Since September 2020, a cohort of parishioners have been participating in a course called Reckoning with Racism. This was organized by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon and has been a deep dive into the historical racism in the state of Oregon. We have listened and learned from panelists ranging from individuals that were sent away to the Japanese internment camps to indigenous peoples and their experience of the land. We’ve heard about the effects and history of gentrification and from a panel of BIPOC faith leaders.

One of the core projects in this work is to learn and understand the land-use story of our congregation. How did we come to own this land? What is the significance of owning land? And how do we then become better stewards of our land? We want to engage our whole community in this learning by inviting you to a House Party (on Zoom) to hear the land story of St. Michael’s and to hear about your family’s land story. Look for sign-ups beginning on May 23rd.

Please click here to watch the first of our “Land Stories,” this one from parishioner and cohort member Peter Sergienko.