By The Rev. Kelly Kirby The word “Becoming” is key in the phrase “Becoming the Beloved Community.” When we applied for a seed grant in 2019, we had a vision for comprehensive, dismantling racism work that would take place over three years. Despite the setbacks we experienced due to the pandemic, our diocese has uncovered many…

By Leyla King  My grandmother was four months pregnant with the child who would become my mother in April 1948 when, along with my grandfather, she fled for her life from her home in Haifa, Palestine, to Beirut, Lebanon, on a cargo ship. The two nights and one day on the ship, seasick and hormone-nauseated,…

By Miguel Bustos Reflecting on Women’s History Month, it’s pivotal to recognize and honor the indispensable role of women in the church and their enduring contribution to building the Beloved Community—a vision of society rooted in justice, peace, and love, as espoused by figures like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. This reflection not only…

By Will Bouvel with Jen Enriquez (ring… ring…) I was wondering if anyone would pick up… Not many folks answer their phone these days, but every now and then, one of the families I serve would respond. “Hi, this is Mr. Will from church, is this an ok time to talk? Oh thank you! With…

By Phoebe Chatfield and the Rev. Melanie Mullen April is “Earth Month,” leading up to the 52nd annual Earth Day on Friday, April 22. As we join people around the world to honor this month, we proclaim that caring for the earth is part of the work of Becoming Beloved Community. It is not a…

by The Rev. Canon Dr. Winfred (Fred) Vergara Gloria Fanchiang wrote the pop song “God who sees us,” in the aftermath of the massacre of six Asian American girls working in a spa in Atlanta. It begins with these words:   “We have been forgotten and abandoned, cast aside, erased and counted out. Centuries of hatred and exclusion,…

By Shaneequa Brokenleg As many of you know, November is Native American Heritage Month. As an Indigenous person and an enrolled citizen in my tribe, the fact that Native American Heritage Month happens in the same month as Thanksgiving is not lost on me. It’s a time when many people like to harken back to…

By Melissa Bird What a journey this life is. A few weeks ago, I was in Texas for the annual Winter Talk meeting. Truth be told, I was so nervous to be there. This would be the first time in my life (except for Powwow) that I would be around this many Indigenous people. And…

By Willis Foster Sr. and Edna Johnston Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when U.S. General Gordon Granger read General Orders No. 3 to the people of Galveston, Texas. He announced: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.” With this…