Last September, 35 clergy leaders in Metro IAF gathered on retreat at the Maritime Conference Center in Linthicum Heights, MD. As many of you know, Redeemer is a member institution of Baltimoreans United In Leadership Development (BUILD), an affiliate of Metro IAF which is part of the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF). Founded in 1940, IAF is our nation’s largest and longest standing network of local faith and community-based organizations. One of the pieces we read and reflected on together was a speech by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King on “creative maladjustment”. At the end of our retreat , responding to an invitation from our colleagues and inspired by our discussion, 5 of us agreed to work together to craft a brief theological statement honoring the faith traditions of our member institutions — which include synagogues and mosques as well as churches — that could ground and guide our work in our communities, in our current political moment, morally, spiritually and theologically.
Over the last 3 months, Rev Rashad Moore, East Brooklyn Congregations (EBC); Rev Cameron Barr, Orange County Justice United (OCJU); Rev Tanya Johnson, Durham Congregations, Associations & Neighborhoods (Durham CAN); Rev Doug Slaughter, Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) GA/SC; and I have spent time together on Zoom and communicating via email, text and phone. We have also spoken with and listened to our clergy colleagues with whom we relate in our various contexts. Yesterday, our larger group from the September retreat received the final draft of our theological statement; those who are able to gather on Zoom this afternoon at 4pm will offer their reactions and responses to what we’ve written. Our final approved reflection will then be available for Metro IAF/ IAF clergy leaders in our various cities and regions around the country to use and share, in sermons and social media, op-eds, etc. This will all be discussed on Zoom this afternoon.
Here is a link to the draft of the text, and here is a link to a voice recording of it.
“May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.”