BC: AMONG
For congregations ready for systemic change, whose members have participated in Within
Among Update: We regret to inform you that we will not be accepting applications from new congregations to the Among program for the Fall of 2024. Our current Among congregations will continue for their second (or more) year of the program. Additional updates will appear in this space when they are available. Please contact us at belovedconversations@meadville.edu with any questions or concerns.
In this second phase of our program, we take our learnings from Within and focus them on institutional, anti-racist systemic change in our congregations. In spite of our own, personal efforts to end racism, white supremacy culture still thrives in our congregational systems- in the way we make decisions, in the ways we worship, in our efforts towards social justice. What would it look like to work together to dismantle systems of oppression in our own congregations and build communities that center liberation? We will explore this together in Among!
In Among, participants work for two years with a dedicated Among Coach and a core group of up to 20 Within alums from their congregation to:
- better understand the ways dominant white culture is woven into the congregation’s systems
- explore possibilities for change by focusing on one chosen area of congregational life
- learn from examples of others who have made bold changes
- center the spiritual needs and voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
- create a plan for change that fits the congregation and context
Together, we can move our congregations closer to alignment with our Unitarian Universalist values and a vision of the Beloved Community. We are excited to work with congregations who are looking to transform! With that aim in mind, congregations applying to the program must have a demonstrated commitment to anti-racism, a majority of lay and professional leadership who have taken at least one term of Within, and can point to ways their congregation has been accepting of change.
Who is Among designed for?
- Congregations that have had people take at least one term of Beloved Conversations Within
- Congregations with an explicit commitment to anti-racism
- Congregations where folks in key leadership and decision-making roles (staff, board members, relevant committee chairs, etc.) have taken Within
- Congregations that apply and whose application (on the balance) indicates that they are ready to commit to anti-racist transformation in their congregational systems
