in social justice.

The Bible says in Genesis 1:27 that, “God created humankind in God’s own image, in the image of God, created them male and female.” Later in Genesis 1:31 the Bible says, “God saw all that was created, and it was very good.” When we combine these two essential passages from Genesis there is no basis for racism. Racial justice is a moral problem – it is a spiritual problem. Racism means we are not holistically embracing God’s word if we are not treating each other equally. Although there may not be acts of racism in church, the church has a moral duty. For this reason, it is my personal goal to help begin these conversations in church when I am invited.

Future MACUCC Resources

Podcast

There were mixed opinions on the podcast. Only 40% of respondents indicated that they would likely or very likely listen to the podcast on a weekly basis. In order to actively pursue any future resource, we would have liked there to have been at least 60% of likely or very likely listeners. Thus, at this time I cannot recommend moving forward with the podcast because I do not believe it would be the best use of the Conference’s resources and/or time. We want to be sure there is widespread use of our published resources. We are considering other ways to publish a podcast directly to YouTube to be more accessible than the MACUCC website.

Handbook & Short-Graphic Stories

The Racial Justice Handbook received overwhelming popularity, with 80% of participants saying they are likely or very likely to read the handbook. Thus, we have found an illustrator to produce four pictures for the handbook, and have begun the design work. In terms of the concepts that are going within the book, I am open to any suggestions so please email me. As of now, I am considering on a one-page dictionary of terms that often come up in conversation in regard to race, some personal stories, and some hypothetical stories for the graphic section.

Weekly Updates

Half of participants said they were not aware of MACUCC resources on racial justice. Part of this might be attributed to not people not using the resources on the MACUCC website. I will be completely revamping the website as of this week. We will begin by phasing out the old resources that are a bit dated and replacing them with new resources. Also the goal is to clear out some clutter to make the resources stand out more.

Discussion Questions

Many survey respondents iterated that it would be helpful to have movie and book discussion questions. One of the challenges is the financial aspect of congregations purchasing books and films for their parishioners or asking members to purchase their own copies. It can become expensive. Thus, we will have a recommended video and article list to capitalize on free resources; and these videos and articles will have discussion questions. Additionally, there will be a list of books and films on the website, and if a church has the fund to purchase then we can speak on a case-by-case basis.

Guest speakers/preachers

Seventy percent of participants noted that their congregations are likely or very likely to hear a guest speaker or preacher. Thus, I am making myself available to speak or preach at any Conference church at a mutually agreeable time. I have created a Doodle for each church to schedule a meeting or sermon with myself. These are dates for October and November 2016. Instructions below:

  1. Hold the control button and click the above hyperlink “Doodle” simultaneously
  2. Click the “Show all 15 options” button.
  3. Type your email address in the name category
  4. Click a date that works well for you; you may select five dates.
  5. Click the “Save” button.

God Bless,

TJ Harper

Associate for Racial Justice Ministries

508-875-5233, ext. 275