What our program participants are saying

I have been inspired and nourished by the Spirituality and Racial Justice meditative/mindfulness practices offered in this program and plan to continue to integrate them into my life. This spiritually inclusive module has provided me with a much needed common framework builder in our community to prepare us for the long haul anti racism work that must be continued in our communities to interrupt racist systems and structures.

Teresa Stanley

The focus in this class is a little different from all the other JustFaith offerings. Instead of looking outward into the world, this class took me inward to a deeper look at my language and the effect it has on all my relationships. It offered an opportunity to take a deep look at how language shapes our relationships as well as bring about the more just world our hearts know is possible. It helped me shift away from dualistic thinking--to move from a language of judgment to a language of invitation, to become aware of the needs of others and how those shape every conversation, how to create a safe space for all conversations, and it gave me an opportunity to practice listening for the whole story, to include all the lenses. As we continue to look for the way through all that separates us in these times, this class helped me notice my language, and offered strategies for finding a third way. It reminds me of Rumi’s poem. Here is a part of it, “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there.” This class opens us to the field—the possible thread running through all the other classes, through all our relationships and, indeed, through our lives. I am grateful for this experience.

Julie Powell-Mohr • Pilot Group

As inhabitants of our beautiful planet, we have lost that important and sacred connection to the earth as it houses and sustains us. I love how these sessions help to reawaken that connection and bring a greater awareness to the issues around the land we rely on for food, the air that we breathe, and the water that sustains all life. Not only do they create a greater awareness of the effects of climate change, they also encourage spiritual growth and challenge our complacency. By bringing to light the deeply connected justice issues around climate change such as migration, poverty, food insecurity and health concerns of those living on the margins, participants are challenged to explore their own responses and advocate for more sustainable ways of living both locally and globally. This is a great series and I would encourage everyone to participate!

JoAnn Braegelman • St. Cloud, MN