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Your presence and participation are needed at the kickoff for our Antiracist Local Church Audit on Saturday, March 18, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on the Rock Spring campus.* The session will be facilitated by Rev. Marvin Silver, Rev. Gerry Hanberry, and Rev. Anne Holmes, all of whom have been instrumental in creating the materials we will be using.

(Want to know more about what an antiracist audit is? Check out pages 4&5 of the latest Rock Spring News).

At the gathering on Saturday, March 18 we will:

1. Be in covenant with each other by creating a safe space to learn, share, and complete the Audit;
2. Build our ability to be present and comfortable in the uncomfortableness of conversations on race and racism, antiracism work, and the journey to become antiracist.
3. Discover what role each of us will play in Rock Spring Congregational UCC’s journey to becoming an Antiracist Local Church.
4. Learn about the role a racial autobiography plays in supporting our church in our antiracist commitment.

Your attendance at this session will help you understand the importance of engaging with this process. It will help prepare you for what is ahead by providing context and an overview of the process. Be assured your presence will enrich our collective experience.

After this initial gathering, we have a team of people, including representatives from every board and committee, who will work with each of our boards and committees to gather specific data. The data collection will happen in a variety of ways over the course of several months. Once the data is all collected, it will be compiled, analyzed, and eventually become a roadmap to guide us on our antiracist journey.

We hope you will come be a part of this significant day in the life of our congregation. Please RSVP by emailing info@rockspringucc.org by Tuesday, March 14.  After that date, we will send a confirmation email to everyone who is registered with more information. We would like everyone who is attending to bring a mug or cup for beverages, a journal, and a pencil or pen. We will provide refreshments throughout the day.

Questions? Email Kathy Dwyer, Leslie Atkins, or Gerri Ratliff.

*We will also be offering a Zoom option for those who cannot be with us in person. Zoom is not optimal for this experience. If you choose to participate this way, we ask that you commit to being present with your camera on for the session. Please indicate your need for a Zoom link in your RSVP.

*If you need childcare, we will do our best to accommodate this. Please email us as soon as possible if this would be helpful to you.