Bringing home experiences from Justice Pilgrimage

The Very Rev. Adam Shoemaker, rector of  St. Stephen's, Charleston, recently returned from a weeklong Justice Pilgrimage of clergy representing the 20 dioceses in the southeastern United States who make up Province IV of The Episcopal Church. Here is his report from his experience.

I have recently returned from representing our diocese at a pilot program of the Episcopal Church focused on racial healing. The program is run out of the Diocese of Atlanta’s Absalom Jones Episcopal Center for Racial Healing. A racially diverse group of clergy representatives from every diocese of Province IV gathered at the center for a week of pilgrimage and, during the week, traveled together to Savannah and Charleston to reflect upon how our shared history around race in America continues to impact our present challenges. The goal of the program is for each clergy representative to go back to their home diocese to share the work of racial healing in their own contexts. We will check in with one another over the coming months and gather back at the Absalom Jones Center in January.
 
This was a full week of intense conversation, learning, and relationship building. We shared powerful experiences learning about the history of slavery and how that legacy has been carried forward in many ways. I am still processing these experiences but was grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of this program.
 
The bottom line learning for me is to understand that racial healing in this country is not so much an end point as it is a process. It is incumbent upon us as a part of the “body of Christ” to be a part of this ongoing work. To do that well, the church must have the courage to create brave spaces where hard truths can be both spoken and heard. This requires light skinned Christians like myself being willing to really listen to the experiences of African Americans without being defensive or rushing in to try to solve problems. It requires appreciating the fact that the work of racial healing is critical for the well-being of all of us.
 
I would welcome the opportunity to speak with anyone who would like to learn more and look forward to sharing with many of you in the work ahead. To learn more about the Absalom Jones Episcopal Center for Racial Healing please visit: www.centerforracialhealing.org.

________________

An Episcopal New Service article about the Justice Pilgrimage can be found here.