Beloved Community

Holy Trinity’s Beloved Community Commission puts into action our Baptismal Covenant “to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves, and to strive for justice and peace among all people, respecting the dignity of every human being.” To this end, we oppose racism and bigotry in all forms. Through education and self-reflection, we work to raise awareness of the sin of racism. We ally ourselves with others in the wider community to combat racism, and to honor and grow a rich and varied diversity within our parish.

Everyone who is interested in this work is invited to join the Commission, which meets the first Wednesday of the month, 6-7:30 p.m., in Roe Library. There is more information on our website and meeting dates are listed in the calendar in this brochure.

Why form a Beloved Community Commission? The Christian mandate is the directive we received from Jesus to “love neighbors as ourselves.” The term “Beloved Community” comes from work of Martin Luther King Jr., who said, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” We strive to re-examine our moral obligations and relationship to the body politic, remembering that our Christian responsibility to the creation of a just and fair society is work we are called to do by our Lord. Public policy, the economy, the environment, and equal access to participation in all activities support the authentic Christian message in our democratic nation. 

Where do we begin? We start by being clear about our own beliefs and values by becoming aware of and learning from our historic privileges and hidden biases. We can only authentically move towards a Beloved Community by speaking the truth to each other and to those in power about what we believe about The Way of Jesus. This includes acknowledging how our own beloved Episcopal Church has historically violated what Jesus taught us and for which it has more recently sought redemption. 

What will the Commission do? As Christians, we are called to speak and live in a way that refutes the culture of materialism, untruth, self-centeredness, greed, and domination by an historically privileged class. We ask ourselves how we can change ourselves and help create change within and beyond Holy Trinity that contradicts the old mindset. We start with education, reading, awareness, reflection, open dialogue, and action, including reaching out to disadvantaged people and engaging in courageous conversations with those who have not yet joined the anti-racism journey with us.

Who is on the Beloved Community Commission? A variety of parishioners and clergy meet with us regularly. Co-Chairs are David Horth and Marilyn Wolf. The invitation to join is open to every member of our parish, regardless of where you are on your respective antiracism journey. 

For more information or if you have questions, contact co-chairs Marilyn Wolf at marilynwolf1953@gmail.com or David Horth at david.m.horth@gmail.com.