Beloved Community
The Holy Trinity Beloved Community Commission (BCC) 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.
Why form a Beloved Community Commission? The BCC was formed in response to the bishop's mandate that churches engage in the work of racial reparations. As Christians, we follow the directive from Jesus to "love our neighbors as ourselves."
Where do we begin? We start by being clear about our own beliefs and values by becoming aware of racism in all its forms and by learning from our own historic privilege and hidden biases. Holy Trinity can only be a Beloved Community if we are willing to speak the truth to each other and to those in power about what we believe to be the Way of Jesus. This includes acknowledging how our own beloved Episcopal Church has historically violated what Jesus taught and for which it has more recently sought redemption.
What does the BCC do? To support Holy Trinity in being a Beloved Community, the BCC offers educational programs in the form of book studies, film series, guest speakers, visits to historic sites that tell the story of racism and antiracism, and through adult formation classes. Every year, we participate in the Black History Month service and host a reception afterwards. We have a lending library which contains books on racism and antiracism, both fiction and non-fiction, for adult and children. In addition, the BCC has a Black Literature Book Club to offer opportunities to learn through the voices of Black writers. Many of our active members have attended trainings offered by both the diocese and the Racial Equity Institute to learn more about systemic racism. Last, our BCC has a working relationship with the Greensboro Beloved Community Center as well as with the Racial Justice Committee at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Hillsborough, NC, so that we can learn from and support each other.
Sacred Ground: A Spiritual Journey Toward Racial Justice and Reconciliation is an 11-week series offered through the diocese and endorsed by the BCC for our congregation. This program is framed as a spiritual journey, grounded in the Christian faith through the power of scripture, prayer, God’s grace, and the Holy Spirit to help us step closer to the dream of becoming a Beloved Community. For more information, contact Bruce Bunce at bruce.w.bunce@gmail.com.
How to Be Involved: The BCC monthly meetings are open to anyone. If a person wants to learn more or get involved as an active member, they should contact BCC chair, Marilyn Wolf at
marilynwolf1953@gmail.com or vice-chair Jenn Durham at
jlwrigh2@gmail.com. Meeting dates as well as dates for BCC programs are listed in the calendar and in the weekly ePistle.