Social Justice and Racial Healing

As a parish in in the Episcopal Church in Connecticut and part of the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement, at St. Matthew's we dream and work to live out our baptismal promises individually and corporately where all people may experience dignity and abundant life and see themselves and others as beloved children of God.

• Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? I will with God's help.
• Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ? I will with God's help.
• Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? I will with God's help.
• Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? I will with God's help.

As part of this ongoing journey, members of St. Matthew's participate in a number of initiatives to educate ourselves, respond to racial injustice, and grow as a community of reconcilers, justice-makers, and healers. Among the things that we have and continue to do include:

• Read and discuss books related to racial injustice, white privilege, and America's history regarding race, class, religion, and ethnicity
• In Spring 2021, participated in The Episcopal Church's Sacred Ground, a 10-part series built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories.
• Offer a weekly prayer for Sunday's worship.
• Host a Juneteenth Celebration.
• Created and lead a social justice themed Stations of the Cross on Good Friday.
• Host gatherings and speakers such as The Witness Stones Project (memorializing the enslaved in our communities) and Swords to Plowshares Northeast (gun violence)
• Participate in the Episcopal Church in Connecticut's Racial Healing, Justice, and Reconciliation Ministry Network
• Watch films (such as Traces of the Trade) and attend events that open our eyes to other viewpoints and perspectives
• Attend webinars such as Exploring the Doctrine of Discovery.
• Host letter-writing campaigns to "Get out the Vote.
• Collaborate and connect with neighboring parishes engaged in this work

Read more about The Witness Stones Project here.

Read our Report to the 2021 Annual Meeting here (page 36).

Read our 2022 Social Justice Annual Report.

The Becoming Beloved Community document helps us to understand and take up the long-term commitments necessary to form loving, liberating, and life-giving relationships with each other. Together, we are growing as reconcilers, justice-makers, and healers in the name of Christ.

For more information about joining the "Social Justice & Racial Healing" group meetings (the 1st Wednesday every month from 7:30-8:45pm via Zoom) or any of our projects, contact Sharon Pearson.

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