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 in April, we were joined by Rev. Dr. Andrea L. Walker and Rev. Sonja Ware for the fourth of multiple 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 fourth module brought together everything learned in the first three modules, discussed how bias might show up in coaching, and includes a live coaching demo around the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI).
"Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are how we move from reality to justice!" -- Rev. Dr. Andrea L. Walker
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Bibliography by Rev. Dr. Andrea L. Walker:
- The Nine Asks: Creating Safer and More Courageous Spaces by Kimberly Danielle
- Coaching for Equity: Conversations That Change Practice by Elena Aguilar
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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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Rev. Sonja Ware is a Pastor on the roster of the ELCA and Co-Pastor at Renewed Spirit Church in Reading, PA, a ministry of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod. This congregation has grown out of a four church merger, which Sonja facilitated from beginning to end.
Sonja has been a Coach since 2016 and has experience in coaching individuals as well as groups, focusing on leadership coaching and organizational consulting for nonprofit and volunteer organizations, life coaching, and end of life coaching, including grief coaching. In her coaching, she offers a particular sensitivity to cultural or religious diversity. She is a Coach Trainer and Evaluator for the ELCA.
Sonja has received Coaching Training with CoachNet (ACC level) and Coaching at the End of Life (PCC level). She is an Academic Analytic Member and Faculty Member of the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia (PCOP) after extensive training in Psychodynamic Theory at PCOP.
In her coaching, Sonja listens with a psychodynamically trained ear, sensitive to unconscious processes as well as inter-relational dynamics.
In 2019, Sonja completed a Balint Group Leadership Training Intensive with the American Balint Society and currently co-leads Balint Groups in various contexts. She also participates actively in the only known Balint Group for Clergy in the US.
A native of Germany, Sonja immigrated to the US in 2005. She is fluent both in German and in English and has coaching experience in both languages and countries. She has basic conversational skills in Spanish.
Sonja lives near Reading, PA with her spouse Michael, also an ELCA pastor, and their teenage daughter. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, hiking with her two dogs, reading, playing minigolf for fun (her husband always wins), and learning Spanish.
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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
