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Confronting Whiteness Participant's Guide

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 20:20:09 GMT

The difficulty the author, Rev. W. Benjamin Boswell, experienced trying to lead his congregation to work for racial justice in their community convinced him that there needs to be a new conversation about race and racism that helps members of White-dominant churches and institutions identify their own racial history and wrestle with what it means to be White. That conversation developed into Confronting Whiteness, an intentional spiritual journey of anti-racism to aid people racialized as White to identify and dismantle their Whiteness.

This program consists of nine sessions, each designed to last approximately 90 minutes. Preparation for the sessions requires completing assigned readings and viewings and writing a racial autobiography.

The participant's guide to Confronting Whiteness offers people of faith a new posture for addressing racial issues. Spiritual practices will help participants engage writings and films by Black authors and filmmakers and develop habits that confront and undermine the power of Whiteness. The guide was developed for groups of White people who will be led by a trained facilitator.

The facilitator's guide for Confronting Whiteness provides productive tools for conducting conversations with 5-10 participants. The facilitators need to have previous experience as a participant in Confronting Whiteness and a readiness to engage in the inner work necessary for transformation.

Additional support for participants and facilitators will be available through The Upper Room.

Confronting Whiteness Participant's Guide

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 20:18:16 GMT

Additional support for participants and facilitators will be available through The Upper Room.

Psalms for Black Lives

Mon, 06 Jun 2022 13:44:30 GMT

In the summer of 2020, while composing a series of devotionals on the Psalms for their church, the Double Love Experience, authors Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes and Andrew Wilkes recognized that these ancient words spoke truth and inspiration not only to their immediate community, but also to the growing number of people doing the holy, demanding work of pursuing justice, undoing structural racism, and building a society that truly values Black lives.

The Psalms speak power today as they always have. They have spoken across generations. They have bridged cultural divides and social contexts with their emotional rawness, urge towards justice, and blunt candor about the coarse edges of walking with God.

Psalms for Black Lives includes thirty devotions, each containing a psalm, a reflection, and an invitation for the reader to develop a justice imagination through further engagement with the text. Psalms for Black Lives also includes daily discussion questions to support small-group study and a guide for congregational and community groups who want to embody the words of the Psalms together.

Practicing Compassion

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 15:08:12 GMT

Compassion is more than a sympathetic feeling?it is the bond of human connection. Most religions lift up compassion, yet few people actually teach how to practice it.

Through rich and moving stories of people from various faiths, Frank Rogers, an Academy for Spiritual Formation faculty and advisory board member, shows ways to incorporate compassion in our daily lives. His interfaith perspective on mercy, kindness, and caring for one another trains us to Pay attention, Understand empathically, Love with connection, Sense the sacredness, and Embody new life (PULSE). Key to Rogers' instruction is that we begin our compassion practice by extending compassion to ourselves. Getting in touch with our breath, with our own belovedness, and grounding ourselves in the midst of tumultuous emotions is where we start our practice of extending compassion to the world.

Our eCourse includes:

All essential content from Frank Rogers' book, Practicing Compassion
Video introductions to each chapter with Frank Rogers
Audio recordings of guided meditations
Questions for personal reflection
A place to exchange comments with others learning to practice compassion

Endorsements for Practicing Compassion

"Everybody believes in compassion, but nobody tells you how to practice it. Until now. Frank Rogers turns compassion into a doable, daily practice?as simple as catching your breath and taking your pulse. If you want to read a book that actually has the capacity to change your life (and the world), beginning today, this is exactly what you need." ?Brian D. McLaren, Author/speaker/blogger/activist (brianmclaren.net)

"If you want clear, practical guidance on how to cultivate the inner resources to become a healing presence and force of good for the world, there is no better book than this and no better guide than Frank Rogers." ?John Makransky, Professor of Comparative Theology, Boston College; Author of Awakening through Love

Academy Recommends eCourses seek to highlight content that aligns with The Academy for Spiritual Formation's mission to create transformative space for people to connect with God, self, others, and creation for the sake of the world.

Private eCourse classrooms with group rates are available upon request. If you are interested, email us at UReLearning@UpperRoom.org.

Five Loaves, Two Fish, Twelve Volunteers

Tue, 24 May 2022 18:20:53 GMT

Five Loaves, Two Fish, Twelve Volunteers

Whom Shall I Fear?

Fri, 20 May 2022 15:39:19 GMT

Churches are not immune to violence, as we have seen from shootings at houses of worship across the nation. The challenge for faith communities is how to respond to potential violence.

Whom Shall I Fear? asks congregational leaders to examine whether their operational and security policies are consistent with gospel values. It raises common themes in approaches to church security and looks at them in the light of scripture.

Whom Shall I Fear? provides thought-provoking reflections on topics such as locked doors, living faithfully in an unfaithful world, the question of armed security in a church setting, and the duty of Christians to extend hospitality to their neighbor. It includes stories from survivors of gun violence and wisdom on how churches can work to transform an anxious and fear-driven world. Whom Shall I Fear? helps the church thoughtfully wrestle with what it means to be a church of grace, welcome, and love when confronted with acts of cruelty, division, and hate.

