Week 2 File Downloads

• Opening Prayer (3 to 5 minutes) 

• Welcome (2 minutes) 

• Reminder and recommit to the Group Covenant (2 minutes) 

• Lectio Divina (3 minutes to remind group + 10 minutes to do lectio) 

• Biblical Reflection Video - Isaiah 1.10-20 (about 12 and a half minutes) 

• Moment of Silence  

• Reactions to Biblical Reflection Video (5 minutes) 

• Jen Jenkins No.1 Video: ‘Why & What’ (about 11 minutes) 

• Read short ‘White Fragility Reflection’ Article (5 minutes) 

• Small group discussion followed by plenary (15 minutes) 

• Video explaining the Racial Diversity Audit (about 5 minutes) 

• Close and Prayer (2 minutes)  

What you will need:

•  A Candle (and matches) 

•  Bibles (or biblical verses printed to give participants) for Isaiah 1.10-20 

•  The Collect for this week (the one from last Sunday) 

• ‘The Prayer for Courage’ from the Corrymeela Community  

•  Biblical Reflection Video - Isaiah 1.10-20 (Download using link above or watch below)  

•  Copies of White Fragility Reflection Article (Download using link above) 

•  Jen Jenkins Video - ‘The Why & The What’ (Download using link above or watch below) 

•  Racial Diversity Audit Video (Download using link above or watch below) 

•  Copies of the Racial Diversity Audit for the group (Download using link above) 

Feel free to use this short liturgy or open with extemporary prayer - or a combination of both.

(Whatever works best for you and your tradition).

Light a candle in the centre of the group

Keep a moment of silence

Leader: Let us start by bringing our focus onto God and recognise God’s presence among us.

May the love and desire for justice of Jesus Christ be with you.

All: And also with you.

Leader: We put aside of stresses and preoccupations of the day, we acknowledge our hopes, fears,

and anxieties as we start this session.

We ask you to be with us, Lord.

Help us to be open and vulnerable to your presence and the learning you have for us today.

We pray in Jesus’ name.

All: Amen.

Leader may read the collect for this week

Leader: We gather together our thoughts and prayers using the prayer that Jesus taught us:

All: Our Father…

All: All pray ‘The Prayer for Courage’ from the Corrymeela Community by Pádraig Ó Tuama to close.

Review the Principles of Learning Community:

• We’re here to learn

• No experts

• Be challenged by the gospel

• Be challenged by the stories and experiences of others

• Will prioritise the voices of UKME / Global Majority Christians

• We acknowledge the leading of the Holy Spirit

 A reminder to: 

•  Be Present 

•  Be Open 

•  Be Truthful 

•  Be Gracious 

•  Be Kind   

Explain the flow of this session (it would help to put this on PowerPoint or a White Board or A3 paper as well).

•  Review your group covenant 

•  Ask that everyone agrees to those principles again for this session by raising their hands. 

May we suggest people get into groups of 3 or 4 with those near them. Make sure everyone has a bible or a copy of the passage.  There are many variations on how to do Lectio Divina.  Here’s a variation that we will use today:   

Listening for God in the Word:

1. One person reads aloud the passage of scripture. Listen for a word or short phrase that strikes you.
2. Keep silence for a moment. Then, another person reads the same piece of scripture aloud (preferably a different gender or age or accent with a different translation of the bible).
3. Keep silence for 2 minutes. Each person silently repeats the word or phrase that attracts them during that time.
4. When given the cue to share, share aloud that one word or phrase that has attracted each person. Please be sure to keep it a simple statement of one or a few words with no elaboration.

How God speaks to ME and what I am invited to DO:

1. Now, a third reading of the same passage by another person (again, preferably with a different gender or age or accent or translation of the bible).
2. Keep silence for 2 minutes. Each person reflects on: ‘God invites me to do/be/become . . . today/this week.’
3. When given the cue that the 2 minutes are up, share aloud the results of each person’s reflection. Something brief like: ‘I hear, I see, or God invites me to...’

Please note that anyone may “pass” at any time. If a person prefers to pray silently instead of sharing with the group, then simply state this aloud and conclude your silent prayer with Amen.

We are blessed to have the Revd Canon Dr Rosalyn Murphy’s biblical reflections every week. These have been a core feature of both the online courses which ran in Coventry and Derby. 

She is a biblical scholar, with masters and doctoral degrees from Durham. She is currently a vicar and Chair of the Racial Equality Action Group in the Diocese of Coventry.

Take a moment of silence to consider the Bible reflection

An opportunity to share observations or reflections in partners. If time, bring some of that back to the larger group.

 Watch Jen Jenkins’s Video No. 1 ‘For Such a time as This: The Why & The What’ Video 

Without giving time to discuss the video, hand out and individually read the ‘White Fragility  Reflection’ Article. 

In groups of 3 or 4, here are some questions to consider:

• What is your reaction to videos you just watched?
• What is your reaction to the White Fragility Reflection article you just read?
•  What are my initial reflections to the resources sent between sessions this week? 
•  What are my next steps?  Commit to process, read books, explore resources.

Prepare to Feedback: What are the key challenges and opportunities for our church, our communities and the world as we engage in this learning process together?

Hand out copies of the Racial Diversity Audit and then watch the video together. 

• What immediate steps can we take as individuals and a community?  

• Can someone or a team of people be designated to complete the audit to establish where your  church / school / community / pioneering context is now? 

We will touch on the audit again later in the course.

As you did last week, let the group know that you will email them with further material in the next  couple of days to consider during the week.  

We know people have varying degrees of time, so we will share everything from a book to read to short videos / articles and podcasts.  

This is not intended to be a book group or to require you to do hours of homework between each session. 

There is no guilt or pressure to engage with everything, but people are encouraged to engage with at least something (and all are invited to include this learning community in their prayers) before we meet again next week.  

Say a short prayer to close, committing our actions to God, inviting the Holy Spirit to enable our continued learning with courage throughout the week.

As before, thank them for joining you on this Amazing Grace Learning Community journey and please be sure to encourage the group to pray for each other throughout the week.  

Book: 

For our next meeting, we are looking at issues introduced in Ben Lindsay’s excellent book ‘We need to talk about Race’. You may like to get hold of a copy of his book and read it in advance (at least try to read the first chapter), but the intent is that this is not a book group.

Other Online Resources:

We recognise not everyone has time to read a book in the next week, so if you prefer, you can find out more about his work and listen to a number of Ben Lindsay’s talks here: https://benlindsay.co.uk/ 

Or, if it fits your theology, take a moment to check out the Church of England Evangelical Churches (CEEC) page for short videos of biblical discussions on racism, ethnicity, and justice here:  https://ceec.info/resources/one/ 

Other Print Resources: 

A Church Times article.   Download from the Church Times website (or send link) and email the 8 February 2022 ‘Lord Boateng holds Synod’s feet to the fire over Church’s racism record’’ article by Hattie Williams (and another more recent relevant article to the group if appropriate).