A COMMUNITY OF
Reconciliation
IN A CULTURE OF DIVISION
Annual Report 2023 - 2024
Becoming a Beloved Community
We learned about Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and legacy and reflected on how we can embody his vision of the beloved community. On August 19, we visited Sweet Auburn and the King Center. The next day, August 20, we had the honor of hosting Reverend Elliott Robinson, founder of Creative Tension, Inc. He led a thoughtful discussion on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s beliefs as we listened to a few of King’s lesser-known speeches.
64 people attended the field trip to the King Center.
“I’m grateful for opportunities to go as a church body to various civil rights museums such as the King Center. It can be a time to lament together but also a reminder that the work is not done and as Christians we are called to seek justice and defend the oppressed. I have been able to attend other museums both with the church as well as on my own and I believe that just as there are times for personal, private prayer and times for corporate prayer as a body, the same can be said for lament, for repentance, for seeking justice and I’ve been thankful for that. We can learn in solitude as the Holy Spirit transforms us but we also need to learn from others.”
Learning about Civil and Human Rights
In June, a group of All Souls congregants visited the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta. As they walked through the museum, they explored the connection between the civil rights history of Atlanta and the ongoing struggle for justice and equality.
26 people attended the field trip to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.
“Going to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights is a heavy experience, but because we went as a church community, we shared the burden and reminded each other of the promise of God’s peaceful and just Kingdom. I left filled with gratitude for a church family who is willing to engage in these hard conversations and walk with each other in learning, lament, and hope.”
A Story of Reconciliation
Watch the video to learn about Kelly Wade’s work at Ethnē in Clarkston and how she sees God bringing about reconciliation.
Additional Highlights
“I think it is important that All Souls members should be exposed to the complex issues that come out of the topic of race. It is important for one to be exposed to different perspectives instead of hearing the same things from the same people all the time, by doing that you diminish the severity of the issue and cause stagnation in learning. Additionally, it is important that all people, regardless of demographic, learn that they play a part in the racial system in America.”
Staff and members of our Session completed Arrabon’s Discipling Four Complicated Emotions.
Pastor Steven Good and Elder Rusty Pritchard were a part of the OneRace Movement pastor cohort.
All Souls hosted an Equitable Dinners Atlanta.
A community group began going through Arrabon’s Shalom and a Just Society course.
All Souls purchased 45 books to kick off the Decatur Housing Authority’s after-school book club.
All Souls members attended OneRace’s Juneteenth event.
