By Kim Thomas, Mosaic Coordinator, PacNWC
On Saturday, June 5, 2021, the PacNWC hosted its very first justice conference designed to support churches and their congregants in learning and processing social justice issues impacting our local geographical area. Our goal was to provide a safe space for our churches and congregants who may not have the resources to process and engage these topics within their church community.
We were blessed to have leaders, Jamar Tisby, racial righteousness, Eugene Cho, homelessness and poverty, Dr. Randy Wooley, the doctrine of discovery, and Shiela Wise-Rowe, exploring racial trauma and recovery. Our speakers spoke with sensitivity and understanding, aware that our viewers were all at different stages of the journey. We also appreciate Pastors Mike Thomas, Radiant, Dave Sims, Renew, and Lenore Three Stars for being gracious with their time and knowledge to lead these talks.
We incorporated prayer and worship music. We invited local conference pastors to share a prayer of lament and joy throughout the conference. We ‘shout out’ Pastors Rebecca Worl, Cedarcreek, and Ben Zabel, Shoreline, for being so positive about this new experience. They were pastoral and tenderly cared about how the entire group processed these topics. We give special thanks to the worship leaders who supported the conference. Rev. Mark Stuckey, First Covenant Church in Portland, OR, lead a worship leader team from 15 Covenant churches. It was inspiring to see how important these social justice topics are to those we watch worshipping weekly from the front of the church. We are happy to provide the video link to all to enjoy, worship, and be blessed by Pacific Northwest Conference Worship Leaders Network.
Lastly, we thank you for providing feedback about the Justice Institutes as we process the next steps. It is excellent to have objective information about how you received the day. As a conference, we will continue to lead the way in connecting social justice topics to the Word of God. As a family, and yes, we are a family (worts and all), we strive daily to do what the Lord has required of us; in Micah 6:8, He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. We invite you to join us on this journey.
What’s next for us as a conference? We have several ideas in the planning stages, which we will share at a later date. Until then, we encourage all clergy to participate in the anti-racism cohorts that will be starting soon.
Thank you!