Becoming Beloved Community
Tell the Truth. Proclaim the Dream. Practice the Way of Love. Repair the Breach.
St. James’s Becoming Beloved Community works to promote racial justice, healing, and reconciliation through education, reflection, and action. In this way, we seek to follow Christ’s commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Learn
Explore St. James’s history and Richmond’s racial history through research, presentations, discussions, and educational opportunities.
Reflect
Participate in Sacred Ground and other opportunities for spiritual formation, listening, and dialogue.
Act
Put your faith into action through community engagement, education, pilgrimage experiences, and efforts that promote reconciliation and beloved community.
Our Work
Following guidance from The Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Virginia, St. James’s has engaged in Becoming Beloved Community work in a variety of ways, including:
Launching and facilitating Sacred Ground dialogue groups.
Developing the St. James’s Racial History Project.
Hosting annual memorial services and discussions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s A Letter from Birmingham Jail.
Participating in educations programs related to Richmond’s monuments and public memory.
Organizing walks along Richmond’s Slave Trail and other local historical experiences.
Participating in pilgrimages focused on racial healing and reconciliation.
Supporting service and educational opportunities in partnership with other St. James’s ministries.
Encouraging parish-wide conversation, learning, and reflection.
Our Vision
To be uniters and repairers of the breach
Building relationships, fostering understanding, and working toward healing within our church and community.
To educate parishioners through the development and sharing of St. James’s racial history
Helping our congregation better understand our past so that we may faithfully engage in the present.
To empower St. James’s to give witness to racial justice and equity in all parish ministries
Encouraging learning, reflection, and action throughout our communal life together.
Get Involved
We welcome participation from anyone interested in learning, reflecting, and acting alongside us. Click here to get in touch with our group liaison to receive notifications from Becoming Beloved Community.
Becoming Beloved Community is a major initiative of The Episcopal Church.
Learn more at episcopalchurch.org/who-we-are/ministries/racial-reconciliation/becoming-beloved-community/.