Below are some opportunities that are available for us, as a congregation, to learn more about racial equity:
- Ardmore Book Club – On Monday, July 6 at 6:00 PM, you are invited to join a discussion on the book Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson. It chronicles the work of Stevenson who serves as the Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, an organization that fights legal bias against the poor and people of color. This discussion is for both adults and youth and will be co-led by Associate Pastor Gina Brock and Minister with Students Dane Martin. If you are interested in participating, contact Gina Brock at gbrock@ardmorebaptist.org. Side-note: Just Mercy was made into a powerful film and can now be rented for free on Amazon. We highly encourage you to watch it.
- Racial Equity Institute – As noted above, Ardmore Baptist Church has hosted the Racial Equity Institute this past year and we are currently in conversation with them about hosting again. We will keep you updated, but would highly encourage anybody and everybody to participate in our of their powerful workshops. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina is partnering with them to offer an online version that will be on Tuesday, June 14 at 1:00 PM. You can sign up for this paradigm-shifting workshop by going here: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/cbfeve/event/815892/?fbclid=IwAR0JGK3sDARer3MQaVKCsXPRrncgKrW_15Fm_ymPcOVRGYrOuqHIYs44BVg
- Theology Book Club – This is not connected to Ardmore, but Pastor Tankersley actually organizes a Theology Book Club that meets online. It started as a group of his seminary friends getting together to read and discuss important books. Their next book is The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James Cone. It is a seminal work on the importance of black theology and to understand the connections between the crucifixion and how our black sisters and brothers have been treated for centuries. Our next discussion is on Thursday, July 9 at 9:00 PM. You will have to have both Facebook and Zoom to participate. If you would be interested in joining the discussion, send me an email to ttankersley@ardmorebaptist.org.
- Word to the Wise – The Pastoral Staff of Ardmore Baptist Church is currently working on ways to utilize our weekly Word to the Wise interviews as opportunities to hear voices that educate us on ways to be advocates for racial justice in our community. Look for those opportunities to come soon. Click here to view Pastor Tankersley’s interview with Larry Hovis (Executive Coordinator of CBF North Carolina) and Ardmore member, Donna Bissette. Both are members of CBFNC’s Racial Equity & Justice Team.
- Resources for Parents – Our Minister with Children and Families, Lee Ritchie, is currently working on providing resources for parents to be able to talk with their children about the issues surrounding racism in our culture.
- Click here to view her introductory video on How to Talk with Your Child about Race.
- How do we talk with our children about race? Let’s learn together. This is part 1 of 3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4ZMxTyt42s
