On January 25, 2025, St. John's joined the other parishes of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington (EDOW) in the near unanimous passage of three resolutions on reparations that together “acknowledge and lament the harms and disregard our Church has demonstrated for our Black siblings in Christ” and provide an institutional means for making amends.
Referencing Dr. King’s insight that “the stories we tell or don’t tell about the past determine how we live the gospel in the present and the future,” Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde and the members of the Diocesan Reparations Committee spoke at length about how EDOW parishes have been informed in the past by prejudiced cultural norms and, in some cases, inflicted cultural and financial injury to Black congregations and the broader Black community. As importantly, the resolutions establish and fund a reparations committee that is empowered over the next ten years to address past wrongs and foster a Beloved Community in the diocese where no one culture takes precedence over another.
In 2025, St. John’s Racial Justice & Equity Committee is facilitating a monthly discussion on what Beloved Community means at St. John’s. In January, the committee explored the attitudes outlined in Hahrie Han's book, Undivided, which chronicles the challenges and hope in one church's quest for racial solidarity. In February, the group will discuss the reparations resolutions from the EDOW convention and how we can best support and amplify the efforts of EDOW’s reparations committee.
You can find more context on the resolutions by viewing the wonderful short video Jay Mallin produced or visiting EDOW's reparations information page. And please join our dialogue! We meet on the second Wednesday of the month at 6:00 pm via Zoom.
Questions? Use the form below to contact RJE Chair Bill Raisner.
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Complete this form to connect with parishioner Bill Raisner.