The Beloved Community: Formation Sunday Series

The Adult Formation Committee will be launching its new program year with a three-part series on “The Beloved Community.” The series will focus on the theology that informed the US Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, looking at the work of theologian Howard Thurman (Jesus and the Disinherited) and the Civil Rights work of recently deceased US Congressman John Lewis. Central attention will be paid to Thurman’s question “what does religion have to say to the masses of people who live with their backs constantly to the wall?” We will reflect on whether the answer to that question holds the key for all of us to become the children of God who is in heaven.

The discussion concludes on November 1st at 11:30 am via zoom. Click here to join the session. While there is no required reading, those wishing to pursue the topic in greater depth may want to look at Howard Thurman’s seminal work Jesus and the Disinherited. Suggested videos are all available at www.YouTube.com.

November 1st: "The Beloved Community": What Does it Offer Us?

Suggested materials: Thurman, Howard, Jesus and the Disinherited (Beacon Press, Boston, MA: 1976)

• (Video) Shaping Your Destiny (Rev. James M. Lawson, Jr. on TEDx Talks, 20 min 45 sec) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHezXAKDePA
• (Video) John A. Powell on Beloved Community (1 min, 35 sec) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_Nv78VOhlo
• (Video) Rep. John Lewis and the Beloved Community (45 seconds) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBpF3YEvP0M
• (Video) John Lewis dancing to Pharell Williams Happy (43 sec) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygRLrbE85ws

If you are interested in attending the series, please notify the Epiphany Office, as it will facilitate smoother program planning. We look forward to Zooming with you.