Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty. – Martin Luther King, Jr.
These words were written April 16, 1963 from a Birmingham jail.
The last sentence of a letter written to clergy like you and me…
Almost 58 years later, it is painfully evident from the violence which continues to occur against our black and brown brothers and sisters, that too little has changed.
Laws have changed, not hearts and minds.
There is still much work, much intentional work to do, for real change to occur.
As well as we think we know ourselves, to bring about real change in ourselves as leaders and in the places where we are called to lead, we need to better understand our filters – the lenses through which we view ourselves and others.
This understanding will help us to grow through and past
who we think we are,
who we really are,
and into who God is calling us to be.
This is necessary and holy work.
To that end, during this season of Lent, all clergy of the Fairway District are invited, encouraged, and requested to take the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI).
This cultural competence assessment allows us to see the place where we most comfortably reside with regard to our understanding and acceptance of those who are “other” to us.
It allows us to see where we think we are and where we really are.
In order to do this necessary and holy work, we need this clearer understanding.
In order to grow and take needed next steps, we need to understand our starting point.
Participation in the IDI is a Conference wide initiative and over the next year all clergy within every district shall be participating in this process.
(Please notice the “shall”. All clergy are expected to take the IDI. If there are leaders within your church who you would also like to participate, please let Nancy know so that we can assure enough spaces available.)
The Fairway District’s time is now.
The assessment itself is 50 questions taking 15-20 minutes to complete.
After completing the assessment, each person will meet with an IDI coach who will help interpret the results and look toward next steps.
Please use the link and code below.
Coupon code for Fairway only: FAIDI2021
Each clergy or leader needs to fill out the form and include the “Discount code” to process their request.
After filling out the form, the pastor or leader will receive an email from the Conference Office of Race Equity and Justice Ministries with a user name and password to take the IDI.
(While some may have already taken the IDI, please take it again and use the results as an indicator of progress made.)
Thank you to the Office of Race Equity and Justice Ministries and
Rev. Ernesto Barriguete for the tireless and faithful leadership and for making this opportunity possible.
Thank you for the work you have already done toward racial healing and understanding.
Thank you for joining the journey of this work.
Thankful for you and growing with you.
Lenten Blessings,
Dena
If you would like to view past editions of Grace for the Journey, follow this link: https://fairwaydistrictnc.org/category/from-the-ds/