What our program participants are saying

Transformative is the single word that comes to mind. This program challenges us to deal with (and not just examine) the reality of racial injustice on individuals, families, and communities as well as entire segments of our country. We are blessed by having multi-generational African Americans in our group that put flesh to the words of our texts that detail the impact of historical prejudices. In other words, this is not an academic exercise, this is the reality of life lived under and through the historical abuse of laws, processes, power, and privilege. You must deal with this reality.

John Laliberte • Greenville, SC

Before I took the Sacred Water course, I didn't realize how much I take water, and in particular clean water, for granted. The course really opened my eyes to the blessing I have and I will never take it for granted again.

Steven K. Halstead • Bondurant, Iowa

“The Land is Not Our Own has allowed me the space to honor both my Christian faith and my indigeneity. I have gained a deeper understanding of how to communicate existing in both worlds by sharing with a faith-centered group that is open and empathetic. Our call as people of faith is to journey with the oppressed, and this [program] welcomed being witness to the beauty of indigenous culture and spirituality while also holding space to reckon with the horror experienced by indigenous peoples. We cannot build a better future and world without confronting the sin of genocide that continues to manifest in and through our current systems. This course fostered prayerful critique of history, as well as stoking creative solutions to how to repair the harms of colonization and assimilation, specifically as Christians, both individually and as a group. Together we felt the woundedness of genocide and violence, as well as the hope, creativity, and joyful resilience that indigenous people have carried, carry now, and will carry into future generations.”

Mandy Orta • Program Participant