Brave Church

Fri, 20 May 2022 15:38:42 GMT

In today's deeply divided world where discussions can quickly become heated and uncivil, churches need to learn how to talk about sensitive issues. Our society needs brave churches where people can talk about the real struggles they are experiencing without fear of being dismissed, shamed, or judged.

Brave Church helps congregations talk about controversial topics with sensitivity to those who see the world and have experienced life differently from themselves. It guides readers to think through how they can foster conversations about such challenging topics as infertility/miscarriage, mental health, domestic violence, racism, and sexuality.

In this 6-week small-group study, pastor Elizabeth Hagan weaves personal and theological reflections with scripture, discussion questions, and real-world examples to move readers from exploration to action. Brave Church includes a Leader's Guide and suggests resources for further reading and action.

Psalms for Black Lives

Wed, 18 May 2022 21:27:05 GMT

Rally

Wed, 18 May 2022 14:32:04 GMT

"This is a prayer book for revolution—a revolution of love and compassion and justice," Shane Claiborne writes in the foreword. The prayers in this collection are meant to be prayed in community.

Rally is a prayer book for faith communities searching for words to respond to the injustices around them. It's a prayer book for Christian activists who believe in putting feet to their prayers. The book supplies words for concerned Christians who yearn to lift their voices to God about such issues as racism; the abuse of power and privilege; mistreatment of migrants and refugees; lives tragically lost; our violent society; white supremacy; and people being marginalized because of their gender, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, or economic status. Rally contains prayers for perpetrators, for loving our bodies, for listening to one another, for those who have been wounded by the church. In this resource, readers will find prayers that evoke hope and connection, guidance for sifting through the news and social media headlines, laments about destruction of the earth, and pleas for loving alike though we don't think alike.

The beauty of this book lies in the rich variety of voices and experiences of its writers—leaders who work at the intersection of Christianity and social justice and who want to resource those who gather to lament the needs and celebrate the possibilities of a better world. "Lord, stir us up to holy action," cries this powerful book. Rally spurs people to compassionately continue the important work of loving God and neighbor until all of God's people feel safe and seen.

Rally

Sat, 14 May 2022 04:16:26 GMT

"This is a prayer book for revolution—a revolution of love and compassion and justice," Shane Claiborne writes in the foreword. The prayers in this collection are meant to be prayed in community.

Five Loaves, Two Fish, Twelve Volunteers

Sat, 14 May 2022 04:10:35 GMT

Sixty-two percent of food pantries and meal programs in the United States are faith-based. Most of these ministries are transactional; people needing food interact with church volunteers to earn access to direct service.

Elizabeth Magill advocates relational ministry as a better model for food ministry. People donating food or money eat with the people who need food and get to know them as they serve alongside them. Those needing food share all aspects of the ministry, including planning, setting up, leading, serving, and cleaning. As volunteers become better acquainted with those they serve, they can form deep, meaningful relationships, creating a new way to be the church.

Five Loaves, Two Fish, Twelve Volunteers tells the stories of eight churches that share food ministry with people who need their services. Full of practical advice, this book emphasizes that building relationships and offering radical welcome is more important work for churches than efficiency or order. It helps congregations evaluate their outreach and advises them on how to do it differently.

Practicing Compassion

Sat, 14 May 2022 03:16:49 GMT

Praise for Practicing Compassion

Everybody believes in compassion, but nobody tells you how to practice it. Until now. Frank Rogers turns compassion into a doable, daily practice—as simple as catching your breath and taking your pulse. If you want to read a book that actually has the capacity to change your life (and the world), beginning today, this is the book to read.

—Brian D. McLaren
Author/speaker/blogger/activist (brianmclaren.net)

If you want clear, practical guidance on how to cultivate the inner resources to become a healing presence and force of good for the world, there is no better book than this and no better guide than Frank Rogers.

—John Makransky
Professor of Comparative Theology, Boston College
Author of Awakening through Love

Compassion is more than a sympathetic feeling—it's the bond of human connection. Most religions lift up compassion, yet few people actually teach how to practice it.

Through rich and moving stories of people from various faiths, Frank Rogers shows ways to incorporate compassion in our daily lives. His interfaith perspective on mercy, kindness, and caring for one another trains us to Pay attention, Understand empathically, Love with connection, Sense the sacredness, and Embody new life (PULSE).

Practicing Compassion

Sat, 14 May 2022 03:16:36 GMT

Praise for Practicing Compassion

—Brian D. McLaren
Author/speaker/blogger/activist (brianmclaren.net)

—John Makransky
Professor of Comparative Theology, Boston College
Author of Awakening through Love

Compassion is more than a sympathetic feeling—it's the bond of human connection. Most religions lift up compassion, yet few people actually teach how to practice it.

