Photo from Imago Dei worship celebration on June 2nd
With Christ the King’s recent vote to become a Reconciling in Christ (RIC) congregation within the ELCA, I wanted to share a little bit about what comes next. I’ve been working with my 6-year-old, Jameson, on reading this year and we talk a lot about how different endings to words mean different things. The “ing” ending means that something is an action and the “ed” ending means that something is done happening. It’s important for us to remember this as it relates to our recent decision to become an RIC congregation because the R stands for Reconciling not Reconciled to signal that this will be ongoing work. This vote isn’t an ending place, but rather a starting point for us to begin our journey. So what will that journey look like?
It will look like….
Listening – Look forward to opportunities for us to listen to those in marginalized communities – to hear about their experiences with faith, God & the church. Listening is the first, very important, step in us becoming more aware of how we can help.
Learning – We’ll also have lots of chances to learn together, similar to the study Vicar Sommer shared this past fall on the “clobber passages”. We want to be curious and open to discovering things we didn’t know before.
Advocating & Allyship – We want to equip allies with ways that they can advocate for our siblings in Christ within marginalized communities. It’s important to advocate not only within our walls at CtK and ensure our space is safe, welcoming and accessible – but also within our community. Be looking for ways you can volunteer (including some later in this article) to help with this!
Celebrating – Often those in marginalized communities are tolerated or accepted – but we want to go above and beyond that, celebrating all who in Christ are fearfully and wonderfully made! We’ll be finding ways to spread this message inside and outside our church walls (be prepared for some glitter!)
So what’s next?
The RIC committee met on May 21st and talked about a variety of ways that we can be a welcoming, caring presence in the Fox Valley for all marginalized community members. We also elected RIC committee chairs – yours truly & Susie Selle. For us, and many others on the committee, we shared personal stories about why being a part of an RIC community is an important aspect of our faith journeys. But the committee can’t do it alone! We need YOU to join us!
What are some ways YOU can help this month?
1. Attend Fox Valley Pride at Riverside Park in Neenah on Saturday, June 22nd from 1-8pm where CtK will have a booth giving out Glitter & Rainbow blessings, along with Knit Wit pride prayer squares! We will also be inviting members of the LGBTQIA+ community to “Share your Hurt, Share your Hope” via hearts where they can write or draw things that are hurting them or things that are bringing them hope and then tie those on to a display we’ll have.
2. Give of your time, talent and resources to help us with our outreach at Fox Valley Pride!
3. Join our RIC committee! We plan to meet about 1-2 times a month for an hour. Even if you cannot attend every meeting, we’d love to have you! Contact Susie (sselle@christ-the-king.org) or myself (nicoleschmidt22@gmail.com) if you are interested!
What are some ways YOU can help with our RIC efforts at Fox Valley Pride later this month?
1. Bring a donation of 24 water bottles for us to hand out at the festival! We need them dropped off at Christ the King by Friday, June 21st. We’re looking for 50 donations.
2. Stay after worship Sunday, June 9th during coffee hour to help make some crafts (beginner crafters welcome!) or…
3. Take a package of construction paper home after worship this Sunday, June 9th and cut out hearts. Bring them back by Sunday, June 16th. We need 20 families.
Yours in Christ, Nicole Schmidt - RIC Committee Co-Chair
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