Becoming the Beloved Community: Talking About Race in America

Please register for this impactful workshop presented by the Anti-Racism Task Force of the Northern Illinois Conference. The First UMC Church & Social Action committee will host the workshop at our church on Saturday, October 28, 2023.

This is a 4-hour workshop from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with light breakfast beforehand (8:30 am) and light lunch afterwards. Space is limited to 30 people. Registration fee is $20 per person. Payment may be made online or by mail. Click here to register.

What is Beloved Community? Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. popularized the concept during the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. King envisioned the Beloved Community to be a global movement where the agape love of God would be the driving force to redemption and reconciliation and a place where all people can share in the abundance of wealth in the world. In the Beloved Community, all forms of discrimination, bigotry, and dehumanization are eradicated and countered by a more inclusive, interdependent existence of people who live in a non-violent harmony with one another.

Why talk about race in America?  It is an understatement to say that the last sentence describing the Beloved Community is a tall order. So, we need to get working on it. The workshop will invite each person to examine their own story and be available to listen to others. To make progress on race we have to stay engaged, even with people with whom we disagree. We all need to practice this. The workshop seeks to lay the groundwork for friendships and alliances that will fight racism together.