May 2023 Newsletter
Rostered ministers and lay members learn from Rev. Carla Christopher Wilson at the Racial Justice Training on May 4, hosted by Zion, Penn Hills.
Photo courtesy of Rev. Martin Rafanan
Racial Justice Training Reflections
by Rev. Ryan Pusch
Pastor Carla Christopher Wilson, who visited us from the Lower Susquehanna synod to lead our training, started us off with a question: what scripture stories come to mind as we engage in discussion about justice work and our faith?
Asking this question to a room of pastors and lay members was like throwing chum to sharks. Some of the answers were more straight-forward (The first creation story from Genesis 1: all people are made in the image of God), and some more obscure (Moses’ second wife, a Cushite woman- Numbers 12). The story that came to my mind is the story of Jacob, who was a cheater, and yet who wrestled with God on the river Jabbok as he learned how to engage, flail, even fail in his faith in order to understand who God has him to be and step into his new identity as a child of God. This is what I have come to understand with justice and anti-racism study and dialogue: if we think we already know what it’s about, or alternatively if we don’t think we can engage in tough discussions about racism, then we’re missing the point. The point is that none of us know all the answers, and yet, there is meaning, there is value, there are relationships to be developed through dialogue and struggling together. And within those relationships resides our salvation from our own, fear, apathy, ignorance, and arrogance.
The training that we engaged in with Pastor Carla was an introductory course that covered a variety of topics. First, we set the stage by acknowledging the reality of how racism has operated in our world by the displacement and genocide of native peoples, and how we wish to honor their continued stewardship of the land. We followed this with a welcoming and grounding prayer, and then talked together about how we can agree, as a community, to create a safe and brave space where the truth can be told, and where each of us is valued.
The training then embarked on a trajectory of learning about some very important vocabulary words, like “bias”. We all have biases, and mostly they are ok (I like ketchup, you like mustard)- until they become prejudices, when one’s own bias becomes “normal” and others’ biases become “unacceptable”. We then delved deeper into the different dimensions of racism in our world: interpersonal, institutional, and systemic, connecting them to real life examples. The doctrine of discovery was our prime case study of racism in both institutional and systemic forms. We talked about how this doctrine allowed Christians to kill and steal from non-Christian peoples with explicit authority of the institution of the church. We then connected our discussion of systemic racism to the more recent history of urban redevelopment and how many institutions (Federal Housing Administration, banks and lenders, and later the Urban Redevelopment Authority, for example) worked together to systematically disenfranchise and displace people of color in cities all around the United States.
The local consequences of systemic racism were discussed among us with the poignant example of the dismantling of Pittsburgh’s Hill district. Once a thriving, multicultural community, and powerful cultural and economic engine of Pittsburgh, it was cleared of thousands of mostly Black families and their homes for the building of the civic arena and its parking lots. We also touched on the recent efforts for reparations that Bethel AME church is seeking with the city of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Penguins since their church was one of the unjustly torn down cultural and spiritual hubs of the Hill district. This was one of our examples of how we, as the church, are called to become allies in justice and reconciliation in our world. Allyship was one of the topics that we discussed in the second half of the training, as we took time to reflect on how we can both engage with folks outside of our churches, but also seek out new ways to make our churches more authentically welcoming and supportive of folks who don’t know all the unwritten “norms” of Lutheran culture. Far too often we conflate our faith and theological understanding with what is culturally comfortable for us, instead of what might be more caring for folks in the community who have never been part of our communities before.
The last section of our training dealt with a newer and much needed dimension of justice work: trauma-informed care. Because of the stress and mental and physical health challenges that so many of us have faced in the aftermath of the pandemic, none of us have the same base level of energy or mental and physical resources that we had a few years ago. We must learn all over again how to establish a personal awareness of our own needs and rebuild our resilience, especially if we want to participate in “the arc of the moral universe”, which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously described as “long, but bends toward justice.”
Our training was a meaningful time of coming together to reflect on how our faith must continue to shape the way we look at ourselves, the world, and our neighbors. It was a time of building one another up and encouraging each other to understand our own values and commitments to participate in Jesus’ mission of justice. We thank Pastor Carla for coming to Pittsburgh to lead our training and hope to continue to find more opportunities in the future to learn and grow into God’s beloved community.
Rev. Carla Christopher Wilson will be facilitating hybrid training opportunities through United Lutheran Seminary later this year; keep an eye on the ULS calendar and this newsletter for registration information.
Teaching and Raising Antiracist Children
Join Pitt's P.R.I.D.E. Program and Trying Together on Wednesday, May 24 at 5:30pm for a special virtual speaker series event featuring Britt Hawthorne, author of "Raising Antiracist Children: A Practical Parenting Guide." Register here.
AAPI Heritage Month
May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Imran Siddiqui, Vice President of the ELCA, offers greetings and reflections for this celebration here.
Two highlighted resources from the AAPI-ELCA include:
Behold the Stream: A History of Asian Lutheran Witness, editors Edmond Yee and Lily Wu - "What images come to mind when you hear 'Asian American/Pacific Islander' or 'AAPI'? Being quiet, hardworking, and family-oriented are some of the most typical traits we've heard. Now, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May is a chance for God's people to delve deeper and consider how to respond to realities AAPIs face -- such as when our loyalty as Americans is questioned; when we are confronted by microaggressions and hate crimes; and when our work is valued more than our humanity. Meanwhile our lives and contributions are woven into the fabric of U.S. life -- such as Zoom technology being invented by a Chinese American businessman! Asian Americans make up 7.2% of the U.S. population, or 22.2 million persons, mostly in urban areas. In the ELCA, 22,000 members are of Asian descent, mostly in English-speaking congregations. And Asian-specific ministries have been faithfully active for many years. Who's who in Asian Lutheran ministry, how are communities being served, and how has our history in the U.S. pointed us toward the future? We and our context come to life through the pictorial book Behold the Stream: A History of Asian Lutheran Witness (256 pages, published 2020). Be inspired by photos and vignettes of local ministry outreach. 'Meet' many of our leaders through our portrait photos and 100-word biographies. And gain knowledge through two theological essays, 'Perspectives on Reading the Bible in Asian Contexts and Cultures,' and 'Migration as Metaphor for the Christian Faith.'" Synopsis by Lily Wu
Luther's Small Catechism: An Exposition of the Christian Faith in Asian Contexts and Cultures, editor J Paul Rajashekar - An Asian exposition of Luther’s Catechism is a rare and unique piece of literature in the world of Lutheran theology. As such this volume will be of immense assistance to those who teach and helpful to those who learn about Luther’s thought. The questions for discussion are gently provocative, leading participants into a path of deeper spiritual understanding of life and faith within their own contexts." Synopsis by Dr. Edmond Yee
Emanuel Nine
On June 17, we remember the Emanuel Nine - the nine people shot and killed on June 17, 2015, during a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. As members of the ELCA, our relationship to the shooter, as well as two of the slain, reminds us of both our complicity and our calling. Together we confess that we are in bondage to the sins of racism and white supremacy and, at the same time, we rejoice in the freedom that is ours in Christ Jesus who “has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us” (Ephesians 2:14). May God continue to guide us as we seek repentance and renewal, and racial justice and reconciliation among God’s precious children.
Resources for worship are available here.
The 2019 documentary "Emanuel" offers a powerful witness to the events of that day and the response of the community.
Synod Assembly
The SWPA Synod Assembly will be held June 16 (online) and June 17 (in person at PennWest California). Be sure to stop by the ADJ display table to say hello and pick up a treat!