Transatlantic conversations - The CEEP Network and HeartEdge

The CEEP Network and HeartEdge have begun collaborating on a series of transatlantic conversations on key issues for churches in the UK and US.

Painful Legacies: Reckoning with Systemic Racism in British and American Churches - Different Contexts and Shared Responses was the first in the series.

Is this a moment when, as Rev. William J. Barber II recently claimed, we ought to wake up to the ways systemic racism is choking the life out of democracy? This webinar enabled discussion of the church’s response to systemic racism and the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests. Up for discussion were similarities and differences between the US and UK contexts plus areas for collaboration, action and learning.

Panellists Included:

• Debra Bennett - Rector, Church of Our Saviour; Akron, Ohio
• Cornelia Eaton - Canon to the Ordinary of Ministry, Diocese of Navajoland; Farmington, New Mexico
• Azariah France-Williams - Pioneer Priest, The Ascension Hulme HeartEdge Hub Church; Manchester, United Kingdom
• Farai Mapamula - Minister, Castle Bromwich Methodist Church; Birmingham, United Kingdom
• Manoj Mathew Zacharia - Rector, St. Anne’s Episcopal Church; Annapolis, Maryland
• Rosalyn Murphy - Priest-in-Charge, St Thomas, Longford; Coventry, United Kingdom

Click here to view this webinar - https://youtu.be/W_1M1N4LRdA. 

Voting Your Conscience: The Role of Faith and Values

In this webinar our panellists engaged on how our faith can and should play a role in how we undertake our civic obligation.

Where you place your ‘X' when you vote is one of the most significant ways you make your mark on society. As we often hear from politicians and political prognosticators, elections have consequences.

The question then is how do you choose where to put that ‘X’ on the ballot? And, as important a question is what part does your faith play in that decision?

Knowing your vote is all the more important in our increasingly divided world, our panel will discuss how to bring our faith - our conscience - into the voting booth with us. We asked Christians with experience in politics what factors they take into account in voting. Together, they discussed how scripture, faith, church, and values play into our voting decisions? We may not agree on who should receive our vote, but for the sake of repairing our deep divides, understanding how faith and conscience influence voting can help.

Panellists Included:

• Jan Cope - Provost, Washington National Cathedral; Washington, D.C.
• Robert Hendrickson - Rector, St. Philip’s Church; Tucson, Arizona
• Tricia Hillas - Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons; London, UK
• Kim Jackson - Vicar, Church of the Common Ground and Candidate for Georgia State Senate District 41; Atlanta, Georgia
• Russell Rook - Founding Partner, Good Faith Partnership; London, UK

Click here to view this webinar - https://youtu.be/FeMYtfMQZ_Q. 

Restoring Relations: Reconciling Ourselves to God and One Another

An internet search for ‘reconciliation,’ gives the definition that reconciliation is “the restoration of friendly relations.” Our broken world and deep division on any number of issues suggests this definition only names one element of what true reconciliation entails.

For those in the United States, the recent election has exacerbated a years’ long fraying of the social compact. Harsh rhetoric, dismissive attitudes, and a lack of listening have resulted in misunderstanding and fragmentation across society – with some folks literally at each other’s throats.

Throughout the world, COVID-19 has exposed deep divisions based not only on the actual economic and health impacts, but also among people of goodwill on all sides around the perceived threat of the Coronavirus and the impact of measures taken to mitigate the virus spread. Add these elements to an already fractured populace and nations around the world find their citizenry divided and quickly working to unmake the social contract.

Do we stand aside and watch this happen? Or, do we act in ways consistent with our Baptismal Covenant? As Christians, our faith calls us to be agents of reconciliation - as hard as that might be given deep-seated and stridently held convictions. How do we act on this call?

Join our panel for a candid discussion of what it means to be agents of reconciliation and how we go about this work. While answers are often elusive, our panel will explore avenues allowing us to restore civil discourse and engagement… and then move into the work of deep listening, understanding, and compromise.

Panellists included:

• Steve Lawler - Founding Director, The Walker Leadership Institute at Eden Theological Seminary; St. Louis, Missouri (moderator)
• Alastair McKay - Executive Director, Reconciliation Initiatives; Founder, Bridge Builders (UK); Coventry, United Kingdom
• Chuck Robertson - Canon to the Presiding Bishop for Ministry Beyond the Episcopal Church; New York, New York
• Lia Dong Shimada - Mediator and Community Practitioner; Senior Researcher for the Susanna Wesley Foundation at the University of Roehampton; London, United Kingdom
• Josh Thomas - Executive Director, Kids4Peace; Washington, D.C.
• Xolani Diwati - Dean , St Mary's Cathedral; Johannesburg, South Africa

Click here to view this webinar - https://youtu.be/vY6ACG0lr8A.