St. John’s Episcopal Church of Chicago
3857 North Kostner Avenue, Chicago, IL 60641
773.725.9026 stjohnschicago.com
Implementation Ideas for
Resolution F-185:
Commitment
to Antiracism Work
in Congregations
Presenters:
Laura Singer and Mike Underhill, Members of St. John’s
Antiracism Team
May 13, 2023
Prayer for Dismantling Racism
Written by the Pax Christi Anti-Racism Team
God, in our efforts to dismantle racism, we understand that we struggle not merely against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities – those institutions and systems that keep racism alive by perpetuating the lie that some members of the family are inferior and others superior.
Create in us a new mind and heart that will enable us to see our siblings in the faces of those divided by racial categories.
Give us the grace and strength to rid ourselves of racial stereotypes that oppress some of us while providing entitlements to others.
Help us to create a Church and nation that embraces the hopes and fears of oppressed People of Color where we live, as well as those around the world.
Heal your family God, and make us one with you, in union with our brother Jesus, and empowered by your Holy Spirit.
Amen.
What is Resolution F-185
– Commitment to Antiracism Work in Congregations ?
Resolution F-185, approved at convention on
Nov. 19, 2022, requires all vestries to
1) Develop an antiracism program
2) Form a team to execute the antiracism program
3)Allocate funds to support the antiracism program
4) Deliver a report from the antiracism team at the congregation’s 2024 annual meeting and provide a copy to the bishop
Today we will share some ideas from our work at St. John’s for implementing these 4 steps.
What will implementing Resolution F-185 achieve?
1) F-185 affirms the commitment of The Episcopal Church and our Diocese to the work of combating racial prejudice and systemic racism in our Church and the society around us.
2) This resolution aims to support a more universal and consistent response to racism among our various parishes so that the Episcopal Church may be experienced and seen as the Body of Christ living out our call to work for justice in the wider world.
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Implementation IS Key
Our society has had many inventions – such as
microchips
sustainable energy products
vaccines
but we are slow to deploy and improve these technologies.
The same can be said about what we know about antiracism work - we have a depth of research and many ideas for how to dismantle racism but we are slow to implement the research and ideas - we hope the implementation of F-185 can begin to change that.
Invention alone can't change the world; what matters is what happens next – Atlantic Monthly Jan. 2023
The 4 Steps of Resolution F-185
1) Develop an antiracism program
2) Form a team to execute the antiracism program
3)Allocate funds to support the antiracism program
4) Deliver a report from the antiracism team at the congregation’s 2024 annual meeting and provide a copy to the bishop
F-185 Step 1 - How we developed
an antiracism program at St. John’s
Racism
=
Race Prejudice
+
Misuse of Power
by Systems and Institutions
St. John’s Antiracism Work Mission:
As members of St. John’s Episcopal Church,
we work to identify, disrupt and dismantle racism within our church and our community.
COURAGEOUS SPACE AGREEMENT
Anti-racism is at the core
of Christian teachings
The Vestry’s Mandate for the Antiracism Team
Of all the commandments, which is the most important?
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength….Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.
A legal expert
Jesus
Building a Foundation of Success for an Antiracism Program
1) BUY- IN from Clergy and Lay Leadership
2) Commitment to long term journey for the congregation.
3) Commitment to Teaching/Learning with combination of “sprint” one-time events and more intensive options for diving deep into antiracism framework
4) Preaching from pulpit
5) Relationship building with stakeholders
Basic Elements of St. John’s Antiracism Program
Duncan
Duncan
Action Items from St. John’s 2020 Antiracism Plan
F-185 Step 2:
How we formed an Antiracism Team at St. John’s
Weaving �Antiracism Work Throughout an Institution
Vision – what you want to accomplish
St. John’s Antiracism Vision
St. John’s Episcopal Church aspires to create a beloved community in the United States of America, based on the love of Christ, where . . .
● the humanity of all persons of all races is recognized, honored, and
celebrated.
● power is shared in our common life.
● the abundance of resources in the United States of America is accessible to all.
● our systems and institutions respond to the needs of people of color as fully as they do to those of white people.
Mission – �how you will accomplish your vision
St. John’s Antiracism Mission - As members of St. John’s Episcopal Church, we work to identify, disrupt and dismantle racism within our church and our community.
Mandate – the authority conferred on the team to carry out certain tasks. The mandate thus links the team to the vestry, on whose behalf the actions are performed.
St. John’s Antiracism Team Mandate excerpt - By the authority of St. John’s Episcopal Church Vestry, the antiracism team is charged with guiding our church to fulfill our antiracism vision by carrying out
our mission.
Our mandate also describes our theological framework and defines an accountability structure between the team and the vestry.
Full document at https://www.stjohnschicago.com/outreach/antiracism-team/
Charter – outlines the specific procedures of the antiracism team
St. John’s Antiracism Team Charter - a few of the specifics
Full document at https://www.stjohnschicago.com/outreach/antiracism-team/
F-185 Step 3 - Allocate funds to support the antiracism program
St. John’s Antiracism Team Budgeting Process
Item 14 From our Charter:
Each fall the antiracism team submits a budget request for the antiracism line item to the vestry for the following calendar year’s budget.
F-185 Step 4 - Deliver a report from the antiracism team at the congregation’s 2024 annual meeting and provide a copy to the bishop
St. John’s Antiracism Team Annual Report Process
1) For accountability and information, we submit a written report for the annual meeting in January – sometimes it’s brief, sometimes it’s longer
2) The report summarizes the work of the past year and identifies focus areas for the following year.
3) We give a presentation usually 10-15 minutes at the annual meeting - it’s an opportunity to connect with the larger congregation beyond the weekly bulletin and service announcements to inform the congregation and recruit new team members.
4) We try to be creative in our presentation – we’ve done skits, made a video, surveyed the audience.
Our annual reports are posted at https://www.stjohnschicago.com/outreach/antiracism-team/
��SOME LESSONS LEARNED FROM �ST. JOHN’S ANTIRACISM WORK
Lesson 1
Antiracism work
in communities that operate within a white cultural model
is possible and required.
Lesson 2
It’s okay to be uncomfortable
in these discussions.
Lesson 3
This is a marathon,
not a sprint.
Resources
1) Toward Liberation: Crossroads Anti-Racism Training
June 8-10 in Chicago
Crossroads/Chicago ROAR (Regional Organizing for Anti-Racism) will host a 3-day training, "Toward Liberation: Building Shared Analysis to Transform Institutions," at St. Paul & the Redeemer in Hyde Park, Chicago from June 8 to 10, from 9 am to 5 pm each day. This training meets the diocesan antiracism requirement for clergy and elected leaders, and the diocesan Antiracism Commission offers a subsidized rate for members of the diocese.
Online registration will be live soon. For more information contact the Rev. Sarah Zuniga sarah.Zuniga@crossroadsantiracism.org
2) Episcopal Church Becoming Beloved Community
https://episcopalchurch.org/beloved-community
3) Chicago Diocese Antiracism Commission
Legacy of Slavery Report and Pathway to Reconciliation Study Guide https://episcopalchicago.org/antiracism/
4) St. John’s Antiracism Team Resources - https://www.stjohnschicago.com/outreach/antiracism-team/
�As members of St. John’s Episcopal Church, �we work to identify, disrupt and dismantle racism within our church and our community. �
Questions
&
Answers
St. John’s Episcopal Church of Chicago
3857 North Kostner Avenue, Chicago, IL 60641
773.725.9026 stjohnschicago.com