Land Acknowledgment links:
Telling the truth about the lands we inhabit: https://www.livinglutheran.org/2021/11/48330/
Labor Acknowledgment link: https://www.diverseeducation.com/demographics/african-american/article/15108677/on-labor-acknowledgements-and-honoring-the-sacrifice-of-black-americans
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For this gathering on the fourth Wednesday in June, we were joined by Rev. Dr. Andrea L. Walker, for the first of three learning opportunities on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
***This special session of Creating Beloved Community lasted 90 minutes.***
This learning opportunity is made possible by a grant awarded to ELCA's Coaching Ministry from the ELCA's Strategy for Authentic Diversity team. This first module is about what DEI is, and it will end moving us toward how we live it out.
Rev. Dr. Andrea L. Walker is a dedicated and visionary leader in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), currently serving in her fourth call as pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Washington, DC. Since her ordination in 2000, Dr. Walker has combined deep pastoral care, theological depth, and a strong commitment to justice in all areas of ministry.
In 2007, she earned her Doctor of Ministry degree from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC). Her doctoral thesis, “A Place at the Table: An African American Lutheran Preaching from Margins to Mainstream,” reflects her lifelong commitment to lifting marginalized voices and enriching the church through a diversity of perspectives.
Prior to her current call, Dr. Walker served ELCA Global Mission as Area Director for Madagascar, West and Central Africa, where she led global partnerships with wisdom, cultural sensitivity, and an unwavering dedication to mutual accompaniment.
A gifted preacher, mentor, and leader, Dr. Walker continues to inspire communities to embody the inclusive and transformative love of Christ.
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Bibliography by Rev. Dr. Andrea L. Walker:
- Davis, Shirley, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for Dummies, Julian Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey 2022
- Ewing, Eve L., Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism, One World, New York, New York 2025
- James, Jr., Anthony G., Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: A Practical Guide
- Tulshyan, Ruchika, Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work, The Mitt Press, London, England 2022
- What is DEI, and why is it dividing America? (CNN article, January 23, 2025)
- Diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility policies… (ACLU article, February 27, 2025)
Other resources mentioned during the gathering:
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ELCA Coaching is collaborating with Rev. Stephanie Luedtke and Rev. Mukesh Cheedie to facilitate our gatherings on the fourth Wednesdays of each month through 2025 to help us live out our faith.
(Most other Wednesdays will explore additional elements of Creating Beloved Community.)
Our regular gatherings in 2025 will have a general flow of listening, learning, and sharing for the first three weeks of each month -- with intentional movement from head to heart to hands. We are inviting you to go even deeper in these fourth weeks, among the Beloved Community, to discern and name your next most faithful step(s). How are we intentionally living out our faith in the world?
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We began gathering online with faith leaders in March of 2020 to wrestle together with Being Church in a global pandemic, which transitioned over the summer of 2021 to Courageous Leadership, as COVID revealed our perceptions and misconceptions about most things in life. Jesus is our primary model as we move toward Creating Beloved Community: Healing Together to learn together and experiment in community with a variety of spiritual practices and focus areas.
"Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion." -- bell hooks, All About Love
We believe this is in attunement with our call as Christians from:
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Scripture and our expanding understanding and expression of love for ALL of our neighbors
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MLK's Letter from Birmingham Jail and Vision of the Beloved Community
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ELCA Teaching, and especially our "connection to all of life"
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ELCA Truth and Healing Movement (as facilitated by Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations)
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Dr. Shawn Ginwright's The Four Pivots: Reimagining Justice, Reimagining Ourselves
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And so many other diverse voices and sacred ways we engage with each other and with the world.
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To answer some commonly asked questions about these regular gatherings:
"Who is considered a faith leader?" The coaching ministry defines "faith leaders" as ALL members of the Body | "priesthood of ALL believers"| Beloved Community, so even if you do not feel like you are a leader, you are welcome in this space.
"Why are you still meeting?" "Don't become too familiar with loneliness. Community is a risk, but liberation depends on the collective. Who can you trust to hold you?" -- Cole Arthur Riley, author of Black Liturgies