Justice in Everyday Life

Sat, 14 May 2022 02:42:06 GMT

Justice in Everyday Life, a Lay Servant Ministries advanced course, takes an in-depth look at the Social Principles of The United Methodist Church — the church's attempt to speak on contemporary issues with which it is confronted today. The book covers topics such as the following: Natural World, Social Community, Economic Community, Political Community, Biblical Foundations of the Social Principles, and Teaching the Social Principles. It is not only for Lay Servants but is for anyone interested in studying the Social Principles in greater detail.

The Participant's Book, Social Principles of the UMC 2017-2020 is available here.

Justice in Everyday Life

Sat, 14 May 2022 02:41:54 GMT

The Participant's Book, Social Principles of the UMC 2017-2020 is available here.

Being the Presence of Christ

Sat, 14 May 2022 02:31:04 GMT

"This book is food for all who are hungry for an inner transformation in their lives. Tapping into ancient spiritual practices, Daniel Vestal connects biblically based mysticism with evangelism and social justice."

—Tony Campolo
Professor Emeritus, Eastern University
Author of more than 35 books and one of the founders of the Red Letter Christian movement

Do you long to make a difference in the world? Learn how to be Christ's presence. As Christians, we can continually embody Jesus Christ—be the presence of Christ—and we have the power to transform ourselves, our society, and the world.

The challenge in becoming the presence of Christ is that many of our prejudices and patterns of living will need to change. The hope is knowing that such transformation is possible.

Daniel Vestal says, "I write this book as one who has lived most of my life as a Christian. Though I have had my intellectual struggles and personal struggles, I have never left the Christian faith. My experience has led me to ask, 'What is the really good news that the Christian Gospel claims to possess and proclaim?' I seek to offer my voice as a witness to this Gospel as I understand it."

In this book you will find Vestal's perspective on these topics:

the basics—receiving and nurturing the presence of Christ
prayer as practicing the presence
personal transformation
Christian community
human suffering
Christlikeness through service
Christian social ethics

Find out how to be the presence of Christ, and make a difference in this needy world.

Being the Presence of Christ

Sat, 14 May 2022 02:30:51 GMT

—Tony Campolo
Professor Emeritus, Eastern University
Author of more than 35 books and one of the founders of the Red Letter Christian movement

The challenge in becoming the presence of Christ is that many of our prejudices and patterns of living will need to change. The hope is knowing that such transformation is possible.

In this book you will find Vestal's perspective on these topics:

the basics—receiving and nurturing the presence of Christ
prayer as practicing the presence
personal transformation
Christian community
human suffering
Christlikeness through service
Christian social ethics

Find out how to be the presence of Christ, and make a difference in this needy world.

A Mile in My Shoes

Sat, 14 May 2022 02:15:04 GMT

We can be quick to pray for people around the world in times of trauma, but has prayer become a way to avoid taking real action? Are we reluctant to be fully aware of the suffering around us?

Trevor Hudson challenges us to see, hear, and respond to the needs of others, recognizing the living Christ in all things.

Hudson designed an 8-day program—a pilgrimage—to help all Christians cultivate the depth of compassion Jesus demonstrated. Through this program, pilgrims learn to be present wherever they are and with whomever they meet.

"We seldom become more compassionate without working at it," writes Hudson. "One practical way to cultivate compassion involves building the pilgrimage experience into our lives. …The risen Christ meets us in the lives of those who suffer."

Join Trevor Hudson in this exploration of how to love your neighbor as yourself and choose compassion as part of your daily life.

A Mile in My Shoes

Sat, 14 May 2022 02:14:52 GMT

We can be quick to pray for people around the world in times of trauma, but has prayer become a way to avoid taking real action? Are we reluctant to be fully aware of the suffering around us?

Trevor Hudson challenges us to see, hear, and respond to the needs of others, recognizing the living Christ in all things.

Join Trevor Hudson in this exploration of how to love your neighbor as yourself and choose compassion as part of your daily life.

Living Compassion

Sat, 14 May 2022 01:34:56 GMT

Named One of the Best Spiritual Books of 2017
by Spirituality and Practice (Frederic & Mary Ann Brussat)

In the face of hurtful public dialogue and worldwide conflict, many Christians want to practice and experience genuine compassion. After all, centuries of Christian teachings have insisted that compassion is at the heart of the Christian life.

"Love your enemies," Jesus said in Luke 6:35-36. "Do good to them. Be compassionate, just as God is compassionate."

How do we become more compassionate toward others, especially our enemies? And since Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves, how do we practice being compassionate toward ourselves?

Join Andrew Dreitcer, codirector of the Center for Engaged Compassion, in exploring how certain Christian spiritual practices are compassion practices. Discover how ancient as well as contemporary practices can shape your life, helping you become more compassionate in today's world.

Dreitcer introduces you to the Compassion Practice, a compassion formation process that has been developed in the last decade. Each chapter includes a "Review and Practice" section to help you apply what you learned. Uncover and learn how to express your innate compassion within you, and find out how to turn your desire for compassion into a life centered in genuine, lasting compassion.