Beloved Community Action Steps // M-Note 3.1.25

A Note From Guest M-Note Author, Pastor Charity...

Thank you for leaning in to The Beloved Community series. I know some of you leave this series anxious to do more anti-racism work, while others may have felt challenged unnecessarily. I suspect most of you are somewhere in between. I’m simply grateful for the fact that you are engaging the content and facing yourselves and our bias. I want you to know that I, too, am doing this challenging, messy and beautiful work alongside you.

I've heard from many people that they would like to take action moving out of this series. Here are some ideas as to what you can do now:

The Beloved Community Resource Page: Here, you'll find books to read, podcasts to listen to, sermons to catch up on, as well as a list of St. Louis organizations doing great work in this space. Spend some time perusing, and I know you'll find a next step to take that's right for wherever you are on your journey.

Community for Anti-Racist Action Wellness Group: If this wasn't the first time you've tackled intentional anti-racism work, I encourage you to sign up for this action group. It's definitely for those more familiar with this space, and will be a powerful, action-oriented, experience.

Ash Wednesday + Lenten Devotional: Ending this series right as Lent begins will allow us to come together for a season of reflection and examination on what we just experienced. We'll have early morning ashes all over town on Ash Wednesday (March 5) as well as a service that night at 7pm at the McCausland site.And, this year’s devotional is experiential, artistic, and communal. Sign up for the Lenten Devotional TODAY.

Faith in Practice Class: Serve Your Community: I hope to see you at the next Faith in Practice Class on Saturday, March 8. Set up as a "Ministry & Mission Fair," it will resource you with ways to serve within and beyond the church, as I'm sure many are feeling the nudge to do after this series. In addition, there will be speakers throughout the day.

Finally, don't miss worship this Sunday when guest preacher Rev. Dr. Rev. Dr. Dietra Wise Baker sermon will focus on actions we can take. Dr. Wise Baker is Assistant Professor of Community Leadership, Director of Walker Leadership Institute at Eden Theological Seminary here in St. Louis. You want to be there!

Moving Forward,

Charity