Heat, Fire & the Help of God in Racial Reconciliation
Trinity Wall Street has recently declared an intention to be intentional about holding conversations about race — and so I was eager to connect with the Episcopal Church’s new missioner for racial reconciliation, Heidi Kim, at the Forma conference. Heidi gives it to you straight: “Those of us who engage in this work will make mistakes… all the time.” It’s inevitable, she says, because the work engenders heat and fire. Expect that “there will be passion, shame, and pain — and that we will need to work through it all.” Why? The fact is that racism has had an impact on all of us. Heidi recommends careful planning before entering into a reconciliation process, inviting churches to take the time to explore fears and anxieties, hopes and dreams, details and considerations, to become clear at the outset. The very first step in preparation, however, is to get clear about why — why reconciliation is important to you and your community. Can we really move past all the shame, the rage, and the grief? The hope is contained in words from the Baptismal Covenant: “We will with God’s help.” Remembering that we are not alone, during times when the work seems overwhelmingly difficult, is a great comfort. “But we can’t be passive about it, either,” says Heidi. In our full engagement, we will make mistakes, we will hurt one another, and we will be uncertain — but we will be on the right track because “certainty is the enemy of reconciliation.” Heidi Kim’s best advice for those on the journey? Make the decision to do the work, be patient, and love the people through it. Dr. Kathy Bozzuti-Jones is assoc. director of Faith Formation and Education at Trinity Wall Street in NYC, with responsibilities in children, youth, and adult programming. Her academic training is in Christian Social Ethics, Spiritual Direction, and Interfaith ministry. Image used from Flikr Creative Commons