– A Message from Your Lay Leader, Kim R. Smith
Across the Sound District, both the laity and the clergy are working so hard to find a way forward. It’s exciting! During a recent meeting of the Dismantling Racism Team, the clergy present were discussing how to improve and move forward with their monthly Lunch n’ Learn Sessions. I was the one of two laity there and noticed that the reading list for the United Women in Faith Reading program, had many selections that hit the mark for what the clergy were trying to read.
What if? I sat and listened for a few minutes because I am not clergy and no matter how nice a room of preachers are… it can be intimidating! In my mind I was questioning the goal. The team wanted to have better understanding of racial issues faced by not only many of them personally, but also the laity they serve. My heart knew that I had benefited from participating with the clergy. I had also benefited from the UWF Reading Program…What if?
Long story short, we decided not to work harder…but to work smarter and combine teams and resources already in place. The result is the Sound District Reading Program series of Lunch n’ Learn sponsored by the Dismantling Racism Team AND The United Women in Faith. BOTH clergy and laity will be reading the same selections this summer and coming together via Zoom during lunch… to share, to learn, and to GROW TOGETHER. We give special thanks to UWF Reading Program Coordinator, Jeanne Murray who will be facilitating the sessions.
The great thing about reinvention is that it allows what might have sounded crazy five years ago, to suddenly sound like a pretty good idea. What if? Imagine what could happen if as church families, we did the same thing! Let’s climb out of our boxes this summer as we prepare to make a difference in the issues facing our churches, our communities, our nation, and our world.
I challenge each of you to share this reading program using all your resources. I hope that you will commit to joining in this summer as well. Get to know the other laity from across the sound, and the other clergy. Discover how amazing it can be when we think outside of the usual box and begin to explore what CAN be when we build relationships and connect in new ways for the glory of…and as called to do by our risen Savior.
- May Book Selection-
“ So You Want to Talk about Race?” by Ijeoma Oluo Lunch n’ Learn Gathering via Zoom on May 15th at noon.
- July Book Selection-
“ Tattoos on the Heart” by Gregory Boyle
Lunch n’ Learn Gathering via Zoom July 17th at noon.
- August Book Selection-
“Love is the Way” by Bishop Michael Curry
Lunch n’ Learn Gathering via Zoom on August 21st at noon.
