The September Synod remembered the anniversary of Stephen Lawrence’s death and the 75th Windrush anniversary by exploring racial justice as a theme. It was a really good day, interesting and thought provoking.
In the morning we had two keynote speakers:
Dr. Lisa Adjei, British Church Relations Manager at Christian Aid and Leader of Sankofa Collective
Lisa reminded us that it is 30 years since the murder of Stephen Lawrence and there was still much to be done. She based her thoughts on Micah 6:8
….. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Lisa expanded on what it is to love mercy and 3 things associated with mercy which you may wish to think about:
- Truth – we need to acknowledge how we were shaped and the truth we derive from history.
- Repentance and Repair – When we know and acknowledge the truth we need to repent and repair. Repentance is more than saying sorry. So often people say sorry but continue the same pattern of behaviour. Behaviour needs to change for there to be repair.
- Take action – in order to repair, action needs to be taken. What do we need to do individually and as a church?
Lisa also challenged the Synod to think about power. Who holds power, what power do we hold and how can we give power to others who have no voice?
Revd. Dr. Raj Patta, a Minister serving in Stockport Circuit
Raj reminded us it was 60 years since Martin Luther King Jr gave his famous “I have a dream…” speech and helped synod to think about dreams particularly focusing on Amos.
He said, ‘My dreams are my story – if my dreams are taken away from me then I lose hope’.
To dream is to; be liberated, to belong, ‘be-loved’, cry out loud my inner language of poetry, lament, pray, reimagine, be free, re-envision, act, celebrate, dance to the rhythms of love, life and liberation.
Dreams, he suggested, are holy interruptions that unsettle the powers on one hand, and on the other hand they are holy intrusions that pave a way to keep striving for a new world as the fruition of such dreams. Raj reminded Synod how in the book of Amos God used dreams and he focussed on The Dream of a Basket of Summer fruit in Amos 8:1-12.
For us a basket of summer fruit might be about abundance & prosperity, but the divine offers them to be political images of justice, exposing the unjust practises and to ensure justice, equality and equity for people who have been exploited by systems and structures of society.
Raj concluded that it is when our individual dreams are in tune with the divine which can lead to real change. He challenged us to allow individual and communities to dream and not be afraid to dream sharing his own dream.
In the afternoon a very interesting panel discussion concentrated on different people’s experience of racial justice – or injustice – in the church both now and historically, particularly those of the ‘Windrush Generation.’ There was a lot to make us think as we listened to people’s stories.
Perhaps we as a circuit we could reflect on some of these issues:
- How do we as individuals and as churches ‘love mercy’ particularly in the context of racial justice and what difference does this make?
- Do we hold on to ‘power’ in our churches?
- Who holds power in our circuit and churches?
- What power do we hold and how can we give power to others who have no voice?