by Lynne Faris Blessing, Pastor for Outreach

What do you think of when you hear the words “white privilege”? Some have given this concept a lot of careful thought. For many others, it hasn’t been on our radar screens too much. Why is that? And have you heard of “institutional racism” but not known how to address it?

Well, in an attempt to answer these and other related questions, Bethany’s Race and Justice Team is inviting our congregation to gather with others from the region for a half-day seminar to wrestle with these issues.

No matter what your political persuasion, there’s no question that the topic of race has been surfacing much more frequently because of the recent presidential election. This is a unique and important time in history to engage in conversations and action that could move us further down the path of sharing in God’s healing and understanding… and joy.

One encouraging aspect of the day is that Rick Danner, pastor of New Light Christian Church, and members of their community plan to attend. New Light is a congregation in the Rainier Valley with whom we have started to build a church-to-church relationship. We plan to hold follow-up conversations with them in the months ahead.

What you’d gain:

an opportunity to… discuss issues of race in a multi-cultural, Christ-centered environment, learn from each others’ perspectives, grow together as the body of Christ, gain tools for “developing a process to end the cycle of hate and fear,”…

Bethany’s Race and Justice Team started down this path last year when we watched and discussed a DVD produced by
Dr. Eddie Moore called “White Privilege.”

Michelle McFarland took part in this discussion, and her initial reaction was:

“When I first heard the term, ‘White Privilege,’ I instantly feared that someone was promoting a ‘white worldview’ on the world, rather than revealing the light on what it truly means.” She felt “…very uncomfortable when I first watched ‘White Privilege,’ in body, mind, and spirit.

But later on, I thought, how could you watch this and not be uncomfortable? …It made me sad that I had been privileged throughout my whole life, but was never really aware of it… I now go through my day and it dawns on me how much has been handed to me, just because of the color of my skin.”

Gene Williams , another discussion participant, shares:

“I was surprised how pervasive it is in aspects of my life that I never look at in a racial or cultural context, such as going shopping without even thinking about how I will be treated in a store…

It was enlightening to hear about white privilege from other people like myself who have come to know about white privilege and recognize it their own experiences…

Most of all, it was convicting to realize that the reason I never think about white privilege is because I have it.”

We’d love for you to join us on this challenging but hope-filled journey.

It would be helpful to know how many people plan to attend. Please RSVP to Suzzanne Lacey, suzlacey@hotmail.com. A church van will leave in front of 3 Howe at 8:20 am.