Training sessions on PC(USA) policy are virtual and intended for anyone who is interested
by Rich Copley | Presbyterian News Service
The Rev. Denise Anderson
LEXINGTON, Kentucky — The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s final antiracism and gender-and-inclusion workshops of 2021 will be presented in the next few weeks.
There is still time to sign up for the Introduction to PC(USA) Antiracism Policy at 6 p.m. Eastern Time on Sept. 28 and Gender & Inclusion Training at 6 p.m. Eastern Time on Oct. 19. Both workshops will be held on Zoom. They will be private meetings, not shared on Facebook or any similar forum, to allow for a free-flowing, candid discussion between participants and leaders.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rev. Denise Anderson and Rev. Shanea D. Leonard presented these workshops in person, around the country. Early this year, seeing the pandemic continuing and the need for discussions of these issues considering current events, Anderson and Leonard created online versions of these workshops. Both have been presented twice this year.
“My favorite moments of the first two have been the interactions with participants and hearing their personal journeys,” Leonard said. “For some, this information is brand new and they have had to open themselves to unlearning some harmful thoughts in an effort to continually be the beloved kin-dom God has been calling us to be.”
One of the three components of the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s Matthew 25 invitation is dismantling structural racism. The session aims to introduce concepts around racism and to explore the antiracism policies of the church.
Click here to read Presbyterian News Service coverage of an antiracism training session
The Gender & Inclusion training aims to help Presbyterians live into church policy calling for it to be a more welcoming and affirming denomination by clarifying concepts and language around gender and sexuality, and the differences between the two.
Click here to read Presbyterian News Service coverage of a Gender & Inclusion session
The Rev. Shanea D. Leonard
Leonard said, “I want to be sure folks know this is not just for pastors, but for Christian educators, session members, mid councils and anyone interested in growing in the knowledge of antiracism and gender.”
Though these will be the last editions of these sessions for 2021, there is a good chance there will be more online offerings of them in the future.
“Although we do not have dates established for the 2022 calendar year, as long as the pandemic persists, this webinar method is the best way to continually do this work to further the mission of the church,” Leonard said.
Click here to register for Introduction to PC(USA) Antiracism Policy at 6 p.m. Eastern Time on Sept. 28
Click here to register for Gender & Inclusion Training at 6 p.m. Eastern Time on Oct. 19
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